Sesame Beginnings is a direct-to-DVD, book and merchandise spin-off franchise from Sesame Street, launched in 2006. The products feature baby versions of classic Sesame Street Muppets along with their caregivers.

Overview[]

Sesame Beginnings provides an opportunity for parents of infants to introduce the beloved Sesame Street characters to their children from the very beginning, while entertaining, engaging, and encouraging interaction between caregivers and their children. Research shows that young children learn best when experiences are shared with a loved one. The DVDs are specially designed to help parents and caregivers encourage their child's curiosity and interest in learning during everyday interactions. The DVDs are also supplemented by a printed guide, offering parents additional tips for ways to extend the learning after viewing through activities such as feeding, bath time and playtime.

At the beginning of each show, a celebrity with their child are reading a book about the baby Sesame Street Muppets and their caregivers' day. The story would usually be about the babies becoming interested about a certain subject such as learning to dance, make music, or exploring their senses. Through various songs and activities, the caregivers stimulate the babies' learning to explore more. In between songs and activity segments, it would cut to segments on real children with their caregivers participating in the same activities that the babies are learning. At the end, all the babies and caregivers get together to participate in a group activate relating to what they learn today.

Development[]

To better serve the families of children under two, Sesame Workshop wanted to create a program that is specially designed to be developmentally appropriate for this younger age group and involve model interaction between caregiver and child.

“Our own research showed that Sesame Street videos were among those frequently viewed by the under two set, in spite of the fact that the content and curriculum of Sesame Street is designed for ages 2-5...With the Sesame Beginnings DVDs, we're providing parents and caregivers of children under two with content specifically designed to use media as a tool to further adult/child interaction.”

- Sherrie Westin, Executive Vice President of Sesame Workshop

“Research indicates that children learn best when experiences are shared with a loved one. In the style of Sesame Street, Sesame Beginnings was created with this dual audience in mind; while there's age-appropriate content for the young child, the playful Muppet caregivers model fun songs and activities to be adapted by the adult viewers to create their own special moments with their children.”

- Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Sesame Workshop's Vice President of Education and Research

Cast[]

Regular Cast:

• Kevin Clash as Baby Elmo
• Matt Vogel as Baby Big Bird
• Tyler Bunch as Baby Cookie Monster
• Fran Brill as Baby Prairie Dawn
• Bill Barretta as Elmo's Dad
• Pam Arciero as Nani Bird
• Rickey Boyd as Cookie Monster's Grandma
• Leslie Carrara as Prairie Dawn's Mom

Additional Performers: Jen Barnhart, Ryan Dillon, John Kennedy, Jim Kroupa, Peter Linz, Paul McGinnis, Carmen Osbahr

DVDs[]

Beginning Together
March 2006

Make Music Together
March 2006

Exploring Together
November 2006

Moving Together
April 2007

See also[]

• Sesame Street Babies
• Sesame Street Beginnings: Talk, Read, Write

External links[]

• Official Website (via Internet Archive)
• NPR Talk of the Nation: 'Sesame Beginnings' Targets Baby TV Viewers, 3 April 2006