Global Grover



Global Grover is a Sesame Street segment hosted by Grover, in which the blue monster travels all over the world to explore the traditions of peoples from many diverse cultures. Grover speaks directly to the viewer, usually having just returned from a trip to somewhere around the globe. After a brief film shot on location, Grover may receive a helping hand from a Muppet assistant before signing off. Says Grover, "I come back and I always bring something from my travels and teach everyone on Sesame Street about the places I went to." He continues, "I had not even gone around the corner before. This was something extra special."

The segment made its debut in Season 34, using "the power of television to demonstrate the diversity of the world we live in." Melissa Dino serves as the segment's producer, choosing the filming locations and educational value of each segment, which have been designed to teach children to respect the diversity of people from all over the world. Grover reinforced these ideas during a presentation at the Common Ground Awards, where, by learning about different languages, different cultures and different religions, he surmised that people are different everywhere, and yet we are all very much the same.

At the time of its debut, Grover made the rounds on the press circuit. He was interviewed by the Associated Press in an article which was picked up by several publications, and even appeared on talk radio shows such as The Savvy Traveler. In March 2007, Global Grover was still making headlines when he was featured in a cover story for NJN Public Television & Radio's issue of The Guide. The article stresses Global Grover's exploration of "daily life abroad," and extends the segment's goals in an initiative with Kean University that helps early childhood educators incorporate the promotion of global awareness into their curricula.

Internationally, Global Grover has been distributed separately as a 5-minute, 30-episode series, which began in fall 2005. The series tacks on opening and closing credits, plus an existing animated segment from Sesame Street, to round out the program.

The concept of Global Grover was published in the book Global Grover Travels All Over, got its own section in Brought to You by... Sesame Street!, and featured in the activity pads Global Grover Travels All Over and Global Grover Takes a Trip. Online content includes a dancing game on pbskids.org, and sesameworkshop.org's Greetings from Grover, in which Grover hosts a postcard creation kit that can be sent via email. Global Grover has also been featured in its own section in several issues of Sesame Street Magazine, and the Sesame Place theme park even has a ride based on the segment, Grover's World Twirl.