Sesame goes French

Elmo and a new Muppet character named Nac are saying, “Bonjour!” to the children of France. An all new French co-production of Sesame Street is now underway. Co-produced by public broadcaster France 5 and production company Expand-Drama, "5 Rue Sésame" will launch as a daily series in October. Four other new Muppet characters have been developed specifically for the French series.

"5 Rue Sésame", initially comprising of 75 episodes, will feature Muppet, regionally produced live action, and animation segments, along with classic American segment reworked in French. The new Muppet characters include an energetic girl in a wheelchair named Griotte, who will be an active participant in all the fun on the street and will provide positive images of children with disabilities. More than 60 writers, puppeteers, actors, technicians and directors are working on the original French version of Sesame Street.

“France has always been a priority market for Sesame Workshop,” said Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop’s President and CEO. “We first provided local programming and licensed products in the 1970s, and have since seen the preschool media landscape evolve tremendously. We are excited to be re-entering the French market...to deliver compelling educational television that serves the needs of today’s children.” American representatives from Sesame Workshop are overseeing the production and providing creative guidance for the series.