AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S SERIES, PLAZA SESAMO, DEBUTS NEW SEASON ON PBS, FEATURING TELENOVELA PARODIES AND NEW LATIN AMERICAN LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATION FILMS
Two New Home Videos Continue the Tradition of Laughter and Learning
New York, NY, January 25, 2006
A new season of Plaza Sésamo, the award-winning series designed to address the educational needs of Spanish-speaking preschoolers, has begun airing on select PBS stations throughout the United States. This season features a new show opening and new episodes in which Abelardo, Pancho and Lola, Plaza’s unique Muppet characters, appear in telenovela parodies to positively demonstrate emotions and help children understand them. Also, watch for special celebrity guest appearances from Jorge Campos, Edith Gonzalez, Sebastian Gonzalez “Chamagol,” Andrea Legarreta, Adal Ramones, and Marco Antonio Regil, as they share adventures with the residents of the Plaza and their viewers.
New live action and animated films produced by filmmakers and animators from throughout Latin America including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela, highlight the rich cultural diversity of the region. Viewers can look forward to new songs, including a hip hop version of the alphabet, as well as the cast singing classic Sesame Street tunes in Spanish. The series combines animated segments, live-action films and original music videos with segments produced on the Plaza Sésamo set to engage children and help them better understand the world around them.
In addition to the new season, Spanish-speaking children of all ages can join their favorite Muppets in two new 60-minute Plaza Sésamo DVD releases from Studio Latino, a division of Ventura Enterprises. In Me Gusta Ser Yo (I Like Being Me), Grover wants to teach viewers about noses, Rosita and Snuffy show us how important arms can be, and the great painter Pablo Bigotasso creates portraits of Pancho and Lola. In Vamos A Cantar (Let’s Sing!), viewers can sing along and dance to their favorite songs, including “Si Estas Feliz,” “Siento El Ritmo,” and “Me Gusta Ser Yo,” with Abelardo, Pancho, Lola and Elmo. Two more DVD titles will be introduced in April: “Copa Sésamo” and “El alfabeto de Lola.”
Plaza Sésamo cast members include classical actress Beatriz Aguirre, veteran performer Sergio Corona, former kids’ group singer Mariana Garza, soap star Benjamin Hidalgo, OV7 member M¨Balia and actor Pedro Romo, who play friends from the neighborhood. Abelardo is played by Héctor Loeza, Lola by Rocío Lara, and Pancho by Odín Dupeyrón.
Plaza Sésamo on PBS is sponsored and underwritten by long time licensee Pampers® Baby Dry brand, a trademark of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG). Other partners behind the new season include: Nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop, Mexico’s largest terrestrial producer and broadcaster Televisa, leading pan-regional Latin American pay-TV preschooler’s network Discovery Kids, US broadcaster TeleFutura. HIP TV, a division of L.A. based HIP Entertainment Group, are the Production Supervisors. Univision is currently airing the series in Puerto Rico.
Plaza Sésamo is the longest running children’s series in Mexico and has a 10-year history with Latino families throughout the United States. For the new season of Plaza Sésamo on select PBS stations, check local listings.
About Sesame Workshop
Founded in 1968, Sesame Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Dragon Tales and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, Pinky Dinky Doo and ground breaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. As with all of their products, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of Sesame Street and Plaza Sésamo products right back into its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online at www.sesameworkshop.org.
