''Sesame English'' is an American television/video series developed as a collaboration between

Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-know ...

and

Berlitz International Berlitz Corporation is a language education and leadership training company which is based in Princeton, New Jersey. The company was founded in 1878 by Maximilian Berlitz in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States. Berlitz Corporation is ow ...

. Launched in 1999, with

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

and China as the debut markets, the series differs from the typical

international versions International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

of ''

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) and ...

'' in that it was devised as a supplement to ESL (

English as a Second Language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EF ...

) instruction. The target age group is children from 4 to 7 years old.

Format

The project included 78 15-minute episodes for TV, along with instructional materials for print, audio, video, and CD-ROMs (although only 52 episodes were made). Dr. Lewis Bernstein, producer and key developer of the series, explained that "The aim is to introduce English phrases and vocabulary in an entertaining way, using conversational language along with repetition, rhythm and rhyme, cool music styles, and lots of humor—much the way we do on ''Sesame Street''." Each quarter-hour episode combined new framing footage with ''Sesame Street'' inserts and clips. The series stars a new Muppet character, Tingo, a multilingual "international

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

-like monster". Though all of the new footage was filmed in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

studios, 30 to 50 percent of Tingo's dialogue is dubbed into the native language of the target country. Tingo addresses viewers directly in the region specific language, but all other dialogue is in English. Tingo's explanations thus provide a bridge for native speakers to adjust to English. In 2003, Sesame Workshop announced a new variation, using the same footage, ''Sesame Español''. Intended for viewing at Berlitz Language Centers, the variation used the same approach, only with

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

as Tingo's secondary language, and with the aim now being instruction in Spanish for English-only speakers.

Release

Japan began airing the show in April 2001 under the name ''Sesame Eigo World''.

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

began airing the show in 2004, and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

as part of ''Sezamkowy Zakątek'' from 2006 to 2008 (titled ''Sezamkowy Angielski''). In 2007 the show began airing on Azerbaijani Public Television. DVD releases of the series, available in the U.S., include five available audio languages for Tingo's dialogue: Spanish,

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related ton ...

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language ...

, and

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

. An English only track is included for more advanced ESL students.

Characters and cast

Tingo, the only new Muppet character, is a green, purple, and orange monster and an exchange student living in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

with his best friend, Niki (played by

Kelly Karbacz Kelly Ann Karbacz is an American actress. Early life and education Karbacz was born in Queens, New York and raised in Queens and Manhattan. In 1996, Karbacz graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City. She attended the Lee Strasberg T ...

). Teenaged Niki lives in the basement of her parents' home, and has an extended circle of family and friends, including grandparents, siblings Katie and Kevin, baby Jake, and the members of her band. Niki's band, Children at Play, includes Mike, Sam (Samantha), and Tom. Stage actors

Roger Bart Roger Bart (born September 29, 1962) is an American actor and singer. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. Bart received his second Tony Award no ...

and Jonathan Freeman play various members of Niki's circle, as well as episodic roles. Plots center around sports activities, music, and family get-togethers and social events.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Site for Taiwan and Shanghai BroadcastsSesame Workshop: Sesame EnglishSesame English DVD Catalogue, with Video Clips
1990s preschool education television series 2000s preschool education television series American preschool education television series American television shows featuring puppetry Sesame Street international co-productions Television series by Sesame Workshop