Iftah Ya Simsim (1979)

How it feels

This show is an Arabic-language adaptation of Sesame Street. It uses Muppets, animation, and live actors to teach letters, numbers, and social skills to young children.

educationalwarmgentleplayfulpositiveinclusivewholesomereassuring

What happens

Iftah Ya Simsim (Arabic: افتح يا سمسم; meaning "Open Sesame") is the first international co-production of the American children's television series Sesame Street created in the Arabian world. It premiered in Kuwait and Morocco on September 14, 1979, and was broadcast in 22 Arabic-speaking countries, running until June 23, 1989. The program remained well-known decades after it went off the air. A few months after its premiere, Iftah Ya Simsim became one of the most popular and successful children's programs in many Arab states. Critics called it "one of the most successful pan-Arab collaborations of educators, creators, writers and artists from the Middle East". The show inspired many studies, which demonstrated that children benefited from watching it. In 2010, efforts began to revive the show for a new generation of young viewers in the Arab world. In late 2013, fifteen writers and producers from Bidaya Media attended training about its educational methodology and production techniques from the staff of the American show in New York. Iftah Ya Simsim was in pre-production in March 2014, and the first phase of auditions took place in April 2014. The new series debuted on September 1, 2015. The present show is a collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Education Council, Twofour54, Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, and Bidaya Media. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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