''Rechov Sumsum'' (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: רחוב סומסום, literally: ''Sesame Street'') is the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i adaptation of the U.S. children's show '' of the same name''. The first three series of the show were a joint production of the

Israeli Educational Television The Israeli Educational Television (also known as IETV, he, הטלוויזיה החינוכית הישראלית, ''HaŦelevizia HaKhinuchít HaIsraelit'' or just ''חינוכית'' - ''Hinuchit'') was a state-owned public terrestrial televisio ...

and the Sesame Workshop, a Worldwide American non-profit organization which has been co-producing the original American ''

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) ...

'' since 1969. The story line and casts of Rechov Sumsum are tailored to an Israeli audience.

History

The idea for Sesame Street being aired in Israel goes all the way back to 1971, where black and white episodes of the show broadcast in English were briefly shown on Israeli television. But the Israeli Ministry of Education thought it was entertaining, but not educational enough for Children, so it was eventually taken off air. Rechov Sumsum consists of four television series and one short lived spin-off: ''Rechov Sumsum'', ''Shalom Sesame'', ''Rechov Sumsum''/'' Shara'a Simsim'', ''Sippuray Sumsum'' and ''Rechov Sumsum''.

''Rechov Sumsum'' (1983–1986)

This original Israeli version of the series was the most popular. 195 episodes were produced and broadcast between 1983 and 1986 on the educational television channel. Puppet segments were taken from the American series and dubbed in Hebrew (the same has been done in all other Israeli versions of the series). All other aspects of the production were local: The program took place in an Israeli neighborhood in which children and adults played together. Original connecting segments were added in which Israeli children shared a view of their lives. The series had a parallel character to

Big Bird Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the long-running children's television show ''Sesame Street''. An eight-foot two-inch (249 cm) tall bright yellow anthropomorphic bird, he can roller skat ...

– a big porcupine, by the name of "Kippi" and a parallel character to Oscar the grouch, by the name of "Moishe Oofnik". Oofnik was a punk and used to complain a lot and bother the neighborhood's residents, but even so, he soon became friends with the children in the neighborhood. The residents who lived in the street included Avner and Hanna, who were the owners of the coffee house near Kipi's apartment. After they moved to a different city they were replaced by a new coffee shop named Gabi (). Opposite to the coffee house lived Miki () and Nathan (). Nathan lived in front of an older resident named Yona ( Yona Atari). In front of Yona's apartment was Shmil's (

Shmuel Shilo Shmuel Shilo or Shmulik Shiloh ( he, שמואל שילה; 1 December 1929 – 4 October 2011) was an Israeli actor, director and producer, born in the Second Polish Republic, and best remembered for his role on the Israeli production of Rechov ...

) electricity appliance repairing shop, where Miki worked as Shmil's assistant. Occasionally Albert () used to come over to the neighborhood for visits – a peculiar character with a French accent with whom Kipi used to consult on different issues. Salim () used to explain to the children in the neighborhood the meaning of different words in Arabic and the show also included different famous Israeli guest stars, such as: the duo " HaDodaim",

Haim Moshe Haim Moshe ( he, חיים משה, , sometimes Chaim Moshe on recordings), born 20 September 1955 is an Israeli singer whose musical style has crossed over from Yemenite and Mediterranean "ethnic" music to include mainstream Israeli and western po ...

Gidi Gov Gideon "Gidi" Gov ( he, גידי גוב; 4 August 1950) is an Israeli singer, TV host, entertainer, and actor. He was married to the late Anat Gov with whom he had three children. Biography Early life Gov was born in Rehovot, Israel, to Da ...

and . The opening theme song of the original series was written by Eli Mohar and composed by

Yoni Rechter Yoni Rechter ( he, יוני רכטר; born 18 November 1951) is an Israeli musician, composer, pianist, arranger and singer. Biography Yonatan (Yoni) Rechter was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is the son of Israeli architect Ya'akov Rechter and st ...

