<p dir="ltr">Sesame Street, one of the world's longest-running television shows, has welcomed a new muppet to its iconic cast, and he's Filipino!&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">The latest addition to the Sesame Street family is named TJ, a puppet designed by Filipino-American animator Bobby Pontillas.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Pontillas shared some sketches of TJ on his social media accounts, revealing that the character was inspired by some of his closest friends.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://dzrh-bucket.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/featuredimage/blobid1683700398585" alt="" width="500" height="394" /></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><em>Photo courtesy: bobbypontillas</em></span></p>
<p dir="ltr">TJ has a brown complexion, a side-swept hairstyle, and a yellow and orange striped hoodie, and he is operated by Sesame Street puppeteer Yinan Shintu.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In a video posted by Pontillas, TJ spoke with actor Kal Penn about the importance of confidence, which was the show's "Word of the Day."&nbsp;</p>
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<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr98OnUu8hA/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Bobby Pontillas 🇵🇭🇺🇸 (@bobbypontillas)</a></p>
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<p dir="ltr">The puppet explained that he is confident because he is learning Tagalog, which is a language spoken by his Filipino family, and that he can always ask his grandmother for help when he encounters unfamiliar words.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Sesame Street premiered in 1969 and has become a beloved favorite of both children and adults around the world.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Its puppet characters teach preschool subjects through comedy, cartoons, games, and music.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">TJ's inclusion in the cast is a significant milestone for the show, as it continues to promote diversity and inclusivity among its viewers.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pbjL8fNM1vE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>

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LOOK: Meet TJ, Sesame Street's first Filipino muppet