5, rue Sesame

Finalement! (finally)
I've been watching French cartoons to help improve my French. Remembering back to the time when my kids watched Sesame Street, I've often thought that if only there was a French Sesame Street, it would be a great help. I can vividly remember Elmo getting his face into the camera and saying "NEAR", then backing away and saying "FAR", then getting back to the camera, "NEAR", and away.. "FAR" - repeating ad infinitim. Just what I could use right about now.

I searched the channels and the closest thing I could find was Tibère et la maison bleu (click here) This show has a big lovable bear named Tibère, pronounced T-bear, (kinda weird since the word for bear is ours. The bear has a sidekick mouse and each episode deals with an ordinary, everyday situation. I really like this show but since school started, it only airs on Saturday mornings.

Well, this Monday morning, as I was flipping the channels, to my great surprise... I found Sesame Street... or - 5, rue Sesame - pronounced "sank-ru-se-saam". This wasn't a dubbed-over version, it was all French. The setting is in front of a french neighborhood grocery store, the kind where they put half the merchandise on the sidewalk, and the characters are different. Take a look.

So... maybe there will soon be a giant leap in my French education.