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| Plaza Sésamo | |
|---|---|
| Show name | Plaza Sésamo |
| Genre | Children's television series |
| Based on | Sesame Street |
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
| First aired | 1972 |
| Network | Canal 5 |
Plaza Sésamo is the Mexican and Latin American adaptation of the American children's series Sesame Street, produced to reflect Mexican culture and Spanish-language pedagogy. The program integrates puppetry, live-action, animation, and celebrity appearances to teach literacy, numeracy, health, and social skills, drawing on collaborations with broadcasters, educational researchers, and cultural institutions. Plaza Sésamo has influenced television production in Latin America, contributed to public health campaigns, and engaged viewers through characters, music, and community outreach.
Plaza Sésamo blends puppetry by Jim Henson's team with Mexican production companies and broadcasters such as Televisa, Univision, Televisión Educativa, Canal 5 (Mexico), and TV Azteca. The series adapted content from Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) and consulted with scholars from institutions including UNAM, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Harvard University, MIT, Johns Hopkins University, and WHO. Episodes feature segments inspired by international programs like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Blue's Clues, Barney & Friends, Dora the Explorer, and Plaza Sésamo-unique material developed alongside ministries such as Secretaría de Salud (Mexico) and organizations like UNICEF and BID.
Development began after negotiations between Sesame Workshop and Mexican partners in the early 1970s involving producers linked to Televisa and academic advisers from UNAM and INBA. Pilot projects referenced models established by Sesame Street (1969) and pilot research at Children's Television Workshop; funding came from entities including Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Gates Foundation, and regional agencies like OEA. The show's evolution paralleled shifts in Mexican policy under presidents such as Luis Echeverría Álvarez and Carlos Salinas de Gortari and intersected with public campaigns led by Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP) and IMSS. Co-productions and reformulations occurred during eras influenced by media trends tied to networks like Telemundo, Azteca América, and streaming entrants such as Netflix and YouTube’s children's programming.
Episodes use a modular format combining segments modeled on Sesame Street (1969), musical numbers referencing composers like Agustín Lara, sketch comedy inspired by Cantinflas, and animated shorts akin to works from studios linked to Hanna-Barbera and Nickelodeon. Each episode intersperses live-action visits to sites such as Zócalo (Mexico City), Xochimilco, and museums like Museo Nacional de Antropología (Mexico City) with puppetry scenes set in a courtyard reminiscent of plazas across Mexico City and Latin America. Guest stars have included figures from film and music like Pedro Infante, Vicente Fernández, Salma Hayek, Diego Rivera (via archival footage), Frida Kahlo (in cultural segments), Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Thalía, José José, and international guests from United Nations delegations.
The cast combines human actors recruited from theatrical institutions such as Centro Universitario de Teatro and puppeteers trained in workshops influenced by Jim Henson and companies like Muppets Studio. Iconic characters introduced include original muppets developed alongside Sesame Workshop and Mexican creators; recurring human cast members have connections to television veterans from Televisa and film actors who appeared in productions by Cinemex and studios associated with Golden Age of Mexican cinema alumni. Voice and puppetry performers have collaborated with musical directors who worked with artists signed to Sony Music Latin, EMI Music Latin, and Warner Music Latina.
Plaza Sésamo's curriculum targeted early childhood competencies aligned with guidance from organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, and academic partners like Harvard Graduate School of Education and Universidad Iberoamericana. Objectives included Spanish literacy influenced by standards similar to those in Common Core State Standards Initiative adaptations for language arts, numeracy concepts paralleling materials from OECD studies, nutrition education linked to Secretaría de Salud (Mexico), hygiene promotion informed by PAHO, and social-emotional learning echoing research from Stanford University and Yale University. Specialized campaigns addressed vaccination drives coordinated with Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (Mexico) and public service messaging developed with WHO and UNICEF.
Production involved studios affiliated with Televisa and creative teams that collaborated with Sesame Workshop and international partners including BBC Children's and producers from S4C and NHK. Distribution extended across Spanish-language broadcasters such as Univision, Telemundo, Galavisión, and regional public stations in countries represented by Sistema de Radiodifusoras Culturales Indígenas networks, and later to digital platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and public service streaming services supported by Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (Mexico). Funding and licensing models combined public broadcasting allocations with sponsorship from corporations like Telmex, Cemex, and philanthropic grants from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Plaza Sésamo influenced generations, shaping cultural references used by writers, musicians, and filmmakers including Luis Buñuel-era scholars, contemporary directors such as Alejandro González Iñárritu, and television creators at Televisa and TV Azteca. Academic assessments were published through journals affiliated with UNAM, Revista Mexicana de Investigación Educativa, and international outlets including Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology and Child Development. The program contributed to public health outcomes discussed in reports by PAHO and WHO, inspired merchandising through partnerships with retailers linked to Liverpool (department store) and El Palacio de Hierro, and featured in exhibitions at institutions like Museo de Arte Moderno (Mexico City) and retrospectives at MARCO. Plaza Sésamo remains a subject of study in conferences hosted by Asociación Latinoamericana de Educación y Comunicación Popular and symposiums at universities such as Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana and ITESM.
Category:Children's television series