Sesame Street Changed For French Airing; Must Be "Edgier"

But will there be a character named "Wolfowitz the Grouchy Neocon Jew"?

Big Bird has also vanished, replaced by an enormous yellow character, Nac, whose trumpet nose, vivid colors and whimsical nature were tested with children and reviewed by a French psychologist.

Hmmm... focus-grouping and a review by a French psychologist. There's no way the creative process was in any way compromised here.

…Within France, the creators of 5, rue Sésame are studying their completed shows and considering whether some cultural values need further adjusting.

"We had the feeling that it was a little bit too sweet, too nice," said Michelin, the France 5 programming director.

The French version will feature delightful muppets drinking espresso at cafes debating the futility of ambition and the emptiness of being.

"We need some irony. It's very difficult to evaluate, but we have the feeling that in France we can be a little edgier."

Apparently French children need a distinctively-French manner -- an "edgier" and "ironic" way -- of learning the alphabet and what color oranges are.

posted by Ace at 10:12 AM

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