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Sesame Street: A Glocalization Example

Sesame Street is an iconic American children's television show that has been adapted into localized versions around the world, exemplifying the concept of glocalization. Some examples discussed are Sesame Tree in Northern Ireland, which emphasizes understanding neighbors, and Rruga Sesam/Ulica Sezam in Kosovo, which was developed to help children of different ethnicities build respect for each other. Sesamstrasse in Germany also localizes content to focus more on socio-emotional goals rather than academics. Through these and other localized international productions, Sesame Workshop educates children globally on important topics while adapting to local cultures.

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29 views

Sesame Street: A Glocalization Example

Sesame Street is an iconic American children's television show that has been adapted into localized versions around the world, exemplifying the concept of glocalization. Some examples discussed are Sesame Tree in Northern Ireland, which emphasizes understanding neighbors, and Rruga Sesam/Ulica Sezam in Kosovo, which was developed to help children of different ethnicities build respect for each other. Sesamstrasse in Germany also localizes content to focus more on socio-emotional goals rather than academics. Through these and other localized international productions, Sesame Workshop educates children globally on important topics while adapting to local cultures.

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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Amanda Gibney Weko

MAPR 01528
Global Public Relations
Assignment 1: Glocalization

Sesame Street: A Glocalization Example

A Global Brand

Any kid – and most adults – can readily identify Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and best
friends Bert and Ernie. The characters are ubiquitous with American childhood, and
have been so for the last forty years. They are some of the main characters of Sesame
Street, the educational children’s television show developed by nonprofit Sesame
Workshop in 1968. The show has since spawned additional educational media
programming and products around the world and exemplifies the term “glocalization.”

According to the Sesame Workshop website, “Sesame Workshop and Sesame Street
began as an experiment in 1968, and the [American television] show debuted on
November 10, 1969. The series was designed to use television to teach preschoolers,
and give them skills that would ensure a successful transition from home to school. . .
From the beginning, Sesame Street has been the most thoroughly researched and
tested television show ever produced, and it has received more Emmy Awards than
any other program in television history.”

Now airing its fortieth season on American television, Sesame Street has achieved
worldwide recognition of its educational programming and characters. Today, its brand
extends to locally-produced children’s educational media around the world, including
“glocalized” versions of Sesame Street in 18 countries. All of the shows aim to inspire
and educate pre-schoolers.

Glocal Programming

Northern Ireland’s version is called Sesame Tree. Sesame Workshop VP Senior Creative
Director, Miranda Barry was inspired to create the program when on vacation, a
Northern Ireland cab driver pointed out a fenced “fairy tree” in a farmer’s field. He told
the Northern Ireland folktale of a tree filled with magic and fairies, which form the
basis for the Sesame Tree program. The show and its characters live in the Sesame
Tree, where they are encouraged to question to world around them. It emphasizes the
same curiosity Sesame Street has always encouraged, except with local emphasis on

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Amanda Gibney Weko
MAPR 01528
Global Public Relations
Assignment 1: Glocalization

understanding one’s neighbors. “Sesame Tree expresses this wonderful optimism that
exists in Northern Ireland as it’s facing its future,” Barry says.

Developed in 2004 as a tool to heal tensions between Albanian, Kosovo, and Serbian
peoples, Rruga Sesam (airs in Albanian) and Ulica Sezam (airs in Serbian) are Kosovo’s
version of Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop producer Basia Nikonorow said, “Rruga
Sesam/Ulica Sezam’s first season focused on ‘humanizing the other,’ helping children
to unlearn stereotypes about other ethnicities and to adopt mutual respect.” In
addition to American characters such as Cookie Monster, the show features numerous
live-action films that show montages of children of different ethnicities. In Kosovo’s
reality, children of different ethnic groups rarely interact, but the montage blending
stresses similarities and builds respect.

Sesamstrasse, Germany’s version of the show has aired since 1973. In fact, the
characters Bert and Ernie are so beloved on Sesamstrasse that many Germans don’t
realize the two were originally American characters. Nikonorow, who also produces
Sesamstrasse, says “The German approach is different from Sesame Street’s in that
there is less of a focus on cognitive goals. There are no letter or number segments!
Instead, the series seeks to address socio-emotional goals like sharing, learning about
one’s environment, figuring out problems, and taking turns.”

Initiatives of Sesame Workshop include health and wellness, respect and


understanding, literacy and numeracy, and emotional well-being. Through its
programming, the workshop educates and encourages children around the globe.

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