ABSTRACT
The notion of Sesame Street as "culture free" runs through much of the production company's material from the 1970s. In order to understand the ways in which childhood, or the role of children's television in children's lives, has been negotiated in a given context, the existing transnational hubs and spheres are extremely important, as this history of Sesame Street's transfer demonstrates. The emphasis on sales and the focus on success in terms of viewer numbers throughout almost the entire broadcasting system made Sesame Street stand out in a US context. Children's Television Workshop's (CTW) policy was to introduce Sesame Street to "as many foreign markets as possible within a short period of time." Despite the rapid international recognition, CTW's soon discovered a range of obstacles, especially in Europe. When they tried selling the program to European broadcasting corporations, CTW met both skepticism and direct hostility among European children's television producers.
