NHK



NHK is Japan's broadcast television network, with programs ranging from news, sports, emergency broadcasts, anime and children's educational programs, several featuring puppets (some imitating the Muppet style).

Sesame Street has been one of the network's successful children's programs. First debuting in 1971, though it went through a hiatus sometime in the 1980s; in 1988, it returned to the network until the end of March in 2004, when production on a local adaptation was announced (which NHK refused to be involved in). While Sesame Street is designed for preschool children, teens and adults also watched the program as a teaching tool for them to learn English (though later on, around the 2000s, the show was also dubbed in Japanese).

In the early 80s, an original closing credit sequence ended each episode. The first one points out of a companion book/guide that is available, along with mailing address and pricing options, followed by a cast list. These credits also depicted illustrations of the Muppets, some holding numbers and letters, and was accompanied by the theme (one from the Original Cast album, though it cuts off to the last few notes of the closing harmonica solo). Characters seen include: The Count, Sherlock Hemlock, Professor Hastings, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Bert, Kermit the Frog, Grover, Roosevelt Franklin, Herry Monster, The Amazing Mumford, and an Anything Muppet old woman. The entire sequence ends with a shot illustration of Cookie, Ernie, Bert and Grover poking out of a curtain with the Sesame Street sign (and its Japanese translation above) and the NHK logo.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVPeh0XQmNQ

At some point in the 90s, each episode ended with a segment entitled "Sunny Day Club", which began with a still illustration of Elmo and Grover walking in the park (possibly done by Joe Mathieu), and Elmo's voiceover (performed by Kevin Clash). These segments showcased original artwork sent in by viewers, accompanied by Sesame music playing in the background, such as Honk Around the Clock and The Happiest Street in the World). Also included were brief clips from various segments and episodes. The segment ends with a shot illustration of several characters (varied from time to time) with the words "The End".

In the 2000s, when the show was available in both English and Japanese, Sesame English was interspersed within the program (at first replacing Elmo's World, which would then remain intact later on).

website