Sesame Streethas been on the air for 52 years, which for so many of us means that we have had the privilege ofgrowing up with the Muppetswho have become household names. There are few characters more irreverent than Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster and the crew. For five decades, the Muppets ofSesame Streethave hung out in living rooms all over the world,teaching life lessonsto young kids and parents alike.

We’d argue thatallof the Muppets are important, especially since they’ve helped young people understand issues ranging from whether or not it’s okay toeat cookies all the time(it’s not) to what it feels like togrieve the loss of a friend, but here are 10 Muppets who have been particularly instrumental in teaching parents and children about tough topics over the show’s past 52 years.

Karli taught us about foster care and how addiction affects kids.

Lily taught us about homelessness and food insecurity.

In December 2018, the show introduced its first homeless muppet, Lily. Lily had been on the show since 2011, but seven years later, in a response to the rise of homelessness, she admitted to Elmo that she does not have her own place to live.Sesame Workshop announcedthat Lily’s storyline would be used to “offer help and hope to the growing number of young children across the United State who are experiencing homelessness,” and created new videos, books and activities for families.

Julia taught us about autism and its various (sometimes harmful) stereotypes.

Alex taught us what it was like to have a parent who is incarcerated.

In June 2013,Sesame Streettackled parental incarceration when they introduced a muppet named Alex in their online series, “Little Children, Big Challenges.”

Rudy helped teach us about being part of a blended family.

Osvaldo taught us about different cultures (he was from Puerto Rico)andwas the first bilingual Muppet.

The show has always been ahead of its time, introducing Osvaldo el Gruñón (a.k.a. Oswald the Grouch), a Muppet from Puerto Rico, in 1979. Osvaldo was the first bilingual Muppet on the show; now, Spanish is spoken frequently on the series.

Rosita was the first Latina muppet (and second bilingual Muppet) on the show. She also taught us about military families and deployment.

After Osvaldo, there was Rosita, a Muppet from Mexico who is also bilingual (and full of energy)! She often presents kids with the Spanish word of the day. In 2003, more than a decade after her 1991 debut, it was revealed that Rosita’s dadhad been in the militaryand that he needed a wheelchair due to his injuries. In 2012,Michelle Obamaand Jill Bidenappeared on the showwith Elmo and Rosita to talk about military families.

Kami, the HIV-positive muppet from South Africa, brought awareness to HIV/AIDS.

Kami, a Muppet from the South African co-production ofSesame Street,made history in 2003 when it was revealed that she was HIV-positive. After the announcement, Kami appeared with the likes of Bill Clinton,Oprah Winfrey, Desmond Tutu, Laura Bush and Whoopi Goldberg, to bring awareness to the cause. Kami taught children lessons about the disease, such as how it can (and cannot be) transmitted and how to handle the loss of a loved one.

Aristotle taught us about what it is like to be visually impaired.

In 1982, the show introduced Aristotle, a blind Muppet who helped his friends to understand that a visually impaired person can be just as capable as his or her friends with sight.

source: people.com