Sesame Street has been gracing television screens since 1975, educating and delighting both young and old. From its inception, it has worked to promote diversity and inclusion. It continues this tradition today.
On Sunday, May 7, 2023, TJ, the first Filipino American Muppet, made his debut appearance on the beloved children’s show. He appeared in a segment about confidence and talked about learning Tagalog. TJ is confident because he knows his lola, the Tagalog word from grandma, always has his back.
TJ was created by Filipino American animator Bobby Pontillas. He was inspired by his close friend’s children, Max and Mateo. TJ is brought to life by voice actor and puppeteer Yinan Shentu.
This new character is close to home for Sesame Workshop’s director of talent, Rosemary Espina Palacios. She is also of Filipino descent.
“I’m so proud to help bring some Filipino representation to the neighborhood, and just in time for API Heritage Month to show the range in our diaspora,” she wrote on Instagram. “His first segment with @kalpenn and Ji-Young is all about confidence, something I personally feel can help unravel the model minority stereotype.”
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TJ appeared alongside Kal Penn and Muppet Ji-Young, who is performed by Kathleen Kim. Ji-Young was introduced to help children learn about and process the rising tide of racism against Asian Americans.
Sesame Street actor Alan Muraoka stresses the importance of this.
“It’s necessary for the next generation of kids to understand these issues because they’re real issues and they’re issues that I don’t see going away in the foreseeable future,” he said.
