‘Sesame Street’ Welcomes New Korean-American Character To The Neighbourhood

She’s a seven-year old Korean-American who loves skateboarding and shredding on her guitar, and hopes to introduce her neighbors to great food she grew up with, like tteokbokki (chewy rice cakes) with her halmoni (grandmother).

Ji-Young will formally be introduced in “See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special” that will premiere on Thanksgiving Day (November 25th) on HBO Max, “Sesame Street” social media platforms, and local PBS stations. The special will also feature Asian-American celebrities Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi, and Naomi Osaka.

Related...Sesame Street Takes on Anti-Asian Racism

Kay Wilson Stallings, executive vice-president of Creative and Production for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind “Sesame Street" revealed that as part of the show's continued dedication to diversity, they created two task forces: one to look at content and the other to examine diversity in the show.

The culmination of their work was “Coming Together,” a multi-year initiative addressing how to talk to children about race, ethnicity, and culture. The initiative involves outside experts and a cross section of employees, known as the “culture trust,” who weigh in on every aspect of a new muppet.