“Sesame Street” Introduces New Muppet Character Who’s in Foster Care

Meet Karli, Sesame Street’s first-ever Muppet character who lives in foster care. The classic kids’ show introduced Karli on Monday, along with the concept of “for-now parents.” Karli’s foster mom tells Elmo in the episode, “Sometimes even mommies and daddies need some help taking care of their children. Karli’s mommy has been having a hard time, so we are her foster parents, or her for-now-parents.” CNN notes that Karli’s introduction coincides with May as National Foster Care Month in the U.S. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there are more than 440,000 children and youth in foster care.