“Sesame Street” is introducing its first homeless Muppet, Lily.
Lily (pictured above) is 7 years old and her family is “staying with friends on Sesame Street after losing their home,” Sesame Workshop said on Wednesday.
She’s not actually a new puppet, however — her situation just got a bit worse.
“Lily was originally introduced in 2011, when her family was struggling with hunger,” Sesame Workshop wrote in its release to media members. “Unfortunately, Lily’s path is common for many children experiencing homelessness.”
Lily, who is described as “resilient and relatable,” will be featured in new videos, storybooks, and interactive activities for families with children ages 2 to 6, in addition to materials for the professionals who serve them, such as teachers, social workers, and healthcare providers. The initiative is part of Sesame Workshop’s “Sesame Street in Communities” program and seeks to “help mitigate the impact of the trauma and stigma that result from homelessness.”
“We know children experiencing homelessness are often caught up in a devastating cycle of trauma — the lack of affordable housing, poverty, domestic violence, or other trauma that caused them to lose their home, the trauma of actually losing their home, and the daily trauma of the uncertainty and insecurity of being homeless,” said Sherrie Westin, president of Global Impact and Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop. “We want to help disrupt that cycle by comforting children, empowering them, and giving them hope for the future. We want them to know that they are not alone and home is more than a house or an apartment — home is wherever the love lives.”
Additionally, on Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. ET, “Sesame Street in Communities” will host an interactive conversation with a panel of expert providers to raise nationwide awareness about homelessness, its effects on children, and ways providers can help. Readers can watch and join in on the conversation on Facebook Live and YouTube.
“‘Sesame Street’s’ new initiative on homelessness is nothing short of transformative for those of us working to create a sense of stability and hope for families experiencing homelessness,” said Barbara Duffield, member of Sesame Workshop’s advisory committee and executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, a national non-profit organization working to overcome homelessness through education. “At SchoolHouse Connection, we are eager to use the new materials to increase the identification of children who are homeless in early childhood and educational settings, to increase support for children in homeless services and housing programs, and to raise the visibility of family homelessness among policymakers at every level.”
Sesame Workshop shared statistics that say 2.5 million children nationwide are “experiencing homelessness,” and that almost half of them are kids under six-years-old.
22 Most Shocking TV Character Deaths of 2018, From 'The Affair' to 'Westworld' (Photos)
If there was one thing 2018 taught us, it's that "shocking" is a truly relative term -- and we're not even talking about real-life instances here. Yes, it's pretty hard to blow anyone's mind these days, including that of TV viewers, making truly gasp-worthy small-screen character deaths few and far between. But that didn't stop several showrunners from doing their worst -- er, best, to totally kill you with these on-screen passings. Obviously, spoilers ahead.
Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) -- "This Is Us": We've known the Pearson family patriarch was going out long before the second season got around to showing how he died. The wham episode (which aired after the Super Bowl) packed a punch because of the twist that sees Jack of cardiac arrest due to smoke inhalation after a house fire the entire family manages to make it out of alive.
Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) -- "Fear the Walking Dead": Madison's death was one of several bombs the "Walking Dead" franchise dropped on fans this year. Dickens' exit left fans in a zombie-like haze they had barely recovered from by the time Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes said farewell to the main series.
Many, many residents of Westworld -- "Westworld": Several characters on Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's HBO sci-fi series died on the Season 2 finale, including Bernard, Charlotte Hale, Elsie, Robert Ford, Dolores and Maeve -- to name of a few of the many. The shocker here is the group is divided into those who stayed dead, didn't stay dead, and may or may not still be dead.
Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) -- "Star Trek: Discovery": Dr. Culber's death marked the passing of another small-screen LGBT characters death, made even more frustrating because the beloved doc was one half of "Star Trek's" first gay couple on TV.
Alison (Ruth Wilson) -- "The Affair": Allison's death at the end of Season 4 was a shock, but not as much of a shock as the behind-the-scenes story of Wilson's exit. Read about that here.
Anika (Grace Byers) -- "Empire": The death of "Kitty Boo Boo" was clearly a long-time coming, as "Empire" co-creator Danny Strong told TheWrap, but knowing Anika had it coming didn't help us contain our gasps during her Andre-assisted suicide.
David Rosen (Josh Malina) -- "Scandal": Truly the only real White Hat on the Shonda Rhimes political drama, David Rosen was never going to make it to the end of the series finale.
(Almost) everyone on Earth -- "American Horror Story: Apocalypse": This season was literally named after the end of the world, so it really would have been more shocking if no one died. Yes, pretty much everyone kicking the bucket (at one point or another) by the end of "AHS" Season 8 was expected. But the real "OMG!" for Ryan Murphy fans came when the clock was turned back and (mostly) everyone on the good side of the end-of-days battle was revived, thanks to Mallory (Billie Lourd).
So many Crains -- "Haunting of Hill House": Netflix's TV adaptation of the horror novel of the same name is packed with tragic moment upon tragic moment for the Crain family, but the deaths of Nellie and Olivia cut deeper than anything else the show throws at you. Oh, and if you didn't cry over Hugh's sacrifice in the finale, then you are truly dead inside.
Bill (David Haig) -- "Killing Eve": It's hard to say there's anything about the Sandra Oh-led BBC America spy thriller's first season that isn't shocking. But Bill going out was, uh, definitely up there.
June (Maya Rudolph) and Oscar (Fred Armisen) -- "Forever": Basically the premise of the whole show is that they're dead, but it was a secret. Surprise!
Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford) -- "Lethal Weapon": Riggs' death was definitely a kick in the head -- in-universe, that is. Roger Murtaugh losing his partner suddenly would have hit fans harder if it wasn't already very clear Fox was killing off Riggs before the Season 3 premiere even aired, due to on-set spats between Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford. Now that behind-the-scenes drama? Yeah, that was shocking.
Dede (Shelley Long) -- "Modern Family": The ABC sitcom teased a major character death leading up to its annual Halloween episode, and fulfilled that grim promise with the sudden passing of Mitch and Claire's mother.
Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) -- "House of Cards": Doug outlived his idol, Frank Underwood, making it all the way to the end of the series before being taken out by Claire herself.
Nick (Frank Dillane) -- "Fear the Walking Dead": Before Kim Dickens' exit, Dillane was killed off the series and we thought we'd never recovery. Nick, one of the few remaining original characters, was shot in the chest by Charlie, sending us into tears for days. The death was made even more shocking by the fact that Dillane asked to be written off.
Eden (Sydney Sweeney) -- "The Handmaid's Tale": Young, sweet Eden's execution marks a turning point in Season 2 of the Hulu adaptation. The moment horrifies Serena Joy and makes her question her beliefs about Gilead's dystopian society.
Werner Ziegler (Rainer Bock) -- "Better Call Saul": Werner's death proves that Mike Ehrmantraut is becoming the man you always knew he would be before "Breaking Bad."
Alan Pangborn (Scott Glenn) -- "Castle Rock": Pangborn is accidentally offed by his lover Ruth Deaver (Sissy Spacek) just over halfway through the first season of Hulu's Stephen King-universe series.
Here are all the small-screen demises that packed a big punch this year
If there was one thing 2018 taught us, it's that "shocking" is a truly relative term -- and we're not even talking about real-life instances here. Yes, it's pretty hard to blow anyone's mind these days, including that of TV viewers, making truly gasp-worthy small-screen character deaths few and far between. But that didn't stop several showrunners from doing their worst -- er, best, to totally kill you with these on-screen passings. Obviously, spoilers ahead.