Sesame Street broke new ground when it debuted in 1969, and it’s been entertaining and educating children and families ever since. As the show approaches its 50th anniversary, there’s even more to love about this iconic brand. Adults relate to favourite characters like Cookie Monster, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch more than ever, and parents who grew up with Sesame Street are sharing the show with their own children. Through television programming, creative social campaigns, and other interactive experiences, fans of all ages are engaging with Sesame Street in unique and powerful ways.
Sesame Workshop – the nonprofit organisation behind the beloved television show – is committed to strengthening its core characters while creating new content and building new partnerships that are true to its mission: helping kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger and kinder. From new television properties to buzzy fashion collaborations, the coming years will be impactful, inspiring and just plain fun.
It’s a Brand New Day on Sesame Street.
Risa Greenbaum is the assistant vice president of international media business, Europe, at Sesame Workshop. Risa oversees the content distribution and licensing business for Sesame Street, The Furchester Hotel and other Sesame Workshop properties throughout Europe, including programme sales and themed entertainment. She joined Sesame Workshop’s international licensing group in 1990. She lives in New York City.
Email: risa.greenbaum@sesame.org
Phone: 212-875-6516
John Taylor is the commercial director at the Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG). Prior to joining CPLG, John started his 20-year career in the Woolworth Group’s entertainment distribution arm, later moving to Asda to build entertainment-buying and logistics teams. Over the last seven years, he’s developed licensing programmes with clients like Universal Pictures, Activision, CBS, England Rugby, Famous Grouse and Paramount Pictures.
Email: john.taylor@cplg.com
Phone: +44 020-8563-6400
Europe Distribution News
Sesame Street returned to the UK on preschool channel Cartoonito in November 2016, marking the first time the show aired in the country since 2003. (The Furchester Hotel, another Sesame Workshop property featuring crossover characters Elmo and Cookie Monster, will continue to air on CBeebies.)
With HBO’s launch of HBO España, a subscription-based broadband streaming service that was also rolled out in November 2016 in partnership with Vodafone, Sesame Street is now available in Spain.
Both Cartoonito and HBO España are now airing the latest seasons of Sesame Street.
Cookie Monster hits the road in a new segment that will debut in the upcoming season of Sesame Street. In each five-minute episode, chefs Cookie and his Furchester pal Gonger will receive a video call from a child who requests a special dish. Partway through each recipe, Cookie and Gonger will jump behind the wheel of their food truck to gather a key ingredient right from the source – they visit a cranberry bog, a pasta factory and more. It’s a dynamic new way for kids to learn how their favourite foods get on their plates.
Sesame Workshop is looking for licensing partners for Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck.
Everyone’s favourite furry red monster is back in all-new Elmo’s World segments. In each five-minute segment, Elmo uses his imagination to transform his bedroom into a chalk-drawn wonderland, diving into topics of the day with the help of new friend Smartie, an animated cellphone.
Get ready to meet the best monster babysitters in town with Esme and Roy, an irresistible new show from Sesame Workshop and Nelvana. These two best friends are very different – Esme is a human girl, and Roy is a monster – but they’re both great at taking care of little monsters, solving their charges’ problems together through play and mindfulness. Esme and Roy’s 52 11-minute episodes will debut on HBO in the US and Corus’s Treehouse in Canada, and will be available internationally at MIPCOM.
Sesame Workshop is looking for licensing partners for Esme and Roy.
On the apparel side, Sesame Street’s celebrated collaboration with PUMA continued in spring 2017 with a new line of footwear and apparel for adults. (Last year’s PUMA X Sesame Street kids’ collection earned a nomination at this year’s LIMA Awards.) H&M’s nine-year collaboration with Sesame Street is still going strong; Zara and Sesame Street also formed a new direct-to-retail partnership this spring. In sleepwear and loungewear: Sesame Street and Alice Vandy will be collaborating on a new collection for teens and adults in the UK; Fabric Flavours apparel for boys and children’s wellies from Fashion UK have continued to perform well at NEXT; and BCI and Somerbond have secured continuous placement at key retailers like Primark.
In January 2017, German-owned cleaning manufacturer Karcher debuted a multichannel brand campaign that included video spots, point-of-sale materials and behind-the-scenes web videos starring Cookie Monster. The campaign was active in Germany and across Europe, where the video spots were aired on television, web and social.
New plush licensees Sambro (pan-European, excluding German-speaking territories) and Nici (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) will launch their lines this autumn. Sesame Workshop is seeking partners for ancillary toys; promotional opportunities are available.
Elmotivation. Next year, Sesame Street’s new season will inspire kids (and grown-ups) to see new opportunities, play in whole new ways and be everything they want to be. That’s the power of #Elmotivation! Plans for a complementary multichannel campaign include an original #Elmotivation anthem, new on-show and YouTube content, social media activity, signature events and buzzworthy partner tie-ins
50 Years and Counting... In 2019, Sesame Street will be celebrating its fabulous 50th anniversary! Fans will join Elmo, Cookie, Big Bird and the rest of the gang as we count the memories and look forward to new ones, helping kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder. The festivities will include all-new star-studded TV content, dynamic social media campaigns, interactive consumer experiences, fun new products and so much more.
Sesame Workshop is looking for licensing partners for the year-long 50th anniversary campaign.
