Guests are welcomed by Pino, who wants to play Hide and Seek.
Audio and video corner with some international records displayed.
Sien's old store until 2005.
Schuif Gezellig Aan is a large exhibition of Sesamstraat and its history which ran at the Stedelijkmuseum Alkmaar in 2010. The phrase "Schuif gezellig aan" is a lyric from Sesamstraat's theme song, a Dutch phrase which suggests an invitation to "shuffle along pleasantly".
Unlike the exhibition that was held on Sesamstraat's 25th birthday in Hoorn, the exhibition did not display any original Sesamstraat puppets, to avoid breaking the illusion for children. Instead, props and backgrounds from the show were displayed, the same ones used in Madurodam.
The exhibition included several old and new items of merchandise from the private collection of Paul Bokdam, who also helped with some international information and facts in the exhibit.
The exhibit is made up of five areas: "Welcome to Sesamstraat", "The Stories from Sesamstraat", "How Sesamstraat started", "Sesamstraat worldwide" and "Behind the screens of Sesamstraat".
Welcome to Sesamstraat[]
A large part of the Sesamstraat set is displayed. This gives visitors the feeling they are actually there and on television. Set pieces include the large broccoli trees, Tommie's car, and Buurman Baasje's sitting-tower. Meneer Aart's suit is also on display. In Ieniemienie's Craftsclub, there is an opportunity for kids to make their own things, build their own set piece, or participate with De vraag van vandaag (the question of the day). The whole set was created for the exposition in Madurodam by The Garage Amsterdam.
The Stories from Sesamstraat[]
Story telling or reading from illustrated books is a recurring element at the end of the show. Sesamstraat works with several illustrators who do the illustrations. In Sesamstraat: schuif gezellig aan, about 50 original illustrations and 25 animation artworks are on display. These include art by Charlotte Vonk (Prins Vads), Jet Boeke (Dikkie Dik), and Ingeborg van der Steijn (Fiep). All the stories and illustrations are especially written and drawn for the show.
How Sesamstraat started[]
The concept of the show is like the original from America. The philosophy and ideology are integrated into the non-profit organization Sesame Workshop. The exhibit shows Sesame Workshop's idea in words and images: Preparing every child for school, especially to learn reading, writing, counting, math, social and emotional skills, and respect and understanding with each other. With the help of old film footage, pictures and an actual old set of Sien's Store, more is explained about the start and development from the start of Sesame Street in America (1969) and the Netherlands (1976) until now.
Sesamstraat worldwide[]
In many countrie, Sesame Street is used to encourage a way of talking about that country's problems. Examples are among others: HIV in South Africa, mutual understanding and acceptance in the Middle East and Northern Ireland. The exhibit shows a part of the documentary The World According to Sesame Street and a glimpse of a larger international merchandise collection.
Behind the screens of Sesamstraat[]
How do they produce Sesamstraat and what is needed to get the end product seen on television? This segment focuses on the set, actors, Muppets, lyrics, songs and rhymes. In short, a complete shooting day.
For the Children[]
This exhibition is one made for younger as well as older children. For them, the museum made a trail they can follow with all kind of questions they can figure out during the tour. Interactive props are on display, and there are big blocks with which they can rebuild the set in miniature. There are also games built into the set that they can do and answer, and also play a hide and seek game with Pino. Kids get also a gift with this tour and when they like to leisure. There is a corner with many plush toys to play with. An activity was setup called Dress up Ieniemienie, with special clothing. There is also an animatronic of Oscar in his trash can. They used to stand in front of Sesame Street General Stores that were located in America until 1998.
On Display[]
A lot of old and new Sesamstraat merchandise and international Sesame Street merchandise was displayed in a special part of the exposition. Books, records, toys, handpuppets and plush from every show possible all over the world could be seen for the first time.
The Sesamstraat exhibition ran from February through September 2010, and returned to Stedelijkmuseum Alkmaar from October 2010 through February 2011.
The displayed items were subsequently sold to an entertainment bureau who continued the exhibition in the Netherlands without the merchandise at the following venues: Kijkduin (Ten Hague), February 1, 2013-January 12, 2014; Limburg's Museum (Venlo), June 23, 2022-January 8, 2023; and Oude Ambachten & Speelgoed Museum (Terschuur).
