“We think it’s so important to have this other
medium besides screens for playful, fun, engaging
episodes that are also curriculum driven and really
address the important educational needs for
young children,” said Jennifer Schiffman Sanders,
the director of content, education and research for
Sesame Workshop.
The podcast is led by 6-year-old, exuberant
Foley, “the sound-maker monster.” She’s joined
by her sidekick, Mikee the Microphone, a
microphone with googly eyes. Together they
tell jokes, sing songs and host familiar guests
from the neighborhood, like Elmo, Big Bird and
Cookie Monster.
“Each podcast really focuses on school readiness
skills,” said Schiffman Sanders. “It also addresses
really critical social emotional skills like resilience
and kindness, which is something we could all
use a little more of these days.”
Each 15-minute episode will revolve around a
different preschool-friendly topic, from vehicles
and animals to birthdays and learning the
alphabet. There are recurring moments, like
“Elmo’s Joke of the Day,” songs and a game show.
“Today on the podcast we’re going to be talking
all about the alphabet,” Foley says in the first
episode. “I love those A, B, Cs,” replies Mikee.
The first guest is someone who especially likes
the letter B — Big Bird. The letters A, B and C also
join (“we don’t have room from D-Z,” they argue)
For the A, we hear alligator sounds and for B
there are balloon sounds.
Schiffman Sanders previously taught pre-school
and helped “Sesame Street” transition from a
visually vibrant TV show to an aural experience.