Sesamstraße

Ah! The good old times!

Sesame street conquered the world, only of course they have customized editions in many countries with their own unique muppets. The German edition features big loveable bears, a weird little pink bird and lots of German actors and actresses over time.

I cannot comment much on the current edition, but I loved it as a kid (as long as Liselotte Pulver was in it, when she left it lost appeal). Then, they came and added a twin big brown bear, and changed the voices from deep grumbly ones to higher whiny-squeaky ones, and it never was the same again. To me, it appeared as if there now were two gay bears instead of one normal one, and all the cuddliness and nicety of the original faded away.

Still, kids who do not know the good old times and the good old series of the 80s will probably not think it strange and like Sesamstrasse just as I did when I was younger. And let's be honest: In educational value and suitability for even small children, Sesame Street is almost without competition. The only other valuable German kids TV is "Sendung mit der Maus", which is also brilliant, and teaches kids lots of interesting facts about life. Sesame Street sticks firmly to numbers and letters in its education, and I have this show to thank for being able to read as a four year old. Together with "Sendung mit der Maus", these two shows make up everything a small child could possibly ask for.

Forget all the other German kiddie-TV shows out there, they put their emphasis solely on entertainment (eg Blaubär) or solely on education (Löwenzahn). There are few shows that get the mixture as right as this.