In late 2013, fifteen writers and producers from Bidaya Media attended training about its educational methodology and production techniques from the staff of the American show in New York.

[15] The Kuwaiti 1980 census also showed that even though Kindergarten was free for its citizens, 30% of children aged 3 to 5 attended; the number was much lower for the 12 million preschoolers in the Arab world, at about 2%.

In 1978, educators, mass media officers, and social planners agreed to adopt Sesame Street as a feasible and economical solution for the low attendance in preschools.

[16] They approached the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), the producers of the American show, and purchased the rights to create an Arab version for US$2.5 million.

[19] Iftah Ya Simsim was the first children's educational TV program of its kind in the Arab world and the first Sesame Street co-production in the region.

[21] The second stage involved the creation of a pilot reel to test children on the show's effects and for review by educators, sociologists, psychologists, and other experts, who were invited to a seminar.

It sought to provide children with experiences that enriched their knowledge about their environment and improved their reasoning, through teaching them mathematical and geometric concepts.

[23] Unlike the American show, Iftah Ya Simsim covered the topic of spirituality because of the importance of religion in Arab culture,[24] so the producers' goals included teaching children about Islamic principles, positive social behavior, personal manners, and the importance of traits like honesty, respect for parents, loyalty, and social interaction.

[27] Children who appeared on the show made few grammatical errors in MSA, and although colloquialisms were used rarely, there was an informal quality in their conversations and speech patterns.

Characters from the American show, like the Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, Grover, and Kermit, were transposed into Arabic versions: Kaaki, Bader and Anees, Gharghour, and Kamil.

[17] According to researcher Ibrahim Al-Khulaifi, "In a few months, Iftah Ya Simsim became one of the most popular and successful programs for children in many Arab states".

[6] Iftah Ya Simsim inspired "a flood of studies",[26][30] from scientific research to doctoral or masters theses submitted to Arab, European, and American universities.

Parents reported that their children's language use and ability improved, and the JPPI received many letters of appreciation and was commended for their efforts in producing the show.

[26] In 1984, in one of the first studies conducted researching the show's effects on its young viewers, Ibrahim Al-Khulaifi compared the relationship between the viewing behavior by the Kuwaiti preschooler of Iftah Ya Simsim and certain developmental and environmental variables.

He found that variables such as socioeconomic status, parental education (especially that of the mother), sex, age, year in school, birth order, and family attitudes about the show influenced the frequency of viewing.

[32] Misbah Al-Khayr and Hashim Al-Samira'i, in an article from the 1995 book Children in the Muslim Middle East, reported on a study that sought to evaluate the influence of Iftah Ya Simsim on its Baghdadi viewers' knowledge about language, general information, mathematics, science, and moral principles.

[35][36] The ABEGS and the Sesame Workshop signed an agreement to revive the series for Arab television, with content suitable for a new generation of children.

[17] Other curriculum topics chosen during the seminar included Arabic culture and heritage, school readiness, health and wellness, and female education.

[19] The seminar participants decided to use MSA, like the producers had done for the original show, citing an even greater need to expose children to the Arabic language.

[19][37] In late 2013, fifteen writers and producers from Bidaya Media attended training about its education methodology and production techniques from the staff of the American show in New York.

[38] The Saudi Gazette reported that Iftah Ya Simsim was in pre-production in March 2014, and that the first phase of auditions took place in April 2014,[39] after, according to Al-Sharhan, a year of designing the show, "with input from child development experts, educators and cultural consultants".

[38] A casting call for a competitive search of performers specializing in puppeteering, voice, singing, and movement was sent to universities, theaters, and cultural centers in Abu Dhabi, where it was filmed, and through social media.

[40] According to an editorial in The National, the new version of the show was significant because it encouraged Emiratis and other Arabs to become more involved in filmmaking and, more importantly, it focused on "locally relevant Arabic-language content that will seek to educate present and future generations".

Six puppeteers were involved with season one: Abdullah Kassem, Asma Alshamsi, Natheer Khawaldeh, Maher Mozawak, Noura Sadaka, and Michel Jabali.

Thirty episodes were produced and regularly feature Super Grover 2.0, Elmo's Game Show, Cookie's Crumby Pictures, and segments from the Dream, Save, Do campaign, as well as interviews with children.

In addition to human cast members, the series also includes localized versions of Gargur (Grover), Kaaki (Cookie Monster), and Elmo from Iftah Ya Simsim.