Sesame Beginnings
Encyclopedia
Sesame Beginnings is a line of products and a video series, spun off the children's television series Sesame Street
. The line is targeted towards infants and their parents, and products are designed to increase family interactivity.
, Fortinos
, and Zehrs. The initial offering included apparel, health and body, home, and seasonal products.
Soon after, the line expanded to products, including Random House
books, available in the United States. Target
is the primary retailer for the items in the US. Other Sesame Beginnings licensors include Crown Crafts
(bedding), Fisher-Price
(infant toys), BBC
(footwear), Children's Apparel Network
(department and specialty store layette, newborn and infant apparel), Hamco, Blue Ridge, Baby Boom
, and AD Sutton.
All products in the Sesame Beginnings line are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5. Products ranked Level 1 are for birth to 6 months, Level 2 are for 6 to 12 months, Level 3 for 12 to 18 months, Level 4 targets 18 to 24 months, and Level 5 aims for 24–36 months.
Beginning Together: Brandy
and her daughter Sy'rai appear in the video.
Make Music Together: Wayne Brady
and his daughter Maile appear in the video.
Exploring Together: Matt Lauer
and his daughter Romy host the video.
, Executive Vice President, Sesame Workshop
comments: "Our own research showed that Sesame Street videos were among those frequently viewed by the under two set, in spite of the fact that the content and curriculum of Sesame Street is designed for ages 2-5. With the Sesame Beginnings DVDs, we're providing parents and caregivers of children under two with content specifically designed to use media as a tool to further adult/child interaction."
The same "underviewing" of Sesame Street is what had earlier inspired show producers to add in the very young-targeted Elmo's World
segment.
The concept of the Sesame Street cast as babies was not entirely new, as "baby-ized" versions of characters were available as toys since at least the early-2000s. Many likened the line to previous series like Muppet Babies
.
recommends that children under two be kept away from screen media and Sesame Beginnings has been criticized by a number of early childhood development experts who point to research suggesting that television viewing by babies can harm language development and sleep patterns. A March 21, 2006 article in The Washington Post
quoted Harvard Medical School
psychologist Susan Linn as saying "There is no evidence that media is beneficial for babies, and they are starting to find evidence that it may be harmful. Until we know for sure, we shouldn't risk putting them in front of the television."
Sesame Workshop has countered such criticism by pointing to their partnership with Zero to Three, a respected American nonprofit child-development and advocacy organization, to produce the DVDs and also that they were extensively researched and tested by respected experts in childhood development. However, one of Zero to Three's original founders, noted pediatrian T. Berry Brazelton
, was among the signatories of a letter of protest that was submitted to Zero to Three calling on the organization to disassociate itself with the project.
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...
. The line is targeted towards infants and their parents, and products are designed to increase family interactivity.
Product line
The line was launched mid-2005 in Canada, with a line of products exclusive to a family of Canadian retailers that includes LoblawsLoblaws
Loblaws is a supermarket chain with over 70 stores in Canada, headquartered in Brampton, with stores across Ontario and Quebec. Loblaws is a division of Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest food distributor...
, Fortinos
Fortinos
Fortinos is a Canadian supermarket chain operating 20 stores in Ontario . It is part of Loblaw Companies Limited.- History :In 1961, immigrant steelworker John Fortino opened his first Fortinos store in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1972, John took on seven partners and opened a second store on Hamilton...
, and Zehrs. The initial offering included apparel, health and body, home, and seasonal products.
Soon after, the line expanded to products, including Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
books, available in the United States. Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
is the primary retailer for the items in the US. Other Sesame Beginnings licensors include Crown Crafts
Crown Crafts
Crown Crafts is an American bedding company based in Gonzales, Louisiana. In 2005, it licensed the Sesame Beginnings brand for some products.-Company overview:...
(bedding), Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price is a company that produces toys for infants and children, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. Fisher-Price has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel since 1993.-History:...
(infant toys), BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
(footwear), Children's Apparel Network
Children's Apparel Network
The Children's Apparel Network is an American company whose products include department and specialty store layette, newborn and infant apparel. In 2005, they licensed the Sesame Beginnings brand for some products. Children's Apparel Network is located in Manhattan at 112 West 34th Street, Floor...
(department and specialty store layette, newborn and infant apparel), Hamco, Blue Ridge, Baby Boom
Baby boom
A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2 per 100 women...
, and AD Sutton.
All products in the Sesame Beginnings line are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5. Products ranked Level 1 are for birth to 6 months, Level 2 are for 6 to 12 months, Level 3 for 12 to 18 months, Level 4 targets 18 to 24 months, and Level 5 aims for 24–36 months.
DVD series
The first Beginnings videos were in stores March 2006.Beginning Together: Brandy
Brandy (entertainer)
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
and her daughter Sy'rai appear in the video.
