Indian version of Sesame Street comes out in 2006

[muppet maniac]

Here's the article:

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/aboutus/inside_press.php?contentId=13411483

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SESAME WORKSHOP AND TURNER AGREE TO CO-PRODUCE SESAME STREET IN INDIA

(New York, NY, and Mumbai, INDIA, January 17, 2005) Globally recognized Sesame Workshop will team up with Indian kids’ entertainment leader, Turner, to produce Sesame India, aimed at serving the 157 million children under the age of 6 in India. The development of the ground breaking series for Turner’s Cartoon Network and POGO would mark Sesame Workshop’s entry into India, and will draw upon Sesame Workshop’s international experience and Turner’s local knowledge, expertise and understanding of Indian kids. Debuting in 2006, the series will feature new Indian Muppet characters, locally produced live action and animation segments, and classic Sesame Street moments with Elmo, Cookie Monster and the rest of the gang. The series will be distributed on multiple platforms across India.

To understand and address the local needs of children and to ensure local relevance and resonance, Sesame India will incorporate an innovative curriculum created by Indian educators, child development experts, and producers. The country’s rich cultural diversity will also be reflected in the music, live action and animation segments. In the first season, Sesame India will be in Hindi, though some English words and simple phrases will be incorporated into the series. The innovative series will subsequently be available in other languages.

In addition to the TV series, a Sesame India radio program and outreach materials, including posters and flashcards, will be distributed in both urban and rural areas. The program transcends socio-economic barriers encouraging education for all children and addressing local as well as universal values such as sharing and cooperation.

“Sesame Workshop’s mission is to create innovative engaging content that maximizes the educational power of media to help children reach their highest potential,” said Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop’s President and CEO. “As with all our adaptations, we are now working with local experts to identify Indian children’s issues and how to best address them on- and off-air. We’re thrilled to work with Turner, the undisputed leader in Indian kids’ television, to build a long-term presence and to together serve the children of the amazing Indian sub-continent.”

“Building on our ten years of success in India, including recent original productions such as POGO Amazing Kids Awards, Turner is well positioned to co-produce the pioneering series with Sesame Workshop. In addition, coupled with our consummate understanding of kids’ viewing habits in India and access to millions of kids here, both Cartoon Network and POGO serve as the ideal platform to showcase compelling television that will add a new dimension to kids’ television in India,” said Louise Sams, President, TBS International and Executive Vice President and General Counsel, TBS, Inc.

Funding for the development phase of Sesame India was provided through the generous support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and ICICI Bank. Moving forward, the producers of Sesame India will look to combine the strengths and resources of the public and private sectors for local development initiatives.

Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in children's lives around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Dragon Tales and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat and ground breaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. As a nonprofit, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of Sesame Street, Dragon Tales and Sagwa products right back into its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online at www.sesameworkshop.org.

Turner’s Cartoon Network and POGO are the # 1 and # 2 television destinations for kids in India, together reaching close to 40 million television homes in India. Having shaped kids’ television in India, with the launch of Cartoon Network in 1995, Turner created another milestone with the launch of POGO, a multi-genre channel for kids and their families in 2004. Recognised as the resident kids experts with a 360-degree presence through successful on-air and on line presence, ground-events, promotional licensing, product licensing, publishing, CD ROMS, etc, Cartoon Network and POGO, with an intelligent mix of live action, documentaries, movies and animation, offer a complete entertainment package for Indian kids.

Part of the Time Warner Company, Turner International India Pvt. Ltd. is the arm of Turner Broadcasting System. Inc. (TBS) charged with the sales and marketing of Time Warner’s news and entertainment services in India and South Asia.
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[TotallySpiesFan]

I'm sure it will have these Indian Muppet characters:

A large purple peacock
A silver monster
A pink grouch
The blue Frackle (not Boppity, but a different blue Frackle from JHH's Monsterthon)

 

[ravagefrackle]

I'm sure it will have these Indian Muppet characters:

A large purple peacock
A silver monster
A pink grouch
The blue Frackle (not Boppity, but a different blue Frackle from JHH's Monsterthon)

A large purple peacock ===nope

A silver monster===== nope

A pink grouch=====nope

i have seen the designs , this is not what they built.

The blue Frackle (not Boppity, but a different blue Frackle from JHH's

====most definetley not frackles were never on sesame street, they are only involved in the world of the classic muppets, not sesame street.

 

[muppet maniac]

i have seen the designs , this is not what they built.

You have? Where did you see them?

 

[ravagefrackle]

You have? Where did you see them?

beacuse i worked at the shop, and i saw the designs for the puppets late last summer, while they were being buit.i was thier saying hi to some old friends and collegues

 

[Drtooth]

2 things... one. What do they look like? Can you give us a general description? And 2... are they still going to make the Ireland and Japanese versions that were planned a while ago?

 

[Bootsy]

What a great idea?

I think it's a great idea that they give india the chance to experience what we all did when we grew up! (Most of us ). It's educational and it should be a great viewing experience for the kids. Good Luck .Bootsy

 

[MuppetDude]

2 things... one. What do they look like? Can you give us a general description? And 2... are they still going to make the Ireland and Japanese versions that were planned a while ago?

A Japanese version now exists.

 

[muppet maniac]

beacuse i worked at the shop, and i saw the designs for the puppets late last summer, while they were being buit.i was thier saying hi to some old friends and collegues

Did Henson build those puppets like they did for all the international co-productions of Sesame Street or are you talking about another puppet workshop?

Speaking of which, is Plaza Sesamo(the Mexican SS)canceled or are they still going to make more episodes?

 

[Pino]

So what did they use in japan and what did they use in inda?
Are there any picture online yet? And is one of them a Big Bird?