Ji-Younger is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electrical guitar and skateboarding.
What’s in a reputation? Nicely, for Ji-Younger, the latest muppet resident of “Sesame Road,” her title is an indication she was meant to dwell there.
“So, in Korean historically the 2 syllables they every imply one thing totally different and Ji means, like, sensible or smart. And Younger means, like, courageous or brave and robust,” Ji-Younger defined throughout a current interview. “However we had been wanting it up and guess what? Ji additionally means sesame.”
At solely 7 years previous, Ji-Younger is making historical past as the primary Asian American muppet within the “Sesame Road” canon. She is Korean American and has two passions: rocking out on her electrical guitar and skateboarding. The kids’s TV program, which first aired 52 years in the past this month, gave The Related Press a primary take a look at its cute new occupant.
Ji-Younger will formally be launched in “See Us Coming Collectively: A Sesame Road Particular.” Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi and Naomi Osaka are among the many celebrities showing within the particular, which can drop Thanksgiving Day on HBO Max, “Sesame Road” social media platforms and on native PBS stations.
A few of Ji-Younger’s character comes from her puppeteer. Kathleen Kim, 41 and Korean American, acquired into puppetry in her 30s. In 2014, she was accepted right into a “Sesame Road” workshop. That developed right into a mentorship and turning into a part of the staff the next 12 months. Being a puppeteer on a present Kim watched rising up was a dream come true. However serving to form an unique muppet is an entire different feat.
“I really feel like I’ve a whole lot of weight that possibly I’m placing on myself to show these classes and to be this consultant that I didn’t have as a child,” Kim stated. However fellow puppeteer Leslie Carrara-Rudolph — who performs Abby Cadabby — reminded her, “It’s not about us … It’s about this message.”
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Ji-Younger’s existence is the end result of a whole lot of discussions after the occasions of 2020 — George Floyd’s loss of life and anti-Asian hate incidents. Like a whole lot of firms, “Sesame Road” mirrored on the way it may “meet the second,” stated Kay Wilson Stallings, govt vice-president of Inventive and Manufacturing for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit group behind “Sesame Road.”
Sesame Workshop established two process forces — one to take a look at its content material and one other to take a look at its personal variety. What developed was Coming Collectively, a multi-year initiative addressing tips on how to speak to youngsters about race, ethnicity and tradition.
One outcome was 8-year-old Tamir. Whereas not the present’s first Black muppet, he was one of many first used to speak about topics like racism.
“After we knew we had been going to be doing this work that was going to give attention to the Asian and Pacific Islanders expertise, we after all knew we would have liked to create an Asian muppet as effectively,” Stallings stated.
These newer muppets — their personalities and their appears to be like — had been remarkably constructed in a matter of a months. The method usually takes a minimum of a few years. There are exterior consultants and a cross-section of staff generally known as the “tradition belief” who weigh in on each side of a brand new muppet, Stallings stated.
For Kim, it was essential that Ji-Younger not be “generically pan-Asian.”
“As a result of that’s one thing that each one Asian Individuals have skilled. They sort of need to lump us into this monolithic ‘Asian,'” Kim stated. “So it was essential that she was particularly Korean American, not similar to, generically Korean, however she was born right here.”
One factor Ji-Younger will assist train youngsters is tips on how to be a great “upstander.” “Sesame Road” first used the time period on its “The Energy of We” TV particular final 12 months, which featured Tamir.
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“Being an upstander means you level out issues which might be improper or one thing that somebody does or says that’s primarily based on their adverse perspective in the direction of the particular person due to the colour of their pores and skin or the language they communicate or the place they’re from,” Stallings stated. “We would like our viewers to know they are often upstanders.”
In “See Us Coming Collectively,” Sesame Road is making ready for Neighbor Day the place everybody shares meals, music or dance from their tradition. Ji-Younger turns into upset after a child, off display screen, tells her “to return residence,” an insult generally flung at Asian Individuals and Pacific Islanders. However she feels empowered after Sesame Road’s different Asian American residents, visitor stars and pals like Elmo guarantee her that she belongs as a lot as anybody else.
The truth that Ji-Younger was created to counter anti-Asian sentiment makes her extra particular to Kim in some methods.
“I bear in mind just like the Atlanta shootings and the way terrifying that was for me,” Kim stated. “My one hope, clearly, is to truly assist train what racism is, assist train youngsters to have the ability to acknowledge it after which communicate out in opposition to it. However then my different hope for Ji-Younger is that she simply normalizes seeing totally different sorts of wanting youngsters on TV.”
Vanessa Leung, co-executive director of Coalition for Asian American Youngsters and Households, is worked up about Ji-Younger. The group was not concerned in Ji-Younger’s creation however beforehand consulted on anti-racism content material for Sesame Workshop. It issues when Asian American households, particularly with lots of them being immigrant households, can see themselves mirrored in an establishment like “Sesame Road,” Leung stated.
“It sparks curiosity and early understanding of the variety of our neighborhood, the sweetness within the variety of our neighborhood,” Leung stated.
Ji-Younger might be closely current all through the brand new season, Stallings reassured. She additionally will not simply be utilized for content material associated to racial justice. She is going to pop up in varied digital applications, live-action and animated.
As the brand new child on the road, Ji-Younger is wanting ahead to displaying her pals and neighbors elements of Korean tradition such because the meals. She loves cooking dishes like tteokbokki (chewy rice desserts) along with her halmoni (grandmother). And she or he already has one “Sesame Road” pal who needs a pattern.
“I’d like to strive it,” stated Ernie, who joined Ji-Younger’s interview. “You realize, I’ve tried bulgogi. I actually like bulgogi. I’m gonna guess that possibly previous buddy Bert has not tried Korean meals.”
Having already made a number of well-known pals on “Sesame Road,” is there anybody Ji-Younger nonetheless actually needs to fulfill?
“The Linda Lindas as a result of they’re so cool,” Ji-Younger stated, referring to the teenage punk rock band. “And so they rock out and so they’re cool ladies and most of them are Asian. They’re my heroes. If we will get the Linda Lindas on ‘Sesame Road,’ I’d present them round.”
