“Fascinating, timely, and an enthralling read. Loved every minute of it, and I’ll never look at Sesame Street the same way again.”
—BEN MEZRICH, bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires adapted as THE SOCIAL NETWORK film
“A gripping and intimate account of the early days of post-Soviet Russia. Lance Rogoff gives readers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the core values and beliefs that shaped Russia in the 1990s and continue to play out today in the horrific struggle between Putin’s Russia and the West.”
—BILL BROWDER, bestselling author of Red Notice and Freezing Order
MUPPETS IN MOSCOW: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia (Rowman & Littlefield | October 17, 2022) is the gripping tale of Rogoff’s tenure as executive producer of Ulitsa Sezam. When Rogoff set off for Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union, she expected to find a nation in tumultuous transition. But she could not have expected her new reality: bombings, the assassinations of her broadcast partners, and the military takeover of the puppet production office in Moscow. Between these incidents of terrifying violence, Rogoff also faced immense creative challenges, as production was stymied by cultural and philosophical clashes every step of the way—from the show’s educational themes to scriptwriting, and to the design of the Muppets themselves—often pitting Sesame Street’s Western values against five centuries of Slavic thought. Meanwhile, Rogoff found herself navigating a high-pressure job in a male-dominated workforce, as well as friendship, romance, and first-time motherhood. Through it all, Rogoff and her creative team remained determined to bring laughter, entertainment, and a new way of seeing the world to the children of the former Soviet Union.
Much more than the compelling story of a beloved puppet show, MUPPETS IN MOSCOW brims with insight and sharp wit, Rogoff’s unique first-hand account of an ambitious attempt to influence Russian culture and ideology illuminates the enduring conflict between Russia and the West. Writing compassionately and with nuance, Rogoff adds depth to our understanding of democratic ideals, the power and limitations of media, and the true desires of the Russian people.
Expanding the legacy of one of the most iconic TV shows in history, enriching the urgent conversation around Russia’s long battle with the West, and chronicling one determined young woman’s personal and professional journey, MUPPETS IN MOSCOW is sure to find a broad audience when it arrives this fall.
Natasha Lance Rogoff is an award-winning television producer who has written and directed documentaries and produced children’s television shows for over twenty-five years. She executive produced Ulitsa Sezam (Sesame Street in Russia) and served as producer of Plaza Sesamo (Sesame Street in Mexico) between 1992-1997. Natasha moved from New York to Moscow in the early 1980s to Study Russian at Leningrad State University. Becoming fluent, she made close Russian friends and wrote about Soviet underground culture for mainstream international newspapers and magazines. Her 1983 article, “Gay Life in the Soviet Union,” published in the San Francisco Chronicle, was one of the earliest exposé of Soviet government persecution of the Russian LGBTQ community. Her 1985 film, Rock Around the Kremlin, about Russian rock musicians enduring extreme hardships due to communist censorship, aired on ABC TV’s “20/20.” Natasha served as Special Consultant to NBC Nightly News during 1988’s Reagan-Gorbachev Moscow Summit producing coverage for Tom Brokaw. She is now an Associate of VES at Harvard University and lives between Cambridge, Massachusetts, and New York City with her husband, Kenneth Rogoff.