Galli Galli Sim Sim

Production

The show is produced out of Delhi. Its first season, consisting of 65 half-hour episodes, started filming in February 2006 and premiered on August 15, 2006.

So far, ten seasons have been made. Initial funding for Sesame Workshop India came from USAID, ICICI Bank, and Turner Broadcasting. Despite India having over 15 official languages besides English, the producers chose to launch the series in Hindi, mixing in a few English words per episode.

Characters

Jugaadu does not view his disability as a handicap. Basha Bhaijaan owns a corner store and knows several Indian languages. Sid likes to dance and is friends with Googly. Dawa Di, Basha's wife, is from North East India and teaches dance.

Kabir, Basha Bhaijaan and Dawa Di's son, is an active and curious eight-year-old. Col. Albert Pinto, a retired army person, is an advocate for healthy living and civic sense. Rukmini Pinto (Doctor Aunty), Col. Pinto's wife, is a doctor by profession and a combination of contemporary and traditional wisdom. Muppet characters include Chamki, a tomboyish five-year-old girl dressed most often in a school uniform with her hair tied back into two pigtails with blue bows; she is warm, friendly, sensitive and has a knack for problem solving, knows karate and plays the electric guitar, and is the main protagonist played by Ghazal Javed.

Boombah is an eight foot tall pink lion who loves to dance, exercise and eat healthy foods, from the royal family of Boombahgarh, and is played by Manish Sachdeva. Googly is a six-year-old furry blue monster with a penchant for asking tricky questions who also plays cricket, played by Gaurav Srivastava. Aanchoo is a purple monster who tells stories from all over the world, can vanish and appear at will, and is often insightful and solution-oriented; season 6 introduced Aanchoo's Auto Library, a bookmobile, and she is played by Sangya Ojha.

Grover is a tall, gangly, dark-blue monster who speaks in a variety of Indian accents, owns a dhaba which is the best and most hygienic in the Galli, and is associated with disruptive fun and learning. Hero was introduced in season 6, is an orange coloured Muppet who loves to dress up, is fascinated by Bollywood and takes himself to be a star, and is played by Hashim Haider.

Did You Know?

• The program includes segments promoting financial empowerment and gender equity in addition to literacy and math.
• A 2019 study found that preschoolers who watched the program had better literacy and math skills and had better understandings of health and emotional issues.