The first homeless Muppet, Lily, has officially hit Sesame Street.
For decades, Sesame Street has helped kids learn the basics, like letters and numbers. But the show also has a history of helping children deal with really tough issues, like death, disease, and crime. With homelessness on a steady rise across the US, it only makes sense that Sesame Street would turn homelessness into a teachable moment, too.
Enter Lily, a 7-year-old pink Muppet.
"Lily is the first Muppet we've created whose storyline includes that she is experiencing homelessness," Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy for Sesame Workshop, told CNN.
Lily's character was first introduced back in 2011, when she became the first Muppet to experience food insecurity. Now her family has lost their home, forcing them to move into a friend's house.
The story line is part of the Sesame Street in Communities program's new homelessness initiative. Homelessness is an issue that impacts thousands of children. Yet, as Sherrie explained, we rarely consider housing transitions from a child's point of view: "We realize that Sesame has a unique ability to do that, to look at tough issues with the lens of a child."
Sesame Street has always been known for its inclusive cast of characters. Now the show is adding an entirely new plot to the list: a Muppet who experiences homelessness.
Meet Lily. She is a 7-year-old Muppet whose family recently lost their home. They've moved into a friend's house until they can get on their feet.
"Lily is the first Muppet we've created whose storyline includes that she is experiencing homelessness," Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy for Sesame Workshop, told CNN.
"When Lily was first launched, she came out as part of the food insecurity initiative. So she's not brand new, but this seemed like a really perfect extension of her story, so that we could use her to help children identify with," Sherrie explained.
Lily's homelessness won't appear in televised Sesame Street episodes. But videos about her situation appear as part of the Sesame Street in Communities program online.
With between 500,000 and 2.8 million homeless youths in the US each year, the goal of the new Sesame Street program is to explore the issue of homelessness through the lens of a child.
"With any of our initiatives, our hope is that we're not only reaching the children who can identify with that Muppet but that we're also helping others to have greater empathy and understanding of the issue," Sherrie said.
In reaction to the new storyline, some Sesame Street fans have called attention to the O.G. "homeless" muppet, Oscar the Grouch, on social media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUH3T9lAxYS/
And while, yes, Oscar does technically live on the street in a trash can, that trash can is his house! And his character never openly talks about being without a home.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUhH3OFgDZh/
Lily is just the latest Muppet to break the mold. Sesame Street has been on-air since 1969, and it's boasted many other diverse characters since then.
Last year, the show introduced Julia, the first Muppet to have autism.
Julia's character began in the Sesame Street storybooks and became so popular that she was soon added to the TV series.
And South Africa's version of Sesame Street, Takalani Sesame, introduced Kami in 2002. Kami was the first Muppet to be HIV positive.
Sesame Street has never shied away from real-life issues. Somehow, it finds a way to turn those issues into an educational experience for viewers — both caregivers and children.
As Sherrie explained Lily's story:
"The goal is really to give service providers, parents, teachers tools in order to address homelessness with children, in order to talk about it and raise awareness of the issue from a child's perspective and also to help children experiencing homelessness feel less alone."
"I think we tend to think of homelessness as an adult issue and don't always look at it through the lens of a child, and we realize that Sesame has a unique ability to do that, to look at tough issues with the lens of a child," Sherrie said.
You can watch the video about Lily and her family's housing transition on the Sesame Street in Communities website.
