Sesame Street introduces new muppet, Julia - their first autistic character
In 2015, we introduced you to Sesame Street’s newest digital character, Julia - a muppet who is meant to represent an autistic child.
The introduction of Julia was the educational franchise's first digital character with autism, and was introduced as part of the show's online initiative, Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in all Children - an initiative aimed to reduce “the stigma of autism”.
The adorable red-haired character has been so popular that she is now being introduced alongside Big Bird and Elmo as a regular member of the Sesame Street cast.
Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop's senior vice president of US social impact, said: "In the US, one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
"We wanted to promote a better understanding and reduce the stigma often found around these children.
"Just as we look at all children as being unique, we should do the same thing when we're looking at children with autism."
Julia will be first seen on Sesame Street on an episode to be aired in the US on April 10.