which also performed it together with

, , and a group of children from the . The series was broadcast repeatedly many times until 1996. Then, these broadcasts were suspended due to expiry of the co-production agreement between the Israeli Educational Television and the Sesame Workshop – the rights owner of the original American Sesame Street. The right to show the Hebrew-dubbed segments of the original American show produced by the Sesame Workshop were transferred to the private cable channel " HOP! Channel". Following the success of the series many products were marketed to the Israeli public based on the series, including: records of the songs and the sketches from the show, dolls of Kipi Ben Kipod, school supplies, clothing and beddings. A new fashion which started due to the show was the "Kipi shoes" – Plaided slippers in shades of brown and black, which although existed prior to the show, became much more popular following the show. The curriculum goals of the show were: Mutual Respect (human diversity, mutual respect); The Child's World (body parts, child's powers, health, reasoning, problem solving); Reading, Mathematics, and Writing (prereading and writing, numbers, geometric forms); and Cognitive Organization (perceptual discrimination, relational concepts, classifying). Although messages about mutual respect were always included in the curriculum of the original US show, it was the first time this area was a major focus of any version of ''Sesame Street''. It was a priority because of the "profound political tension in the region". This production has been viewed as a model for the use of television to convey antisectarian messages.

''Shalom Sesame'' (1989–1991)

The program '' Shalom Sesame'' was an Israeli–American co-production which combined American actors, such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Bonnie Franklin,

Anne Meara Anne Meara Stiller (September 20, 1929 – May 23, 2015) was an American actress and comedian. Along with her husband Jerry Stiller, she was one-half of the prominent 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara. Their son is actor, director, and producer ...

, and

Jerry Stiller Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 2015 ...

, and the original Israeli cast members which participated in the original ''Rechov Sumsum'' series. In addition, the renowned violinist Yitzhak Perlman participated regularly on the series. The series was produced in 1989 (its first season), in 1990 (its second season), and 1991 (its third season), and was broadcast in Israel between the years 1989 and 1990. The series was first intended for broadcast in the US and was therefore recorded completely in English. Only later it was dubbed in Hebrew for Israeli viewers (although the ''Shalom Sesame'' logo still showed up at the beginning). Following the big wave of immigration from Russia to Israel in those years, the series was also dubbed in Russian. In 2006 the series came out in the United States in a DVD bundle which included all episodes of the series (without the Hebrew dubbing).

''Rechov Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim'' (1998–2000)

This combined production included both Israeli-Jews and Israeli-Arabs in order to generate a message of coexistence. Al-Quds University's Institute of Modern Media co-produced the series. The series premiered on April 1 1998. The production included 50 episodes and featured new characters aside from Kipi and Oofnik. A new Israeli Muppet was named Dafi (a purple monster), and two Arab muppets named Hanin (an orange monster) and Kareem (a green rooster) were also introduced as a way to bring diversity into the cast. A new stage was built which included a garden, a promenade, a bookstore and an ice cream store. Moishe Oofnik's old car was "stuck" in the center of the neighborhood. Due to the disintegration of the original muppet of Kipi Ben Kipod and due to rights issues, Kipi's muppet was re-designed with a more "muppet-like" design. The American co-producers requested that Kipi would be played by an actor with a more masculine voice, so Guy Friedman was chosen to voice Kipi. The opening theme song was replaced with one composed by

Shlomo Gronich Shlomo Gronich (born January 20, 1949; he, שלמה גרוניך) is an Israeli composer, singer, songwriter, arranger, and choir conductor. Biography Shlomo Gronich grew up in a musical family in Hadera. He holds a B.A. in Music Education fro ...

and included a number of sentences in Arabic. The program received mixed criticism. When the co-production dissolved in 2002, it was split and was renamed ''Sippuray Sumsum'' (Sesame Stories) and Palestine would later receive their own version of the show.

