Hikayat Simsim
Jordanian Sesame Street promoting literacy, health, and tolerance.
Last updated
Hikayat Simsim, the Jordanian co-production of Sesame Street, began airing in 2003. It is co-produced by Sesame Workshop and Jordan Pioneers, an Amman-based company. Twenty-six episodes initially aired in Jordan in October 2003 on Jordan Television, the country's public television station.
A second season debuted in January 2007, followed by a third and fourth season. A community outreach initiative supplemented the series. Funding came from project partners including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Bank of Jordan, and ArtVenture.
Content
Local educators and television professionals created, wrote, and produced the program. It combined Muppet segments with animation and live action to present positive images to Jordanian children. Subjects included literacy, numeracy, health, national identity, needs of Iraqi refugee children, mutual respect, and tolerance. Road safety messaging was added in 2010 after joining the Global Road Safety Partnership.
Did You Know?
- Hikayat Simsim is the only known Sesame Street co-production to have a live human as the Big Bird counterpart rather than a muppet.
- The main Muppet Tonton is a 4-year-old girl who loves soccer and promotes girls' empowerment.
- Tonton was used in early pitches for Ahlan Simsim and made a special appearance in one episode of that show.
More in Sesame Street International Co-productions
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Hikayat Simsim (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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