Universal Studios Dubailand has recently announced its signature of a strategic agreement to develop and build three Sesame Street-themed entertainment venues for the first Universal Studios theme park in the Middle East. The alliance with Sesame Workshop, creators and producers of the award-winning global children's television series Sesame Street, is part of the plan to bring world-class family entertainment to the region, the company said. While the planned three Sesame Street attractions within the Park's Surf City area represents the focal point of this partnership.
The project will feature the Sesame Street characters Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Grover and Prairie Dawn; will be anchored by Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic, a multi-dimensional sensory experience exploring the magic of movie making. Spectators will enjoy the experience in a state-of-the-art 400-seat theatre, fitted with the latest motion base technology.

The international adaptation of Sesame Street began in the early 1970's and programming in the Middle East began in Kuwait in 1979, with Iftah Ya Simsim, the first Sesame Street co-production in Arabic.

Since then, local versions of Sesame Street have been produced in Palestine, Jordan and Egypt, among two dozen other countries.

Universal Studios Dubailand, now under construction, is scheduled for completion in Dec. 2010.