Entertainment

'Sesame Street' tackles poverty, hunger with new muppet

By Tamy Cozier

1:25 PM on 10/04/2011

READ MORE: Hunger, Poverty, Sesame Street, USDA, Children, Education, Television

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'Lily' (courtesy of Sesame Street)

A new muppet will make its way to Sesame Street come October 9, but the typical sunny days touted in the show's infamous theme song are not in the cards for the latest addition.

Sesame Street's new character Lily is a "food insecure" puppet whose family struggles with hunger issues. The hot pink puppet with a purple nose and turquoise eyelids will make her debut in a PBS special called Growing Hope Against Hunger.

The hour-long show will tackle the societal issue of hunger among low- and moderate-income families in the US. And with the USDA reporting that nearly one in four American families have limited access to affordable and nutritious food, the timing of the special is especially relevant.

theGrio opinion: 40 years of diversity makes Sesame Street a unique destination

WATCH NBC NIGHTLY NEWS COVERAGE OF THE NEW CHARACTER:

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Lily is the first character on Sesame Street to deal with the issue of food insecurity, which is an effect of economic poverty. Some may think that Oscar the Grouch is a poverty stricken character but according to Galarza, the thrash can bound muppet is not poor but from Grouchland and that is the reason for his appearance.

Sesame Street may be for kids, but the show has a history of addressing important issues that are difficult for parents and guardians to address with children such as bullying and grief following the death of a parent.

The kid-friendly show has not shied away from addressing sensitive subjects such as race and diversity either. Sesame Street debuted in 1969 and was one of the firsts during that time to feature a multicultural cast in non-stereotypical roles. For instance, the long-time character Gordon continues to this day to be a positive portrayal of an African-American male on television.

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A new muppet will make its way to _Sesame Street_ come October 9, but the typical sunny days touted in the show's infamous theme song are not in the cards for the latest addition. _Sesame Street_'s new character Lily is a "food insecure" puppet whose family struggles with hunger issues. The hot pink puppet with a purple nose and turquoise eyelids will make her debut in a PBS special called _Growing Hope Against Hunger_. The hour-long show will tackle the societal issue of hunger among low- and moderate-income families in the US. And with the USDA reporting that nearly one in four American families have limited access to affordable and nutritious food, the timing of the special is especially relevant. theGrio opinion: 40 years of diversity makes Sesame Street a unique destination WATCH NBC NIGHTLY NEWS COVERAGE OF THE NEW CHARACTER:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

"Hunger is a huge problem that is on the rise," said Rocío Galarza, senior director of content planning and design outreach at Sesame Workshop, which is the non-profit arm of the show responsible for creating educational content. "We have been working on this topic for a while and we were lucky to get funding from Wal-Mart to create this awareness campaign." Lily is the first character on _Sesame Street_ to deal with the issue of food insecurity, which is an effect of economic poverty. Some may think that Oscar the Grouch is a poverty stricken character but according to Galarza, the thrash can bound muppet is not poor but from Grouchland and that is the reason for his appearance. _Sesame Street_ may be for kids, but the show has a history of addressing important issues that are difficult for parents and guardians to address with children such as bullying and grief following the death of a parent. The kid-friendly show has not shied away from addressing sensitive subjects such as race and diversity either. _Sesame Street_ debuted in 1969 and was one of the firsts during that time to feature a multicultural cast in non-stereotypical roles. For instance, the long-time character Gordon continues to this day to be a positive portrayal of an African-American male on television.