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 Baghdad viewers' knowledge about language, general information, mathematics, science, and moral principles. The study found that 85% of all children residing in Baghdad had watched it and that they interacted with and were attached to many of its characters, who exposed viewers to the accents of the region. The most popular segments were those that contained cartoons, songs, and puppets. The show's viewers demonstrated an increase in their understanding and knowledge in all areas, especially information about their social and natural environment.