Zari – whose name means "shimmering" in the Dari and Pashto languages – has been tasked with a mission to promote female empowerment.

She made her debut on the Afghan Sesame Street spin-off, Baghch-e-Simsim, on Thursday. The show is for pre-schoolers and is funded by the US Department of State. It's the most-watched TV programme for young children in the country.

Officials from Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, say Zari will wear both casual and traditional clothing, and will be veiled where appropriate.

"It's so powerful that the first Afghan Muppet is a girl," Sherrie Westin, Sesame Workshop's executive vice president of global impact and philanthropy, told Reuters.

"The exciting part about Zari is that she is modelling for young girls that it is wonderful to go to school and that it's OK to dream about having a career."