Source:animationmagazine.net

Some of the shows include:

• Takalani Sesame from South Africa, featuring Kami, the world’s first HIV-positive Muppet. Kami’s role is to help promote age-appropriate messages concerning the humanization, de-stigmatization and acceptance of people living with HIV, and encourage open discussion about coping with illness and loss; 

• Sesame Tree from Northern Ireland, encouraging children to explore and appreciate the world around them, and promoting respect and understanding of self and others; 

• Galli Galli Sim Sim from India, emphasizing the vibrant cultural heritage of children living in-country; and 

• Alam SimSim from Egypt, educating and promoting the importance for young girls to develop a positive self image and positive self esteem.

From July 3, 2010 to January 2, 2011 it will be at The Science Center in Louisville, Kentucky. After The Science Center in Louisville, the exhibit will be heading to Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, California.

• 4 tickets to see Sesame Street Live on one of the following dates – July 23, 24, 25, 2010
• 4 Capital Ex gate admission passes
• 2 ride-all-day passes

You can visit Edmonton Journal web site to get the contest rules and enter the contest. The deadline to enter the contest is this Sunday, July 18^th.

On June 10, 2010, Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, visited the Mapetla Day Care Centre in Soweto.Dr. Bident also met Kami, the HIV-positive muppet from Takalani Sesame, South Africa’s version of Sesame Street. USAID’s education program had supported development of Takalani Sesame for South Africa. South Africa was the first country to adapt Sesame Street for radio broadcast to benefit children, teachers, families and caregivers.Together Dr. Biden and Kami distributed soccer balls to the children in celebration of South Africa hosting the first World Cup on the African continent.

Nigeria will be getting their version of Sesame Street called Sesame Square. Sesame Square will have two Muppets to present the information. One Muppet will be a little girl name Kami who is HIV positive. The second will be a boy Muppet whose name will be chosen by the people of Nigeria through text message.

These Muppets will present early language and math to the preschoolers of Nigeria. Sesame Square is being made possible by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development. The grant will also fund outreach programs to Nigeria’s preschoolers.

Sesame Workshop has Sesame Street programs across the world. Each program meets the needs of the children in that country. Having an HIV positive Muppet is important because HIV affects many of the children in Nigeria. Kami is also part of the South African version of Sesame Street, Takalani Sesame. South Africa and Nigeria is among the African countries facing a high incidence of HIV infection. In 2008 there 1.2million children that were left orphaned due to HIV, 2.6 million adults were infected with HIV, and 220 000 children were living with HIV. People throughout Nigeria are dealing with HIV virus in one way or another and Kami will be a Muppet that the Nigerian children can relate to.

Source: C21Media.com and UNAIDS

The Fresh Beat band is a musical quartet.  Shout, Kiki, Twist, and Marina are skilled in several different musical instruments including the violin, drums, keyboard, and guitar.  The band appeals to their preschool audiences with fun music and dances.  You can watch the Fresh Beat Band weekly on Nick Jr.

Sesame Place is a fun theme park that has rides and play areas that feature Elmo, Zoe, Super Grover, Abby Cadabby, Count, Big Bird,Rosita and many of the Sesame Street friends.  Throughout the year there are many different live shows that feature Sesame Street characters and guests like the Fresh Beat Band.

Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival

Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure

This fall two Sesame Street games will be released for the Wii gaming system. The first, Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure has Elmo and Zoe going exploring around the zoo while learning literacy concepts. In the second game, Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival, Cookie Monster and Big Bird have fun teaching kids early math skills. In addition to being available for Nintendo Wii, both games will also be available for the Nintendo DS and PC. 

Believing that the Nintendo Wii controller may be too difficult for your children to use, each of the games come packaged with a Wii game play helper. The gameplay helper is a soft fuzzy covering that covers unnecessary buttons on the Wii remote, while making it easy to grip. Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure will come with a furry red gameplay helper with an Elmo face. Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival has its own gameplay helper that, instead of being red with an Elmo face ,is blue with a Cookie Monster face. These gameplay helpers are used to make playing the games on the Wii much easier. To make playing the Sesame Street games easier on the Nintendo DS, a larger stylus is included with the Nintendo DS version of the games. 

Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure gameplay helper

Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival gameplay helper

Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure 

and Sesame Street: Cookie’s Counting Carnival are both projected to be available October 2010.

The night was a celebration of the work Sesame Street has made to help families in and out of the military. Elmo and Robin Roberts, from ABCs Good Morning America emceed the event. There was also a special performance from John Legend, who had many Sesame Street friends as his back-up singers. Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, Telly Monster, Rosita, Zoe and Grover joined Legend in the performance of “Lean on Me.”