''Sesame Park'' is the
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
version of ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...
'' co-produced by
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-know ...
and the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
.
The series originally functioned as a re-edited version of the original American series, and was named ''Sesame Street Canada'' and later, ''Canadian Sesame Street'', with some of the segments replaced with ones produced in Canada and later featuring Canadian-exclusive Muppet characters. In 1996, the series adopted a new format and was renamed ''Sesame Park''.
''Canadian Sesame Street''
Daniel McCarthy, the director of the CBC Sesame Street Project, developed ''Sesame Street Canada'' for
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
.
The series, which debuted in 1972, was originally a hybrid of American and Canadian production segments. McCarthy partnered with the
Children's Television Workshop
Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-know ...
(now known as
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-know ...
) to introduce new, CBC-produced segments to the show's original American footage.
[ McCarthy introduced distinct Canadian themes and set designs to the show.][ He brought in Canadian entertainers and personalities to film segments aimed at Canadian children.][ McCarthy also introduced basic ]French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...
lessons created specifically for ''Sesame Street Canada'' as well.[
Between 1972 and 1995, the series, originally known as ''Sesame Street Canada'' and later ''Canadian Sesame Street'', became an institution for preschool Canadian children. During the 1970s and 1980s it anchored a three-show block that included '' Friendly Giant'' (later replaced by ]Fred Penner's Place
''Fred Penner's Place'' is a Canadian children's musical television series that aired on CBC Television from 1985 to 1997. It stars Fred Penner as a fictionalized version of himself, as well as an array of puppets, musical numbers, and occasional ...
) and ''Mr. Dressup
''Mr. Dressup'' is a Canadian children's television series, starring Ernie Coombs, a former understudy of Fred Rogers, in the title role. It originally ran on CBC from 1967 to 1996, soon becoming an iconic presence in Canadian media.
Producti ...
''.
In 1972, the bulk of ''Sesame Streets content was licensed out to CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
, originally as five-minute interstitials during "commercial" breaks. CBC then added live-action and animated segments teaching about Canadian culture and French bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
ism, replacing segments on Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
and American history on the original program. (Some Spanish segments still aired in Canada, although fewer in number and usually related to the show's Hispanic main-cast characters, Maria and Luis). Most of the production of the Canadian segments took place in Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
and Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. The American ''Sesame Street'' occasionally featured Canadian guests as well, such as Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
-born singer Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie, (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941) is an Indigenous Canadian-American (Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. While working in these are ...
.
In 1981, the amount of Canadian content per show was increased to 30 minutes. In 1987, a series of specially made Canadian Muppet
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are ...
characters were introduced, including Basil the Bear (played by Bob Stutt
Bob Stutt is a Canadian puppeteer and writer, who has starred in various children's television programs throughout his career.
Filmography Television
* ''Today's Special'' (1981) – Mort
* ''Fraggle Rock'' (1983) – Several characters, includ ...
), French-Canadian Louis the Otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
, Dodi, a bush pilot, and Katie, a girl in a wheelchair.
The Henson Muppet shop also provided some Anything Muppets which could be redressed to become whatever characters the script called for, including Barbara Plum (a parody of CBC broadcasting legend Barbara Frum
Barbara Frum, OC (September 8, 1937 – March 26, 1992) was an American-born Canadian radio and television journalist, acclaimed for her interviews for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Personal life
Barbara Frum was born Barbara Rosber ...
). Beau Beaver, an animated character, would discuss national symbols, particularly those appearing on Canadian money.
''Sesame Park''
In 1996, the CBC decided to take on the job of producing different kinds of content for the series; specifically to have their own "street". Producer Shirley Greenfield and screenwriter Jill Golick
Jill Golick (born 1956 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian screenwriter, story editor, digital creator and blogger.
Education
Golick attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre. She lives ...
decided to set the show in a park, rather than on an urban street. A new half-hour series entitled ''Sesame Park'' was born. In addition to three or four segments set in the park, each episode also consisted of almost entirely Canadian segments with only occasional American ones, most commonly featuring Bert and Ernie
Bert and Ernie are two Muppet characters who appear together in numerous skits on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show, ''Sesame Street''. Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by puppeteer ...
. Added to the cast was a Muppet kitten named Chaos (who is similar to Elmo, serving the same role, and is named after Golick's own cat) and a human character named Ray. Many guests made appearances on the series, including Red Green, a Canadian situation-comedy character played by Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to:
Academics
* Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager
* Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
, and Eric Peterson
Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), ''Corner Gas'' (2004–2009), and '' This is Wonderland'' ...
as Old King Cole
"Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1708. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index numbe ...
.
The series joined the CBC Playground lineup on October 21, along with ''Wimzie's House
''Wimzie's House'' is a half-hour Canadian preschool television program produced in Montreal which ran as ''La Maison de Ouimzie'' on Télévision de Radio-Canada in the morning and Radio-Québec in late afternoons starting March 4, 1995, and i ...
''.
