By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Sesame Workshop and HiHo Kids have announced a licensed collaboration on two episodes of the fan-favorite HiHo series, Kids Meet.
The Kids Meet series empowers children to lead one-on-one interviews with change-makers, highlighting aspects of human diversity and encouraging education and curiosity.
This deal marks the first-ever collaboration between Sesame Workshop and HiHo Kids, and features content that fits the image and goals of both brands, the companies say.
HiHo Kids is part of Cut Media, an entertainment company and industry leader in digital media and games. HiHo’s goal is to promote empathy through play and encourage critical thinking skills among children.
With more than 6.4 million fans across YouTube and social media, HiHo’s content brings parents and kids together to drive awareness and build a loyal viewership.
Sesame Workshop is the non-profit media and educational organization behind the television franchise Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop is present in more than 150 countries and supports children through a range of media, formal education, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs.
“It was a career highlight for me to work with and learn from the folks at Sesame Workshop. Their approach to kids’ content dovetails so nicely with what we do at HiHo Kids and I’m thrilled to bring this partnership to light,” said Claire Buss, Director of Development, Brand Partnerships at HiHo Kids.
The licensed collaboration will feature Sesame Street characters such as Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Ji-Young, a recently introduced Korean-American Muppet.
The children and Muppets featured on the show meet role models and trailblazers for in-depth interviews. The two episodes will feature a dancer named Samantha Lopez and a basketball player named Ryneldi Becenti.
Samantha Lopez is a dancer who happens to use a wheelchair. The episode featuring Lopez focuses on where she gets her inspiration for dancing and what some of her favorite dance moves are.
Ryneldi Becenti is from the Navajo Nation and is the first Indigenous American to play in the Women’s National Basketball Association. The episode featuring Becenti focuses on what it means to stand up for what’s right and how it can help make the world a fairer place.
“We know that children are naturally curious, whether it’s meeting new people or learning a new dance or sport,” said Vera Verba, Director of YouTube Content & Programming at Sesame Workshop. “HiHo Kids encourages kids to ask questions, to use their imaginations, and to discover the world around them, which promotes empathy and understanding.
“As a like-minded organization, this approach spoke to us, and we were thrilled to create the new YouTube series together.”
The HiHo Kids x Sesame Workshop collaboration is part of Coming Together, an ongoing Sesame Workshop initiative that hopes to promote a healthy sense of identity and a sense of belonging among children.
The first episode of Kids Meet with Sesame Street will drop June 13, 2022, with the following episode releasing on July 18, 2022.