Sesame Street will be kicking off its 50th birthday celebrations in Germany this month.
Since 1973, German broadcaster NDR has been the licensee and co-producer of Sesamstraße, which was launched in the US four years earlier.
From 1973 to the present day, NDR has produced 2,931 episodes of Sesamstraße, since 2009 as a purely NDR in-house production. Sesamstraße airs on NDR television and KiKA. In addition, the content is available in the ARD Mediathek, the Sesame Street app and on YouTube.
A big birthday episode will air on KiKA on 8 January, while a family concert with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra will take place in the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg on 28 January, featuring numerous characters from Sesame Street. Works by Leroy Anderson and numerous Sesame Street songs will be played.
“In 2023, we have the pleasure of celebrating an extraordinary partnership with NDR: for 50 years, we have been bringing laughter and learning to children and their families with our beloved characters in the co-production of Sesamstraße in Germany,” commented Stefan Kastenmüller, general manager Europe at Sesame Workshop. “With NDR, Sesame Workshop has a partner at its side that is as serious as it is creative. Together we have reached generations of families in Germany with our educational content and values.
“Celebrating differences and embracing similarities, helping children feel confident and proud of who they are, that’s what Sesame Street has stood for since its creation. We sincerely thank everyone who has supported our mission with Sesamstraße over the past decades.”
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