 During the summer of 1968 , Gerald S. Lesser , CTW 's first advisory @-@ board chairman , conducted five three @-@ day curriculum @-@ planning seminars in Boston and New York City to select a curriculum for the new program . Seminar participants were television producers and child development experts . It was the first time a children 's television show used a curriculum , which Palmer , who was responsible for conducting the show 's formative research , and Fisch described as " detailed or stated in terms of measurable outcomes " . The program 's creative staff was concerned that this goal would limit creativity , but one of the seminar results was to encourage the show 's producers to use child @-@ development concepts in the creative process . Some Muppet characters were created during the seminars to fill specific curriculum needs . For example , Oscar the Grouch was designed to teach children about their positive and negative emotions , and Big Bird was created to provide children with opportunities to correct his " bumbling " mistakes . Lesser reported that Jim Henson had a " particular gift for creating scenes that might teach " . 
