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Iftah Ya Simsim
September 14, 1979

Iftah Ya Simsim (Arabic: افتح يا سمسم‎; meaning "Open Sesame") is the first international co-production of the American children's television series Sesame Street created in the Arab world.  It premiered in Kuwait on September 14, 1979 and was broadcast in 22 Arabic-speaking countries, running until April 6, 1990. The program continued to be well-known decades after it went off the air. In 1978, educators, mass media officers, and social planners agreed to adopt Sesame Street as a feasible and economical solution for the low attendance in preschools and illiteracy that plagued the region.  They approached the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), the producers of the American show, and purchased the rights to create an Arab version for US$2.5 million.