A Newsvine Interview With A Sesame Street Executive About Putumayo's Sesame Street CD/DVD

Ginger Brown

I am a big fan of Putumayo's albums. There are links below to past interviews over past products. This interview was a twist, though, as rather than being about one specific language, culture or region it was instead about Sesame Street and, more specifically, how Sesame Street is done in other languages, in other parts of the world. As with many probably reading this I grew up watching Sesame Street and still love the show (and have been known to watch it occasionally to this day)

So this interview was a thrill. Newsviners, I am happy to report, responded to my appeal here and texts to friends to make this more of a community interview than just another Scott interviews some other person interview. My goal as time goes by is to increase participation in early stages of my interviews thus getting newsvine involved at not just the receiving end of a product.

And here we go. This interview was with Sesame Workshop international producer Ginger Brown.

How do you keep the show current with all of the changes in the world?

At Sesame Workshop, every season of every show is an "experimental" one. Before we go into production each season, everywhere in the world where we have a program, we host a curriculum seminar and discuss what issues kids today are facing. Our New York-based research team works with the production team, and with the local production and research teams, on creating content that addresses those needs in a relevant way.

Which character do you relate to? Also what do you remember the most from your youth about the show? I have to admit that I love Lola from Mexico's Plaza Sesamo. She is smart, active, curious, adventurous and she loves to share everything she's learned with those around her. And most importantly, she's got a great sense of self—who she is and what she might become.

What do I remember most about the show when I was younger—just that there was this cool new show that all my friends and I were watching even though we didn't think we were in Sesame Street's target age group. It was funny and there wasn't really a perceived sense from us that this was "educational."

Educational meant didactic. It meant sitting in front of a classroom, getting the answers right all the time. It meant drills and repetition. Now, as a Sesame Street producer, I realize that we do employ repetition, but the repetition takes on different forms of media and different aspects of intelligence. It's done in a meaningful way.

Why do you think this show has succeeded where so many others have failed? We have the "Sesame Street Model" which creates teams of research, production and education. And we have such a talented pool of actors. And it's all based on such an innovative premise that's timeless and universal. The audience always refreshes itself. Whenever I'm in Latin America and people find out where I work, no matter how young or old, they always say, "I grew up on Plaza Sesamo." I've heard it at least a thousand times and I love it! I feel so much pride to be part of this universal family. No matter where you are, there's a sense of connection and emotional attachment that comes from being a part of the show.

Have you guys been surprised by the popularity and durability of the rubber duckie song? As a duck lover myself I can't count how many times people sing that rubber duckie song to me.

Well, what makes a good song? First, Ernie is a lovable character. Second, it's a quirky song about someone who loves their rubber duckie. Third. It's a catchy tune. When you put all three together, is it a surprise that this is such a popular song? But if you had asked me 50 years ago if I thought a song about a puppet singing to his duck would be such a hit, I probably would have said no!

Are there different people speaking/singing in each language or are some actors doing multiple languages or some of both? It differs from country to country, but yes to both.

How many languages is Sesame Street broadcast in?

We're broadcast in 140 countries and the show is in the prevalent local media language in each country.

How did you decide which songs to include on this album? We listened to over 500 songs and picked the best ones! We wanted to be sure to feature a broad range that covered most of the world and we wanted to be able to tell a story. We started with the Dutch show open and we end with a ballad called "One Small Voice," which is really a theme shared by both Sesame Workshop's and Putumayo's—one person can really help change the world. In between, we learn about recycling and eating healthy foods. Regardless of you native tongue, with "Elmo's Song," everyone can sing and understand "La, la, la, la." The "singability" of the songs definitely played a huge factor.

Who are some of the famous musicians who have appeared on the show? Any memorable anecdotes? We've had so many fantastic musical celebrity guests including Aaron Neville, BB King, Paul Simon, and Placido Domingo. What always strikes me is that these famous musicians have such a great time performing with Muppets on this show for kids. You can tell how from watching the segments just how much fun they're having.

Is Elmo sad that the original Mr Noodle went away? Did his (Mr. Noodle's) brother (his replacement) go to the funeral? Do you think Mr Hooper will keep Mr Noodle company?

Sesame Street teaches children all kinds of lessons. Yes, we teach A, B, Cs and 1, 2, 3s, but we also address social lessons like grief and loss. Our goal is to develop and deliver meaningful content that will help our audience grow.

Are there any cultures or languages you guys have yet to do the show in? Of course, it's a big world, but we're working on it!

Related: Why I love listening to children's music despite not having kids

Why writing about music is hard for me

How to do your own interview

Other Putumayo interviews including for Asian Dreamland

and Brazil

You can read other interviews of mine via listen-in here

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