While neighborhoods throughout the boroughs of Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens become increasingly filled with yuppies from around the country, Sesame Street takes a leaf out of the gentrification manuel – as Remezcla so eloquently points out – and moves to a new block.
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The show has been reduced from it’s usual hour-long running time to 30 minutes and the iconic theme song has been retired, all while the old neighborhood gets an upgrade. Yet, all’s not lost. There’s a new kid on the block and it’s not some lily-white character, but a bilingual Latina woman named Nina, played by Cuban-American Suki Lopez.
And although the show has gone through some major changes, like moving from PBS to HBO, it strives to maintain its reputation for teaching children cultural values from all around the world. For instance, Jane The Virgin star Gina Rodriguez is set guest star on the 46th season to teach the kiddies their ABCs – in Spanish!
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“As always, Sesame Street features a dazzling array of celebrities in the new season, including: Gwen Stefani singing “Be a Good Friend;” Pharrell singing “B is for Book:” Nick Jonas singing “Check that Shape;” 5th Harmony singing “That’s Music;” Sara Bareilles singing “Just Like Magic;” Alan Cumming as “Mucko Polo” the grouch explorer; Ne-Yo singing “You’ve Got a Body, So Move It!;” Aloe Blacc singing “Everyday Hero;” Tracee Ellis Ross learning about bedtime routines; and Gina Rodriguez singing the ABCs in Spanish,” reads the Sesame Workshop site.
The new and improved Sesame Street is set to air on HBO January 16, 2016, and on PBS Kids in the fall. Stay tuned.