She is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electric guitar and skateboarding.
What’s in a name? Well, for Ji-Young, the newest muppet resident of her name is a sign she was meant to live there. « So, in Korean traditionally the two syllables they each mean something different and Ji means, like, smart or wise. And Young means, like, brave or courageous and strong, » Ji-Young explained during a recent interview. « But we were looking it up and guess what? Ji also means sesame. » At only 7 years old, Ji-Young is making history as the first Asian American muppet in the « Sesame Street » canon. She is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electric guitar and skateboarding. The children’s TV program, which first aired 52 years ago this month, gave The Associated Press a first look at its adorable new occupant. Ji-Young will formally be introduced in « See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special. » Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi and Naomi Osaka are among the celebrities appearing in the special, which will drop Thanksgiving Day on HBO Max, « Sesame Street » social media platforms and on local PBS stations. Some of Ji-Young’s personality comes from her puppeteer. Kathleen Kim,41 and Korean American, got into puppetry in her 30s. In 2014, she was accepted into a « Sesame Street » workshop. That evolved into a mentorship and becoming part of the team the following year. Being a puppeteer on a show Kim watched growing up was a dream come true. But helping shape an original muppet is a whole other feat. « I feel like I have a lot of weight that maybe I’m putting on myself to teach these lessons and to be this representative that I did not have as a kid, » Kim said. But fellow puppeteer Leslie Carrara-Rudolph — who performs Abby Cadabby — reminded her, « It’s not about us… It’s about this message. » Ji-Young’s existence is the culmination of a lot of discussions after the events of 2020 — and anti-Asian. Like a lot of companies, « Sesame Street » reflected on how it could « meet the moment, » said Kay Wilson Stallings, executive vice-president of Creative and Production for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind « Sesame Street.
