This Sunday, Sesame Street will introduce a new muppet during the premiere of their new special called "Growing Hope Against Hunger." Lily, a 7-year-old "food insecure" Muppet, is a realistic-yet-empathetic character that the show hopes will help personify the voice of the the 17 million Americans who often times cannot afford to eat. Sesame Workshop's senior vice president for outreach and educational practices, Jeanette Betancourt, spoke to the New York Times about the careful consideration put into Lily's mannerisms:

"We felt it was best to have this new Muppet take this on in a positive way and a healthy way. She wants to talk about this topic because she knows it will help many other families and children, but it isn't an easy topic to talk about in the first place."


For now, Lily is only scheduled to appear in this Sunday's broadcast, when she encounters Elmo, Bert, Grover, and other Sesame Street regulars (as well as Brad Paisley!) in the community garden.

‘Sesame Street' Special on Hunger Introduces New Muppet Character [New York Times]