''Sippuray Sumsum'' (2003-2006)

In 2003, the spin-off series ''Sippuray Sumsum'' was broadcast on the Israeli HOP! Channel and it featured two new Muppets named Noah and Brosh. The hosts of the show were Tzahi () and Aibtism (Hind Ayub). This series was largely funded by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

, and its goal was to promote messages of respect and understanding among Israeli and Arab children in the Middle East. Nowadays, this series is occasionally broadcast on Channel 33 with Arabic dubbing.

The fourth series – ''Rechov Sumsum'' (2006–present)

Season 1

In 2006, the show transitioned back to the ''Rechov Sumsum'' name and debuted on the HOP! Channel, mixing the ''Sippurei Sumsum'' cast, new characters, and returning favorite Moishe Oofnik from the original seasons. From December 2006 a new series called "Rechov Sumsum" was produced for the Israeli HOP! Channel. The new series featured the main Muppets from ''Sippuray Sumsum'' – Noah and Brosh, along with the hosts Tzahi (Dror Keren) and Aibtism (Hind Ayub), many other actors, and two new muppets, Avigail and Mahboub. Mahboub became a source of controversy as it was confirmed that he was a muppet of Arab origin. There were also plans and negotiations to restore the original Muppets of Kipi Ben Kipod and Moishe Oofnik in this series, but eventually due to technical and economical considerations, only Moishe Oofnik was featured in the series. The opening theme is the original theme song of the show which was written by

and sung by a new band of children called "Sharonit". The show also included a campaign against violence. The fourth series included 40 episodes.

Season 2

In December 2009, a new season for ''Rechov Sumsum'' was produced for "Hop! Channel". The new season featured the previous Muppets: Avigail, Brosh, Mahboub and Moishe Oofnik with new neighbors including Sivan, a Muppet in a wheelchair and ''

''s

Grover Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was originall ...

, or Kruvi in Hebrew.

Season 3

In February 2012, another new season for ''Rechov Sumsum'' was produced for "Hop! Channel". The new season featured the previous Muppets: Avigail, Mahboub, Sivan and Moishe Oofnik with new neighbor called

Elmo Elmo is a red Muppet monster character on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minute segment (fifteen minutes prio ...

Season 4

In March 2015, another new season for ''Rechov Sumsum'' debuted on "Hop! Channel". The new season featured the muppets: Avigail, Mahboub, Sivan and

. The focus for the season is "Learn about

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

and

curiosity Curiosity (from Latin '' cūriōsitās'', from ''cūriōsus'' "careful, diligent, curious", akin to ''cura'' "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans ...

." , Abigail's former Puppeteer, is going back to the show as a new human character called Ayelet, tour guide at the museum.

The fifth series – ''Shalom Sesame'' (2009–2011)

Between 2009 and 2011, 12 new ''Shalom Sesame''

direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

episodes were produced. This is an

i–American co-production which combines various American actors, such as

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and

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, and is geared at teaching

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children about the

Secular Jewish culture Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not a faith-based religion, but an orthoprax and Ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, practic ...

. The series was filmed in the United States and in several places in Israel, including the

Western Wall The Western Wall ( he, הַכּוֹתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי, HaKotel HaMa'aravi, the western wall, often shortened to the Kotel or Kosel), known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall (Arabic: حَائِط � ...

The sixth series - ''Tokhnit He'írvkh Shel Elmo'' (2022)

In October 2022, ''Tokhnit He'írvkh Shel Elmo'' will debut on "Hop! Channel". The new season featured two muppet relationships: Moishe Oofnik &

