'Sesame Street' set to turn 40

NEW YORK, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- The creators of "Sesame Street" say the U.S. children's TV series' 40th birthday is being marked with special ceremonies in New York and Washington.

The Boston Globe reported Saturday in addition to the ceremonies, the series' birthday Tuesday will bring about a new 13-episode season of "Sesame" filled with trendy celebrity guests and updated parodies.

Among the stars to appear on the newest season of the puppet show are NBA star Kobe Bryant, actress Christina Applegate and Michele Obama, wife of U.S. President Barack Obama.

Also, after airing nearly 4,200 episodes to date, "Sesame" will introduce its first computer-generated Muppet character.

"Sesame" executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente told the Globe while her series now targets children 3 years and younger instead of 4- and 5-year-olds, it still remains a popular early-education tool for parents.

"Parents have grown up with these characters and make us their first choice for young kids," said Parente, referring to the PBS series' characters like Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Count Von Count and Elmo. "We're proud of that."