'Sesame Street' Introduces First Muppet With Autism Named Julia
The long-time running educational show for kids "Sesame Street" will soon introduce its first muppet with autism named Julia.
Julia has been the focus of a recent episode of the CBS show "60 Minutes" where host Lesley Stahl went to the studio of "Sesame Street" and learned more about her. For everyone who has been watching "Sesame Street," they know that Julia was introduced in the show's online initiative. And starting next month, Julia will be joining the television show as a recurring character.
By bringing Julia to the show, "Sesame Street" showrunners also intend to introduce kids and the rest of its viewers to the usual tendencies that kids with autism have. For example, children with autism have a low tolerance for noise so it makes them upset when they hear overwhelming sounds.
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Sesame Workshop's Senior Vice President for Curriculum and Content Rosemarie Truglio explained that their goal is to tell viewers why children with autism act the way they do. "Give children that information. She's acting this way because she's on the autism spectrum. But then, you can still be friends," Truglio said.
One of the lead designers of puppets for "Sesame Street," Rollie Krewson, revealed that they needed to be very precise in considering every detail about Julia's appearance. For example, Krewson explained that Julia's eyes need to exude an "intense look" while still looking friendly.
"Her hair had to be made so that her bangs weren't in her eyes and that her hair didn't fall into her mouth. And she couldn't have any adornments in her hair—no barrettes, no ribbons," Krewson further explained to Stahl.
According to the snippets of the "60 Minutes" episode, "Sesame Street" has been known to be a show for kids while not skipping some of the sensitive topics that are at the same time essential for them to learn at an early age. "Sesame Street" has also dealt with the topic of racism and even death in its 50 years of existence.
What is also interesting is that the puppeteer that portrays Julia, Stacey Gordon, is actually a mother of a boy with autism. "I said, 'If there's a puppet, I want to be her.' ... [I thought] it's so far out there, it's never going to happen. It's never going to happen," Gordon tells Stahl.
Julia will be introduced in the TV version of "Sesame Street" in an episode airing on Monday, April 10 on HBO and PBS KIDS.
