Julia’s Family Comes to Sesame Street During Autism Awareness Month

Sesame Workshop introduces Julia’s family to Sesame Street to kick off Autism Awareness Month.

Julia, the 4-year-old Sesame Street Muppet with autism, made her debut in 2015 as part of Sesame Workshop’s Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative. New videos and educational materials — freely available in English and Spanish — introduce Julia’s parents, big brother, and companion dog, who first appeared in last year’s Family Forever storybook. Autism affects 1 in 59 children today.

On April 8, both HBO and PBS KIDS will premiere a new Julia-focused Sesame Street episode in which Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Alan help Julia feel less scared about getting a haircut by playing “hair salon” and pretending to be hair stylists.

Additionally, on April 6, Barnes & Noble will hold storytime events in more than 630 locations nationwide, featuring the Family Forever hardcover storybook by Random House Children’s Books.

Sesame Workshop also issued the new Circle of Friends storybook, which focuses on bullying — an issue which disproportionately affects children with autism — and the Playground Friends digital game.

For parents, Sesame Workshop also released a behind-the-scenes look at how the team at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop created Julia’s family.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.