By Honorary Reporter Myrtle Iris Villaraza from Philippines

The long-running children's TV show "Sesame Street" of the U.S. in May this year posted a video on its Instagram account on Korean culture to mark Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. 

In the video, a Muppet, or one of the show's puppets, named Ji-young is seen learning the traditional fan dance buchaechum and performing it with her friends.

Being both Asian and an Honorary Reporter, I felt proud to see such representation. Ji-young is age 7 and loves playing the electric guitar and soccer and cooking tteokbokki (spicy rice cake), which is her favorite food.

Ji-young, 7, a Korean American girl, is the first Asian American Muppet on "Sesame Street." (Sesame Workshop)

Behind the character is Kathleen Kim, a New York-based puppeteer, regular and voice actor, producer, writer and public speaker. A lifelong fan of puppetry, she joined a Sesame Puppetry Workshop in 2014 and started puppeteering for the show in 2016. 

Aside from Ji-young, Kim also plays Elena, the mother of Julia, a Muppet with autism.

The following are excerpts from a June 4-25 email interview with Kim. 

Kathleen Kim plays the Muppets Ji-young (left) and Elena, two Korean American Muppets on "Sesame Street." (Sesame Workshop)

How was Ji-young created for "Sesame Street?"
Ji-young was created in 2021 for the "Sesame Street" Emmy-winning special "See Us Coming Together," a celebration of AAPI diversity that also covered rising anti-Asian sentiment during COVID-19. To effectively deliver these messages, we needed a Muppet who was Asian, and since "Sesame Street" had me, a Korean American puppeteer, this character also turned out to be Korean American. 

We also picked a name that meant smart (Ji) and strong (Young), but when we found out "Ji" could also mean "sesame," we knew we had the right one.

What about Ji-young's role in representation of Asian and Korean Americans?
Ji-young debuted in 2021 at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the "Sesame Street" float. I was so nervous leading up to that moment because I felt like I was representing so many people and didn't want to disappoint any of them. But I realized that the best way to represent Asian American diversity was to make Ji-young an individual who happens to be Korean. 

She can't represent all Korean Americans or Asians, but can represent herself: a rock guitarist and skateboarder who is loud and sometimes impatient, has a big heart for her friends and family, and is very proud of being Korean.

How did people respond to Ji-young's debut?
After her debut on "Sesame Street" in 2021, my phone was inundated with messages for over a month. Friends, family and strangers shared how meaningful it was to see Ji-young and that it helped Asian Americans feel seen and included. Originally created for a special, Ji-young is now a regular on the show and has appeared in several episodes and on our YouTube channel.

What is your favorite "Sesame Street" episode with Ji-young and why?
This past season, we showed an episode in which our friends on "Sesame Street" celebrate Lunar New Year. I appreciated discussing how Korea, Vietnam and China all celebrate Lunar New Year differently. I loved that we showed that all Asian cultures are not the same.

I also loved "Fans of the Fan Dance" from Season 53. Between all the Korean dancers on set and the pansori (traditional lyrical opera) music, "Sesame Street" felt so Korean that day. The episode featured a little animation with Ji-young's grandmother, whom I helped design. Besides teaching our friends about buchaechum, I loved that Ji-young showed kids that it's OK to make mistakes; she kept dropping her fan but learned to pick it back up and move on.

Puppeteer Kathleen Kim in November 2021 shared via Instagram a piece of Ji-young fan art by a five-year-old fan. (Kathleen Kim)

What impact has Ji-young made on ethnic Korean children and adults?
I get photos of little Asian kids snuggling with their Ji-young doll, and it's absolutely surreal. I think it shows how important it is for us to see AAPI representation in media.

For Asian Americans who grew up not seeing anyone who looked like them on TV, showing their kids a Korean Muppet on "Sesame Street," a deeply American institution that they grew up watching, feels like a big step toward finally feeling like they belong here.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.