Barrio Sésamo

Don Pimpón (monster), Espinete (hedgehog) and Chema (the baker) from Spain

Left to right: Don Pimpón, Espinete, Chema and Ana. In the background, Chema's panadería

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Barrio Sésamo is the Spanish Sesame Street co-production (literally Sesame Neighborhood). There have been three different versions of the show, beginning in the late 70s and running on and off through 2000.

First run: Late 70s

The show originally aired in Spain in the late 70s, as a dubbed version of the American Sesame Street. In 1979, they created their own characters -- Caponata, a red chicken with curly hair (a full-body Muppet), and Perezgil, a green snail (a Muppet permanently on a wall) -- while retaining the American characters (Ernie and Bert, Kermit and Grover, etc.) for inserts.

American puppets were renamed so that Spanish-speaking child audiences would not get confused with English writing norms. A list of Spanish names is provided below.

The original show wasn't successful, and it was cancelled in 1980.

Second run: 1983 - 1986

From 1981 to 1983, a different children's program on Spanish television, La Cometa Blanca, included some sketches from Sesame Street. This program, directed by Muppet lover Lolo Rico, also featured some Muppets performed by Herta Frankel. It also featured some actors which would later appear in Barrio Sésamo, mainly Ruth Gabriel (then known as Ruth Abellán), Mari Luz Olier and Alfonso Vallejo.

The Sesame Street sketches were successful with their young audience, so Sesame Street was given another chance in 1983 with Espinete (a hedgehog) and Don Pimpón (a friendly monster). Both characters were full-body Muppets. A Human character which gained notoriety within this version was Chema, an adult baker. Again, it retained American Muppet inserts. The show only aired until 1986, although it's still famous and loved by the generation that watched it.

It was replaced by a similar series, Los mundos de Yupi (Yupi's Worlds), which featured Spanish puppets. Actor Alfonso Vallejo, who performed Don Pimpón on Barrio Sésamo, was cast as Astrako -- a non-puppet character in a Buzz Lightyear-like spacesuit with a personality that was much like Don Pimpón. Los Mundos de Yupi lasted from 1987 to 1989.

Third run: 1996 - 2000

In 1996, the show returned with more new characters: Bluki (a blue full-body catlike Muppet), Vera (a yellow monster), Bubo (an owl) and Gaspar (a human Muppet).

Spanish names for American Muppets

American muppets were renamed for Spanish scenes, being their names in Spanish (including notes in parenthesis if needed):

• Kermit: La Rana Gustavo ("Gustaf the Frog")
• Ernie: Epi
• Bert: Blas
• Grover: Coco (Later, slang for "brain")
  • Super Grover: Super Coco
  • Marshal Grover: El Sheriff Coco ("Grover the Sheriff")
    • Fred the Wonder Horse: La Jaca Paca ("Paca, the small horse" - Paca is female for Paco, which is in turn familiar for Francisco, Spanish version of name Frank)
• Cookie Monster: Triqui, el monstruo de las galletas ("Treekee, the Cookiee Monster")
• Count von Count: El Conde Draco ("Count Draco", because of phonetic similitude with "Dracoo-la")
• Oscar the Grouch: Óscar el Gruñón ("Oscar the Grumpy")
• Big Bird: Paco Pico ("Fred Beak"), although Big Bird only appeared in Sesame Street movies
• Guy Smiley: Pepe Sonrisas ("Joe Smiles")
• Twiddlebugs: Los Nabucodonosorcitos ("The Little Nabucodonosor's", for king Nebuchadrezzar II the Great of Babylon, called Nabucodonosor in Spanish)

Original Cast (1979-1980)

Muppets

• Jesús Alcaide as Perezgil
• Emma Cohen as Caponata

Humans

• Conchita Goyanes as Adela
• Petri Martínez as Petri
• José Riesgo as Julián

Second Series Cast (1983-1987)

Muppets

• Alfonso Vallejo as Don Pimpón
• Chelo Vivares as Espinete

Humans

• José E. Camacho as Antonio
• Isabel Castro as Ana
• Ruth Abellán as Ruth
• Cristina Higueras as Cristina
• Roberto Mayor as Roberto
• Mari Luz Olier as Matilde
• Susana Osuna as Susana
• José Riesgo as Julián
• Jesús Ruyman as Jesús
• Juan Sánchez as Chema the baker
• Toni Sevilla as Desi

Third Series Cast (1996-2000)

• Miquel Àngel Ripeu