Sesame Workshop is debuting a new Muppet named Ameera to bring more visibility to two underrepresented communities—kids with disabilities and displaced children from conflict zones around the world.

Ameera is a “witty, inquisitive” eight-year-old girl who uses forearm crutches to move around and sometimes a wheelchair as a result of a spinal cord injury. She will be introduced in April when the fifth season of Ahlan Simsim, the Arabic version of Sesame Street, kicks off across the Middle East for its three- to eight-year-old audience.

Ameera will also be featured in Sesame’s animated Watch, Play, Learn videos that are part of its Play to Learn humanitarian program, which is funded by a US$100-million grant from the LEGO Foundation. These segments will air within Ahlan Simsim and also as part of Sesame Street broadcasts around the world. Launched in 2019, Play to Learn was developed to address the most pressing needs faced by children in regions affected by crises, many of whom have been displaced from their homes.

Watch, Play, Learn is produced by Sesame Workshop in partnership with Renegade Animation in LA (best known for The Tom & Jerry Show) and Brazil’s Lightstar Studios.

Updated March 31