Sesame Street is about to grow by one.
Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird and Elmo will soon be joined by Julia.
Julia will have short hair, expressive eyes and Julia will also have autism.
Julia's introduction to The Street will be a gentle one, side-by-side with Big Bird.
At first she’ll be hesitant to shake Big Bird's hand with Elmo explaining that since Julia has autism, “sometimes it takes her a little longer to do things.”
Christine Ferraro, a Sesame Street writer, said, “It’s tricky because autism is not one thing, because it is different for every single person who has autism.”
Julia will have a short haircut so hair will not get in her eyes or mouth and there will be no disracting bows or buttons on her clothes.
Julia will also have a set of eyes that can close, so she can calm down if she needs to and she will also have a set of arms that can flap if she gets overwhelmed.
The puppeteer who plays Julia also happens to have a son with autism and the team consulted with autism organisations, teachers and families on how they could best connect with children with autism.
Julia will join Sesame Street in April.
