Sesame Street passed Mister Rogers' Neighborhood's longevity record in June 2003.
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began national broadcasting in 1968 and ran through 2001, making it one of American public television's most enduring children's programs. Sesame Street debuted on November 10, 1969, and its continuing production allowed it to exceed the length of the Mister Rogers series by June 2003.
The two programs are often grouped together because both helped define American educational television, but they used different formats. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood centered on Fred Rogers' calm conversations, songs, and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, while Sesame Street combined puppets, sketches, animation, and early-learning lessons.
The record refers to the duration of the television series, not the number of episodes. Sesame Street's uninterrupted ongoing run is also why it is frequently described as the longer-running program, even though Mister Rogers' Neighborhood remains a distinct landmark in children's television history.