Filipino American muppet welcomed to 'Sesame Street'

Puppeteer Yinan Shentu with TJ, the Filipino American muppet.

Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and Grover? Meet TJ, Sesame Street's first Filipino American muppet.

Like the United States, the world-famous children's program Sesame Street has become more diverse and that means Asian Americans are moving into the neighborhood. 

"I’m so proud to help bring some Filipino representation to the neighborhood, and just in time for API Heritage Month to show the range in our diaspora," said Rosemary Espina Palacios, Sesame Workshop's director of talent outreach, inclusion and content development.

After filming TJ's debut, Palacios posted her thanks "to @kafode (Kathleen Kim, puppeteer for Sesame Street's Ji-Young, the first Asian American muppet) for letting me ugly cry with you on set."

"His first segment with @kalpenn and Ji-Young is all about confidence, something I personally feel can help unravel the model minority stereotype, the Filipino American continued on Instagram.

In that segment, TJ spends time with fellow muppets Grover and Ji-Young, and actor Kal Penn, who discusses the word of the day: confidence. "Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, or in the abilities of others," Penn explains.

TJ then talks about his growing confidence while learning Tagalog, one of the main languages spoken in the Philippines. “I’m learning Tagalog. It’s a language my Filipino family speaks. And I’m confident because I can always ask my lola for help when I don’t know a word,” he says, using the Tagalog term for grandmother.

Filipino American animator Bobby Pontillas, worked with puppeteer Louis Mitchell to create TJ. On Instagram, Pontillas shared concept artwork for the character, who he said was inspired by Max and Mateo, the children of lifelong friends. TJ is played by voice actor and puppeteer Yinan Shentu.

Animator Bobby Pontillas' drawings led to TJ's creation.

TJ is 4-years old and a second generation Filipino American, a spokesperson for Sesame Workshop told CNN. He enjoys entertaining his little sister, gardening with his grandparents and spending time with his other family members when they visit from California.

"He loves it when they all get together so he can help his mom make lumpia with all the veggies he picked, and so he can play basketball and have a dance off with his cousins," Sesame Workshop said.

Child rearing experts and psychologists tell us the importance of diversity in the toys and media seen by young children.

When kids see media that depicts someone who looks like them as the main character, or the hero, it builds their confidence and self-image.

"Research around Sesame Street and other PBS programs found children pay more attention and more readily learn from characters who look like them," said Paul D. Hastings, PhD, a developmental psychologist and professor of psychology at UC Davis. "It contributes to forming a sense that this is personally relevant, this is something that speaks to me, that I can learn from.”

Child-rearing experts agree representation of historically marginalized people important for all children to see. It’s one way to help them visualize a more inclusive world so they can create the same in real life.

Seeing TJ and Ji Young on Sesame Street, or to see a Barbie doll in the image of Chinese American actress Anna May wong or to see people who look like you in a movie impacts the way a child sees the world and how they fit in, not just on Sesame Street but on Main Street as well.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

Today's Sesame Street special introduces first Asian American muppet

SCREEN CAPTURE

The muppet, Ji-Young, leads a racially diverse Best Friends band on Sesame Street.

There's a party today on Sesame Street to welcome its newest resident, 7-year old  Ji-Young, the first Asian American muppet.

Amid the rising number of anti-Asian hate incidents, the children's show is staging a television special introducing the new character, which opens the door to discuss the issues confronting Asian Americans today.

Designed for families to watch together, “See Us Coming Together” follows the “Sesame Street” friends through a “Neighbor Day” celebration with new friend Ji-Young. 

“Sesame Workshop’s mission is to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder. Today, we uphold that mission by empowering children and families of all races, ethnicities and cultures to value their unique identities,” said Kay Wilson Stallings, Sesame Workshop’s Executive Vice President of Creative and Production. “’See Us Coming Together’ continues Sesame Street’s proud legacy of representation with an engaging story that encourages empathy and acceptance and uplifts Asian and Pacific Islander communities.”

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 in, too, sharing their passions, talents, and cultures with their Sesame Street friends. 

The “Neighbor Day” celebration culminates with a new original song, also entitled “See Us Coming Together,” led by Ji-Young and performed by the full cast. A reimagined version of “Sesame Street” classic, “The People in Your Neighborhood,” reinforces that children of all backgrounds can be anything they want to be.

As part of Sesame Workshop’s “Coming Together” initiative — created to support families of all backgrounds through ongoing conversations about race — the special also includes an opportunity for talking about anti-Asian racism. (In an offscreen incident, another child tells Ji-Young to “go home.” This is an example of one kind of discrimination Asian and Pacific Islander people face in western countries where they’re often perceived as “perpetual foreigners.” 

After the incident familiar to AAPI, Ji-Young seeks out trusted grown-ups and friends who unite to help her know that she’s exactly where she belongs.) To help guide those conversations, a viewing guide and accompanying activities for adults and children to complete together will become available at sesame.org/seeus the week of the special.

“It’s a powerful thing when kids see people like themselves represented on screen and in stories — it supports them as they figure out who they are and who they want to be,” said Alan Muraoka, longtime “Sesame Street” cast member and co-director of “See Us Coming Together.” 

“We can’t wait for families to get to know Ji-Young — in this special and in future seasons of ‘Sesame Street’ — and celebrate some of the Asian and Pacific Islander people in our neighborhood!”

“This is a proud moment for AAPIs everywhere, particularly Korean Americans, as Ji-Young and the ‘See Us Coming Together’ special demonstrate that Asian Americans are part of the very fabric of American society and culture,” said Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Board Member, The Asian American Foundation. 

