Sesame Street is a place that welcomes everyone and embraces diversity and inclusive storylines, according to a release shared with Blavity. In 2020, the program acknowledged the need to help families tackle complex topics like race, ethnicity and culture with their children. 

The Word of the Day series, produced in partnership with Warner Media Kids and Family, is inspired by the well-known Sesame Street segment that features the muppets and their celebrity friends learning about new words like “Belonging,” “Fairness” and “Proud.”

Gorman first introduced the word “Upstander,” and viewers can now watch the videos simultaneously on Sesame Street’s YouTube channel, the Cartoon Network and Cartoonito’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter channels.  

“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,” Gorman said in a release shared with Blavity. “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,” Dennis Williams, senior vice president, corporate affairs and corporate social responsibility, WarnerMedia, added. “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.”

The new “Word of the Day” videos join a host of other Coming Together content that celebrates uplifting themes of racial, ethnic and cultural identities in a developmentally appropriate way. 

Other videos will feature original songs, interviews and inspiring messages for children and caregivers from the Sesame Street muppets. 

Check out Gorman’s new Word of the Day here. For more resources and information about Coming Together, visit Sesame Workshop’s www.sesameworkshop.org.