Sesame Sans Frontieres

According to Gary Younge, Sesame Street was originally an ethical and educational tool for progressive parents – a programme thought of as good for the children and one that children actually enjoyed. It unselfconsciously involved children of different races and abilities and demonstrated that different did not mean worse and bigger did not necessarily mean better.

The author brings to our attention that the basic principles of universal humanitarianism which once unified the program have been thwarted. Reaching over 140 countries, Sesame Street has been anxious to preserve its integrity. Furthermore, it has not tried to impose uniformity on how the show might be tailored to local needs.

This article suggests that as Sesame Street goes global, its characters are becoming victim to political influence. The author points to a Russian version that has Zeliboba, an ancient tree spirit, teach children that there is much to learn from Old Russia. Local variations have created friends like this but as friends have become more powerful so have its enemies. One of Sesame Street's greatest troubles is how local versions are adapted for countries in conflict. In Northern Ireland a four-year old Protestant girl said “Catholics are the same as masked men. They smash windows.” According to Younge, it is not a surprise that Sesame Street is having trouble starting up there. One answer is to start out in a new country with the right partners. But with separate programmes being made the show's success is contingent on the political context in which it is shaped.

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