Bert and Ernie, failing to practice social distancing Photo : Tristar Media ( Getty Images )

While the silence from Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Foz zie’s camp remains deafening, Sesame Street’s much more reliable group of Muppets are here to help during a moment of crisis with the Caring For Each Other initiative.




A statement from Sesame Workshop outlines the initiative’s plan to “support families for the duration of this crisis with brand new content featuring the Sesame Street Muppets sharing messages of love and kindness, playful learning activities, and virtual play dates.” Sesame Workshop says the program is “designed to help parents provide comfort and manage anxiety, as well as help with creating routines, fostering playful learning at home, and staying physically and mentally healthy” throughout the coronavirus pandemic.



All of this will be hosted on the Sesame Street website, which “will be regularly updated to meet the needs of families as the situation evolves.” An article from Vulture points out some of what’s already available online. There are, for example, print-out guides to proper handwashing along with YouTube videos of anthropomorphic sloth creatures talking and singing about good hygiene practices.



There’s also a big video playlist of activities, which should help stop kids and parents from murdering each other while cooped up at home, and written resources describing how to talk to children about the pandemic and establish new routines. A ton of Sesame Street eBooks are also currently available for free through the Kindle, Apple Books, Nook, Google Play, and Kobo stores.


Basically, the Sesame Street people have done a good job putting together lots of valuable resources, with more to come, during a time when the assistance is very much appreciated. They’ve also, as a side effect, managed to make every other Muppet, from Kermit and Gonzo all the way on down to the self-involved, cave-dwelling preppers that are Yoda and the Fraggle Rock crew, seem like real assholes for not pitching in.



[via Vulture]



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