Sesame Park is the Canadian version of Sesame Street co-produced by Sesame Workshop and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The series originally functioned as a re-edited version of the original American series, and was named Sesame Street Canada and later, Canadian Sesame Street, with some of the segments replaced with ones produced in Canada and later featuring Canadian-exclusive Muppet characters. In 1996, the series adopted a new format and was renamed Sesame Park.
Background
After the original American version of Sesame Street premiered in the United States in 1969 to major success, Director of Information Programs for the CBC Knowlton Nash approached Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) to acquire the first season of 52 episodes for the CBC. The private CTV Television Network also offered a competing bid, but CBC won the rights to air the program by citing its larger broadcast footprint.
On 12 February 1970, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced an increase in Canadian content requirements to 60 percent, however, Nash chose to pursue acquisition and received a verbal guarantee to exempt Sesame Street for one year. The CRTC later announced that stations can exceed the maximum 30 percent quota of American programming for the 1970-71 broadcast season if the excess was caused by the airing of Sesame Street. The series, which debuted in 1972, was originally a hybrid of American and Canadian production segments. McCarthy partnered with the Children's Television Workshop to introduce new, CBC-produced segments to the show's original American footage. He also introduced distinct Canadian themes and set designs to the show.
The series was later titled Canadian Sesame Street. During the 1970s and 1980s it anchored a three-show block that included Friendly Giant (later replaced by Fred Penner's Place) and Mr. Dressup.
Most of the production of the Canadian segments took place in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Halifax, and Montreal.
Content
In 1972, the bulk of Sesame Streets content was licensed out to CBC Television, originally as five-minute interstitials during commercial breaks. CBC then added live-action and animated segments teaching about Canadian culture and French bilingualism, replacing segments on Spanish and American history on the original program. Some Spanish segments still aired in Canada, although fewer in number and usually related to the show's Hispanic main-cast characters, Maria and Luis.
In 1981, the amount of Canadian content per show was increased to 30 minutes.
In 1990 a seasonal special was created for the series, titled Basil Hears A Noise.
Characters
In 1987, a series of specially made Canadian Muppet characters were introduced, including Basil the Bear (similar and equal in role to Big Bird), French-Canadian Louis the Otter (similar and equal in role to Oscar the Grouch), and Dodi the bush pilot. The following year, additional new characters included Dr. Bazuki, Fern, Robert, and wheelchair-user Katie.
The Henson Muppet shop also provided some Anything Muppets which could be redressed to become whatever characters the script called for, including Barbara Plum (a parody of CBC broadcasting legend Barbara Frum). Beau Beaver, an animated character, would discuss national symbols, particularly those appearing on Canadian money. In 1994, anchorman Peter Londonbridge, based on journalist Peter Mansbridge, and storyteller Margaret Redwood, based on writer Margaret Atwood, were added to the cast.
Messaging
The 1987 season focused on multiculturalism, family, and the environment.
The show's animated sequences were created in Toronto, while live-action segments were shot in Regina, Vancouver, and Winnipeg.
Sesame Park was cancelled in 2001 for undisclosed reasons.
Characters
Added to the cast were a Muppet kitten named Chaos (who is similar to Elmo, serving the same role, and is named after Golick's own cat), and a human character named Ray. Basil was now played by Bob Stutt.
Guest appearances included Red Green, a Canadian situation-comedy character played by Steve Smith, Eric Peterson as Old King Cole, and Janet-Laine Green as Goldilocks.
- Trish Leeper - Katie,