Hikayat Simsim (Jordan)
From Muppet Wiki
Hikayat Simsim is the shared Arabic name for both the Jordanian and Palestinian co-production of Sesame Street.
The Jordanian version premiered in October, 2003. A second season will debut in January 2007. The main Muppet characters is this version are Juljul and Tonton. Issa Sweidan plays the loveable grandfather figure Jiddo Simsim.
Sesame Workshop description
Sesame Workshop and a dedicated group of Jordanian, Israeli, and Palestinian co-production partners have joined together to create Sesame Stories, a multimedia project that presents messages of respect and understanding to young children in the Middle East. The three separate versions have some unique and some shared elements so that Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian children view specific segments formatted to address their specific cultural and linguistic needs.
Sesame Stories (Jordan), or Hikayat Simsim in Arabic, was created, written, and produced by local educators and television professionals. The show combines segments featuring the Sesame Street Muppet characters with animation and mini-documentaries to create uniquely entertaining and educational programming. Locally developed characters appeal to preschoolers and engage them with humor relevant to Jordanian culture. Animation and live action pieces introduce Jordanian children to positive images of themselves and others.
The project is funded in large part by the European Union and other donors. Twenty-six episodes of Hikayat Simsim, co-produced by Sesame Workshop and Jordan Pioneers (Amman), aired in Jordan beginning in October 2003 on Jordan Television, Jordan’s public television station. A community outreach initiative supplements the television series to promote respect and understanding off-screen.
