Sesame Street's New Hungry Muppet Is No Laughing Matter

The new face of poverty on Sesame Street

In an effort to raise awareness about poverty and hunger, the makers of Sesame Street are introducing a new Muppet to the neighborhood. Her name is Lily, and her family has an "ongoing struggle with hunger."

According to USA Today, Lily will star in a prime-time PBS special this Sunday called Growing Hope Against Hunger. It's not the first time Sesame Street has taken a progressive stance on educating children, presenting rather grown-up issues to kids through the show's characters. Past episodes have featured everything from breast-feeding to kids with "two daddies." With nearly 15 percent of American households qualifying as "food insecure" -- that's one in five hungry kids in New York -- hunger is definitely an issue we should be explaining to kids. We're just glad they didn't use Oscar the Grouch to do it. (Hey, he lives in that garbage can by choice.)

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