New Collectibles • New Muppet Whatnot and Monster Puppets • 11/10 - Classic Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days DVD Box Set and A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street Book • 11/03 - Fraggle Rock Season 4 DVD, A Merry Fraggle Holiday DVD and Fraggle Rock Complete Series Collection Giftset • 10/06 - Elmo's Animal Adventures DVD • 9/29 - A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa DVD, The Dark Crystal Blu-Ray and Labyrinth Blu-Ray • 9/1 - Elmo's World: All About Faces DVD • Robert Tonner Dolls: Miss Piggy Classic, My Fair Piggy and Miss Piggy Takes Manhattan • 8/1 - Sid the Science Kid: Change Happens DVD and Sid the Science Kid: The Bug Club DVD • 7/1 - Muppet Show Comic Issue #4 Miss Piggy's Story and Muppet Robin Hood Issue #2 • 6/3 - Muppet Show Comic Issue #3 Gonzo's Story • 6/2 - Elmo & Abby's Birthday Fun DVD • 5/27 - Muppet Robin Hood Issue #1 • 5/19 - Kermit Culture Book: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson’s Muppets • 5/19 - Sesame Street Silly Songs CD • 5/4 - Sid the Science Kid CD - Volume 1 Join the Muppet Central Mailing List

Sesame Street video tackles kids' fears and focuses on terror

Courtesy of the Associated Press
June 25, 2003

The Muppets have more to offer than lessons on numbers, letters and shapes - now they're teaching children about fear, violence and war.

The nonprofit group behind "Sesame Street" announced plans Wednesday to distribute 75,000 copies of a video called "You Can Ask!" that encourages children to ask their parents when they are confused about feelings.

The video, paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is aimed at helping children cope with repeated media images of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and other violence in the world.

"Too often, children in America are witnessing too much, too soon," said Gary Knell, president and chief executive officer of Sesame Workshop.

At a press conference Wednesday, Emilio Delgado, who plays Luis on "Sesame Street," led 25 New York City kindergartners in a rendition of the alphabet song. Then he explained to a furry, teal Muppet named Rosita that "children can ask their parents questions when they're scared, when they're very confused and worried."

The videos will be distributed this summer and fall to schools, mental health offices, crisis counselors and child-care programs in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The producers hope to take the program nationwide.

Producers said it could be used to help kids handle everyday trauma, too.

In a segment on fear, a New York City firefighter helps Elmo - the bright-eyed, high-pitched red Muppet adored by children - grow comfortable with returning to Hooper's Store after a fire there.

In a segment on loss, an adult helps Big Bird feel better after a stray turtle he had cared for suddenly leaves his nest. Two other scenes deal with bullying and accepting others' differences.

The videos are in English, but instructional material for parents is also being offered in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Producers said they wanted to make sure children living in Chinatown, just blocks from ground zero, could benefit.

On the Net: "You Can Ask!": www.sesameworkshop.org/youcanask