Sesame Street introduces its first ever FOSTER Muppet, Karli, along with her 'for-now parents' - as it vows to offer better support to children who are living in social care
- Karli was unveiled on Monday as part of Sesame Street in Communities
- The initiative works to support foster children, parents and the providers
- A plethora of videos involving Karli work to help kids in their situations
- Karli was taken in by her 'now parents' because her mother is unable to take care of her at this time, she explained during a video
- One video with Karli explained her situation and how her heart can grow
- Previously, the show has also handled topics about divorce, homelessness, family members incarceration, grieving and many more
Sesame Street introduced a new character to the long-running children's show, and she is a Muppet in the foster care system.
The new Muppet named Karli was officially unveiled on Monday as part of the the Sesame Street in Communities program created by the popular children's program.
'We are excited to announce a new @SesameCommunity initiative to support foster children, foster parents, & providers who serve foster families,' Sesame Street shared on Twitter when announcing the new Muppet.
New friend: Karli, pictured with popular Muppet Elmo, was unveiled on Monday as part of Sesame Street in Communities
Love: Multiple videos with Karli and her 'now parents' were released online as a resource for people in or impacted by the foster care system
Important: Sesame Street in Communities program works to support foster children, parents and the providers
The tweet continued: 'With the help of Karli, a Muppet in foster care, these resources aim to reassure children & help them feel safe.'
According to a press release from Sesame Workshop, the program 'provides free resources for community providers and caregivers on various topics, including tough issues like homelessness and traumatic experiences.'
The free, bilingual services were released online Monday and provide both digital and printable options about the topic of foster care.
Karli joined the Muppets family with her 'for-now' parents, Dalia and Clem.
In one video titled A Heart Can Grow on the Sesame Community program, Elmo is seen coloring pictures with Karli where the new Muppet decides to speak up about her living situation and parents.
'In the very first heart is me and my mom together, but my mom can’t be with me right now even though she loves me very much,' Karli said to Elmo while drawing a picture of herself inside a heart with her biological mother.
'But then I came here to stay with my foster parents, and they gave me a big hug,' she continued, drawing another heart around the first heart. 'And that made my heart feel a little bigger.'
Share this article
Learning moment: One video had Karli drawing a heart and detailing how it has grown since joining her foster family
Sweet message: She explained how even though her biological mom still loved her, it was best for Karli to be with her foster parents. But that didn't mean she could no longer love her mom
Precious: Elmo then expressed his love for Karli and their new friendship
Praise: The new character has received praise from people online. Sesame Street has tackled other difficult topics including homelessness, grieving and family members incarceration
Karlie's drawing only continued as she showed viewers what makes her heart grow even more with each experience she has since joining her foster family's home.
'…My heart feels like it grows a little bit more,' Karli said. 'And Dalia told me that even when our hearts feel sad and small, they can grow. The more love they get, the more they grow.'
Elmo then adorably said at the end of the video that his friendship with Karli also made his heart grow.
The heartwarming moment was used to explain Karli's situation to the Sesame Street audience in a way that would help younger children better understand the foster care system.
'Fostering a child takes patience, resilience, and sacrifice, and we know that caring adults hold the power to buffer the effects of traumatic experiences on young children,' said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Senior Vice President of US Social Impact at Sesame Workshop in the release.
'We want foster parents and providers to hear that what they do matters — they have the enormous job of building and rebuilding family structures and children’s sense of safety,' she continued. 'By giving the adults in children’s lives the tools they need — with help from the Muppets — we can help both grownups and children feel seen and heard and give them a sense of hope for the future.'
The foster care system is not the only difficult subject Sesame Street has tackled during its 50-year reign on TV.
Previously, the show has also handled topics about divorce, homelessness, family members incarceration, grieving and many more.
- Sesame Workshop Launches New Initiative to Support Children in Foster Care | Sesame Workshop
- Sesame Street on Twitter: "Even when hearts feel like they’re breaking, they can still grow bigger and bigger with more love and care. Karli, a young Muppet in foster care, and her friend @Elmo look at what fills up their hearts in this ne ...
