"Sesame Street tells the history of how the American show became a global brand. The book argues that because domestic production was not financially viable from the beginning, Sesame Street became a commodity forcefully marketed all over the world. It is based on archival research in seven countries and contains detailed analyses of how local receptions and rejections related to the global sales strategies and the American ideals it built on. Contrary to the producers' often publicized claims of Sesame Street's ...
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"Sesame Street tells the history of how the American show became a global brand. The book argues that because domestic production was not financially viable from the beginning, Sesame Street became a commodity forcefully marketed all over the world. It is based on archival research in seven countries and contains detailed analyses of how local receptions and rejections related to the global sales strategies and the American ideals it built on. Contrary to the producers' often publicized claims of Sesame Street's universality the book demonstrates how the show was heavily shaped by a fixed set of assumptions about childhood, education, and commercial entertainment. This made sales hard as Sesame Street met both skepticism and direct hostility from foreign television producers who did not share these ideals. Drawing on insides from childhood studies and media history, the book lays bare a cultural clash of international proportions rooted in divergent approaches to children's television. In doing so, the book provides a reflective backdrop to the many debates about children's media still happening today. By contrasting the positive receptions and the rejections of Sesame Street the book shows that it was only after substantial rethinking of Sesame Street's aims and business model that the program ended up on many broadcasting schedules by the mid-1970s. Along the way, this rethinking and the constant negotiations with potential international buyers created and shaped the business and corporate brand that paved the way for the Sesame Street we know today"--
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