'Sesame Street' Introduces First Asian American Muppet Called Ji-Young

For the first time since its launch more than five decades ago, "Sesame Street" is introducing its first Asian American muppet, Ji-young.

The new character will formally make her debut in "See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special." The said episode will celebrate the diversity of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. It will also feature celebrities such as Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi and Naomi Osaka, reported People.

Ji-young is a 7-year-old Korean American girl who has two passions — playing her electric guitar and skateboarding. The new kid on the street is excited to tell her friends and neighbors about the different aspects of Korean culture, including food. In fact, she loves whipping up dishes such as tteokbokki (chewy rice cakes) with her grandmother, according to AP News.

She revealed what her name means and said it felt like she's been destined to be a part of the show, which first aired on 10 November 1969.

"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. But we were looking it up and guess what? Ji also means sesame," she explained as per the outlet.

Ji-young will be performed by Kathleen Kim, a 41-year-old Korean American puppeteer. Some of the character's personality is based on her.

Kim was accepted into a "Sesame Street" workshop in 2014. It later turned into mentorship and she was eventually offered a spot on the show.

Apparently, she watched the show as a kid, so becoming a part of it and helping create an original muppet are such a dream come true for her.

"I feel like I have a lot of weight that maybe I'm putting on myself to teach these lessons and to be this representative that I did not have as a kid," Kim said.

However, fellow puppeteer Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, who performs Abby Cadabby, reminded her that "it's not about us... It's about this message."

Kay Wilson Stallings, executive vice president of creative and production for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind "Sesame Street," said Ji-young was created following the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"When we knew we were going to be doing this work that was going to focus on the Asian and Pacific Islanders experience, we of course knew we needed to create an Asian muppet as well," Stallings said.

Kim then added that it's crucial that Ji-young is not "generically pan-Asian" because "that's something that all Asian Americans have experienced. They kind of want to lump us into this monolithic 'Asian.'"

"I remember like the Atlanta shootings and how terrifying that was for me," Kim added. "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."

Ji-young will be featured heavily throughout the 53rd season of "Sesame Street" next year and won't just be used in episodes that tackle racial justice, Stallings assured the public.

The episode is all set to drop on Thanksgiving Day on HBO Max, "Sesame Street" social media platforms and on local PBS stations.