‘Sesame Street’ to Debut HIV-Positive Muppet in South Africa
Jul 22nd, 2002 • Posted in: NewsWASHINGTON
The makers of the popular children’s show “Sesame Street” last week announced the debut of a new Muppet character — an HIV-positive girl designed to help children learn how to deal with AIDS.
The character, which will debut in September on the show’s South African version, will be used in an attempt to de-stigmatize AIDS and promote discussion in a nation where 4.7 million people — one in nine — are infected with HIV.
“We want to show children that it’s okay to touch [an HIV-positive person], okay to hug, that a person can still be a constructive part of the community,” explained Joel Schneider, vice president of New York-based Sesame Workshop, which creates the show for many countries.
Republican congressional representatives reacted quickly to the news, warning PBS that while the character is suitable for South Africa, she is not welcome on U.S. television, the show-business magazine Variety reported.
The conservative lawmakers, led by U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), fired off a letter to PBS president Pat Mitchell, saying the character was inappropriate for the U.S. viewers of “Sesame Street.”
The Republicans, all of whom are members of the House Commerce Committee, then reminded Mitchell that their panel has budgetary oversight of PBS’s parent company, according to Variety.
At week’s end, Mitchell reassured Tauzin that while the new Muppet may find her way to other nations, she would remain far away from U.S. viewers.
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