Playing barefoot on Sesame Street

I was not quite the right age for 1969 launch of Sesame Street. My brother was hip deep in it and told me all about his early experiences with the show. Like most successful entertainment ventures, Sesame Street has been exported all over the world. There are 20 distinct versions of the show and it is shown in over 100 countries.

My daughter loves Sesame Street, or as she calls it "Burt and Ernie". We borrowed a CD/DVD from the library with songs from 17 different international Sesame Street productions and videos from five different productions, including India.

I was intrigued to see that in the opening song from the Indian version of Sesame Street some of the kids run around barefoot. When I grew up summers, especially time at the beach, were a time to enjoy a couple of months without shoes. But for most North Americans it would be inconceivable for children to be out on the street without shoes. What kinds of negligent parents do those kids have? Are they so poor they can't afford shoes?

Well, running around barefoot is a real joy in hot weather. So it is not surprising that some of the kids in the opening credits of the Indian Sesame Street are barefoot.

Just another one of those issues that arises in International Marketing when we look at the world through the lens of our own limited experience.

PS The screen captures are from the DVD Putumayo Kids Presents Sesame Street Playground, Songs and Videos from Around the World, © 2008 Sesame Workshop.