Vila Sésamo
Encyclopedia
Vila Sésamo is the Brazil
ian version of the American
children's show Sesame Street
. As of 2009 it airs on TV Rá-Tim-Bum
.
The show premiered in 1972, broadcasted by TV Cultura
and TV Globo. In this phase, they fullfilled all the norms of the American Sesame Street. Also most of the material was dubbed, and the presentation of thematic charts in repetitive order. The puppet characters in the series, created within Brazil, included the following: Garibaldo, a seven-foot tall blue bird equivalent to Big Bird; Gugu, a hairy green, yellow(plus other colors) Grouch. They lived in the street with Gabriela, Juca, Ana Maria and Seu Almeida.
At the time, there was no color television in Brazil, so the show was broadcast in black and white. It was the first international version of the show.
But it was in 1973 that the two channels started the second phase. Vila Sésamo became entirely nationalized; with new cast members, new music and new scripts. Two new Muppet characters were introduced - Funga Funga, a giant, red elephant, and Zé Das Latas, the street's resident robot. In 1974, TV Cultura decided to stop financing the project. Now it was up to TV Globo, who changed the format to make it more national. A larger set was built for the renewed Vila Sésamo, and more children took part in the show.
The final phase started in 1975, but lasted only until 1977. More characters and actors were added during the show's final seasons. All of the puppets were created by local Brazilian designers, with no known involvement from the Muppet Workshop. All original Sesame Street material whas dropped, except for the Bert and Ernie sketches.
The series was successful, but was canceled due to overwhelming financial costs.
On October 29, 2007, TV Cultura launched a new Vila Sésamo. Rather than a full co-production, the series featured new host segments featuring Garibaldo (Big Bird) and a new Muppet girl named Bel. The package consists of Portuguese-dubbed episodes of Elmo's World, Play With Me Sesame, and Global Grover, plus selections from the US Sesame Street and Sesame English
. Seventy-eight new Brazilian live-action and animated inserts fill out the block.
Despite having been off the air for over three decades, nostalgia for Vila Sésamo amongst adults who grew up with the show is high. Eighteen years after the show went off the air, the Hopi Hari
theme park in Brazil opened a Vila Sésamo themed area in 1998, and the original series was released on DVD in 2004. Parents who grew up watching the show when they were young look forward to sharing the experience with their children.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian version of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
children's show Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. As of 2009 it airs on TV Rá-Tim-Bum
TV Rá-Tim-Bum
TV Ra-Tim-Bum is a TV channel Brazil based on December in 2004, which belongs to Foundation Padre Anchieta dedicated to the public children.The channel shows programming consists of 100% national productions, divided between children's programs that have been displayed in the TV Cultura, own...
.
History
Vila Sésamo is the Brazilian version of the popular American educational children’s show, Sesame Street. Originally airing in Brazil to critical acclaim from 1972-1977, São Paulo based Brazilian broadcaster TV Cultura and Sesame Workshop (the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, formerly known as the Children’s Television Workshop) returned the show to Brazilian airwaves with a new Vila Sésamo branded block of programming in October 2007.The show premiered in 1972, broadcasted by TV Cultura
TV Cultura
TV Cultura is Brazilian television network headquartered in São Paulo and a part of Fundação Padre Anchieta. It focuses on cultural subjects but also has sports as entertainment options.- History :...
and TV Globo. In this phase, they fullfilled all the norms of the American Sesame Street. Also most of the material was dubbed, and the presentation of thematic charts in repetitive order. The puppet characters in the series, created within Brazil, included the following: Garibaldo, a seven-foot tall blue bird equivalent to Big Bird; Gugu, a hairy green, yellow(plus other colors) Grouch. They lived in the street with Gabriela, Juca, Ana Maria and Seu Almeida.
At the time, there was no color television in Brazil, so the show was broadcast in black and white. It was the first international version of the show.
But it was in 1973 that the two channels started the second phase. Vila Sésamo became entirely nationalized; with new cast members, new music and new scripts. Two new Muppet characters were introduced - Funga Funga, a giant, red elephant, and Zé Das Latas, the street's resident robot. In 1974, TV Cultura decided to stop financing the project. Now it was up to TV Globo, who changed the format to make it more national. A larger set was built for the renewed Vila Sésamo, and more children took part in the show.
