Sesame Street Around the Wo

ONE LINCOLN PLAZA NEWYORK.N.Y10O23/TELEPHONE (212) 595-3466 w 1^ SESAME STREET AROUND THE WO: You do not have to be a child to know Bert and Ernie, Kermit and the rest of the SESAME STREET gang. Thanks to a burgeoning number of international SESAME STREET joint productions, children and their parents all over the world are watching the goings-on on SESAME STREET or, more to the point, on VILA SESAMO in Brazil, on PLAZA SESAMO in Spanish-speaking Latin America, on 1 RUE SESAME in France, on SESAMSTRAAT in Holland, on SESAMSTRASSE in Germany, on IFTAH YA SIMSIM in the Arabian Gulf States, and on BARRIO SESAMO in Spain. Adapting SESAME STREET r%r a score of divergent cultures is more challenging than simply dubbing Oscar's discourses into Swedish or Italian. It is no exaggeration to say that the worldwide adaptation of SESAME STREET is the most audacious and complex project of its kind ever attempted. SESAME STREET changed the face of American television for children starting in 1969. Three years later two adaptations of SESAME STREET were broadcast: PLAZA SESAMO (produced in Mexico for broadcast all over Spanish-speaking Latin America) and VILA SESAMO (intended for Portuguese-speaking Brazil) were first broadcast in 1972. Both were astonishingly successful. CABLE: SESAMEST NEWYORK/TWX 710-581-2543/RCA 236168 During the eight years since, the SESAME STREET message has spread. Children's Television Workshop—the creators of the original SESAME STREET as well as THE ELECTRIC COMPANY, 3-2-1 CONTACT, and other Public Broadcasting series— is now co-producing seven completely foreign adaptations of their original brainchild. In the co-production process approximately 50% of the material used in the adapted version is taken from the U.S. SESAME STREET and 50% of the material is produced locally. The carefully planned and expensively produced SESAME STREET films, animations, and puppet segments extracted from the U.S. show and dubbed with local language permits the foreign producer to create a series considerably superior in its production values, audience appeal, and educative effects than could be created at the same cost otherwise. The Workshop, however, does not impose requirements on the content of the locally produced segments of the shows. The curriculum for each new program is carefully designed by local educators, researchers, psychologists and pro- ducers in order to answer the needs most acutely felt in each country and in order to discover the most suitable and entertaining means of expressing those needs. As in America, each new show is carefully evaluated both before and after production by an independent team. The SESAME STREET model provides the greatest amount of flexibility to meet changing needs. Naturally enough, the characters in these new productions take different forms and names. On French television, for example, the Cookie Monster regals youngsters as "Macaron," while in Latin America a Latinized version of "Big Bird" speaks to children in the form of a seven-foot-tall pink crocodile answering to the name of "Abelardo." A less expensive alternative to joint production is provided by OPEN SESAME. OPEN SESAME consists of 65, 27-minute programs composed primarily of segments of the American SESAME STREET which are dubbed, but do not require new production. The voice track is produced locally and puppet characters have native names. Through the subtle intonations of the dubbed voices the characters assume qualities unique to their cultures. The original English-language version of SESAME STREET is broadcast in over 40 countries where English is widely spoken such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Carribean, or where English is a second or third language as in Japan or Singapore. As SESAME STREET was once characterized by "The New York Times," it is "the street that runs around the world." FOREIGN PRODUCTIONS PLAZA SESAMO PLAZA SESAMO,(130 one-hour programs) jointly produced by Televisa, Mexico's main television network, and CTW, became the most popular daily hour-long program in the country within weeks of its debut in 1973. The enormous success of PLAZA SESAMO I prompted the production of a second series of 260 %hour programs in 1975. A new third season is being developed to keep the program relevant to the changing needs of children in the 80's. PLAZA SESAMO III will begin production in 1981. VILA SESAMO The 55-minute daily Portuguese-language version, VILA SESAMO, first went on the air in Brazil in 1972 and set new records for acceptance and impact among the nation's 11.5 million pre-school children. Within weeks of the show's premiere, its popularity was so widespread that "Garibaldo," the Brazilian equivalent of "Big Bird," won a louder ovation that Santa Claus when both were introduced at half-time of a major Rio soccer match. The first series of