Reversing Representation: Sesame Street‘s Handling of Julia

By Vanesa Simic

Julia, who “does things in a Julia sort of way”, is Sesame Street’s first muppet with autism, and the first new muppet in over 10 years [1]. As Sesame Street took care to ensure that Julia was an accurate representation of a child with autism, Sesame Street’s portrayal of Julia initially received support from people with autism who wrote about the character. However, after Sesame Street’s new partnership with Autism Speaks, many have criticized Sesame Street’s use of Julia in its videos made in collaboration with Autism Speaks, questioning why Sesame Street would partner with such a controversial organization.

Julia is depicted as a 4 year old girl who enjoys going to the playground, making art, dancing, and playing “I Spy” [2] . In the scene where Julia is introduced, Big Bird introduces himself to her while she is painting and she does not acknowledge him, continuing to paint [3]. Alan, an adult, explains to Big Bird that Julia is concentrating on her painting, and all of the characters acknowledge that she is not being rude to Big Bird but instead just tends to intently focus on what she’s doing [4]. Alan adds that it is helpful to ask Julia questions again if she does not respond the first time, also conveying to audiences at home, many of whom are children, that their friends with autism who seemingly aren’t replying to their questions aren’t necessarily mad at them if they seem to be ignoring them. Big Bird and his friends play with Julia, and when she reacts to a loud siren and has to leave, Alan tells them that she sometimes gets overwhelmed by loud sounds, but will be back later to continue playing [5]. Julia’s introduction to Sesame Street portrays many of the experiences autistic children have in a way that is understandable to other children, and Julia’s creators ensured that they received feedback on the way she was written before introducing her on the show. Julia’s puppeteer, Stacy Gordon, has a son with autism, and expressed that she wished Julia existed when her son was younger so that his classmates had greater exposure to what friendships with an autistic child might look like [6]. Additionally, 14 autism advocacy groups were consulted before Julia appeared on Sesame Street to ensure that she was an accurate representation of an autistic child and didn’t promote harmful stereotypes [7]. 

Many people with autism who commented on Julia on social websites such as Reddit or on their personal blogs have expressed support for the way Julia’s character was portrayed. One writer with autism, Shannon Des Roches Rosa, notes that she’s appreciative that Julia’s friends understand that she might behave differently and don’t look down at her, noting that she wishes she had friendships like that as a child [8]. Julia’s friends accept her the way she is, and she is portrayed as having a loving relationship with her parents, who don’t view her autism as a burden. Rosa adds that Julia’s “not a single obsession, a savant, or a machine who needs to be programmed with the “right” words or social skills” [9]. The characters in Sesame Street accept her the way she is and make accommodations for her instead of expecting for her to change to fit their expectations. Julia not only offers autistic children a character that represents them, but also can also help non-autistic children understand autistic children better and gives them advice on how to play with them when disruptions occur. Rosa, and other writers with autism, have expressed support for Julia’s portrayal, noting that it’s particularly important to have an autistic character aimed at children.

