Aiming at helping children, especially young refugees, to cope with their emotions, the new Arabic version of "Sesame Street" has kicked off with new muppets joining old favorite ones.
Three new Arabic muppets have been added to the program: Jad, the yellow monster who arrived recently to the street after he left his old house, his friend Basma, the purple muppet, and the goat Ma'zooza. The new characters will join Cookie Monster (Kaa'ki), Grover (Gargur), Elmo and others in the new show in Arabic, called "Ahlan Simsim!" (Welcome Sesame).
Jad has recently arrived to the show to live new adventures with his new friends including Basma. The duration of each episode is 26 minutes, divided into two parts, one of which is a variety that hosts celebrities from the Arab world and children from all Arab nationalities.
"We always play and sing and try new things and have many adventures. We have a lot of friends in the neighborhood, but Jad is my best friend," purple muppet Basma told AFP on a publicity tour in Dubai.
According to a statement by the series' producers, the new version of Sesame Street comes as part of a wider humanitarian project implemented by "Sesame Workshop" and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) responsible for providing early education and care for children.
In its Western iterations, the long-running franchise addresses issues including family breakdown. The new Middle East version instead seeks to help children, especially young Syrian refugees, cope with emotions.
The new Sesame Street started airing on the Arab satellite channel MBC 3 from February 2, and on YouTube as well as many other channels.
The conflict in Syria has displaced over 5.1 million children, with 2.5 million of them now living in regional host countries including Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.
"Jad and I are not that similar. He is an artist and a painter. I love to sing and dance and he likes things in order. He thinks and plans while I get bored," said Basma.
Sesame Street mainstay Grover, meanwhile, sets out to interview children from across the Arab world, tackling myriad issues including jealousy and how to care for loved ones. The blue character is one of the most loved muppets around the world because of its comic personality.
The makers of the series, which was produced in Jordan, said the episodes will take to the airwaves six days a week, and will focus on children's emotions and how to cope with them. The new show is the result of a two-year-long collaboration with numerous child development specialists.
Executive Producer Khaled Haddad said that the first season of Sesame Street will talk about emotions, noting that it will offer entertainment and education at the same time.
"Unfortunately, our children don't know what their emotion is, the child does not know he is terrified or angry or even jealous. Through our episodes we talk about these emotions and how to deal with them," he added.
In one episode, Basma and Jad learn from big brother figure Hadi how to handle fear. "You put your hand on your tummy then you take a breath through your nose, inhale and exhale. It calms you down," Basma said, demonstrating the technique.
Jad's character, who didn't join the trip to Dubai, is portrayed as new to the community. "But we don't label him as a refugee in the show. He is new to the neighborhood, meets all the kids and becomes friends with them. Our show speaks to all the children of the Arab world," Haddad stressed.
Since its US debut in 1969, Sesame Street was given different titles in more than 150 countries.
In the Arab world, the series was named "Iftah ya Simsim" (Open Sesame) and it enjoyed a great popularity. It was first produced and aired in the Gulf region from 1979 until 1990. Filming for a second season of the new series will begin in March.
"We hope children will become smarter, kinder and better at expressing their emotions after watching this show," Haddad said.
