Muppets in Moscow

Starred review from June 13, 2022
In this thrilling debut, television producer and filmmaker Rogoff recounts her mission to bring Sesame Street to Russian audiences. In 1993, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sesame Workshop hired the Russian-speaking Rogoff to serve as the lead producer for Ulitsa Sezam—the Russian coproduction of the children’s program Sesame Street. Part of an American effort to help Russia transition to becoming a Western-style democracy, Ulitsa Sezam, Rogoff explains, was considered the perfect vehicle to convey democratic values of tolerance and inclusion to Russian children. Ulitsa Sezam enjoyed a successful run in Russia from 1996 to 2010, but as Rogoff reveals in captivating detail, its success came with challenges, from resistance among the show’s Russian crew (citing Russia’s “long, rich and revered puppet tradition” the lead writer told Rogoff “we don’t need your American Moppets in our children’s show”) to an armed takeover by Russian soldiers of the initiative’s offices in Moscow. Still, Rogoff persisted, enabling the creation of wholly new muppet characters that resonated with Russian audiences, all while balancing the task of new motherhood, even as the venture tottered on the verge of collapse multiple times. The resulting tale is one of perseverance and creativity that illuminates how even the most disparate cultures and perspectives can find common ground.

Starred review from September 1, 2022

Rogoff's wild tale of producing the Russian version of Sesame Street (Ulitsa Sezam) in the early to mid-1990s is skillfully written and a joy to read. She takes readers on the perilous journey that began when she accepted the assignment to launch the show in a post-Soviet Moscow; she was then a young Russian-speaking American independent documentary filmmaker who loved Russia and its culture. Ulitsa Sezam was partially funded by the United States, but Rogoff was responsible for financing the rest of the project. Her account of producing Ulitsa Sezam demonstrates the sheer creativity and all the joys and difficulties--at one point, there's a military takeover of the production office--involved in the project. She carefully explains the work by U.S. and Russian set designers, puppeteers, musicians, and writers to create Russian puppets (that weren't the "ambassadors of Western values" the United States had envisioned) and sets. 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. VERDICT For all readers interested in understanding international media and film production and its role in U.S. diplomacy.--Amy Lewontin

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2022
When the USSR dissolved in 1991, the world headed to Russia to make money--but Rogoff's purpose was a little more. . .furry. The Children's Television Workshop wanted to launch a Russian version of Sesame Street and tapped her to executive produce. This memoir details her years toiling to launch an unheard-of show in the former Soviet republics, one that encouraged tolerance, independence, and a can-do attitude. She punctuates the story with her personal development, as she marries and becomes pregnant while trying to pull off the biggest Muppet caper of the 1990s, enduring hostile studio takeovers by armed soldiers, cynicism of potential advertisers, generational clashes between established Soviet workers and younger colleagues, and an entire society adrift in a new world with few shared cultural norms. Her 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.

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