Sesame Workshop, the not-for-profit company behind the children's TV show, which is home to characters including Big Bird, the Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch and loved by kids across the globe, has posted a loss of $9.27m for the year to June 2008, plummeting from a £22.7m gain in the previous year. It plans to eliminate 67 jobs.
The organisation, in a statement, said: "We will have to operate with fewer resources in order to achieve our strategic priorities.
"We are not immune to the unprecedented challenges of today's economic environment."
'Sesame Street', which has been on UK TV screens since the early 1970s, was the creation of the late Jim Henson, the legendary puppeteer behind shows including 'The Muppets'.
It uses a combination of puppetry, animation and real people to teach children about subjects ranging from arithmetic to divorce.
The company is suffering from a lack of philanthropic financial backing, which has in the past been derived from a number of Wall Street companies such as corporations, financial institutions and private investors.
Bear Stearns funded a programme to help children and families prepare for emergencies, and Merrill Lynch, McDonald's and Wal-Mart have also funded initiatives.
Sesame Workshop, in the statement, said: "After careful review, we have concluded that we will have to operate with fewer resources in order to achieve our strategic priorities."
It said it was "optimistic about our future and more committed than ever to our mission of helping children reach their highest potential here and around the globe".
Sesame Workshop was founded in 1968 to educate children from low income families before they attended school.
From producing its eponymous kids' TV show, it has expanded its brand into areas including magazines, books and online.
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