Shara'a Simsim


Shara'a Simsim is a Palestinian educational television program for preschoolers based on the popular U.S. children's show Sesame Street. The series first started out in 1998 as a joint program with the Israeli version of Sesame Street, "Rechov Sumsum" as a way to combine Israeli-Jews and Israeli-Arabs in order to generate a message of coexistence. This production included 50 episodes and featured already existing characters, an Israeli Muppet was named Dafi, and two Arab muppets named Haneen and Kareem. When the co-production dissolved, Palestine would receive their own program in 2002 called Hikayat Simsim. In May 2007, the series was revamped, beyond the Muppet only skits, and renamed, "Shara'a Simsim", reflecting the original Arabic title from 1998.

Original Muppet characters

Rechov Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim
Hikayat Simsim" and Shara'a Simsim'' :