Now, this I find pretty odd an observation. For the longest time, most countries, when they got a co-production of SS didn't want to use (or couldn't use) the actual American characters. Even when the African and Chinese co-productions had Elmo and Big Bird characters respectively placed in their co-productions, they were always officially cousins of the actual characters.
Seems that SW has changed their tune with this. Ernie and Bert have an apartment on Sesamestrasse... the Japanese co-production featured American characters co-mingling with their own, Mexico has a new Abby Cadabby segment specifically made for them, Elmo hosts the Danish Sesame program (Elmo's World and Play with me Dubbed... but in new segments)... and now, Grover is popping up in Rechov Sumsum.
So what exactly is this change in policy? I'm not complete aware of the specifics... but didn't SW frown on the idea of new segments with US characters specifically for co-productions? I know there were different albums where they recorded interstitial where everyone mingles... and then the Ernie and Bert albums from Germany... but I don't count those.
Seems that SW has changed their tune with this. Ernie and Bert have an apartment on Sesamestrasse... the Japanese co-production featured American characters co-mingling with their own, Mexico has a new Abby Cadabby segment specifically made for them, Elmo hosts the Danish Sesame program (Elmo's World and Play with me Dubbed... but in new segments)... and now, Grover is popping up in Rechov Sumsum.
So what exactly is this change in policy? I'm not complete aware of the specifics... but didn't SW frown on the idea of new segments with US characters specifically for co-productions? I know there were different albums where they recorded interstitial where everyone mingles... and then the Ernie and Bert albums from Germany... but I don't count those.