The final phase started in 1975, but lasted only until 1977. More characters and actors were added during the show's final seasons. All of the puppets were created by local Brazilian designers, with no known involvement from the Muppet Workshop. All original Sesame Street material whas dropped, except for the Bert and Ernie sketches.
The series was successful, but was canceled due to overwhelming financial costs.
On October 29, 2007, TV Cultura launched a new Vila Sésamo. Rather than a full co-production, the series featured new host segments featuring Garibaldo (Big Bird) and a new Muppet girl named Bel. The package consists of Portuguese-dubbed episodes of Elmo's World, Play With Me Sesame, and Global Grover, plus selections from the US Sesame Street and Sesame English
Sesame English
Sesame English is a television/video series developed as a collaboration between Sesame Workshop and Berlitz International. Launched in 1999, with Taiwan and China as the debut markets, the series differs from the typical international versions of Sesame Street in that it was devised as a...
. Seventy-eight new Brazilian live-action and animated inserts fill out the block.
Despite having been off the air for over three decades, nostalgia for Vila Sésamo amongst adults who grew up with the show is high. Eighteen years after the show went off the air, the Hopi Hari
Hopi Hari
Hopi Hari is a Brazilian theme park located at Km 72 of Bandeirantes Highway, Vinhedo in the state of São Paulo. It is located 30 km from Campinas and 80 km from São Paulo....
theme park in Brazil opened a Vila Sésamo themed area in 1998, and the original series was released on DVD in 2004. Parents who grew up watching the show when they were young look forward to sharing the experience with their children.
Characters (1970s)
- Garibaldo (Laerte Morrone), a giant, shy bird; similar to Big BirdBig BirdBig Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
. Is blue in this version. - Gugu, a green Muppet monster with a blue nose and orange cheeks. Similar to Oscar the GrouchOscar the GrouchOscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. He has a green body , has no nose , and lives in a trash can. His favorite thing in life is trash; evidence for this is the song "I Love Trash". A running theme is his compulsive hoarding of seemingly useless items...
. - Beto and Ênio, Bert and ErnieBert and ErnieBert and Ernie are two muppets on the popular U.S. children's television show Sesame Street. The two appear together in numerous skits, forming a comic duo that is one of the centerpieces of the program. Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by Muppeteers...
's names in the Portuguese-dubbed version. - Juca (Armando Bógus), a toy maker who taught children about his craft.
- Ana Maria (Sônia BragaSônia BragaSônia Maria Campos Braga is a Brazilian actress. She has been nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award.-Early life:...
), a teacher and Juca's cousin. - Gabriela (Aracy Balabanian), wife of Juca
- Funga-funga, a red Muppet elephant who didn't like how others looked at him.
Characters (2007)
- Garibaldo (Fernando Gomes), a Big BirdBig BirdBig Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
like character who is especially friendly and likes to meet new people. - Bel (Magda Crudelli), imaginative, outgoing, pink three-year-old monster
- Beto and Ênio (Marcelo Torreão), Bert and ErnieBert and ErnieBert and Ernie are two muppets on the popular U.S. children's television show Sesame Street. The two appear together in numerous skits, forming a comic duo that is one of the centerpieces of the program. Originated by Frank Oz and Jim Henson, the characters are currently performed by Muppeteers...
's names in the Portuguese-dubbed version. - Elmo (Alexandre Moreno), the ultra-popular red monster from the original American skits, at Bel's same age.
- Come-Come (Luiz Carlos Persy), Cookie MonsterCookie MonsterCookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
's name in the Portuguese-dubbed version. - Grover (Mauro RamosMauro RamosMauro Ramos, full name Mauro Ramos de Oliveira, was an association footballer. He played centre-back for São Paulo F.C., Santos F.C. and the Brazilian national team....
), the cute furry blue monster friend also from the domestic Sesame Street segments.
External links
- Vila Sésamo - TV Rá-Tim-BumTV Rá-Tim-BumTV Ra-Tim-Bum is a TV channel Brazil based on December in 2004, which belongs to Foundation Padre Anchieta dedicated to the public children.The channel shows programming consists of 100% national productions, divided between children's programs that have been displayed in the TV Cultura, own...