Iftah Ya Simsim

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thumb|300px|Iftah Ya Simsim (2015) premiere episode clip.
Iftah Ya Simsim (Arabic: افتح يا سمسم) is the Arabic co-production of Sesame Street. The series debuted in Kuwait in the fall of 1979, and was the first Sesame co-production in Arabic. There were 315 half-hour episodes produced in three seasons and broadcast on a weekday basis in various Arabic countries, before it returned to TV in 2015.
The original show featured Nu'man, a full-body camel, Malsun, the (originally yellow-green) parrot, Yaqut, a female lavender monster with colorful bumps on her head and a long nose, and Abla, a full-body cat. For the show's 2015 revival, Yaqut and Abla were dropped, and yellow monster girl Shams was introduced, along with Gargur (Grover) and several Anything Muppets, camels, cows, chickens, penguins and other birds that serve as side-characters. 
The show's title means "Open Sesame," but the neighborhood itself in the original 1979 show was called Shari’ 'lshrin (translated as "Twentieth Street"). Key locations included a juice stand Khalil's Refreshments, located at No. 8, and Hisham's Shop, at No. 4, which sells newspapers. The large house on No. 3 is the home of Hamad the engineer and his wife, Fatima the teacher. Their next-door neighbor is Laila the nurse, and beyond is a small park. The park contains a playground, fountain, and garden, and attracts the local children. The grandfatherly peddler Abdullah plies his trade there, selling toys, books, and games from his pushcart and regaling the kids with stories.Tracy, William. "Sesame Opens!", Aramco World Magazine, Volume 30, No. 5. September/October 1979.
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf Joint Program Production Institution bought the co-production rights for a nine-year period in 1977. The Children's Television Workshop provided technical assistance, research, and provided a consulting producer. As with other co-productions, CTW also supplied Muppet sketches, cartoons, and film inserts, which were then selected and dubbed into Arabic. The studio "street" scenes were taped between May and December 1978. Although produced in Kuwait, much like the original version of Plaza Sésamo for Latin America, the series was intended for the entire Arab-speaking world, and the cast included a mixture of Kuwaitis, Saudi Arabians, Iraqis, Syrians, and children from twelve different Arab countries, including Algeria.
In 1989, a clip from the 141st episode was included in the special Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting.
In 1990, during the Persian Gulf War, Iraqi forces invading Kuwait captured videotapes of the series and the Nu'man costume and brought them back to Iraq before being driven out by US forces. In 2003, Iraq was invaded by US forces but they have never been able to find the videotapes nor the Nu'man costume. To this day, the video tapes and the Nu'man costume remain unrecovered.Christensen, Jen. "Reaching the next generation with 'Muppet diplomacy'", CNN.com. August 13, 2009.
===2015 reboot===
In 2011, it was announced that the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States would be creating a new version for the Gulf nations."20 years on, ‘Iftah Ya Simsim’ coming back to educate Gulf" June 5, 2011 The new version began production in 2014 and debuted on September 1, 2015 with 26 episodes."Sesame Workshop and Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States Renew MOU for Iftah Ya Simsim". June 30, 2014. Sesameworkshop.org.http://kidscreen.com/2015/09/02/arabic-language-sesame-street-returns-after-25-year-hiatus/ Each episode features the short-form series, Super Healthy Monsters.
In 2017, the show launched a special, 12-minute version of the show for the month of Ramadan. Thirty episodes were produced and regularly feature Super Grover 2.0, Elmo's Game Show, Cookie's Crumby Pictures, and segments from the Dream, Save, Do campaign, as well as interviews with children.
The second season, with 52 episodes, premiered on September 22, 2017. The season introduces Elmo and Ka'aki (Cookie Monster) to the street and cuts down the show from a half-hour to fifteen minutes. Also introduced are new song segments introducing the letter and number of the day, similar to those introduced on the domestic show in its 45th season.
A third and final season with 52 half-hour episodes premiered on May 2019. The series was then discontinued in favor of Ahlan Simsim.
