On Thanksgiving 2021, Kathleen Kim made history: She performed Sesame Street’s first-ever Asian American muppet—Ji-Young, a seven-year-old Korean American girl. Ji-Young made her debut during a special called Sesame Street: See Us Coming Together.
“To be able to be the representation that I did not have as a kid is…you can’t put words to it,” Kim told NextShark, during a behind-the-scenes interview while she was being filmed meeting the finished Ji-Young muppet for the first time. This representation is so important, she says, because it will help kids be able to see themselves in media and give them a sense of belonging.
Prior to being the muppeteer behind Ji-Young, Kim was the muppeteer for Elena on Sesame Street and plays Toeknee in Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens.
