This study tested school children in Hungary (9-16 years old) to determine whether or not they can acquire new English words by viewing the American version of the children's television program Sesame Street1. Earlier studies showed Sesame Street causes American preschool children to learn number concepts, word spelling, meaning and usage. The present study is the first to assess the impact of the American version of Sesame Street on Eastern European children who learn English as a Second Language (ESL). After school children in Debrecen and Budapest (N = 147) viewed segments of Sesame Street, they acquired measurably significant gains in English vocabulary and word usage relative to control groups that did not view the programs. Accordingly, the American version of Sesame Street can provide linguistic and other educational benefits to Eastern European children.