The return of Iftah Ya Simsim and so many memories

The theme song of an entire generation raised in the 1980s rings out, and with it, a 25-year hiatus has ended. The long-awaited first episode of the new and revamped Iftah Ya Simsim - the Arabic version of the much-loved Sesame Street show - finally aired on GCC TV channels this past Friday.

The newest addition to the Iftah Ya Simsim Muppet family is Shams, an energetic six year old girl. Courtesy Iftah Ya Simsim

It begins with trilling notes on an Arabian oud and a climbing musical scale on a xylophone, accompanied by a joyous percussion beat.

Then the lyrics kick in: “Iftah ya Simsim abwabak, nahn-ul-atfaal, Iftah wa istaqbil as-habak, nahn-ul-atfaal.” (“Open Sesame your doors, we are the children, open and welcome your friends, we are the children.”)

The theme song of a generation raised in the 1980s rings out once again, and with it, a 25-year wait for its return has ended.

The long-awaited first episode of the new and revamped Iftah Ya Simsim – the Arabic version of Sesame Street, the much-loved US TV educational show for children featuring the Muppets – aired on GCC TV channels last Friday, and to my never-ending delight, the memorable theme song remains unchanged.

As a child of the 1980s, Iftah Ya Simsim was a fundamental part of my childhood. I grew up in Kuwait, where the first Arabic version was produced and filmed, and to know that one of my favourite shows from my childhood is back on air just in time to become a part of my own daughter's life is bittersweet.

My husband is no different – he was born in the UAE in 1980 and assures me he never missed an episode of the beloved children’s programme. Both of us were adamant: we would watch the first episode with our daughter and pray she grows to love the show as much as we do.

So, as the theme song blared from our television on Friday morning, I found myself wiping tears of nostalgia off my face while my husband sang along at the top of his lungs and my daughter lept off the couch to dance along to the music.

To the producers of the show – the Abu Dhabi Education Council, twofour54, the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, Bedia Media, Abu Dhabi Media and Majid magazine – I say this: thank you. Thank you, on behalf of every child of the 1980s, for choosing to stick to the original theme song. It means so much to an entire generation.

I don't say this "thank you" lightly. The story of how I used to react whenever the theme song of Iftah Ya Simsim would start on TV is part of my family's folklore.

“As soon as the show would come on and the song start, even if you were in the nursery and far from the living room, even if the TV wasn’t that loud, you’d momentarily freeze, as if your ears were twitching. Then you’d start bouncing, absolutely delighted,” my mother would say, reminiscing. “You were only nine months old – you would kick your legs, begging to be picked up. If we didn’t take you straight to the TV immediately, you’d start screaming.”

We had an old VHS tape that lived permanently in our VCR. Every time the theme song came on, my mother or father would press the record button, then stop recording at the end of the song. They had almost two hours of just the theme song on tape, to play for me whenever I requested it.

My love for the show did not lessen as I grew older. In fact, the more I began to understand, the more hooked I became, and it wasn't just because of the entertainment factor. I credit Iftah Ya Simsim for helping me to learn Arabic and planting in me an interest for the language.

Having watched this first episode of the new version and witnessed my daughter’s reaction to it, I have no doubt that she, in turn, will unconsciously soak up Arabic by continuing to watch this fun, yet educational, children’s programme.

She is already familiar with the original English-language Sesame Street, so she squealed and pointed when beloved familiar characters – Grover, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie – appeared on screen. When Grover introduced himself as Gargour, and I explained to her that Ernie and Bert are actually Anis and Bader in Arabic, she didn't seem perturbed.

“I like this, Mummy,” she said. “They so funny.”

Just like that, she was hooked. Thankfully, I had the foresight to record the first episode, which came in handy when she asked to watch it again. A few more times that day, we replayed the theme song and danced around the house.

And although I spent most of the half-hour show translating the Arabic, my daughter didn’t need me to make the introductions. She pointed at the 6-year-old girl muppet, a new addition to the show, and said, “That’s Shams.” Already, she has a favourite.

Five reasons why my daughter and I will never miss an episode

• The show airs weekly on Friday mornings, well before prayer time (with several reruns throughout the day on Friday and later in the week). This means we can make a family occasion out of it: it’s the start of the weekend, both my husband and I will be able to watch with our daughter and explain the new Arabic vocabulary to her, and we can settle into the familiarity of a Friday morning routine that will result in happy memories, singing along to that iconic theme song and speaking to one another in Arabic. What a privilege, to share such a fond recollection of my own childhood – as well as my husband’s – with our daughter and have her fall in love with a show that we still call a favourite.

• My daughter's Arabic leaves much to be desired. It's our faults as parents – we've always spoken to her in English, having made the assumption that she will simply pick up Arabic by default. I've since changed that strategy and I'm making a concerted effort to speak to her in Arabic. She has yet to reciprocate. However, after only one episode of Iftah Ya Simsim, our daughter has begun singing part of the theme song to herself under her breath. Except, instead of, "Iftah ya Simsim", she sings, "Open ya Simsim", which is an exact translation – "iftah" in Arabic means "open", and she figured it out on her own. There's no question that her Arabic will improve with every episode we watch.

• The show is geared towards children between the ages of 4 and 6, but that doesn’t mean that my daughter, who is turning 3 next week, won’t benefit. On the contrary: the short segments, engaging puppets, vibrant colours, catchy songs and basic messages about numbers, letters, colours, food choices and so on will resonate with any toddler.

• "Books are dear friends." That message is loud and clear on Iftah Ya Simsim, as uttered through song by Amal the librarian in the very first episode, where children are seen with their heads buried in books at the library. Every episode ends with a short story being read to the children of Sesame Street, and the animated story is in Arabic. Through that short segment, no more than five minutes long, children are taught to appreciate the value of reading, to love books, to listen to a story in the Arabic language and to learn from the plot of the chosen story, whatever the message may be. Any parent would delight at the educational takeaways, and I'm no exception.

• There is so much to learn about Middle Eastern culture, Arabic customs and Islamic tradition from the show. The way we are raising our daughter and the messages we try to give her can be further reinforced through Iftah Ya Simsim. In the first episode alone, the show touched upon how greeting a neighbour, friend or even grocery store clerk should become second nature; the importance of visiting extended family and relatives during the Eid festivals; the respect that must be shown towards elders; how to greet fellow worshippers at the mosque; and even how to express joy. Good manners, solid values, celebrating differences and cherishing friendships are all foundational themes of Iftah Ya Simsim. Our daughter will be watching children and scenarios she can relate to, which echo her own experiences and are a reflection of the messages she is being taught by her parents. This show, truly, is made for Arab youth.

Each episode of Iftah Ya Simsim is 30 minutes long and airs Fridays on Sharjah TV and the SpaceToon children’s channel at 10am, Emarat TV at 10:30am, Rotana Khalijia at 1pm, Al Ain TV at 2pm, Baraem children’s channel and Sama Dubai at 4pm, Bahrain TV at 4:30pm. There are reruns throughout the week.