Reply #16: Here's a comment from Raposofan on YouTube [View All]

Why not? Sesame Street took the opposite stance a few years ago after accepting Department of Defense funding. Elmo's father went to war (Google it for proof), and the show promoted the Iraq War in an offensively sugared light so children would ask fewer moral questions about it. I'm proud to see them do this. One last good parting shot from what was once one of the best children's shows on television. Good job, Sesame Workshop. Jim Henson would be smiling right now.
http://www.youtube.com/user/raposofan


I took his advice and googled it myself...


America Supports You: Sesame Street Teaches Troops' Kids Coping Skills

By Paul X. Rutz
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 26, 2006 – Elmo and his red, fuzzy father will star this summer in an effort to teach young military children and their caregivers how best to handle a parent's deployment in a program called "Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families Cope with Military Deployment."

This July, Sesame Workshop, the makers of Sesame Street, will launch the program as a DVD kit. Performed in English and Spanish, it will not air on television but will be distributed free to schools, childcare programs and family support centers, thanks to a gift from Wal-Mart stores and other sponsors.

Jeanette Betancourt, vice president for content design at Sesame Workshop's education and outreach division, said an analysis of the resources available to help children with this problem exposed a need.

<snip>

Soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the workshop did a special set of TV programs called "You Can Ask," which focused on fear and grief in children under age 5. The TV programs, in English, Spanish and Chinese, were repackaged and distributed to childcare programs, mental health care programs, and the like, via the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Those programs' success helped lead to "Talk, Listen, Connect" because they developed an interest "on how we could talk about difficult topics with young children," Betancourt said. That model led to a partnership with Wal-Mart on this outreach project.


Sesame Street's Elmo and his dad tape a segment for "Talk, Listen, Connect," an outreach program for military families created by Sesame Workshop in New York, April 20. The bilingual DVD is part of a package of complimentary materials that will be made available to military families beginning July 2006. Photo by Richard Termine for Sesame Workshop
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

More:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=15349



Defense Department, Sesame Street Help Cope With Loss

The characters of “Sesame Street” are now also the stars of “Talk, Listen, Connect,” a multimedia project that helps to guide military families through multiple challenges.

And Elaine Wilson, a writer and editor for American Forces Press Service, visited the iconic set of “Sesame Street” on Oct. 14 to view the taping of a production dealing with the loss of loved ones.

<snip>

The production is the third in the initiative, developed with help from the Defense Department. Previous segments dealt with deployments and the visible and invisible wounds of war.


Elmo's Dad talks with hiim about the loss of a loved one.

More:
http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/88314