Indonesian ‘Sesame Street’

By Barrie | March 23rd, 2007 | No Comments

I have always been a great lover of cartoons (it’s just the kid in me!) and especially Scooby-Doo, and, I was pleased to read that the great American educational kids TV show Sesame Street will now be shown to Indonesian TV audiences but under the name of Jalan Sesama.

The award-winning U.S.-based children’s program, Sesame Street, unveiled on Thursday its Indonesian name Jalan Sesama (street for all) and four new main characters for the local production according to the article in the Jakarta Post.

“The name was inspired by the concept of togetherness and diversity of the program,” Putri Rahartana, senior producer of Sesame Street Indonesia, told reporters at Sanctuary Health Club at the Pavilion Apartment, Central Jakarta.

The program, which will start filming in May 2007, will introduce four main muppets: Momon, Putri, Tantan and Jabrik.

Momon is a five-year-old boy who learns to draw letters and loves drawing and counting while Putri is an active young girl who is always asking Momon for help. Tantan is a female orangutan that settles every dispute on Jalan Sesama and Jabrik is a baby rhino that is always complaining and laughing.

Sesame Street Indonesia also introduced on Thursday its 12 muppeteers, who will manipulate the main puppets and other characters in the program.

Sesame Street Muppeteer Marty Robinson, who plays Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster and Slimey, trained the 12 Indonesian muppeteers from March 13-22.

With an initial fund of US$1.5 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Jalan Sesama will debut later this year and run until 2010.

“USAID is exceptionally pleased to be part of introducing Sesame Street to Indonesia. This show continues to stimulate and motivate children in 120 countries,” said USAID Indonesia mission director William M. Frej.

The program will help children learn basic cognitive skills such as literacy and mathematics while representing the vibrant diversity of Indonesia, as well as encourage children to protect their environment.

It’s possible also that the program will introduce other world cultures, such as American culture.

“It’s possible. But it’s must not in the beginning of the program. We will concentrate on local content in the initial program,” said Sesame Street Indonesia’s research and education director Muhammad Zuhdi, who is also a lecturer at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University.

He said the program was expected to be broadcast by a TV station that has wide coverage and large viewership.

“We are still negotiating with several television stations here,” said Zuhdi.

He said several scripts for the program had already been approved by the Sesame Workshop, which produced the original Sesame Street program in the United States.

A. Junaidi