The president of Sesame Workshop tells us what makes the newest resident so special.
Sesame Street just got a little more lively!
The beloved children’s series has unveiled a very special new character named Ji-Young, who makes her first appearance on the block in the new special, See Us Coming Together. With so many iconic characters on the show, including favorites like Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster, it’s a big deal when someone knew hits the street, and Ji-Young is no exception.
She’s Sesame Street‘s first Asian character, and as you’ll read below, the team behind the scenes made sure Ji-Young wasn’t “generically ‘pan-Asian.'” She’s Korean American, and she’s bringing some important traditions from her culture to the show, but her heritage is only one part of what makes Ji-Young a wonderful addition. She also loves to shred on the electric guitar! And she’s formed a rocking band along with her new pals Elmo, Tamir, and Abby Cadabby.
I checked in with my pal Sherrie Westin, the president of Sesame Workshop, to get to know Ji-Young a little better and hear about how she’s fitting in with her new friends.
Sesame Workshop is introducing a new kid on the block! Her name is Ji-Young. What can you tell us about her?
Ji-Young is a spunky seven-year-old girl who loves to rock out on her electric guitar. She lives on Sesame Street with her family: her mother, father, sister, brother, and halmoni, which means “grandmother” in Korean. She’s proud of her Korean American heritage and loves to share her culture with her friends — especially her favorite Korean food, tteokbokki, chewy rice cakes in a sweet and spicy sauce! Ji-Young is making her debut in See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special – streaming now on HBO Max, PBS, and Sesame Street’s YouTube channel. We can’t wait for everyone to meet her.
Why did you want to have her be a part of the neighborhood?
At Sesame Workshop, we look at everything through the lens of a child. Children are not colorblind — they start noticing racial differences in infancy, and they start forming a sense of their own identities not long afterward. Sesame Street has always been known for diverse on-screen representation; with Coming Together, the long-term racial justice initiative we started last year, we’re taking that commitment a step further, helping families have open conversations about race to help kids build a positive sense of who they are.
When we launched the initiative, we focused initially on the experiences of Black and Brown families, with plans to broaden out over time. The creation of Ji-Young and the See Us Coming Together special was accelerated in response to the rise in anti-Asian violence during the pandemic — but it’s also a celebration of the rich diversity of Asian and Pacific Islander communities and the power of belonging.
What has been the reaction to Ji-Young? How did you ensure she was authentic to her unique culture and traditions?
We’ve seen so many touching responses from fans and families this week. (Even The Linda Lindas, Ji-Young’s favorite band, gave her a shoutout on Instagram!) Making Ji-Young a specific, three-dimensional character was top priority for us — she’s not generically “pan-Asian,” and she’s not only there to teach viewers about her culture. Being Korean American is an important part of who she is, but it’s not the only thing she is.
Kathleen Kim, a talented Korean American puppeteer, has been in the Sesame family since 2014 or so; she’s doing a beautiful job bringing the character to life. Writer Liz Hara, producer Janet Kim, and co-director and longtime Sesame Street cast member Alan Muraoka are some of the other Asian American voices who worked behind the scenes to ensure authentic, joyful representation across the board.
Tell me about some of the challenges children like Ji-Young sometimes face.
The See Us Coming Together special is positive and celebratory, but as part of our racial justice initiative, we also wanted to include an entry point to help families talk about anti-Asian racism. In an offscreen incident during the special, another child tells Ji-Young to “go back home” — one kind of discrimination Asian Americans often face in western countries like ours where they’re often seen as “perpetual foreigners.” (After the incident, Ji-Young reaches out to a trusted adult, and all her friends come together to support her.) Our goal with the special is to help kids who look like Ji-Young — and kids who don’t! — remember that we’re all exactly where we belong.
Ji-Young joins a number of new friends that Sesame Street has introduced in recent years in an effort to represent the beautiful spectrum of humanity. Can you tell us about them?
Viewers feel a powerful connection with the Sesame Street Muppets. As we began to address race and racism more directly in 2020, we decided to add Sesame Street Muppet humans with specific racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds to our ensemble. We reintroduced Gabrielle — who had starred in the beloved song, “I Love My Hair” — and introduced her cousin Tamir in The Power of We, a previous special. We also created a father-son duo, Wes and Elijah, to model parent-child experiences in our digital content. These characters’ storylines will help families start conversations, and help kids understand themselves and their world, but they’re also just a lot of fun, whether we’re drawing comics with Tamir or jamming with Ji-Young’s band.
Tell us about the HBO special and the special guests who will be on hand!
Designed for families to watch together, See Us Coming Together follows the Sesame Street crew through a “Neighbor Day” block party organized by Alan and Elmo, with help from some very special visitors. Celebrity guests like actors Simu Liu and Anna Cathcart, comic book artist Jim Lee, chef Melissa King, television personality Padma Lakshmi, and athlete Naomi Osaka join the celebration to share their passions, talents, and cultures with all their friends. Neighbor Day culminates with Ji-Young performing a song she wrote for everyone, backed by her “Best Friends Band” — Elmo, Tamir, and Abby Cadabby.
To celebrate, we’re hosting a star-studded virtual watch party this afternoon (Saturday 11/27) at 3 p.m. Eastern. Families can watch along with us on any platform and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #SeeUsComingTogether. Hope to see you there!
