“So, in Korean traditionally the two syllables they each mean something different and Ji means, like, smart or wise.
At only seven years old, Ji-Young is making history as the first Asian American muppet in the children’s TV program, which first aired 52 years ago this month.
Ji-Young will formally be introduced in See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.
That evolved into a mentorship and becoming part of the team the following year.
Ji-Young’s existence is the culmination of a lot of discussions after the events of 2020 – George Floyd’s death and anti-Asian hate incidents.
Sesame Workshop established two taskforces – one to look at its content and another to look at its own diversity.
There are outside experts and a cross-section of employees known as the “culture trust” who weigh in on every aspect of a new muppet, Stallings said.
They kind of want to lump us into this monolithic Asian,’” Kim said.
But she feels empowered after Sesame Street’s other Asian American residents, guest stars and friends such as Elmo assure her she belongs as much as anyone else.
“I remember like the Atlanta shootings and how terrifying that was for me,” Kim said.
It matters when Asian American families, especially with many of them being immigrant families, can see themselves reflected in an institution like Sesame Street, Leung said.
“The Linda Lindas because they’re so cool,” Ji-Young said, referring to the teenage punk rock band.