‘Sesame Street’ back in Mideast
“Puppet regimes” are back in the Middle East. Once again, they’re promoting peace, diversity and the importance of brushing your teeth.
New episodes of “Sesame Street” are going on TV in Israel and the Palestinian territories, producers report, years after the original versions signed off because of a lack of funds.
As with the popular U.S. program -- designed to enhance basic educational content for youngsters -- producers tailored the Mideast casts and story lines to fit the audiences.
“Rechov Sumsum,” the Israeli version, features a Muppet of Arab origin for the first time. Arab puppets have been used in other versions of the show elsewhere around the world.
The Palestinian counterpart, “Shara’a Simsim,” seeks to offer positive role models to boys in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Gary Knell, president of Sesame Workshop, the New York-based nonprofit group behind “Sesame Street” programming worldwide, said the goal was to counter the potentially negative influences of society, because children as young as 3 can begin to demonstrate prejudice.
“They’re not born with this,” he said. “They’re learning it from their parents, from the community, from friends.”
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