Baker Lake (Jun 28/06) - Two decades ago, a cadre of programmers from the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation hatched a monumental vision: Takuginai. This year, the children's show billed as the Inuit version of Sesame Street will celebrate its 20th anniversary as a pillar of Nunavut culture.

Cameraman and producer Joe Hidalgo pretends to film Aaron Angidlik, who is holding one of the puppets on the popular children's show Takuginai. - Andrew Raven/NNSL photo

"We are all proud," producer Annie Ningeok said last week. "It is an important show."

The half-hour broadcast, which combines puppetry, child actors and footage from community events, began with a daunting mandate: preserve Inuit culture, and Inuktitut, by reaching out to young children.

The show is now well into production on season 20, making it one of the longest running series on Canadian television. It has become an important tool for teachers looking to re-enforce their Inuktitut classes with examples of the dialect in action.

"I really don't want to lose my language," Ningeok said. "We want to (promote) Inuktitut and encourage kids to use it at home."

Ningeok said the show filled a gaping hole when it made its debut in 1986; producers believe Takuginai was the first aboriginal-language children's program in the world.

Takuginai - which means look here in English - is spliced together in Iqaluit with contributions from IBC bureaus in Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet.

The Kivalliq communities are home to two of the puppets. Camera people cover events like dances, hand games and language classes from which they produce four-minute segments, said Joe Hidalgo, a Rankin-based producer.

Creators have finished nine shows for Takuginai's 20th season, which begins this fall on the Aboriginal People's Television Network. Most seasons have about 26 episodes, Ningeok said.

The show remains IBC's most popular series, according to the network.

While it has captured several awards and been featured at film festivals across the world, its creators are not resting on their laurels.

"Producing (Takuginai) takes a lot of time," Ningeok said, one of about a half-dozen people who work on the show. "But we (love) it. Each day is different."