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Coronavirus: Stars join Sesame Street special to help kids ‘feel connected’ during lockdown

Written by on 15/04/2020

Sesame Street is broadcasting a special episode to help children in coronavirus lockdown “feel connected in this time of uncertainty”.

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The half-hour “virtual playdate” will see Elmo joined by actress Anne Hathaway, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, and actress and TV host Tracee Ellis Ross – daughter of singing legend Diana Ross.

Producers say the show will help children “find new ways to play and learn together” and will take the form of a video conference in which characters “sing songs, play games, and take silly dance breaks”.

Grover, Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby will also feature in Tuesday’s programme.

Ellis Ross plays a game of “Elmo Says”, Miranda pops in for a few rounds of Old McDonald Had a Farm, while Hathaway and Elmo will get moving with Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Steve Youngwood, president of Sesame Workshop – the non-profit organisation behind Sesame Street, said the show was aimed at “inspiring families at a moment when so many are feeling isolated and overwhelmed by current events”.

He added: “With help from our distribution partners around the world, this special will encourage parents and kids to gather and relax as a family, in a way that only the Sesame Street Muppets can.”

The episode will be simultaneously broadcast on WarnerMedia television channels and will be shown in the UK on Wednesday 15 April.

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(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Stars join Sesame Street special to help kids ‘feel connected’ during lockdown