Sesame Street's newest character has autism, and she's brilliant
In a bid to reduce the stigma surrounding autism, Sesame Street has introduced Julia, a muppet with red hair, green eyes and autism – and she is great.
The new character, who will make her TV debut in April, has already featured in print and digital storybooks.
In a few weeks, a new Muppet will come to Sesame Street. Her name is Julia, and she has autism. Meet her next on #60Minutes pic.twitter.com/DvjDfSB0xI
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 19, 2017
Julia is part of an initiative called Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in all Children, and by bringing her on board, writers hope to reduce the stigma surrounding the condition.
Sesame Street has introduced its latest addition to the show: Julia, a muppet who has autism https://t.co/0aLTBtsM9p pic.twitter.com/AvH8ZcIrVG
— Jezebel (@Jezebel) March 20, 2017
"The big discussion right at the start was, 'How do we do this? How do we talk about autism?'" Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro told the CBS News show 60 Minutes.
Bravo @60Minutes on your story tonight on @sesamestreet intro of its 1st character on #autism spectrum! We can't wait to meet muppet Julia! pic.twitter.com/NSSmXxXGY8
— Areva Martin, Esq. (@ArevaMartin) March 20, 2017
"It's tricky because autism is not one thing, because it is different for every single person who has autism."
Sesame Street has been around for 50 years, and the latest addition joins Big Bird, Elmo, Bert and Ernie and Cookie Monster.