Make Music Together: Wayne Brady
Wayne Brady
Wayne Alphonso Brady is an actor, singer, comedian and television personality, known for his work as a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and as the host of the daytime talk show The Wayne Brady Show...
and his daughter Maile appear in the video.
Exploring Together: Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
and his daughter Romy host the video.
Cast
- Kevin ClashKevin ClashKevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer and voice actor whose characters include Elmo, Baby Sinclair, Clifford, Splinter and Hoots the Owl...
as Baby ElmoElmoElmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is a furry red monster and currently hosts the last full 15 minute segment on Sesame Street, Elmo's World, which is aimed at toddlers. His puppeteer, Kevin Clash, uses falsetto to produce his voice... - Bill BarrettaBill BarrettaBill Barretta has been performing with the Muppets since 1991, when he performed the body of family father Earl Sinclair on Dinosaurs...
as Elmo's dad "Louie" - Fran BrillFran BrillFrances Joan "Fran" Brill , is an American actress and puppeteer, best known for her roles on Sesame Street.Brill was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Linette and Joseph M. Brill. Her father was a physician...
as Baby Prairie DawnPrairie DawnPrairie Dawn is a fictional character, a rather mature seven-year-old Muppet girl on the children's television program Sesame Street. She is similar in appearance to a character from the Anything Muppets. She is famous for writing school pageants for her friends, mostly Ernie and Bert, Herry,... - Leslie Carrara-RudolphLeslie CarraraLeslie Carrara-Rudolph is an American actress, singer, performer and puppeteer. She is sometimes credited as Leslie Carrara or the mis-spelling Leslie Carrera-Rudolph.-Early life and career:...
as Prairie Dawn's mom - Matt Vogel as Baby Big BirdBig BirdBig Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
- Pam ArcieroPam ArcieroPam Arciero is puppeteer and voice-over artist who portrays Oscar the Grouch's girlfriend, Grundgetta, on Sesame Street.-Career:Arciero earned her Master's in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut....
as Big Bird's aunt "Nani Bird" - Tyler BunchTyler BunchTyler Bunch is a puppeteer, puppet designer, director and actor. In addition to his work for the Jim Henson Company, Mr. Bunch has created and performed puppets for PBS, Nickelodeon, and Disney. He has acted in a few Off Broadway productions and has made appearances on American television shows...
as Baby Cookie MonsterCookie MonsterCookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,... - Rickey Boyd as Cookie Monster's grandma
Crew
- Jocelyn Hassenfeld, producer
- Dionne Nosek, producer
- Kevin ClashKevin ClashKevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer and voice actor whose characters include Elmo, Baby Sinclair, Clifford, Splinter and Hoots the Owl...
, co-producer, director - Christine FerraroChristine FerraroChristine Ferraro is a writer for Sesame Street and head writer for Sesame Beginnings. She had a cameo in Elmo's Musical Adventures: Peter and the Wolf.-External links:*...
, writer - Liz Nealon, Executive Vice President, Creative Director, Sesame Workshop
- Rosemarie T. Truglio, Vice President Education and Research, Sesame Workshop
- Anna E. Housley Juster, Director of Content, Sesame Workshop
- Sandblast Productions
- Handcranked Productions
Books
There were some Sesame Street book published before Beginnings, starring the characters as babies. These books included photography of puppet-like models created of the characters. In contrast, Beginnings books feature flat colour illustrations of the characters.- Cookie Kisses (with Baby Cookie Monster, level 1)
- Sesame Beginnings to Go: At the Store (with Baby Grover, level 2)
- Sesame Beginnings to Go: Away We Go (with Baby Zoe, level 2)
- Sesame Beginnings to Go: In My Stroller (with Baby Elmo, level 1)
- Sesame Beginnings to Go: Time to Eat (with Baby Cookie Monster, level 1)
- Snap! Button! Zip! (with Baby Zoe, level 3)
- Cookie Rhyme, Cookie Time (with Baby Cookie Monster, level 4)
- Hello! Good-bye! (with Baby Ernie, level 3)
- Clang-Clang! Bang-Bang! (with Baby Grover, level 1)
- So Big! (with Baby Elmo, level 2)
- Baby Faces (with Baby Zoe, level 1)
- Cookie See! Cookie Do! (with Baby Cookie, level 3)
- Pat-A-Cake and Other First Baby Games (with Baby Elmo and Baby Zoe, level 4)
- Peekaboo! I See You! (with Baby Big Bird, level 2)
- Sing a Song of Sixpence (with Baby Zoe and Baby Ernie, level 5)
- It's Naptime, Little One (with baby Elmo, Prairie Dawn, Cookie Monster, Grover, Curly Bear, and Big Bird, level 3)
History of the line
Sherrie WestinSherrie Westin
Sherrie Rollins Westin is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Sesame Workshop.-Career:The US Senate unanimously confirmed Rollins as the first Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.In 1992, Sherrie Rollins...
