Poverty Stricken Muppet Character to Appear on Sesame Street

Country star Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams Paisley will be the special guest hosts of a one-hour prime time Sesame Street episode that will focus on the issue of childhood hunger in the U.S. The new Muppet character that will also be introduced is named Lily, and her character will be struggling from poverty and hunger. Sesame Street decided to address the uncomfortable issue of childhood hunger as recent statistics show that nearly 17 million children in the U.S. are currently suffering from "food insecurity" - or an uncertainty about whether they will have enough to eat on a daily basis.

Among those 17 million, approximately 9.6 million are children under the age of 6. That 9.6 million number is especially relevant to the Sesame Street demographic, as the show is geared primarily toward preschool- and toddler-aged children and their parents. The new show will supplement and support Sesame Street's production company's broader initiative, Food For Thought: Eating Well on a Budget.

The problem of childhood hunger in the U.S. is a direct result of the growing wealth disparity between "haves" and "have nots" in our society, and the general erosion of the middle class. As this phenomenon forces more and more families and their children into a perpetual state of food insecurity, it also insulates those with means from the realities of such a harsh and difficult existence. In many ways, a program such as Sesame Street's is intended to inform those who do not suffer from food insecurity about the problems faced by those who do. The special is set to air on October 9.