Sesame Workshop Launches Word of the Day Video Series

Sesame Workshop has launched the next phase of its Coming Together initiative with the Word of the Day video series.

Produced in partnership with WarnerMedia Kids & Family, the series features Sesame Street Muppets and celebrities learning words such as “belonging,” “fairness” and “proud.” The first episode stars poet Amanda Gorman, who introduces the word “upstander.”

Other celebrity guests will include Samuel L. Jackson, Gabrielle Union, Brett Goldstein, Anna Cathcart, Zazie Beetz, Ava DuVernay and First Lady Jill Biden. The videos will roll out on Sesame Street’s YouTube channel and across Cartoon Network and Cartoonito’s social channels.

The Word of the Day videos joins other Coming Together content that celebrates themes of racial, ethnic and cultural identities in a developmentally appropriate way. Other short-form videos feature original songs, interviews and inspiring messages from Sesame Street Muppets. Coming Together also includes a CNN Town Hall and two full-length specials—The Power of We and See Us Coming Together.

“Sesame Street is such a beloved institution and source of joy and understanding for children; when I was little it was absolutely one of my favorite shows,” said Gorman. “It was the honor of a lifetime to visit Sesame Street in person!”

“It’s incredibly important that we are constantly providing the resources for our children that reinforce messages of love and unity, and now more than ever, inclusivity and resilience,” said Dennis Williams, senior VP of corporate affairs and corporate social responsibility at WarnerMedia. “Working with these respected talent and educators that our youth audiences trust and find engaging, we couldn’t be prouder to be an ongoing partner in this wonderful collaboration with Sesame Workshop.”

“We know that children are not colorblind; they absorb messages about their own and others’ identities from a very young age, from their own lives and the world around them,” added Akimi Gibson, Sesame Workshop’s VP and education publisher and one of the leaders of the Coming Together initiative. “To help children of all backgrounds build empathy and self-esteem, families need language to talk about race, ethnicity and culture in an open and positive way. With these new videos—and as with all of our Coming Together content—we want to support caregivers as they help their children navigate our complex world.”