The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia
by Natasha Lance Rogoff
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Oct 2022
302 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the timing appeared perfect to bring Sesame Street to millions of children living in the former Soviet Union. With the Muppets envisioned as ideal ambassadors of Western values, no one anticipated just how challenging and dangerous this would prove to be.
In Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia, Natasha Lance Rogoff brings this gripping tale to life. Amidst bombings, assassinations, and a military takeover of the production office, Lance Rogoff and the talented Moscow team of artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and puppeteers remained determined to bring laughter, learning, and a new way of seeing the world to children in Russia, Ukraine and across the former Soviet empire. With a sharp wit and compassion for her colleagues, Lance Rogoff observes how cultural clashes colored nearly every aspect of the production—from the show's educational framework to writing comedy to the new Russian Muppets themselves—despite the team's common goal.
Brimming with insight and nuance, Muppets in Moscow skillfully explores the post-Soviet societal tensions that continue to thwart the Russian people's efforts to create a better future for their country. More than just a story of a children's show, this book provides a valuable perspective of Russia's people, their culture, and their complicated relationship with the West that remains relevant even today.
"In this thrilling debut, television producer and filmmaker Rogoff recounts her mission to bring Sesame Street to Russian audiences...The resulting tale is one of perseverance and creativity that illuminates how even the most disparate cultures and perspectives can find common ground." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The tale of this collaboration between U.S. and Russian artists working toward a shared educational goal creates a very unique story that is important and timely. For all readers interested in understanding international media and film production and its role in U.S. diplomacy." - Library Journal (starred review)
"[Rogoff's] descriptions of Russian friends and colleagues create a compelling cast of characters that reflects the diversity and danger of the time. Oligarchy ends up being no match for Oscar the Grouch and Rogoff's plucky team in this retelling of a unique point in U.S.-Russian relations." - Booklist
"The book is fascinating as it details the logistics of navigating the Russian television landscape in 1996...enthralling...[T]he book captures the methodical but inspired process of building new characters and a show with a Russian sensibility." - Foreword Reviews
"Fascinating and timely, Muppets in Moscow is an enthralling read; such a unique story that highlights the turmoil of the fall of the Soviet era, and the difficult growing pains of a culture trying desperately to shift into the modern age. Loved every minute of it, and I'll never look at Sesame Street the same way again!" - Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires, adapted into the 2009 hit film The Social Network
"In sharing her story of bringing Sesame Street to Russia, Natasha Lance Rogoff serves up a literary treat that couldn't be more perfectly timed. Muppets in Moscow is a psychological portrait of a post-Soviet society in crisis—corrupt, chaotic, and soon to be all-too-ready for Vladimir Putin. It's great reading, filled with unforgettable stories and thoughtful insights—and leavened by a big dose of humor, too." - Judith Warner, bestselling author of Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Natasha Lance Rogoff is an award-winning American television producer and filmmaker who has produced and directed news, documentaries and entertainment programs in the US and throughout the former USSR, including in Ukraine, Armenia and the Baltics for NBC, ABC and PBS.
Lance Rogoff executive produced Ulitsa Sezam, the Russian adaptation of Sesame Street, between 1993 and 1997. She also produced Plaza Sesamo in Mexico which aired throughout Latin America and in the United States. In addition to her television work, Lance Rogoff has reported as a journalist on Soviet underground culture for major Western media outlets. She published an early expose of gay life behind the Iron Curtain in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1983. And in 1985, ABC's 20/20 aired, "Rock Around the Kremlin," a segment featuring Lance Rogoff and banned Soviet rock n' roll artists who, ten years later, she recruited to compose original music for Ulitsa Sezam. Between 2011-2020, Lance Rogoff served as the CEO and founder of an ed-tech nonprofit that created KickinNutrition.TV, a musical comedy cooking show. The on-going mission of the children's television program is to foster nutrition learning and health equity in urban and rural low-income communities. Lance Rogoff is an associate fellow at Harvard University's Art, Film, and Visual Studies department and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and New York City with her husband Ken Rogoff.
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