==1979-1990==
;Cast
* Abdullah Hubail as Nu'Man (1979-1990)
* Tawfiq al-Asha as Malsun (1979-1990)
* Huda Hussein as Abla (1983-1990)
* Unknown performer as Yaqut (1990)
;Human Cast
* Abdul Majid Quasim as Khalil (1979-1990)
* Ahmad al-Salah as Abdullah (1979-1990)
* Jasim Nabban as Hamad (1979-1990)
* Ahlam Salah as Fatima (1979-1990)
* Sana Younus as Laila (1979-1990)
* Ka'id al-Na'Mani as Hisham (1979-1990)
;Episodes
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 001
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 002
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 003
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 004
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 005
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 006
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 007
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 008
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 009
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 010
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 011
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 012
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 013
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 014
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 015
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 016
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 017
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 018
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 019
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 020
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 021
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 022
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 023
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 024
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 025
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 026
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 027
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 028
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 029
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 030
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 031
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 032
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 033
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 034
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 035
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 036
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 037
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 038
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 039
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 040
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 041
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 042
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 043
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 044
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 045
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 046
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 047
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 048
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 049
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 050
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 051
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 052
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 053
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 054
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 055
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 056
* Iftah Ya Simsim: Episode 057
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Image:Aftah ya smsm.jpg|Poster version
==2015-2019==
;Muppet Performers (Puppeteers)
* Abdullah Qassim playing No'Man (2015-2019) 
* Abdullah Rafa playing Elmo (2016-2019)
* Ammar Sabban playing Gargur & Ka'aki (2016-2019)
* Asma Al Shamsi playing Shams (2015-2019)
* Maher Mozwaq playing Melsoon (2015-2019)
* Michel Jabali playing Habeeb & AM Muppets (2015-2019)
* Nazier Khawaldeh playing Gargur (2015)
* Noura Sadaka playing AM Muppets (2015)
;Muppet Voices
* Abdullah Qassim playing Anis (2016-2019)
* Ammar Sabban playing Badr (2016-2019)
* Ammar Sabban playing Addad (2016-2019)
* Ammar Sabban & Michel Jabali playing the Two-Headed Monster (2017-2019)
;Human Cast
* Abdullah Rafa as Rashid (2015-2019)
* Fatima Al-Ta'ee as Amal (2015-2019)
;Episodes
* Episode 1: The Neighbors
* Episode 2: First Day At School
* Episode 3: Hot Summer Day
* Episode 4: To The Sea
* Episode 5: Date Harvest
* Episode 6: Little Birdie
* Episode 7: Breakfast Play
* Episode 8: Hadeed The Iron Friend
* Episode 9: The Visitor
* Episode 10: Come And Play With Me
* Episode 11: Obstacle Course
* Episode 12: Slow Down Shams
* Episode 13: Gone With the Wind
* Episode 14: Super Noman
* Episode 15: Cardboard Planes
* Episode 16: Heavy Weights
* Episode 17: I Can Be Anything
* Episode 18: Imagination
* Episode 19: Hide and Seek
* Episode 20: Amal's Glasses
Abdullh Qassim.png|Puppeteer Abdullah Qassim & No'man
IfathYaSimsim-UAEPuppeteer-AsmaAlShamsi-Shams-(2015).jpg|Puppeteer Asma Al Shamsi & Shams
Maher Malsoon.png|Puppeteer Maher Mozwaq & Malsoon
Michel Habeeb.png|Puppeteer Michel Jabali & Habeeb
IMG 4672.JPG|Puppeteer Ammar Sabban with Gargour & Ka'aki
IMG 4442.JPG|Puppeteer Abdullah Rafa & Elmo
==2011 Advertisement==
In 2011, a Kuwaiti telephone company recreated the characters and used them in a commercial. They also produced promotion plush and a 1 GB Nu'man USB flash drive.
Iftah Ya Simsim Commercial (2011)|
Image:Simsim ad.jpg|The rebuilt characters for the ad
Image:Usb.jpg|USB Flash Drive PVC
Image:Noman.jpg|No'man Plush
Image:Melsoon.jpg|Melsoon plush
==Crew==
*Executive Producer: Ibrahim al-Yusuf
*Chief Producer: Faisal al-Yasiri
*Chief Writer: Yasir al-Malih
*Associate Research Directors: Dr. Abdullah al-Dannan (linguistics), Dr. Said Abdul Rahman (psychological and educational affairs)
==Sources==
==External links==
* Home page
* Follow the show on FaceBook
* Video of the first episode
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:International Sesame Street Shows