However, the widespread support for Julia changed in 2019, when Sesame Street partnered with Autism Speaks, an organization that has been criticized for promoting a “cure” for autism [10]. In light of this partnership, many have questioned why Sesame Street introduced an autistic character, intending for audiences to better understand autism, and then promoted an organization that sought to “cure” autism. The Autistic Self Advocacy network, composed of and advocating for people with autism, initially supported Sesame Street for its positive portrayal of Julia and its challenging of stereotypes associated with autistic people [11]. However, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network has rescinded its support after Sesame Street’s partnership with Autism Speaks and its use of Julia in various PSA’s to support Autism Speaks [12]. The Networks announcement specifically refers to how “these PSAs use the language of acceptance and understanding to push resources that further stigma and treat autistic people as burdens” to their families [13]. Several writers have questioned why Sesame Street introduced Julia as part of its efforts to “promote understanding and acceptance of autism”, especially through portraying her loving relationship with her family, and then proceeded to partner with an organization that encourages parents to separate their child’s autism from their child. Julia’s autism is integral to her character, and Big Bird is told that her responses to some challenging situations, such as running away after hearing a siren, are just part of who she is. Some writers with autism view Sesame Street’s partnership with Autism Speaks, especially in a PSA encouraging parents to screen their children early for autism, as sending the message that Julia’s response isn’t just part of who she is, but is something that needs to be changed. Especially as the screening test promoted by the PSA tells parents that they will experience grief after an autism diagnosis, some argue that it promotes the narrative that being autistic is a tragedy [14]. As the potential of a “cure” for autism remains a controversial topic in the autistic community, there is the question of why Sesame Street would choose to use Julia, a character that initially received support by several autism advocacy groups, including ones that had different opinions on a potential cure, to promote a controversial organization that many people with autism have spoken out against. Although Julia was created with great care for representation of and reception by autistic people, Sesame Street’s more recent use of Julia has led people to question how much Sesame Street truly values their autistic character if they are using her to promote an organization that seeks to cure, in the eyes of many, what makes her Julia.

Sources

[1]   “Julia.” Sesame Workshop, 18 Dec. 2024, sesameworkshop.org/our-work/shows/sesame-street/sesame-street-characters/julia/. 

[2] “Julia.” Sesame Workshop, 18 Dec. 2024, sesameworkshop.org/our-work/shows/sesame-street/sesame-street-characters/julia/. 

[3] “Sesame Street: Meet Julia.” Youtube, uploaded by Sesame Street, 10 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCdV20zLMs. Accessed 31 July 2025.

[4] “Sesame Street: Meet Julia.” Youtube, uploaded by Sesame Street, 10 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCdV20zLMs. Accessed 31 July 2025.

[5] “Sesame Street: Meet Julia.” Youtube, uploaded by Sesame Street, 10 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCdV20zLMs. Accessed 31 July 2025.

[6] Folkenflik, David. “Julia, a Muppet with Autism, Joins the Cast of ‘Sesame Street.’” NPR, NPR, 20 Mar. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/03/20/520577117/julia-a-muppet-with-autism-joins-the-cast-of-sesame-street. 

[7] Folkenflik, David. “Julia, a Muppet with Autism, Joins the Cast of ‘Sesame Street.’” NPR, NPR, 20 Mar. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/03/20/520577117/julia-a-muppet-with-autism-joins-the-cast-of-sesame-street. 

[8] Rosa, Shannon Des Roches. “Sesame Street’s Julia: What an Inclusive World Should Look Like.” Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, 31 Jan. 2022, thinkingautismguide.com/2019/01/sesame-streets-julia-what-inclusive.html. 

[9] Rosa, Shannon Des Roches. “Sesame Street’s Julia: What an Inclusive World Should Look Like.” Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, 31 Jan. 2022, thinkingautismguide.com/2019/01/sesame-streets-julia-what-inclusive.html. 

[10] Luterman, Sara. “Why Autism Advocates Are Suddenly Furious with Sesame Street.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 16 Aug. 2019, slate.com/human-interest/2019/08/sesame-street-autism-speaks-controversy-julia.html. 

[11] “Asan Has Ended Partnership with Sesame Street.” Autistic Self Advocacy Network, 5 Aug. 2019, autisticadvocacy.org/2019/08/asan-has-ended-partnership-with-sesame-street/. 

[12] “Asan Has Ended Partnership with Sesame Street.” Autistic Self Advocacy Network, 5 Aug. 2019, autisticadvocacy.org/2019/08/asan-has-ended-partnership-with-sesame-street/. 

[13] “Asan Has Ended Partnership with Sesame Street.” Autistic Self Advocacy Network, 5 Aug. 2019, autisticadvocacy.org/2019/08/asan-has-ended-partnership-with-sesame-street/. 

[14] Luterman, Sara. “Why Autism Advocates Are Suddenly Furious with Sesame Street.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 16 Aug. 2019, slate.com/human-interest/2019/08/sesame-street-autism-speaks-controversy-julia.html.