Sim Sim Hamara

History

Before the localized version, Pakistani children had seen Sesame Street in the early 1990s, but it was in English and its content only made sense to a small, Westernized minority. In April 2011, USAID announced it would fund $20 million to start a local version of Sesame Street in Pakistan.

After two years of production, the show began airing in December 2011 on PTV. The first season, consisting of 26 episodes, finished airing in March 2012. 78 half-hour episodes were broadcast in total.

In June 2012, it was reported that the US had terminated its funding of the programme, later verified by the U.S. Embassy, Islamabad. 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.

In 2020, Grover and other Sim Sim Hamara puppets performed at the Rafi Peer 29th International Puppet Festival in Karachi.

Characters

The show includes Elmo (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 characters include: Aaina (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 played by Karen Frank), and Rani (a 6-year-old schoolgirl who is passionate about science and is the captain of her school's cricket team, played by Yamina Peerzade). Human characters include Kiran, the 12-year-old daughter of the village schoolteacher, played by Saleha Majeed. Guests who appeared on the show included Ali Azmat.