, Executive Vice President, Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world...
comments: "Our own research showed that Sesame Street videos were among those frequently viewed by the under two set, in spite of the fact that the content and curriculum of Sesame Street is designed for ages 2-5. With the Sesame Beginnings DVDs, we're providing parents and caregivers of children under two with content specifically designed to use media as a tool to further adult/child interaction."
The same "underviewing" of Sesame Street is what had earlier inspired show producers to add in the very young-targeted Elmo's World
Elmo's World
"Elmo's World" is a segment of the children's television show Sesame Street featuring Elmo, a small, three and a half year old, bright red monster. It debuted on November 16, 1998. Since then, it has been regularly shown during the last fifteen minutes of every Sesame Street episode...
segment.
The concept of the Sesame Street cast as babies was not entirely new, as "baby-ized" versions of characters were available as toys since at least the early-2000s. Many likened the line to previous series like Muppet Babies
Muppet Babies
Jim Henson's Muppet Babies is an American animated television series that aired from September 15, 1984 to November 2, 1991 on CBS. The show portrayed childhood versions of the Muppets living together in a large nursery in the care of a human woman called Nanny...
.
Controversy and criticism
The production of DVDs and other screen-based media for children under the age of two is extremely controversial. The American Academy of PediatricsAmerican Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is the major professional association of pediatricians in the United States. The AAP was founded in 1930 by 35 pediatricians to address pediatric healthcare standards. It currently has 60,000 members in primary care and sub-specialist areas...
recommends that children under two be kept away from screen media and Sesame Beginnings has been criticized by a number of early childhood development experts who point to research suggesting that television viewing by babies can harm language development and sleep patterns. A March 21, 2006 article in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
quoted Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
psychologist Susan Linn as saying "There is no evidence that media is beneficial for babies, and they are starting to find evidence that it may be harmful. Until we know for sure, we shouldn't risk putting them in front of the television."
Sesame Workshop has countered such criticism by pointing to their partnership with Zero to Three, a respected American nonprofit child-development and advocacy organization, to produce the DVDs and also that they were extensively researched and tested by respected experts in childhood development. However, one of Zero to Three's original founders, noted pediatrian T. Berry Brazelton
T. Berry Brazelton
Thomas Berry Brazelton is a noted pediatrician and author in the United States. Major hospitals throughout the world use the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale . Many parents know him as the host of a cable television program What Every Baby Knows, and as author of a syndicated...
, was among the signatories of a letter of protest that was submitted to Zero to Three calling on the organization to disassociate itself with the project.
Advisory board
Beginnings, like all Sesame Workshop projects, included an advisory committee of "national child development and media experts"- Daniel R. AndersonDaniel R. AndersonDaniel R. Anderson, Ph.D., is part of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Anderson was involved in the creation of children's television series including Allegra's Window, Gullah Gullah Island, Bear in the Big Blue House, Blue's Clues, and Dora the Explorer...
, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts AmherstUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstThe University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system... - Rachel BarrRachel BarrRachel Barr, Ph.D. is an associate professor at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on understanding the learning and memory mechanisms that develop during infancy. Because infants are preverbal, her techniques rely on imitation and learning methods to find out what infants have learned and...
, Ph.D., Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States... - Lori A. Custodero, D.M.A., Teachers College, Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
- Claire LernerClaire LernerClaire Lerner, L.C.S.W. is the Director of Parenting Resources at Zero to Three, the National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, a non-profit dedicated to promoting the healthy development and well-being of infants, toddler and their families....
, L.C.S.W., ZERO TO THREEZero To ThreeZero To Three is, according to its website, a national, multidisciplinary organization that supports the healthy development and well-being of infants, toddlers and their families... - Kyle PruettKyle PruettDr. Kyle D. Pruett M.D. is an author of books and columns on parenting, and is a professor of Child Psychiatry at Yale University. This researcher and practicing psychiatrist was the host of the TV series Your Child Six to Twelve with Dr. Kyle Pruett. He has contributed to Good Housekeeping, Child,...
, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine - Claudia A. Saad, M.A., CCC-SLP, American Speech–Language–Hearing Association
External links
- Sesame Beginnings, official site
- Random House: Sesame Beginnings books
- Zero to Three, production partner
- Washing Post Article - "Experts Rip 'Sesame' TV Aimed at Tiniest Tots"
- NPR Talk of the Nation: 'Sesame Beginnings' Targets Baby TV Viewers, 3 April 2006