For those of us that remember learning our ABC and 123 with the likes of Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, it gives us a sense of nostalgia to see our kids singing along with the same characters three decades later. However, for expatriates watching with their kids here in the Netherlands, things on the Street may not be quite as we remember them.

On 4 January 1976, seven years after the children’s television programme with the winning formula first aired in the United States, Sesame Street came to the Netherlands. When the show hit the Dutch screen, the programme makers had tweaked some of the characters, discarded others and created a small set of exclusive Dutch characters.

One adaptation for the Dutch market was the replacement of Big Bird with Pino, a character physically resembling his American counterpart, but with one dramatic difference. Pino is blue. Big Bird is of course yellow, bright yellow. Chaos ensued as Sesame Street products hit the Dutch market and the yellow- blue issue was resolved with the announcement that Big Bird was actually Pino’s cousin. I can only imagine the collective sigh of relief from the Dutch population as the show’s creators finally cleared that up.

Another glaring difference is that the blue bird resident on Sesamstraat communicates with his neighbours in Dutch.  This will come as no shock, given the demographics of his audience. Big Bird, I am sure, has little or no knowledge of the Dutch language. He would almost certainly have to rely on his Dutch cousin’s English skills for any kind of sensible conversation.

What is also notable about Pino is the company he keeps. Some of his friends (those of walking age) could amble past the American cast in the street without raising so much as a hint of recognition.

Purk is a nappy-wearing baby pig who is a relative newcomer to Sesamstraat, making her first appearance in 2003. She knows few words, wears a bow on her ear and is yet to master the art of walking. In 2006, Keukenhof Gardens honoured Purk by naming a new type of tulip after her, a first for a kid’s television character and demonstrative of her popularity.

Tommie is an original cast member, evolving from a bear-like character to the more familiar dog-like figure of today. He originally spent most of his time in a dustbin (much like Oscar). Happily, for him, his days perched in the rubbish bin are over but his catchphrase of “Poe hee” may be evidence that the memories of his past are far from faded.

Tommie’s best friend is leniemienie, a mouse that joined the Sesamstraat crew in 1980. Being the eldest of the group, she is clever but a little naughty. She replaced a white, female poodle called Troel, who was a one-season wonder in 1977 because the show’s producers deemed her too feminine.

Dikkie Dik, also a Sesamstraat exclusive, has become famous in his own right in the Netherlands. Based on Jet Boeke’s own feline companion, the orange cat became the star of the books created to read out to Sesamstraat’s younger viewers. Dikkie Dik partied in the Circustheater in Scheveningen for his 30th birthday in 2008 and despite his old age (in cat years), his Dutch fan base remains solid.

Amanda van Mulligen is British born and has been living in the Netherlands since 2000. She is a writer specialising in issues relating to the expat community, life in the Netherlands and career matters. Amanda owns The Writing Well, a company providing English language writing services. She is married to a Dutchman and has a son.

For more information visit her website at www.TheWritingWell.eu or read her blog about life in the Netherlands at http://letterfromthenetherlands.blogspot.com/. You can also follow her on Twitter.