Sesamstrasse Encourages Learning through Free Play
Three generations of German children have grown up on Sesamstrasse, the locally produced German version of Sesame Street that has been on the air since 1973. Over the years, the show has become an integral part of German culture. In fact, when Muppeteer Kevin Clash traveled to Germany to train two Sesamstrasse performers in playing Bert and Ernie, he realized that people often believe the two classic characters are German themselves.
| Bert and Ernie |
“They’ve become so much a part of the culture there that people would never even believe that they’re American,” Clash laughs.
He says that Bert and Ernie enjoy a special popularity among German audiences.
“They love Ernie and Bert. I don’t know what the connection is, but they are phenomenally popular,” Clash says.
When Clash traveled to Germany to help with Sesamstrasse’s 30th anniversary special, he learned that they wanted Bert and Ernie to be a big part of the special. Clash worked with puppeteers Carsten Haffke and Martin Paas, who also write and perform the parts of Pferd and Wolle (“Horse” and “Sheep”) on the show. Clash was so impressed with these young writers/puppeteers’ abilities that he said they should try shooting out of doors, rather than on the set.
”It inspired me to say, ‘we’re just going to go outside and shoot this,’ Clash recalls. “So we went outside onto the back lot and these guys sang Imagination Song in German, and it was just beautiful. The sun was shining on the trees, it was just amazing. So now that’s how they shoot the Ernie and Bert pieces -- on location, and they are phenomenal.”
Creating a “child’s garden” for learning
Throughout its long lifespan, Sesamstrasse has focused on learning through discovery, encouraging children to ask questions and use their active imaginations. Sesamstrasse is built around the concept of creative play, the value of respecting self and others, and appreciating different environments.
When the German educator Friedrich Froebel coined the term “kindergarten” in 1840, it was with the belief that through their natural play, each individual child can develop in the way that’s best for them. Believing that through playing, children express their thoughts, needs, and wishes, his curriculum included songs, activities, stories, and games, and encouraged children to self-direct their activities. Froebel believed that kindergarten, which means “child’s garden,” prepares children socially for academic readiness and gives them the building blocks they need to develop critical thinking skills.
| Feli Filu, Finchen, Samson,Wolle, Pferd, Rumpel, Gustav (Sesamstrasse) |
More than 150 years later, Sesamstrasse is built around Froebel’s theories, which now form the basis for early childhood education the world over. Basia Nikonorow, Sesame Workshop’s Sesamstrasse producer, says that 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.”
In one Sesamstrasse storyline, cast members watch an old film and then imagine that they are the stars of their own silent movie. They put on costumes, make exaggerated facial expressions, lay on the physical comedy, and have a big food fight. In another episode, cast member Annette reads Snow White to Samson, a big brown bear, and Rumpel, Oscar’s German grouch cousin. As Annette reads the fairytale, Rumpel interrupts and begins to spin his own yarn about a character he calls “Rumpel White.” His imagination runs wild!
Embracing Germany’s diversifying population
In the thirty-six years that Sesamstrasse has been on the air, Germany’s ethnic composition has become increasingly diverse. When the show celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2003, the show’s producers decided to add a new focus on fostering mutual respect and understanding among young children.
Nikonorow says that the show has become much more inclusive of the various ethnic minorities living in the country, and is therefore more reflective of modern Germany.
“From featuring Turkish-German kids as protagonists in live action films or engaging a Turkish-German cast member, the NDR [German public television] team is forging new role models on German television,” says Nikonorow.
The character Mehmet is one of these newer additions who reflects the new face of Germany. He is of Turkish descent, and is young and technologically savvy, enjoys hip-hop, sports, and playing with the Sesamstrasse Muppets. In introducing minority characters, Sesamstrasse seeks to explore differences not as elements that separate us, but as qualities that enrich us. The show also encourages children to identify prejudices and bring them to the table as valid topics for open discussion.
Today’s Germany is home to more than 2000 mosques, so raising awareness of Muslim communities is an important part of this mutual respect and understanding theme. Sesamstrasse shows children that Muslims have many different characteristics and beliefs, and encourages young viewers to view and treat each person as an individual. Not all Muslims speak Arabic, for example, and holidays and traditions vary from family to family. Sesamstrasse demonstrates these concepts by exposing viewers to a variety of people, places, and traditions. In one episode, a young girl demonstrates how to make a traditional Turkish dessert from scratch. In another, a girl visits her friend’s Koran school.
Also on the topic of acceptance and diversity, the show includes Mona and her baby Lena, two characters who are modeled after single-parent households, a growing phenomenon in Germany.
Production Partners
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
Broadcasters
ARD
Das Erste
KiKa
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
