Sesam stasjon

History

NRK first approached Children's Television Workshop about a Norwegian co-production in 1987, and an agreement was reached in 1989. Production began in September 1990, with Kermit Love traveling to Norway in June 1990 to train the puppeteers; the production team also visited New York to observe the American show. Herman Gran and Grete Høien served as producers, Eyvind Skeie and Lena Seimler wrote the teleplays, Sigvald Tveit composed the music, and Harald Mæle handled voiceovers for American segments.

The first episode aired on 4 February 1991. Initially 77 episodes were planned, all written by Skeie, who left in 1992 after completing that contract. NRK then expressed interest in producing another 250 episodes through 2006. Although a contract with CTW required production until 2001 with rerun rights for five years afterward, NRK opted out of the deal in 1998 due to lowered ratings, paying CTW to exit the contract.

The cast opposed the cancellation. The final scene was recorded on 28 April 1999, bringing the total to 198 episodes, and reruns continued until 2004.

Content

Some episodes were structured as mini-series, with storylines continuing from one episode to the next. One such arc involved Alfa entering a contest to write a television show about her life at Sesam stasjon; she won, and the station was invited to NRK to discuss the show. In a later episode, a TV crew from NRK arrived to film the show using actors—walk-around suits built for live appearances—to portray Alfa and her friends.

Characters

Max Mekker is a big blue animal-like handyman who works at Sesam stasjon and always speaks in rhyme, played by Geir Børresen. Alfa is a female yellow muppet resident who enjoys playing guitar, played by Hanne Dahle. Bjarne is a male pink muppet who runs a ticket booth, is fond of numbers and organization, suffers from allergies, and dislikes summer; he is played by Åsmund Huser. Py is a red muppet with yellow and red hair, the youngest at the station, hatched from a large blue egg that arrived on a train, played by Christine Stoesen.

Stasjonsmester O. Tidemann is the station master, played by Sverre Holm. Leonora Dorothea Dahl works at the station, likes to sing and cook, and is played by Sidsel Ryen. The puppets were sent to CTW for cleaning due to confidential operating mechanisms; only Geir Børresen was allowed inside Max Mekker. Magnus Nielsen performed Erling (Ernie) and Anything Muppets; Harald Mæle performed Bernt (Bert), Gunnar (Grover), Kakemonster (Cookie Monster), and Anything Muppets.

The animated Pinball Number Count segments were dubbed and used regularly, and their melody is widely recognized among Norwegian viewers.

Set

Outdoor scenes were filmed at Lørenskog Station, which was repainted for the series: the station side received colorful Sesame Street-style paint, while the back was yellow and green. A postmodern clock tower built in the 1980s was also painted for the show. The Sesame Train (Sesamtoget) consisted of four parts: two converted shunters (El 10 no.

2504 and no. 2508) and two Di 2 locomotives (no. 827 and no. 839), along with three carriages—two former German BFV1 carriages and a modified goods van—all painted in the same colorful scheme. El 10 no. 2504 is kept in Grorud, no.

2508 in Hamar, both old and not in regular use; Di 2 no. 839 has been repainted, while no. 827 is preserved by the Norwegian Railway Club in Hønefoss.