Original Muppet characters

''Rechov Sumsum'' (The original series)'' and ''Shalom Sesame'' (The second series) * Kippi Ben Kippod (Sarai Tzuriel) – a porcupine equivalent of

on Sesame Street. * Moishe Oofnik (Gilles Ben David) – a brown grouch, similar to Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street, who lives in a broken car. ''Rechov Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim'' (The third series): * Kippi Ben Kippod (Guy Friedman) – This series featured a new design of Kippi. * Moishe Oofnik (Gilles Ben David) * Dafi (Irit Shilo) – Haneen's best friend; a happy young purple monster. * Haneen - a happy young orange monster, she lives on Shara'a Simsim with Karim. * Karim - built by Paul Andrejco o
Puppet Heap
''Sippurei Sumsum'' (Spin-off): * Noah (Gilles Ben David) * Brosh (Avi Yakir) ''Rechov Sumsum'' (The fourth - sixth series): * Moishe Oofnik (Gilles Ben David) – Moishe now lives in a green

recycling bin A recycling bin (or recycle bin) is a container used to hold recyclables before they are taken to recycling centers. Recycling bins exist in various sizes for use inside and outside homes, offices, and large public facilities. Separate cont ...

. (seasons 1–3; The Not-Too-Late Show) * Noah (Gilles Ben David) – a curious red monster, he is Mahboub's best friend. (season 1) * Brosh (Avi Yakir) – an orange monster, he likes cleaning. (seasons 1–2) * Mahboub ( Yousef Sweid) – a young blue monster who speaks both

and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

. (seasons 1–4) * Avigail (Shani Cohen and Guni Paz) – a young pink monster, she likes to play and is happy with everyone. (seasons 1–4) * Sivan (Efrat Gonan) – a purple Muppet in a wheelchair. (seasons 2–4) * Grover (Gilles Ben David and Yoav Heyman) – a blue monster from

. (seasons 2) * Elmo (Ariel Doron and Zvika Fohrman) – a little red monster from

. (seasons 3–4; The Not-Too-Late Show)

Original American characters

Cookie Monster Cookie Monster is a blue Muppet character on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street.'' In a song in 2004, and later in an interview in 2017, Cookie Monster revealed his real name as "Sid". He is best known for hi ...

a.k.a. "Ugifletzet" ( Dov Reiser, 1983–1986

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, 1989-2003 Eldad Prives 2009-2011 Giora Kenneth 2006-) *

Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...

a.k.a. "Kermit HaTzfardea" ( Eyal Bertonov, 1983–1990 Yoav Tzafir, 1998-2000 Ami Mandelman 2009) *

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a.k.a. "Arik and Bentz" (Benz Shlomo Bar-Aba 1983–2003 and Ami Mandelman; 2006- Arik

Yosef Shiloach Yosef Shiloach ( he, יוסף שילוח; July 9, 1941 – January 3, 2011) was an Israeli actor. Biography Yosef Shiloach was born in Kurdistan. He immigrated to Israel at the age of nine.Grover Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was originall ...

a.k.a. "Kruvi" ( Israel Gurion, 1983-1998

Gadi Levy Gadi may refer to: Places * Gadi, Nepal, a village development committee in Parsa District in the Narayani Zone of southern Nepal * Gadi Bayalkada, a village development committee in Surkhet District in the Bheri Zone of mid-western Nepal Pe ...

2000–2003 Yoav Hayman 2006-) * Count von Count a.k.a. "Mar Sofer" ( Albert Cohen, 1983–1998 Lior Halfon 2000–2003 Robert Henig 2006-) * Herry Monster a.k.a. "Shraga" or Ezra (

) * Oscar the Grouch ( Avi Pnini 1983–2003 and Ido Mosseri 2006-) *

( Iris Zinger 1983–2003 and Zvika Fohrman 2006-) * Telly Monster a.k.a. "Tali" ( Itzik Saidoff 1983–2003 and Simcha Barbiro 2006-)

References

External links

''Rechov Sumsum'' – Classic Version
on

. {{Sesame Street international Sesame Street international co-productions Israeli television shows featuring puppetry Television series with live action and animation Israeli children's television series Israeli Educational Television 1983 Israeli television series debuts 1990s Israeli television series 1980s Israeli television series 2000s Israeli television series 2010s Israeli television series Israeli television series based on American television series