Talk:Sesame Beginnings

The Sesame Beginning is a new line of products and a video series, spun-off the children's television series Sesame Street. The line is targeted towards infants and their parents, and products are designed to increase family interactivity.

The line was launched mid-2005 in Canada, with a line of products exclusive to a family of Canadian retailers that includes Loblaws, Fortinos, and Zehrs. The initial offering included apparel, health and body, home, and seasonal products.

Soon after, the line expanded to products, including Random House books, available in the United States. Target is the primary retailer for the items in the US. Other Sesame Beginnings licensors include Crown Crafts (bedding), Fisher-Price (infant toys), BBC (footware), Children's Apparel Network (department and specialty store layette, newborn and infant apparel), Hamco, Blue Ridge, Baby Boom, and AD Sutton.

All products in the Sesame Beginnings line are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5. Products ranked Level 1 are for birth to 6 months, Level 2 are for 6 to 12 months, Level 3 for 12 to 18 months, Level 4 targets 18 to 24 months, and Level 5 aims for 24-36 months.

History of the line
Sherrie Westin, Executive Vice President, Sesame Workshop comments: "Our own research showed that Sesame Street videos were among those frequently viewed by the under two set, in spite of the fact that the content and curriculum of Sesame Street is designed for ages 2-5. With the Sesame Beginnings DVDs, we're providing parents and caregivers of children under two with content specifically designed to use media as a tool to further adult/child interaction."

The same "underviewing" of Sesame Street is what had earlier inspired show producers to add in the very young-targeted Elmo's World segment.

The concept of the Sesame Street cast as babies was not entirely new, as "baby-ized" versions of characters were available as toys since at least the early-2000s. Many likened the line to previous series like Muppet Babies.

Sesame Beginnings DVDs
The first Beginnings videos will be available in stores March 2006.


 * Beginning Together: Brandy and her daughter Sy'rai appear in the video.
 * Make Music Together: Wayne Brady and his daughter Maile appear in the video.

Sesame Beginnings books
There were some Sesame Street book published before Beginnings, starring the characters as babies. These books included photography of puppet-like models created of the characters. In contrast, Beginnings books feature flat colour illustrations of the characters.


 * Cookie Kisses (with Baby Cookie Monster, level 1)
 * Sesame Beginnings to Go: At the Store (with Baby Grover, level 2)
 * Sesame Beginnings to Go: Away We Go (with Baby Zoey, level 2)
 * Sesame Beginnings to Go: In My Stroller (with Baby Elmo, level 1)
 * Sesame Beginnings to Go: Time to Eat (with Baby Cookie Monster, level 1)
 * Snap! Button! Zip! (with Baby Zoe, level 3)
 * Cookie Rhyme, Cookie Time (with Baby Cookie Monster, level 4)
 * Hello! Good-bye! (with Baby Ernie, level 3)
 * Clang-Clang! Bang-Bang! (with Baby Grover, level 1)
 * So Big! (with Baby Elmo, level 2)
 * Baby Faces (with Baby Zoe, level 1)
 * Cookie See! Cookie Do! (with Baby Cookie, level 3)
 * Pat-A-Cake and Other First Baby Games (with Baby Elmo and Baby Zoe, level 4)
 * Peekaboo! I See You! (with Baby Big Bird, level 2)
 * Sing a Song of Sixpence (with Baby Zoe and Baby Ernie, level 5)

Advisory Board
Beginnings, like all Sesame Workshop projects, included an advisory committee of "national child development and media experts"
 * Daniel R. Anderson, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts at Amherst
 * Rachel Barr, Ph.D., Georgetown University
 * Lori A. Custodero, D.M.A., Teachers College, Columbia University
 * Claire Lerner, L.C.S.W., ZERO TO THREE
 * Kyle Pruett, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine
 * Claudia A. Saad, M.A., CCC-SLP, American Speech-Language Hearing Association