The first really popular children's program was The Mickey Mouse Club, first broadcast in 1955, followed by children's favorites such as Captain Kangaroo, Howdy Doody, and early educational programs, like Ding Dong School with Miss Frances and her school bell. In 1969, Sesame Street, created by Jim Henson and showcasing his delightful Muppets, began its long success as one of the most creative and innovative programs on television as well as one that completely challenged its audience. Similar in format, but more gentle in its approach, was Mister Rogers. To take advantage of this very profitable children's market, advertisers developed Saturday morning television (“commercials with cartoons”). By the 1990s, children's television advocacy groups and politicians from both parties united against TV violence and age-based advisories.
Overseas, the dubbing of children's programs into other languages for its transmission in other countries, has been a global effort. Disney television has been successful albeit without the phenomenal impact characterizing that company's film and product marketing empire. Undoubtedly, the most recognizable American export has been Sesame Street which has been produced in several different versions for locales as diverse as Israel, Latin America and Scandinavia. It has also been a model regarding its sensitivity to the cultures of these targeted nations.
In Pretoria, the South African Television Corp. (SATV) researched the value of foreign-language dubbing of children's educational television programs. Some researchers feel that English language programs are ideal for English as a Second Language (ESL) learning while others feel it is easier for the child to learn the mother tongues. There is also the issue of cultural differences; e.g., Is Sesame Street, now dubbed in Zulu, sufficiently accessible to a Zulu child, or should the content or characters be modified to reflect a cultural heritage? SATV administrators are debating whether to translate the program into other languages.
In Russia, editors changed several of the characters in Sesame Street (which first appeared on Russian television in October 1996 as Ulitsa Sezam) to traditional Russian fairy tale personalities. However, Big Bird (Zellboba) is still very popular, as are Bert (Vlas) and Ernie (Yenik). New characters include Busya, Kubik, and Aunt Dasha. In February 1998, a Chinese version of Sesame Street (Zhima Jie) debuted on Shanghai Television, with Big Bird (Da Niao) and some new Muppets (“puffing pig” and “little plum”) possessing distinct Chinese characteristics. General Electric contributed about $3 million to be a sponsor while Shanghai Television invested $1.2 million to the show, devoted its biggest studio to producing it, and planned to syndicate Zhima Jie in other cities, including Beijing.
Khokha, the star of the new Egyptian production of Sesame Street, that debuted in 1999, teaches girls that they're as good as boys and is one of three Arabic-speaking puppets on the show. Egypt is now one of 20 countries that have co-produced the show although it airs in 120 of them. The most most politically-charged of all the Sesame Street productions is a Middle Eastern version (the Hebrew edition is entitled Rechov Sumsum and the Arabic edition, Sharan Simsim) which has both Jews and Arabs on friendly terms even though they live on separate streets.