In 1999, the series received its nomination and win from the Gemini Awards
The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...
, for Best Preschool Program or Series (Wendy Smith, Susan Sheehan, Duncan Lamb). Bob Stutt
Bob Stutt is a Canadian puppeteer and writer, who has starred in various children's television programs throughout his career.
Filmography Television
* ''Today's Special'' (1981) – Mort
* ''Fraggle Rock'' (1983) – Several characters, includ ...
was nominated that year for Best Performance in a Preschool Program or Series. In 2000, Sheila McCarthy
Sheila McCarthy (born January 1, 1956) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has worked in film, television, and on stage. McCarthy is one of Canada's most honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), an AC ...
won Best Performance in a Preschool Program or Series, for her role in an episode of the show, beating out fellow guest star Pier Kohl, as well as others. In 2001, the series won Best Preschool Program or Series (Wendy Smith, Susan Sheehan, Duncan Lamb), beating out ''Land O' Hands'' and ''The Nook Counting Network''. Guest Eric Peterson
Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), ''Corner Gas'' (2004–2009), and '' This is Wonderland'' ...
won again for Best Performance in a Preschool Program or Series, beating out Pier Kohl, James Rankin James Rankin may refer to:
* Sir James Rankin, 1st Baronet (1842–1915), British Member of Parliament
* James Rankin (lighthouse keeper) (1844–1921), American lighthouse keeper
* James Palmer Rankin (1855–1934), physician and political figure ...
, Natasha LaForce and Gisèle Corinthios.
As with the original ''Sesame Street'', some segments of ''Canadian Sesame Street'' and ''Sesame Park'' were farmed out to other versions of ''Sesame Street'', in particular, '' Sésamo'', the Latin American
Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...
version of ''Sesame Street''. In addition, since the rise of cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
in Canada in the 1970s (and before that for communities close to the US border), the original American ''Sesame Street'' could still be viewed on PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
-affiliated stations.
''Sesame Park'' was cancelled in 2001 for undisclosed reasons.
After the cancellation
''Sesame Street'' now airs on Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English-language specialty channel for preschoolers aged 2 to 5 that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from YTV's former preschool block, " The Treehouse". The channel is owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of ...
, a Canadian channel aimed at preschoolers. Various segments, including Global Grover and Elmo's World
''Elmo's World'' is a segment that is shown at the end of the long-running American children's television program ''Sesame Street'' which premiered on November 16th, 1998, as part of a broader structural change to the show. It originally lasted ...
, have aired separately on the channel for many years after ''Open Sesame
"Open sesame" (french: Sésame, ouvre-toi; ar, افتح يا سمسم) is a magical phrase in the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" in Antoine Galland's version of '' One Thousand and One Nights''. It opens the mouth of a cave in whi ...
''.
Cast
* Tim Gosley
Tim Gosley is a Canadian puppeteer who is primarily known for his work on numerous Muppet productions. He is originally from Victoria, British Columbia. Gosley earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Alberta and studied pupp ...
- Basil the Polar Bear
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...
(1987–1996)
* Trish Leeper - Katie (Sesame Street)
''Sesame Park'' is the Canadian version of ''Sesame Street'' co-produced by Sesame Workshop and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The series originally functioned as a re-edited version of the original American series, and was named ''Sesame ...
, Barbara Plum
* Rob Mills
Robert Mills (born 21 June 1982) is an Australian actor, television host and singer-songwriter. He was one of the finalists from the first season of ''Australian Idol''. He co-hosted the late-night quiz show '' The Mint'', and was a regular sin ...
- Dodi (1987–1996), Garth Burmengi
* Pier Paquette (as Pier Kohl) - Louis the Otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
* Derek Ritschel - Ray
* Gord Robertson - Dodi (assistance in flying sequences)
* Bob Stutt
Bob Stutt is a Canadian puppeteer and writer, who has starred in various children's television programs throughout his career.
Filmography Television
* ''Today's Special'' (1981) – Mort
* ''Fraggle Rock'' (1983) – Several characters, includ ...
- Basil the Polar Bear
The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...
(1996–2001)
* Karen Valleau - Chaos the Cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
* Noreen Young
Noreen Isabel Young CM (born September 11, 1952) is a Canadian producer, puppeteer and puppet builder. She grew up in Old Ottawa South, Ontario, with her two younger brothers, John and Stephen Brathwaite, then studied drawing and painting at th ...
- Dodi (1996–2001)
* Marty Stelnick
References
External links
*
*
{{Sesame Street international
1972 Canadian television series debuts
Canadian television shows featuring puppetry
CBC Television original programming
2001 Canadian television series endings
1970s Canadian children's television series
1980s Canadian children's television series
1990s Canadian children's television series
2000s Canadian children's television series
Sesame Street international co-productions
1970s preschool education television series
1980s preschool education television series
1990s preschool education television series
2000s preschool education television series
Canadian preschool education television series
Canadian television series based on American television series