The Muppet characters of Sesame Street are reuniting virtually with a special episode aimed at comforting kids amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Premiering on Tuesday night on multiple US channels, Sesame Street: Elmo’s Playdate will feature Elmo hosting a video conference with pals, including celebrity guests Anne Hathaway, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Sesame Street friends like Grover, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby will join as well to celebrate health care workers, tout the joy of baking cookies at home, and find new ways to play and learn together.
According to a press release for the 30-minute special, Anne Hathaway will dance to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes and Lin-Manuel will lead viewers in Old MacDonald Had A Farm, while Tracee Ellis Ross will play a game of Elmo Says.
“We hope Sesame Street: Elmo’s Playdate will entertain and inspire families at a moment when so many are feeling isolated and overwhelmed by current events,” said Steve Youngwood, president of media and education and chief operating officer of Sesame Workshop.
“With help from our distribution partners around the world, this special will encourage parents and kids to gather and relax as a family, in a way that only the Sesame Street Muppets can.”
The new programme is part of Sesame Workshop’s Caring For Each Other initiative ― a hub of resources created in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The resources include ideas for at-home play and learning, self-care tips for parents, mental health guidance and more.
While putting together the TV special presented some logistical challenges, the puppeteers were able to work remotely with producers, curriculum experts, a director, an editor and other collaborators to bring (to quote Sesame Workshop) “the furriest virtual hangout ever” to life.