Galli Galli Sim Sim

Galli Galli Sim Sim is the Indian co-production of Sesame Street. It is co-produced by Sesame Workshop and Turner, through Miditech.

Production of the show is based in Delhi, but crew will travel the country to tape segments. Filming of the first 65 episodes began in February 2006. The series first aired on August 15, 2006, on the Cartoon Network and Pogo. The series is accompanied by a similarly-structured radio program, a move that follows the success of South Africa's Takalani Sesame. The distribution of the radio show is unknown.

Funding for the initial development phase of Sesame India was provided through the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and ICICI Bank.

"Sesame Workshop's mission is to create innovative engaging content that maximizes the educational power of media to help children reach their highest potential. As with all our adaptations, we are now working with local experts to identify Indian children’s issues and how to best address them on- and off-air. We're thrilled to work with Turner, the undisputed leader in Indian kids' television, to build a long-term presence and to together serve the children of the amazing Indian sub-continent." - Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop's President and CEO.

Description
From the UK newspaper The Independent:

"India is to get its own version of the children's programme, Sesame Street, complete with a giant psychedelic lion who is supposed to be descended from maharajahs and who loves bhangra music. The television show, which will be launched this summer, has been adapted for Indian children.The main action will take place in a galli - one of the narrow side streets that are choked with cycle-rickshaws, cows and market stalls.

"The Indian version, named Galli Galli Sim Sim, will be centred on a corner store rather than a bakery, as in the American show. Elmo and Big Bird are expected to make an appearance. But they will be joined by four puppets created for Indian audiences, the most exotic of which is Boombah, a lion with red, blue and purple fur, who is supposed to hail from the royal family of Boombagarh. There may be a slight satirical note in the fact that Boombah is something of a party animal - the scions of several of India's old royal families have a reputation for enjoying the party life.

"The central character will be Chamki, a puppet of a five-year-old girl dressed in the uniform of a government school. Her best friend is Googly - named, of course, after the cricket delivery. And there is Aanchoo, a storyteller who is transported to another place when she sneezes.

"The producers say the cast will represent the range of India's different ethnic and regional peoples. So the owner of the corner store, played by a human actor, will speak several Indian languages, while his wife comes from the north-east, where you are more likely to find noodles than chicken tikka."

Format
Episodes will be similar in format to that of the originating series. The show will consist of Street scenes, segments (some filmed locally with Indian actors and children, some Indian animation, some are classic American Muppet skits dubbed in Hindi) will include four new Indian muppets specially created for the subcontinent's children. The puppet characters will include Indian boy and girl muppets, a character based on traditional Indian folk tales and an animal muppet.

About 157 million children in India will be able to tune in to the show from next August on Indian children's TV channels Turner's Cartoon Network and POGO.

In a country with more than 15 official languages — not including English — Turner and Sesame Workshop had their work cut out deciding which language the show should be broadcast in, but have decided to launch the first season's shows in Hindi, with a few English words in each episode.

However, producers hope to make Sesame India available in other languages in the next few year and plans are also under way to broadcast the program on Indian radio.

Producers, who worked with Indian educational experts on the show's content and teamed up with Sesame Workshop to design Sesame India's set and characters, say the shows will reflect India's rich cultural diversity and heritage while helping youngsters to read and write.

Characters
Muppet Characters
 * Boombah is the Full-Body Lion. Designed by Ed Christie and built by Mary Brehmer & Andrea Detweiler.
 * Googly is the Blue Monster. Designed by Ed Christie and built by Rollie Krewson.
 * Aanchoo is the Purple Monster. Designed by Ed Christie and built by Rollie Krewson.
 * Chamki is the Prairie Dawn-like Little Indian Girl. Designed by Ed Christie and built by Rollie Krewson.

Human Characters
 * Jugaadu, "who likes to find innovative solutions to fix problems, and does not view his disability as a handicap".
 * Basha Bhaijaan, "who owns a corner store and knows several Indian languages".
 * Dawa Di, Basha's wife, who is from North East India, and teaches dance.
 * Kabir, Basha Bhaijaan and Dawa Di’s son, who is an active and curious eight-year-old.
 * Col. Albert Pinto (played by Maxwell Pereira), a retired army person, is an advocate for healthy living and civic sense.
 * Rukmini Pinto (Doctor Aunty), Col. Pinto's wife. A doctor by profession, she is a combination of contemporary and traditional wisdom.

In clips
 * Elmo
 * Ernie
 * Bharat (Bert)
 * Biscuit Baadshah (Cookie Monster)
 * Grover
 * Count von Count

Guests

 * Amjad Ali Khan, season one
 * Rahul Bose, season one
 * Sivamani, season one
 * Neha Dhupia, season one
 * Daler Mehndi, season one

Crew

 * Niret Alva, President of Miditech and Executive Producer of the series
 * Pria Somiah, Supervising Producer
 * Julius Packiam, Music Director
 * Samir Chanda, Art Director
 * Sehba Iman, Head Writer
 * Prakash Moorthy, Head Animator

Merchandise
"Hokey Pokey Elmo" was released as the first ever Hindi-speaking Sesame Street toy. Lacking fur, it retailed for Rs. 1399. Toys of Bharat, Ernie and Biscuit Badshah were also released by Fisher-Price.

Quotes
"I am extremely happy that a revolutionary pre-school kids’ television series, Galli Galli Sim Sim, is launching in India. I am sure that the compelling educational content that the programme has to offer will change the face of young kids’ education in India, just like the globally renowned Sesame Street show has in many countries across the world. For me, Sesame India’s local version, Galli Galli Sim Sim, in days to come, will become an asset to Indian kids’ education as well as provide a new direction in teaching kids to love, understand and celebrate India’s diversity and rich culture. I wish Turner, Sesame Workshop and Miditech the best of luck in this landmark venture - Galli Galli Sim Sim."


 * -- Honorable Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, in a congratulatory note.