After 52 years on the air, Sesame Street is welcoming its first AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) muppet, a 7-year-old Korean-American named Ji-Young, to the street where the “air is sweet.” Kathleen Kim of Sesame Workshop will play the young child, who will make her big debut in Sesame Street’s forthcoming Thanksgiving special, “See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.”
While Ji-big Young’s introduction is being saved until the special, Sesame Street has already revealed a little bit about their newest (and rather awesome sounding) resident. Ji-Young is an avid electric guitar player with a passion for skating, according to AP, and her personality is heavily influenced by her puppeteer, Kim. Ji-Young also revealed the origins of her name and how it accidentally led to her being cast as a Sesame Street character:
“So, in Korean traditionally the two syllables they each mean something different and Ji means, like, smart or wise. And Young means, like, brave or courageous and strong,” Ji-Young explained during a recent interview. “But we were looking it up and guess what? Ji also means sesame.”
While Ji-Young is the show’s first Asian-American muppet, she is not the show’s first Asian-American character. Alan Muraoka, who plays Alan, the owner of Hooper’s Store, is a Japanese-American Sesame Street regular who has been on the show since 1998. In fact, on November 25, the long-time Sesame Street star will co-direct Ji-debut Young’s special, “See Us Coming Together.” Several AAPI celebrities, including actors Simu Liu and Anna Cathcart, comic book artist Jim Lee, chef Melissa King, television personality Padma Lakshmi, and tennis great Naomi Osaka, will participate on the program to welcome the show’s newest tenant.
For those wondering why the show chose now to introduce Ji-Young, Sesame Workshop executive vice-president of Creative and Production Kay Wilson Stallings explained that it is a direct response to the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes this year and the growing need for children’s shows to address racism. According to Stallings, the company considered how they could “meet the moment,” and decided that if they wanted to address the treatment of AAPI people, they needed proper representation and a clear voice to help deliver the message, and Ji-Young (via her puppeteer, Kim) seemed like the right person to do it.
Surely, this is something even Ted Cruz can’t take issue with.
