Sesame Preschool Block to Launch on Brazil’s TV Cultura

SÃO PAULO/NEW YORK, October 24: More than 30 years after the premiere of Vila Sésamo, the first Sesame Street international co-production in 1972, Brazilian broadcaster TV Cultura has once again partnered with the nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop for the roll out of a new Vila Sésamo-branded preschool block.

The new block, premiering on Monday, October 29, will air weekdays from 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. It will include original segments featuring Brazilian Muppet bird Garibaldo and his new best Muppet friend, Bel. In addition, the block will feature shows such as Play With Me Sesame, Global Grover and Elmo’s World, as well as 78 locally-produced live-action films featuring children from across Brazil and showcasing the cultural and environmental diversity of the region.

TV Cultura is owned by the Padre Anchieta Foundation. Vila Sésamois expected to premiere on TV R᠔im Bum, a children’s cable channel also owned by the Padre Anchieta Foundation, in early 2008.

Vila Sésamo, the first Sesame Street international co-production, premiered in Brazil in October 1972. Since then, 25 local adaptations of the series have aired in such countries as Egypt, Germany, Mexico and South Africa.

“With early childhood education at the forefront of Brazil’s education policy, Sesame Workshop is proud to partner with TV Cultura, once again, on a mission to instill a lifelong love of learning in Brazilian children,” said Gary E. Knell, the president and CEO of Sesame Workshop. “It is a privilege and an honor to introduce a new generation of children to the beloved Garibaldo and all the Muppets of Vila Sésamoas we come home to Brazil, committed to creating relevant and engaging content for today’s young children as they prepare for school and life.”

—By Irene Lew