A Is for Asthma is a Sesame Street video created for parents and their kids to teach about asthma. Developed and distributed by the American Lung Association, the Prudential Foundation, and Children's Television Workshop, the video premiered on April 21, 1998 and was distributed to teachers and healthcare agencies. The 15-minute, bilingual video starred Elmo and Rosita, and featured Emilio Delgado as Luis.
The storyline involves Elmo and Rosita meeting a new friend, the asthmatic Dani. The video, in order to address asthma symptoms and how to deal with asthma episodes, as well as exploring the causes, included a rap from Dani, about how "many things... might/give me trouble breathing right," including animal hair and dust. Elmo and Rosita then become concerned that their fur is the source of his attacks, but Dani reassures them.
As one of the earliest resource videos conceived as a bilingual project, the cast and script were conceived accordingly, and nearly all of the performers re-voiced their own Spanish dialogue, with the primary exceptions of Kevin Clash (as Elmo and the doctor) and Pam Arciero (as Grundgetta).
The full video is currently available as a free video download from Sesame Workshop via the iTunes Store as part of the Learn Along with Sesame series, and can be viewed at the Sesame Workshop website.
Cast[]
Muppet performers[]
- Kevin Clash as Elmo and Dani's Doctor
- Carmen Osbahr as Rosita
- with Pam Arciero, John Kennedy, Lisa Buckley, Alice Dinnean (as Dani's Grandma), John Tartaglia, Matt Vogel
- and Gabriel Velez as Dani
Human cast[]
- Emilio Delgado as Luis
- Alison Bartlett as Gina
- Rosemarie Sepulveda as Andrea
- Children: Lorraine Brancale, Channelle Nazaire, Sofia Rivera, Max Sacoto, Brendan Winkfield
Spanish Voices[]
- Moises Belizario as Elmo
- Francisco Rivela as Dani's Doctor
- Josie de Guzman as Grungetta
Credits[]
- Project Director: Jeanette Betancourt
- Producer: Nettie Marquez
- Director: Emily Squires
- Writers: Annie Evans (English version), Luis Santeiro, Mayi Sanchez (both versions)
- Jim Henson's Muppet Workshop: Ed Christie, Mark Zeszotek, Stephen Rotondaro, Lara MacLean, Carlo Yannuzzi
- "The Breathing Song": Lyrics by Joe Kerr, Composed by Paul Jacobs
- "Dani's Rap": Lyrics by Alberto Bernal, Composed by Carlo Nicolau
- "Helping Hands": Lyrics and Composition by Joe Kerr
- Spanish Song Translation and Arrangement by Carlo Nicolau and Alberto Bernal