Iftah Ya Simsim, Arabic Sesame Street adaptation, to bring old characters to the new age

When Iftah Ya Simsim, the fondly remembered educational TV show for children, finally returns to the region’s screens next year, all the old favourite characters will be back – with a few modern twists for a new generation.

After four years of planning, filming is due to begin towards the end of the year, with a planned TV premiere date in the spring.

For those too young to remember, Iftah Ya Simsim is the Arabic version of the long-running American children’s educational show Sesame Street. The Kuwaiti-produced original version of the show debuted in 1979 and ran for more than a decade until production was halted because of the 1991 Gulf War.

The show was much more than simply dubbed episodes of the English-language, American-made favourite. It was supported by educational experts, psychologists and sociologists from the region, who helped to create a suitable educational and cultural curriculum.

It also involved the Joint Programme Production Institute, which sent a team to New York to work closely with the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW), the show’s US creators, and learn about their groundbreaking approach to educational kids’ TV.

Iftah Ya Simsim is widely acclaimed as the first educational TV show of its kind in the Arab world. It is credited as the first regional co-production to use Modern Standard Arabic, and recognised for adapting favourite characters from the US show – such as Bader and Anees (Bert and Ernie) – and creating brand new regionalised creations such as No’man, the camel that instantly became a favourite with the young viewers.

Original article by Chris Newbould

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Iftah Ya Simsim, Arabic Sesame Street adaptation, to bring old characters to the new age