“At TAAF, we are striving to help create a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging for AAPIs in this country, and supporting Sesame Workshop’s introduction of the first-ever Asian American ‘Sesame Street’ Muppet brings us one step closer toward making that vision a reality. We are grateful for their partnership and their commitment to supporting AAPI communities.”

Additional videos and articles for adults cover the building blocks of what racial justice can mean for young children. For more information — including more viewing guides and activities to complete together — please visit sesame.org/seeus.

See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special airs Thursday, November 25 on  HBO Max and PBS.. Check local listings for times and channels.

Editor's Note: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Countering anti-Asian hate, Sesame Street will have its first Asian American resident

Sesame Street's first Asian American muppet Ji-Young, left, with lovable Ernie.

Sesame Street has a big yellow bird, a long-haired mastodon, Black muppets, Latino muppets and dozens of muppets of every shade and hue, but it has never had an Asian American muppet. Until now.

The children's TV show will be introducing its newest resident, Ji-Young, a 7-year old Korean American muppet, on a Thanksgiving special.

The history-making muppet, Ji-Young, is the first Asian American muppet in the Sesame Street.  She is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electric guitar and skateboarding, according to the Associated Press. 

Sesame Street, in its 52nd year, decided to fight the surge of anti-Asian hate by making Asian Americans more visible in its programming that included the production's first Asian American muppet.

Asian Americans have been on the show as guests, and one of Sesame Street's most prominent residents is Alan, owner of Hooper's Store. Alan is a Japanese American character, is played by Alan Muraoko.

RELATED: Sesame Street launches anti-bullying campaign

The Asian American muppet will be formally introduced in “See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.” Thanksgiving Day on HBO Max, social media platforms and on local PBS stations. Asian American celebrities Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi and Naomi Osaka will be on hand to welcome Ji-Young during the special.

Ji-Young's personality is aided by puppeteer Kathleen Kim, 41. For Kim, it was crucial that Ji-Young not be a generic Asian representing all Asians.

“Because that’s something that all Asian Americans have experienced. They kind of want to lump us into this monolithic ‘Asian,’” Kim said. “So it was very important that she was specifically Korean American, not just like, generically Korean, but she was born here.”

One thing the new muppet will help teach its young viewers is how to be a good “upstander.” a term first used the term on Sesame Street's “The Power of We” TV special last year.

“Being an upstander means you point out things that are wrong or something that someone does or says that is based on their negative attitude towards the person because of the color of their skin or the language they speak or where they’re from,” says Kay Wilson Stallings, executive vice-president of Creative and Production for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street.

“We want our audience to understand they can be upstanders,” she tells AP.

The fact that Ji-Young was created to counter the anti-Asian sentiment that has risen dramatically in the past 18 months makes her more special to puppeteer Kim in some ways.

“I remember like the Atlanta shootings and how terrifying that was for me,” Kim told AP. “My one hope, obviously, is to actually help teach what racism is, help teach kids to be able to recognize it and then speak out against it. But then my other hope for Ji-Young is that she just normalizes seeing different kinds of looking kids on TV.”

Sesame Street: helps start conversations with your kids about anti-Asian bullying

SESAME STREET

'Sesame Street's' Wes and Alan help boost Analyn's spirits after she was teased about her eyes.

With the surge of attacks against Asian Americans since the start of the pandemic, AAPI parents have had the difficult task of explaining racism to their children.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street," recently released a video focused on the experiences of Asian American children as part of an ongoing initiative to help families have honest conversations about race.

In the segment “Proud of Your Eyes,” the characters Wes and Alan help their friend Analyn, who is Filipino American, after she says she was teased about the shape of her eyes. 

They sing a song together about how their eyes are beautiful and how eyes can tell the story of their family. The video is part of Sesame Workshop's program "The ABCs of Racial Literacy," which provides an educational curriculum on racial justice for young children.

The song includes lyrics such as, “Your eyes tell the story of your family. They show where you came from, and how you came to be. The color, the shape and the size should always make you proud of your eyes.”

"Having open conversations with children about race and racism is critical, not only for building understanding and empathy, but also for beginning the healing process for children who experience racism," say Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung, Co-Executive Directors of Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), who served as advisors on the new resources. 

“The reality is that many children grow up experiencing racism, including Asian American children who for years have reported high levels of racial harassment—a number exacerbated by heightened xenophobia and scapegoating during the COVID-19 pandemic,"they said in a statement.

Alan Muraoka, the Japanese American actor who has played Alan, the owner of Hooper’s Store, on Sesame Street since 1998, assisted in creating storylines centered around diversity and discrimination on the show. Last year, he co-directed a special on racism entitled “The Power of We.”

“To be able to see so many different types of people represented is super important," Muraoka said in an interview with NBC's Today show in 2019. “So for me, being Japanese American, you know, to be sort of the Asian American representation on the show is so important, and I've had so many Asian American parents come up and say how much that meant to them.”

With a long history of building trust with families, Sesame Workshop is the ideal organization to engage parents and caregivers in critical conversations with their little ones, help families cope with the harms of racism, and help build solidarity among communities.”

Besides this video, Sesame Workshop also released online articles, guides and activities to help families continue the conversation about combating racism. The new resources were created with guidance from the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families along with several other racial equity groups.

"Sesame Workshop has always stood for diversity, inclusion, equity, and kindness. As a trusted source for families, we have a responsibility to speak out for racial justice and empower families to have conversations about race and identity with their children at a young age,” said Kay Wilson Stallings, Executive Vice President of Creative and Production, Sesame Workshop. 

“The work to dismantle racism begins by helping children understand what racism is and how it hurts and impacts people. Sadly, today’s announcement comes at a time of racial and social discord when many families are in need of support in talking to their children about racism. We’re proud to reaffirm our Coming Together commitment to racial justice, which will be woven into new Sesame Workshop content for years to come.”