The creators of the Arabic version of Sesame Street, Iftah Ya Simsim, have joined YouTube’s Creators for Change initiative in an effort to amplify the voices of YouTube creators who deal with social issues on their channels. The third season of the show will feature some of the creators involved in the campaign and have episodes exclusively made for YouTube focusing on tolerance and empathy.
Creators for Change was launched in September 2016 with 11 global ambassadors including Omar Hussein, Maha Abdelghaffar, Shog Al Meskary, Ezaldeen Aref and more. They will now be joined by the Iftah Ya Simsim Muppets Sham, No’man, Melsoon, Elmo, Gargur, Kaaki and Habib.
More than 50 season-three eps will start airing in September 2018 and feature some of the region’s top YouTube creators focusing on the themes of respect, resilience and relationships. It will be one of the first shows produced, in part, at the new YouTube Space Dubai, set to open early next year.
The series was rebooted in 2015 after a 25-year hiatus and now airs on national TV channels across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Middle East and North Africa. Abu Dhabi-based development company Bidaya Media produces the series and represents a joint-venture between nonprofit Sesame Workshop and Abu Dhabi-based investment and development company Mubadala Development. Another Abu Dhabi company twofour54 provides the state-of-the-art set and hosts production and post-production of the show. Arabian Licensing Company handles the licensing program for the series across the United Arab Emirates, Middle East and GCC.