The Relevancy of Muppets in Moscow

by Lana Cooper

Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia is a memoir written by Natasha Lance Rogoff about her journey to creating Russian Sesame Street, or Ulitsa Sezam, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Taking place during an important time of development in Russia, the book showcases the differences between American and Russian culture, along with providing an explanation on how Russia turned out the way it is. Western eyes have been turned to this region of the world since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and this book can provide an understanding of Russian culture and the influence of this turbulent time of transition that continues to be visible today.

Throughout this time, the Soviet narrative of the Western world makes Russians working on the show resistant to new ideas. The main three Russians Lance Rogoff hires to work on the show are resistant to many aspects of Sesame Street that are iconic to it. One example of this is having the puppets be Muppets. Lida, the potential head writer of the show, says, "'Russia has a long, rich, and revered puppet tradition dating to the sixteenth century. We don't need your American Moppets in our children's show.'" Her words shows the Russians' pride and disdain of American, and Western, influence. Throughout their lives, they have been taught that "life in the Soviet is better than the decaying West," and they believe in this Russian superiority. This book also takes place in a time of great change, with the switch to capitalism, which has created chaos, and change is scary. However, they want to make their children's lives better.

Another example of this dislike of change is shown through making the music for the shows. Katya Komalkova, the show's music director, disagrees with Lance Rogoff about which direction to take the show's music. While Lance Rogoff wishes to have many musical influences, including rock, Katya says, "I prefer art that has passed the test of time," expressing her preference for classical music, which Russia is famous for. She, like Lida, does not want to change and introduce children to diversity, preferring to stick to what Russia is known for throughout history. In the Soviet Union, rock was illegal, as it was considered against socialism. Through her preference for classical music, Katya shows her resistance to change and new ideas, which continues to happen in Russia today.

Corruption is prevalent throughout the journey of trying to finance Ulitsa Sezam, which is still a major part of Russian politics. While trying to finance the show, Lance Rogoff finds herself dealing with mafia members and oligarchs vying for power. Vlad Listyev, who worked under Boris Berezovsky, a oligarch in charge of one of the largest TV stations, agreed to broadcast Ulitsa Sezam. However, only three weeks after he agreed, he was assassinated. Nobody knew who was the cause of it, but "many blame powerful media moguls like Berezovsky, who would have lost millions if Listyev's moratorium on advertising had gone through." At this point in Russian history, everyone is trying to get as much money as possible, with corruption spread everywhere. Somebody was not afraid to kill to get an advantage, which continues to be true, an example being the poisoning of Aleksey Navalny.