<i>Sesame Street</i>'s Newest Muppet Deals with the Opioid Crisis

One of the greatest aspects of Sesame Street in recent years is that it directly addresses the emotional needs of kids who face problems that are bigger than themselves. One muppet character has HIV. Another is homeless. Another has autism. There’s a muppet whose father is in prison.

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No kid should have to deal with these ordeals. But they do, so Sesame Street steps up to help.

Most recently, the show introduced Karli. This muppet’s parents are in recovery from drug addiction. Karli and her friend, the human character Salia, talk about their challenges. WTHR 13 reports:

In the segment, Karli and Salia each hold up hand-drawn pictures of flowers, with multiple petals representing “big feelings” — like anger, sadness and happiness. They offer ways to feel better, including art and breathing exercises.

The segment leans on carefully considered language. Creators prefer “addiction” to “substance abuse” and “recovery” to “sobriety” because those terms are clearer to children. Despite the subject, the mood was light in the room, largely thanks to Jenkins’ calm and empathic manner.

“I know it feels awkward because people don’t normally have conversations standing shoulder-to-shoulder,” she told Salia between takes. “This is weird, but trust me, it looks good.”

Karli had already been introduced as a puppet in foster care earlier this year but viewers now will understand why her mother had to go away for a while. The introduction of her backstory follows other attempts by entertainment companies to explore the issues of addiction, including “The Connors” on ABC and “Euphoria” on HBO.

-via Instapundit

Source: neatorama

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