“Sesame Street” recently introduced TJ, its first Filipino muppet, on a segment with Kal Penn. The character of TJ is voiced by puppeteer and performer Yinan Shentu and created in part by Bobby Pontillas, a Filipino American animator. Pontillas wrote on Instagram that he collaborated with Louis Mitchell, Sesame Workshop’s creative director of character design, on the character. Rosemary Espina Palacios, Sesame Workshop’s director of talent outreach, inclusion and content development, also celebrated TJ’s arrival on Sesame Street. Last year, Ameera, a muppet character who uses a wheelchair, made her debut on “Ahlan Simsim,” the version of “Sesame Street” that airs in the Middle East and North Africa.

Source: CNN May 11, 2023 19:28 UTC