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'Hello, TJ! 'Sesame Street' welcomes Fil-Am character

Entertainment | Celebrities

'Hello, TJ! 'Sesame Street' welcomes Fil-Am character

By Robert Requintina

At A Glance

Fans of the 55-year-old children's program welcomed TJ with excitement.

TJ of Sesame Street (Facebook)

American educational television series Sesame Street has introduced a Filipino-American character named TJ in the popular program designed for preschoolers.

In a post by Sesame Workshop on Jan. 17, TJ was introduced as a second-generation Filipino-American boy. Fil-Am animator Bobby Pontillas created TJ.

The full announcement on social media:

"Meet TJ! TJ is a second-generation Filipino-American boy and a proud kuya (older brother) to his baby sister.

"He's learning to speak Tagalog with his grandparents, and he is so proud when he gets to put it to use when his family comes to visit from California, where his parents are from.

"He loves it when they all get together so he can help his mom make lumpia with all the veggies he picked and so he can play basketball and have a dance-off with his cousins," the announcement read.

Fans of the 55-year-old children's program welcomed TJ with excitement. Some comments:

"Welcome to the family, TJ! Glad you’re here!"

"Glad to see Pinoy culture get a moment to shine here on American television. Nice work from the Sesame Street crew, as always."

"Welcome, TJ! Can't wait to see you and your family! Way-to-Go Sesame Street!!"

"Now I'm curious if his grandparents are tied to the Tagalog version of Sesame Street that's been running for 40 years. Would be a fun connection."

"I love how inclusive Sesame Street is. My kids will forever watch it."

"Awesome!! I love all the different characters and representations that Sesame Street offers. Everybody deserves to feel seen and heard!"

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