There’s a new resident on Sesame Street. Ji-Young, a Korean-American Muppet, makes her Street debut in the show’s Thanksgiving Day special, See Us Coming Together. With guests like Simu Liu, Padma Lakshmi, Naomi Osaka, and Anna Cathcart, See Us Coming Together celebrates the Asian and Pacific Islander community, something that’s especially important with the uptick in anti-Asian racial violence in the past few years.
But there’s more to Ji-Young than just her background. She’s also a guitar player, a pin collector, an aspiring skateboarder, and a super fun gal. That’s why she’s earned the respect and friendship of another fellow Sesame Street resident, Ernie, who joins her for a little “getting to know you” chat in the video below.
Here’s what Ji-Young had to say about her new ‘hood:
The A.V. Club: So when did you move to Sesame Street and what do you think of the neighborhood?
Ji-Young: Oh, I just recently moved to Sesame Street. I’m pretty new, but I got to say it’s been great. Everybody’s been so welcoming. There’s so many different kinds of people and monsters, and everybody’s been so nice. I really like it here.
Ernie: She’s a terrific addition to the neighborhood. She just moved in a short while ago, but she fits right in. She really belongs.
J-Y: I do feel like I belong here.
AVC: Ernie, how did you meet Ji-Young?
E: Oh, well, I knew that she and her family moved in, and so we have a tradition, Bert and I, where we go by and we say, “welcome to the neighborhood.” We tell people where to find groceries down at Hooper’s store. And if they’re birds, where to get the best birdseed milkshakes.
J-Y: But I’m not a bird.
E: No, she’s not a bird, so I didn’t mention that part. Actually, Cookie Monster bakes every newcomer to the neighborhood a big tray of cookies.
J-Y: Yeah, it was really delicious.
E: You actually got one? Usually he eats them all before he can deliver them.
J-Y: I snuck it fast and then I ate it under the table. I chewed slowly and quietly. But yes, I got it.
E: And finally, Oscar has this wonderful tradition where he tells new neighbors to scram so that they know they really belong in the neighborhood.
J-Y: Listen, when Oscar first told me to scram, it really felt like, “ah, I’m really on Sesame Street.”