In an effort to comfort kids in these trying times, the Muppets from Sesame Street are hosting a brand new special that aims to bring some solace and joy to kids during the coronavirus pandemic. The special is premiering Tuesday night with many different ways to watch from around the world.
Sesame Street: Elmo’s Playdate will be hosted by everyone’s favorite, Elmo. Elmo will be virtually hanging out with celebrity friends, Anne Hathaway, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Elmo’s Playdate will include Muppet friends and celebrity friends alike.
Muppet friends like Grover, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby will also be in attendance as the group celebrates health care workers, discuss baking cookies, and they’ll discover new ways of coming together playing while practicing social distancing.
A release from the nonprofit organization Sesame Workshop describes the event in detail:
“Celebrities and Sesame Street friends will sing songs, play games, and take silly dance breaks. Tracee Ellis Ross plays a game of “Elmo Says,” Lin-Manuel Miranda pops in for a few rounds of “Old McDonald Had a Farm,” Anne Hathaway and Elmo get moving with “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” and more.”
The Sesame Street event hopes to entertain and inspire children and families who might be feeling isolated right now.
Organizers further detailed their hopes for the special writing, “We hope Sesame Street: Elmo’s Playdate will entertain and inspire families at a moment when so many are feeling isolated and overwhelmed by current events.”
“With help from our distribution partners around the world, this special will encourage parents and kids to gather and relax as a family, in a way that only the Sesame Street Muppets can,” Steve Youngwood, president of media and education and chief operating officer of Sesame Workshop explained.
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The virtual playdate is part of a larger initiative called ‘Caring for Each Other.’
The special event is part of a larger initiative from Sesame Workshop called ‘Caring for Each Other.’ The initiative features a variety of resources for families including ideas for at-home play and learning, self-care tips for parents, mental health guidance and more.
‘Caring for Each Other’ was launched in response to the coronavirus outbreak. It hopes to help fill some gaps between the resources that were once provided by schools and what’s available at home as many parents are juggling work, homeschooling their kids, unemployment, and much more.
Creators of the event promise ‘the furriest virtual hangout ever.’
Creating the event was met with a lot of logistical challenges as producers, puppeteers, editors and more all had to collaborate remotely. A producer of the show told The New York Times, “It was a lot of work! But everyone leaned into it. It’s the way Sesame Workshop has always responded to the most pressing needs of kids. We try to evolve as they do.”
Sesame Street: Elmo’s Playdate will air on WarnerMedia networks—HBO, HBO Latino, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and truTV—and PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and streaming platforms on Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT. PBS stations will re-air the special throughout the month. Beginning on April 15, the special will also air in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Singapore, and Canada.
That means there are plenty of ways for kids and families to enjoy this event. We think we need Elmo and his friends more than ever. Judging from the trailer for Sesame Street: Elmo’s Playdate, it’s going to be a blast to see the Muppets parody our Zoom calls and virtual meetups. We can’t wait!
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