Ulitsa Sezam

History

In 1993, Sesame Workshop recruited Natasha Lance Rogoff to produce Ulitsa Sezam. It was funded by Russian advertising agency VideoArt and the U.S. Agency for International Development. A total of 279 Russians were recruited to help develop and produce the series, and the show's budget totaled US$6 million. Production began in 1994.

The initial creation proved difficult with cultural clashes: many prospective native puppeteers resisted emulating the American style of puppetry created by Jim Henson, instead proposing native puppetry material that producers like Rogoff could not accept as too violent, frightening, or against the educational curriculum of the Children's Television Workshop (CTW). Scriptwriting also caused friction—early Russian scripts included 'lecturing, tough-talking adults,' which CTW pushed back on, and others leaned toward fantasy or leaving the country.

CTW encouraged writers to 'create a childhood that they [envisioned] for a future generation of Russians.' During auditions, most children 'sat back in their chairs and started to sing very sad songs,' startling the American producers. Other problems included assassinations of some local business partners, serious financial difficulties by the major local producer, and a military raid on the studio that seized vital materials. The series debuted on October 22, 1996, on NTV and ORT.

Third season

It was nominated for a TEFI award in 1997 but lost to perennial favorite Good Night, Little Ones!. The second season on 'optimism' was filmed in 1999 and broadcast in 2000 on NTV and STS. The third season began filming in September 2001 and aired in November on STS, with the main theme of 'Diversity in the world.' Guest stars included actors Leo Durov and Mary Aronov, composer Grigory Gladkov, and opera singer Vyacheslav Voynorovsky.

Fourth season

In 2006, the show celebrated its tenth anniversary. Filming of the new fourth season took place in early 2006 in the pavilion 'Mosfilm,' premiering on STS in September 2006. The city yard set was re-vamped to reflect a more realistic depiction of modern-day urban Russia, with an intact oak tree, windows facing each other, a creative art center, a playground, and Khrushchev-style buildings in the background. Businka and Kubik's rooms changed into a two-story house with a balcony.

New cast members included Yamila and Altin, two sisters recently arrived from Kazakhstan, and the show tackled adoption by introducing a boy named Kolya adopted by Aunt Dinara and her husband, Uncle Jura. Season 4 introduced a recurring segment where Businka shows artwork done by kids. Celebrity guests included TV presenter Tina Kandelaki, actress Olga Prokofiev, Ekaterina Guseva, Vladimir Turchinsky, Natasha Podolsk, Varvara, Vladimir Asimov, and children's group 'Fidget.'

Content

One of the show's primary goals was to teach children about living in a democratic and diverse society, particularly with the recent fall of the Soviet Union. Other goals included instilling pride in children's culture and traditions, and displaying a supportive environment in which children could feel secure. Children from different ethnic groups, as well as disabled and deaf children, were included in different segments.

Cultural content included traditional Russian dances, instruments, and foods. In addition to original content produced in Moscow, the show also featured Russian-dubbed clips of Sesame Street, Elmo's World, Global Grover and Play with Me Sesame; these comprised about 30-50% of the show's content. The series is set in a Russian courtyard with a playground, surrounded by a mixture of traditional, rural, and urban architecture.

Characters

Human characters included: Aunt Dasha, who lives in a traditional cottage and preserves Russian folklore and traditions; Katya, an 8-year-old girl who is fond of classical music; Katya's mother, a physician; and Katya's father, a repair man. Muppet characters included: Zeliboba, a nine-foot furry blue Dvorovoi (tree spirit) who enjoys dancing, can smell music, and tries hard to be polite; Businka, a bright pink monster who finds joy in everything; Kubik, an orange monster who is the resident pensive problem-solver; Kermit; Korzhik, the series' version of Cookie Monster; Vlas and Enik, the series' versions of Bert and Ernie; and Znak, the series' version of Count von Count.