Iftah Ya Simsim
Encyclopedia
Iftah Ya Simsim is the first Arabic-speaking version of the children's television series
Sesame Street
. Indoor scenes have been taken in Kuwait, while outdoor scenes were in many Arab countries and the world. Actors, players and children have been selected to represent more than 12 Arab countries.
In May 1977, for $2.5 million, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf
, or the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Joint Program Production Institution bought the Arab world
rights to the Sesame Street concept for a nine-year period, as well as CTW's technical assistance, research and production advice and the services of a resident consulting producer during the production period in Kuwait. Under the agreement, CTW was also to provide 15 hours of cross-cultural material, such as animal or nature films, from the U.S. program, which would be selected by the institution as appropriate for Arab children and dubbed into Arabic at a sound studio in Baghdad. The studio segment of the program was taped in a 5400 square feet (501.7 m²) studio between May and December 1978.
The show premiered in autumn 1979. 130 half-hour episodes were aired five times a week over twenty-six weeks. Following the series, a new version was produced in 1983-1984 with a total of 52 more half-hour episodes.
Iftah Ya Simsim was the first Sesame Street co-production in Arabic, originally intended for pan-Arabian television distribution. Today localised versions of Sesame Street are being produced in the following territories:
It was announced in 2011 that the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States will be creating a new version for the Gulf nations.
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. Indoor scenes have been taken in Kuwait, while outdoor scenes were in many Arab countries and the world. Actors, players and children have been selected to represent more than 12 Arab countries.
In May 1977, for $2.5 million, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf
Arab states of the Persian Gulf
"Arab states of the Persian Gulf" or "Arab Persian Gulf states" or "Persian Gulf Arab states" or "Arabic Persian Gulf states" or "Arab States of The Gulf", are terms that refer to the six Arab states of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, bordering the Persian Gulf....
, or the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Joint Program Production Institution bought the Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
rights to the Sesame Street concept for a nine-year period, as well as CTW's technical assistance, research and production advice and the services of a resident consulting producer during the production period in Kuwait. Under the agreement, CTW was also to provide 15 hours of cross-cultural material, such as animal or nature films, from the U.S. program, which would be selected by the institution as appropriate for Arab children and dubbed into Arabic at a sound studio in Baghdad. The studio segment of the program was taped in a 5400 square feet (501.7 m²) studio between May and December 1978.
The show premiered in autumn 1979. 130 half-hour episodes were aired five times a week over twenty-six weeks. Following the series, a new version was produced in 1983-1984 with a total of 52 more half-hour episodes.
Iftah Ya Simsim was the first Sesame Street co-production in Arabic, originally intended for pan-Arabian television distribution. Today localised versions of Sesame Street are being produced in the following territories:
- EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
(Alam SimsimAlam SimsimAlam Simsim is an Arabic language Egyptian-made adaptation of the format used in the children's television series Sesame Street. Alam Simsim is Arabic for "Sesame World".The show, funded by the U.S. Government's U.S...
- Sesame World) - JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
(Hikayat SimsimHikayat SimsimHikayat Simsim is the Arabic name for the Jordanian co-production of Sesame Street.The main Muppet characters in the Jordanian version are Juljul and Tonton. Issa Sweidan plays the lovable grandfather figure Jiddo Simsim....
- Sesame Tales) - Palestinian territoriesPalestinian territoriesThe Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
(Shara'a SimsimShara'a SimsimShara'a Simsim is the Palestinian version of Sesame Street....
- Sesame Street)
It was announced in 2011 that the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States will be creating a new version for the Gulf nations.
Characters
- No'Man, a camel equivalent of Big Bird played by Abdullah Hubail, a Kuwaiti
- Melsoon, a light green parrot wearing a tie "played" by Syrian actor Tawfiq al-Asha
- Yaqut, a lavender monster with a long nose