Sesame Street is quickly proving it’s far more than a kid’s TV show about furry muppets. The US program has just revealed that one its muppets’ mothers has struggled with opioid addiction.
According to The Washington Post, Karli appeared on the show earlier this year as a muppet in foster care because her mother had a “grown-up problem.” It’s no surprise that Sesame Street is tackling drug addiction. According to Sesame Workshop, data shows 5.7M children under the age of 11 live in households with a parent struggling with substance abuse.
“There’s nothing else out there that addresses substance abuse for the young, young kids from their perspective,” Kama Einhorn, senior content manager with Sesame Workshop said. “Even a parent at their most vulnerable – at the worst of their struggle – can take one thing away when they watch it with their kids, then that serves the purpose.”
Karli is part of the Sesame Street in Communities project, an initiative providing resources, strategies and support for community providers. She will be joined on the show by Salia Woodbury, a 10-year-old girl whose parents are also in recovery.
It’s not the first time Sesame Street has taken on real life issues affecting children. Previous episodes of the kid’s show have featured muppets with HIV, jailed parents, autism and have explored topics like homelessness, women’s rights and self-acceptance.
“For everything we’ve done – from military family to homelessness – it’s all about how to make children free to talk and to give parents the tools to do just that,” Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy for Sesame Workshop said. “They tend to avoid it and it’s what they need more than anything.”
With shows like Sesame Street encouraging positive and open conversations between adults and children, the future’s looking bright.