Julia

PERFORMER	Stacey Gordon
DEBUT	2015
DESIGN	Louis Henry Mitchell designer
	Rollie Krewson 3D designer

Stacey Gordon performing Julia on set (assisted by John Kennedy).

Louis Henry Mitchell's early sketches of Julia, who was originally to be named Isabel.

Julia with Rosita at the 2018 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Julia with her parents, Daniel and Elena, and brother Sam.

Julia's dog Rose.

Julia in The Muppet Workshop.

Julia puppet with blue eyes for greenscreen use.

Bringing Julia to Life

Julia is a four-year-old girl with autism from Sesame Street, introduced in 2015 as part of the Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children initiative. She is a young girl with bright orange hair and big green eyes and is friends with Elmo and Abby.

Julia's characterization was originated by Leslie Kimmelman for the digital storybook We're Amazing, 1, 2, 3! She used her own experiences as the mother of a child with autism, as well as input from research and advisers from the autism community, to inform the story.

Due to the positive response to the outreach initiative, Julia was made into a physical Muppet that debuted in Episode 4715 of the show, airing on April 10, 2017. She is performed by Stacey Gordon, who also used her own experiences raising her autistic son to help inform the actions of the character. She made her television debut on 60 Minutes on March 19, 2017, and subsequently appeared in a series of YouTube videos for SesameStreet's YouTube Channel.

A digital storybook released in April 2018, Family Forever: A Julia Storybook, introduced Julia's family: her mother Elena (an art teacher), her father Daniel (a medical professional and saxophonist) and her older brother Samuel. Julia's family, which also includes a dog named Rose, made their first appearance in Muppet form in a series of videos that premiered online in 2019.

Julia (puppeteered by Lara MacLean) also joined the cast on the Sesame Street float in the 2018 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, wearing noise-cancelling headphones so the loud volume wouldn't bother her. She has also worn them for a 50th anniversary photo shoot in The Washington Post and Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Internationally, Julia has appeared in original material produced for the Japanese Sesame Street YouTube channel (YouTube) and was added to the cast of Sisimpur in its 15th season.

Notes

• The puppet is built with two sets of arms, one of which allows Julia to flap her arms in an emotional state.
• The character, initially named Isabel, was named after writer Leslie Kimmelman's eldest daughter.
• Her favorite toy is a stuffed bunny named Fluffster. She states within Family Forever that Fluffster's favorite picnic food is frogs.
• Since her debut in Season 47, a Sesame Street episode starring Julia has premiered annually on HBO (later HBO Max) and PBS on the same day during April, popularly recognized as Autism Awareness Month. These shows include her introductory episode (4715), "Shape Hunt" (4821), "Julia's Haircut" (4921), "The Fluffster Kerfuffle" (5021), "Match It!" (5122), "Kind Alan" (5222), "Horsing Around" (5323), and "The Feelings Fair" (5422). These depart from Sesame Workshop's distribution deals where first run episodes air on PBS following a nine-month window.

Julia's original illustrated form

Julia's puppet form

Appearances

• Sesame Street
  • Season 47: 4715, 4734
  • Season 48: 4801, 4806, 4807, 4821
  • Season 49: 4903, 4911, 4921
  • Season 50: 5004, 5021, 5029
  • Season 51: 5101, 5122
  • Season 52: 5213, 5222
  • Season 53: 5301, 5320, 5321, 5323
  • Season 54: 5405, 5418, 5422
• See Amazing in All Children resource videos
  • Abby Cadabby & Julia Sing "Sunny Days"
  • Elmo & Julia Sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
  • Butterfly Flapping Fun
  • Play Peek-A-Boo
  • Making Bubbles!
  • Julia Invents a New Game
• Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration
• Caring for Each Other videos
  • My Super Family
  • Pillow Hugs
  • Sing After Me
  • Julia and Elmo's Video Playdate
  • Fluffster Wears a Mask
  • A Park Problem
• Other Appearances
  • 60 Minutes (March 19, 2017)
  • Today (March 27, 2017)
  • The Capitol Visitor Center (April 4, 2017)
  • The View (April 12, 2017)
  • Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs (November 18, 2017)
  • Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2018 on)
  • Meet the Peetes (April 22, 2019)
  • Ad Council Autism Awareness campaign (July 2019)

Book appearances

• We're Amazing, 1, 2, 3! (2016)
• Celebrate You! Celebrate Me! (2017)
• The Runaway Egg (2018)
• Family Forever: A Julia Storybook (2018)
• A Sweet Christmas on Sesame Street (2018)
• Circle of Friends: A Julia Storybook (2019)
• Elmo's Lift and Slide ABC (2019)
• Elmo's Lucky Day (2020)
• Elmo Loves Puppies! (2021)
• Counta Block (2021)
• Joy to the World (2021)
• Home for the Holidays (2021)
• Julia (2022)
• Elmo's Best Thanksgiving Ever! (2022)
• My Friend Julia (2023)
• Girl Power (2023)
• Elmo Asks Why (2023)
• Play Day Fun! (2024)
• I Love to Watch You Grow! (2024)

Merchandise

• 14-inch plush
• 10-inch plush

See also

• Julia walk-around
• Julia, a human character on Sesamstrasse

External links

• Meet Sesame Street's First Character with Autism
• 'Sesame Street' introduces first character with autism
• YouTube: Bringing Julia to Life