A new face is coming toSesame Street. Ji-Young is the newest character and the show’s first Asian American muppet in its 52-year history. The Sesame Workshop describes Ji-Young as a 7-year-old Korean American girl who loves playing her electric guitar, skateboarding, and eating with her family.
Ji-Young will debut in the upcoming Thanksgiving specialSee Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special, which will air on HBO Max. The special will center around a celebration called Neighbor Day, where residents will share food, music, dances, and other traditions from their cultures. The special features a slew of celebrities including actorsSimu Liu(Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) andAnna Cathcart(To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), professional tennis playerNaomi Osaka, chefMelissa King, authorPadma Lakshmi,and comic book artistJim Lee.
Ji-Young will be played by Workshop puppeteerKathleen Kim. The two share many personality traits, as Kim was able to help create the new muppet. Like Ji-Young, Kim is Korean American and an avid skateboarder, who enjoys eating spicy Korean rice cakes called tteokbokki. Kim joined the Sesame Workshop in 2014 as an assistant puppeteer.
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Ji-Young is a result of the Coming Together imitative developed bySesame Streetlast year as a result of the events of 2020, such as the George Floyd protests and the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.Kay Wilson Stallings, head of creative development forSesame Streetspoke on the show’s need to represent all children in their program.
“When we knew we were going to be doing this work that was going to focus on the Asian and Pacific Islanders experience,” Stallings stated, “We of course knew we needed to create an Asian muppet as well,” Another creation of the Coming Together initiative was an 8-year-old African American puppet named Tamir, who spoke about the issues of race inThe Power of We: A Sesame Street Speciallast year.
“You know what’s really cool about Sesame Street,” Ji-Young said in an interview withToday, “is that no matter what you look like, or how you play, or where you come from, you belong! And that’s really cool.” Elmo joined her in the interview commenting, “That’s what Sesame Street’s all about!” She also revealed she is a part of Elmo’s Best Friend Band.
See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Specialis set to premiere on November 25. If you may’t wait to see more of this electric and lovable muppet, you can watch Ji-Young perform her first song with the Best Friend Band below.