VILA SESAMO, with a one-hour format, became one of the country's most popular programs, winning the Helene Silveira Award, which is the equivalent of the American Emmy. During 1974, a new series of the show premiered. In its new format of 260 half-hour shows, VILA SESAMO offers broadcasters more flexibility in scheduling. The series is produced by TV Globo in Sao Paulo. Another season of VILA SESAMO is in the planning stage. SESAMSTRASSE This German language production of SESAME STREET will celebrate its 750th broadcast in December 1980. Big Bird and Oscar will help celebrate this event by visiting their "relatives" in Germany. The genesis of the German production differs from that of the Spanish and Portuguese editions. Following the receipt of an award at the Prix Jeunesse (a major European children's television festival), the Germans began broadcast of SESAME STREET in English. The "American" version was so successful that Norddeutacher Rundfunk (NDR) and CTW decided to produce a German edition entitled SESAMSTRASSE. The program premiered in 1973. Five years after its debut, NDR developed a new format. Curriculum adjustments were made, in conjunction with the board of advisors, emphasizing practical skills, such as crossing the street safely, along with learning social goals, such as cooperation. Highlights included the first regular studio "anchor" segments taped in Germany, and two specially designed puppets; one the bear- ish-looking animal called "Samson," similar in character to "Big Bird", and the other a female birdlike puppet, "Tiffy," who is used to develop the curriculum goal of differing perspectives. The studio segments produced in Hamburg are more flexible than the original "street" segments, allowing the characters to present different types of stories. These segments are integrated throughout the program. The series continues to use Muppet segments as well as animation and live action films from the American show, all dubbed in German, SESAMSTRASSE, in its current form, will be aired in Germany through 1983. Jeurgen Zimmer, a pre-school expert in Munich, has summed up the impact of SESAMSTRASSE by calling it "the greatest revolution in TV for children." SESAMSTRAAT This co-production premiered in January 1976 on Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) in Holland and on Belgishe Radio en Televisie (BRT) in Belgium, and was broadcast twice weekly. The overwhelming success of the program inspired the creation of more programs and an increase in broadcast frequency to five times a week. The 1977-78 season was also marked by a move into a studio. (The initial Dutch produced segments were filmed in the village of Thon, near the Belgium border). The current setting is a street of buildings on both sides and "Pino's" nest on top of one of the buildings. Pino is a large "Big Bird"-like character who is friends with "Tommie," a small bear/cat and "Troel," his girlfriend. The show in this format is scheduled to run through 1981. 1, RUE SESAME This French co-production made its debut on TF 1, in April 1978. The series of 208 half-hour programs is close in format to the U.S. version and is broadcast five days weekly, on alternate weeks. The location is a plaza overlooking Paris. Several families live around the plaza and ground level businesses include a carpenter shop, similar to Luis's Fix-It store in the U.S. version. Among the characters are a concierge, a delivery boy, and a young couple; the husband, a schoolmaster and his wife who's a nurse. As in other overseas original versions, two specially-made puppets, named "Toccata" and "Mordicus," joined the human hosts. Muppet segments from the U.S. show as well as animation and live action films were also dubbed into French. This show will be aired in France through 1980. Additional production following 1980 will enlarge the format to include travels through the countryside, visits to museums and other interesting locations. IFTAH YA SIMSIM Full scale series production began in May of 1978 on the Arabic language version of SESAME STREET, in conjunction with the Arab Gulf States Joint Pro- gram Production Institution in Kuwait. Two new puppet characters were created for IFTAH YA SIMSIM: "Melsoon" and "Numan." "Melsoon" is a small, bright green, and very precocious parrot. His complement is "Nunan," a large round, lovable bear-like creature. The IFTAH YA SIMSIM "street" is a blend of the old and new Middle Eastern architecture. Another interesting goal of this joint production was to attract and train talented young Arab people to enter into the television business. The program has been invaluable in the effort to raise the standard of television in the Arab world. A new series of IFTAH YA SIMSIM, consisting of 130 half-hour programs is expected to begin production in November of 1980.

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