Sesame Street is introducing a new, special character into its TV show: Julia, an autistic girl. The children's show, considered the most inclusive one since its launch in 1969, hopes to break barriers as part of their initiative called See Amazing In All Children.
Julia was first introduced in the Sesame Street picture-book, Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing In All Children, in 2015. Then, an app for mobile and PC was launched, complete with helpful resources for family, friends and other neurotypicals. The creators at Sesame Workshop (which produces Sesame Street) started the initiative to help children, especially, to interact with autistic children in a more understanding and caring manner.
We’re excited to announce a new friend joining us on Sesame Street! She’s Julia, a 4-year-old with autism! #SeeAmazing pic.twitter.com/xDS3x2a5za
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) March 20, 2017
Kids will see Julia on TV from 10 April onwards. Meanwhile, short sketches were released online on YouTube, which preview Julia and how characters interact with her.
“Smiley, curious” Julia
Julia, who is 4-years-old, is shown to love singing and colouring. She is also adept at memorising lyrics quicker, is curious, and loud sounds distress her. She also doesn't make eye contact, doesn't speak much, and repeats words.
According to the creators, the project was a complicated endeavour, considering how vast the autism spectre is, making it difficult to find a one-size-fits-all solution to dealing with it.
With its 1st Julia ep, Sesame Street hopes to deliver a message of inclusion. Elmo: We really like Julia. She’s really special to us.” pic.twitter.com/UpgbMQr1pt
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 20, 2017
Stacey Gordon, the puppeteer who operates Julia, herself has an autistic son. The character was introduced online to overwhelming support, as people took to social media to thank the creators.
Wish Julia was on @sesamestreet when my son was 5.But happy shes here now. She can also show typical develop kids how 2 help kids w #Autism
— BOBBY G. (@BobbyGBklyn) March 20, 2017
And now this segment on Sesame Street and their new autistic character? It's beautiful. Nurture the good, you guys. Let the good grow.
— Traci (@manntr07) March 20, 2017
Everyone's welcome at Sesame Street
Julia joins the long list of characters that are meant to open up children's perspective about different kinds of people from different backgrounds.
Sesame Street and its characters, Elmo, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby and the Cookie Monster are known for more than just teaching children numbers and shapes. Built on expert advice from child psychologists, the show's earlier aims were to arrest attention and teach children subtle lessons on behaviour and inspire confidence through catchy songs, humour and repetition.
Over the years, it has tackled social issues in a simple, understandable manner. It taught children how to behave with one another. It even got into subjects such as death—after a character, Mr. Hooper, died, he wasn't replaced with another Muppet of the same name.
The show creators found a way to include adults and older children in their audience, by introducing celebrity guests and pop culture humour. Besides this, the show also gets local characters across regions to talk about specific regional social issues.
