Shalom Sesame, the Jewish-themed Sesame Street spinoff that aired on PBS stations in the late 1980s and introduced a generation of kids to Big Bird’s porcupine friend Kippi ben Kippod and Oscar the Grouch’s Israeli cousin Moishe Oofnik, is being revived. This time, it will feature the talents of Jake Gyllenhaal, Debra Messing, Ben Stiller, and Cedric the Entertainer; the original guest-starred Mary Tyler Moore, Izthak Perlman, B.B. King, and Stiller’s dad, Jerry. For those unfamiliar with this landmark in both children’s television and Jewish cultural history, here’s a superb introduction. Or, watch some clips from the Hanukkah episode: in one, an eager little olive oil jug who survived the collapse of the Second Temple meets the potter who made him on a reunion show (“I just might runneth over!” he tells the host); in another an American time-travel tourist asks a miller from Judah Macabee’s village, “You make pretty good dough on this job?” Yuk yuk yuk.
Gyllenhaal, Applegate Keep It Kosher With Grover [E! Online]