Sesame Park facts for kids

Sesame Park is the Canadian version of the famous children's TV show Sesame Street. It started as Sesame Street Canada and later became Canadian Sesame Street. These early versions used parts of the American show but were changed for Canadian viewers. In 1996, the show got a new name, Sesame Park, and a fresh look.

The Start of Canadian Sesame Street

Muppet Chaos

The idea for Sesame Street Canada came from Daniel McCarthy. He was the director of the CBC Sesame Street Project. He created the show for CBC Television. The show first aired in 1972.

At first, it was a mix of American and Canadian parts. McCarthy worked with Children's Television Workshop (the creators of Sesame Street). They added new parts made by CBC to the original American show.

Making it Canadian

Daniel McCarthy made sure the show felt Canadian. He added Canadian themes and settings. He also brought in Canadian actors and famous people to be in the show. These parts were made just for Canadian kids. He even added basic French language lessons. These lessons were also made especially for Sesame Street Canada.

Between 1972 and 1995, the show became very popular for young Canadian children. It was a big part of a group of shows. This group included Friendly Giant and Mr. Dressup.

Canadian Content and Characters

In 1972, CBC Television got the rights to most of Sesame Street's content. They first showed it as short, five-minute clips during breaks. CBC then added live-action and animated parts. These parts taught about Canadian culture and speaking both English and French. They replaced parts about Spanish and American history from the original show.

Most of the Canadian parts were made in Winnipeg and Montreal. Sometimes, the American Sesame Street even had Canadian guests. One example was singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, who was born in Saskatchewan.

In 1981, the amount of Canadian content in each show grew to 30 minutes. In 1987, new Canadian Muppet characters joined the cast. These included:

• Basil the Bear (played by Bob Stutt)
• Louis the Otter, who was French-Canadian
• Dodi, a bush pilot
• Katie, a girl who used a wheelchair

The Henson Muppet shop also made special "Anything Muppets." These could be changed to become different characters. One was Barbara Plum, who was a funny version of a famous CBC broadcaster. There was also Beau Beaver, an animated character. He would talk about Canadian symbols, especially those on Canadian money.

Sesame Park: A New Look

Muppet Katie dressed as a princess

Basil the Bear in knight's armour

In 1996, CBC decided to make a new kind of show. They wanted their own "street" for the characters. Producer Shirley Greenfield and writer Jill Golick chose to set the show in a park instead of a city street. This new half-hour show was called Sesame Park.

Each episode had three or four parts set in the park. Most of the show was Canadian-made. Only a few American parts were used, usually with Bert and Ernie. New characters joined the show, like a Muppet kitten named Chaos. There was also a human character named Ray. Many guest stars appeared, including Red Green (played by Steve Smith) and Eric Peterson as Old King Cole.

The show joined the CBC Playground lineup on October 21.

Awards and Recognition

Sesame Park won awards for its great work:

• In 1999, the show was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Preschool Program or Series. It won the award! Bob Stutt was also nominated for Best Performance.
• In 2000, Sheila McCarthy won Best Performance in a Preschool Program or Series for her role.
• In 2001, the series won Best Preschool Program or Series again. Guest star Eric Peterson won Best Performance in a Preschool Program or Series.

Some parts of Canadian Sesame Street and Sesame Park were also used in other versions of Sesame Street. For example, some segments were shown on Sésamo, the Mexican version of Sesame Street.

Sesame Park stopped airing in 2001.

After Sesame Park

Today, Sesame Street airs on Treehouse TV. This is a Canadian channel for young children. Some parts of Sesame Street, like Global Grover and Elmo's World, have aired separately on the channel for many years.

Meet the Cast

Here are some of the people who brought the characters to life:

• Tim Gosley - Basil the Polar Bear (1987–1996)
• Trish Leeper - Katie (Sesame Street), Barbara Plum
• Rob Mills - Dodi (1987–1996), Garth Burmengi
• Pier Paquette (as Pier Kohl) - Louis the Otter
• Derek Ritschel - Ray
• Gord Robertson - Dodi (for flying scenes)
• Bob Stutt - Basil the Polar Bear (1996–2001)
• Karen Valleau - Chaos the Cat
• Noreen Young - Dodi (1996–2001)