{"id":20306,"date":"2026-03-11T09:08:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/the-inspiring-story-of-julia-sesame-streets-first-puppet-with-autism\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:09:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:09:46","slug":"the-inspiring-story-of-julia-sesame-streets-first-puppet-with-autism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/the-inspiring-story-of-julia-sesame-streets-first-puppet-with-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"The Inspiring Story of Julia, Sesame Street’s First Puppet With Autism"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a new puppet coming to Sesame Street<\/em>! On April 10, Julia, a a 4-year-old girl who is autistic, will join Elmo and the gang, giving more TV representation to children on the autism spectrum.<\/p>\n

Julia was first seen a year and a half ago as part of the program\u2019s \u201cSee Amazing In All Children\u201d initiative, where she appeared as an animated character in eBooks and online.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe response from the autism community to Julia was so overwhelming that we decided we would bring her to life on the show as well,\u201d Sherrie Westin, the Executive Vice President of Global Impact & Philanthropy for Sesame Street<\/em> tells Guideposts.org.<\/p>\n

The show saw a need that wasn\u2019t being met on TV and decided to do something about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we first set out to address the issue of autism, we had two goals,\u201d Westin says. \u201cOne was to create tools and resources to help families with children with autism make every day moments easier. The other was to destigmatize autism and raise awareness and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Writers and producers of the show worked with experts and advisers within the autism community to make sure they got Julia right, even going so far as specifically choosing to make her a girl to combat harmful stereotypes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that more often, boys are diagnosed on the spectrum than girls but because of that, we learned that a lot of people don\u2019t think that girls can have autism. This was yet another opportunity to debunk the myths surrounding autism,\u201d Westin explains.<\/p>\n

When it was time to find the puppeteer who would bring Julia to life on the show, they found Stacey Gordon, an experienced puppeteer working with the Great Arizona Puppet Theater.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in utter shock,\u201d Gordon says of learning she would voice Julia just one year ago. \u201cI was alone in my studio and had to call my husband and tell him but I had to calm down before I did so that I\u2019d be able to dial our phone number.\u201d<\/p>\n

She grew up around puppets \u2013 her grandfather carved marionette dolls and her grandmother made her her first puppet when she was still a toddler \u2013 but she never expected to find herself on the PBS program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe funny thing is my parents always said, \u2018When is Sesame Street<\/em> calling?\u2019 And I was doing my own thing in Arizona and I was like, \u2018Mom, Sesame Street<\/em> doesn\u2019t call. They don\u2019t know me,\u2019\u201d Gordon says. \u201cTurns out, they email.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon felt a responsibility to get Julia right from the get go. Her own experience as the mother of a 14-year-old autistic son informed how she approached the character.<\/p>\n

\u201cEye contact was a big thing,\u201d Gordon explains. \u201cIn puppetry, not making eye contact is considered bad puppetry so it\u2019s been a challenge to try to figure out how we walk that fine line between good puppetry and not making eye contact. One thing we\u2019ve done is that we\u2019ve given Julia a focal point and that\u2019s her bunny, Fluffster, so that she can pay attention to her little friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Julia also requires several assists \u2013 puppeteers who help Gordon move her arms and legs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a whole team going into her,\u201d Gordons says. \u201cShe\u2019s already had so many people put their heart into her. I just got to add mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon hopes Julia can shed some light on an issue that rarely gets talked about, especially on TV. Her own child has experienced bullying and exclusion at school, mainly because his classmates and others don\u2019t understand autism and how it presents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe saying is \u2018If you\u2019ve met one kid with autism, you\u2019ve met one kid with autism,\u2019\u201d Gordon says. \u201cIt\u2019s so true. Every single kid I know, autism presents differently for them. I think that Abby and Elmo and Big Bird and Julia and all of the characters on the show model acceptance. When kids see behavior modeled, they repeat that behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon hopes Julia can present an opportunity for children to learn more about autism, for autistic children to see themselves represented in the media and for parents to start having needed conversations with their kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really hope that she can help destigmatize autism and can teach an entire generation of kids and families that autism is just another way of thinking,\u201d Gordon says. \u201cKids with autism will enrich your life. They\u2019re valuable people to have in your life. Include them because they are, not because you should. Include them because you will get so much from a relationship with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Westin, being able to provide awareness about autism to the children who watch the show is so important, especially as talk of defunding and government budget cuts loom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s very important to us is to reach all<\/em> children,\u201d Westin says. \u201cWithout PBS we would not be able to reach children who are less affluent, who can\u2019t afford satellite or cable or other means. The fact that there are PBS stations in every part of the country is hugely important. Without PBS we wouldn\u2019t be able to deliver on our mission which is to help all children grow smarter, stronger and kinder.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a new puppet coming to Sesame Street! On April 10, Julia, a a 4-year-old girl who is autistic, will join Elmo and the gang, giving more TV representation to children on the autism spectrum. Julia was first seen a year and a half ago as part of the program\u2019s \u201cSee Amazing In All Children\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":28823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,175,237],"tags":[25,29,260],"ppma_author":[470],"class_list":["post-20306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-stories","category-movies-and-tv","category-special-needs-children","tag-family","tag-parenting","tag-tv-series"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Inspiring Story of Julia, Sesame Street’s First Puppet With Autism - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Inspiring Story of Julia, Sesame Street’s First Puppet With Autism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s a new puppet coming to Sesame Street! 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