On Thursday the 86^th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade will work its way through the streets of Manhattan. Millions of people will line the parade route. Millions more will be watching at home. And for the 38^th year in a row, they’ll see Big Bird, Cookie Monster and countless other beloved Muppets making their way down the avenues on Sesame Street’s parade float.

Sesame Workshop is always proud to take part in the New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Sharing, family, community: the values Thanksgiving celebrates are the same values we cherish here at Sesame Workshop. That’s why each year the Sesame Street Muppets along with beloved adults and children who “live” on Sesame Street appear on the parade float and perform classic songs from the show.

“This is an experience and an event that is unlike any other that I have encountered in my entire life,” said Roscoe Orman, who plays Gordon on Sesame Street. “The interaction between the cast and the puppeteers and the spectators — it’s indescribable. It’s like being caught up in a wave of love and energy.”

“As soon as we are close enough to a particular section, you can feel and hear the difference and the excitement,” he said. “We will hear that excitement. We see the kids, and they’ll get up. They’ll start jumping. They’ll hug their parents. It happens in waves.”

This year Gordon and the rest of the gang will be performing “What I Am,” an anthem about being proud of who you are and staying resilient in trying times. And we’re happy to announce Cardstore.com, a company that knows a lot about how special the holidays can be, is sponsoring this year’s float.

The parade telecast will be from 9 a.m. until noon on NBC this Thursday, November 22. If you are looking for the Sesame Street float, it will be on air around 10:20 a.m., right behind the NHL float and the Charlie Brown balloon.  And if you miss it the first time around, there will be a repeat broadcast of the parade at 2 p.m. that afternoon.

From everyone here at Sesame Workshop, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the parade!

The Sesame Workshop Blog

“Lead poisoning is something many of us think is a thing of the past, as lead paint was put out of production in 1978,” said John Cosgriff, Chief of Staff for UnitedHealthcare Community & State.. “But it is still a major health issue as a quarter of a million kids have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood.”

The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development’s National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing estimated that about 40 percent of all permanently occupied U.S. housing units still contain some lead-based paint. According to Cosgriff, the low-income families that both UnitedHealthcare and Sesame Workshop serve are some of the most at-risk.

In order to combat lead poisoning, Sesame Workshop and UnitedHealthcare teamed up to produce Lead Away!, a bilingual educational initiative that helps increase families’ understanding and awareness about the health risks of lead. The program teaches parents and children effective strategies to avoid lead exposure through simple tips and activities that can be easily incorporated into everyday routines.

Program materials, including videos, activity sheets and a newsletter that features Sesame Street’s beloved Bert and Ernie, are available in English and Spanish on Sesame Street’s website.

“The program materials really do have an impact,” said Cosgriff. “As an organization, we share Sesame Street’s passion for encouraging kids to be healthy and stay healthy. We are honored to distribute materials and share healthy messages with the community and our members.”

To learn more about the work UnitedHealthcare and Sesame Workshop are doing to prevent lead exposure and poisoning, click here.

The Sesame Workshop Blog