Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
i version of the
children's television series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...
''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
''. It is produced by Pakistan Children's Television and Rafi Peer Theatre (based in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
).
History
The show has been viewed in Pakistan before, in the early 1990s, although it was in English and the characters and context could only be understood by a westernised minority of Pakistani children.The Express Tribune - ‘Sesame Street’ localised (13 April 2011) /ref>
In April 2011,
USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
announced that it would fund $20 million to start a local version of ''Sesame Street'' in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
. ''Sesame Street'' has had many co-productions around the world and the one in Pakistan is the first localised version in the country itself.
The show, began airing in December 2011 on PTV, after two years of production. The first season, consisting of 26 episodes, finished airing in March 2012. 78 half-hour episodes were broadcast in total.
Termination of funding
In June 2012, it was reported that the US had terminated its funding of the programme. This was later verified by the
U.S. Embassy, Islamabad
The Embassy of the United States in Islamabad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Pakistan. The embassy in Islamabad is one of the largest U.S. embassies in the world, in terms of personnel, and houses a chancery and complex of ...
. The decision came after a Pakistani newspaper reported allegations of corruption by Rafi Peer Theatre, although these allegations were denied by the operator of the theatre. At the time just under $7 million had actually been given to the group. The theatre said they would seek alternative sources of funding to continue the production of the show.
2013 - present
In 2020
Grover
Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was originall ...
and other Sim Sim Hamara puppets performed at the Rafi Peer 29th International Puppet Festival in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
.
Content
The series originally aired in
Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
and Punjabi, with plans for translation into Sindhi and Balochi as well.
The program features dubbed segments from '' Elmo's World'' and
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
, songs, skits, and a word of the day. Original segments take place in a mock Pakistani town, with a school,
dhaba
A dhaba is a roadside restaurant in the Indian subcontinent, primarily across Pakistan and India. They are on highways, generally serve local cuisine, and also serve as truck stops. They are most commonly found next to petrol stations, and mo ...
The aim of the programme is to increase education among children, especially in regards to literacy and math. The show promotes tolerance, equality, and respect for elders.
Characters
The show includes
Elmo
Elmo is a red Muppet monster character on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minute segment (fifteen minutes prio ...
(played by Naveed Sabir) and a host of new Pakistani characters. Grover and Abby Cadabby, both originally from the American production, also joined the cast at a later date.
Original
muppet
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are ...
characters include:
* Aaina, who is played by Irfan Zahid
* Agarmuch the Magarmuch
* Baily, a donkey who loves making music.
* Baji, a traditional Pakistani woman with a passion for nutrition
* Bhola
* Haseen-o-Jameel: a flamboyant and vain crocodile who lives in a well.
* Master Ji
* Munna, a five-year-old
muppet
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are ...
, who is played by Karen Frank.
* Rani, a 6-year-old schoolgirl who is passionate about science and is the captain of her school's
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
team. She is played by Yamina Peerzade.
Human characters include:
* Kiran, the 12-year-old daughter of the village schoolteacher. She is played by Saleha Majeed.
Guests who appeared on the show included
Ali Azmat
Ali Azmat Butt (born 20 April 1970) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known as the lead singer for the influential Sufi Rock band Junoon and for his subsequent solo career. In 2001, he became part of the first ...