Going into its 44th season, “Sesame Street”, one of television’s most popular shows for children, has responded to the growing Hispanic demographic by adding another Spanish-speaking character to its cast of live actors and puppets.
Sesame Street’s newest addition, the bilingual Armando, is scheduled to debut on the show this September and will “put a special focus on Hispanic heritage,” the NY Daily News reported.
Ismael Cruz Cordova, a 26-year-old Puerto Rican actor, will take on the role.
According to a report by Huff Post Latino, the show held an open casting call in New York City to search for their newest addition.
Currently, “Sesame Street” has three bilingual characters: two Spanish-speaking actors and Rosita, a bilingual puppet. A fourth character, Puppet Ovejita, speaks only Spanish and appears occasionally on the show.
Carol-Lynn Parente, executive producer of “Sesame Street,” said in a statement that Cordova “represents a culturally fluid and deeply layered new generation of Hispanic-Americans.”
“We know that the Hispanic population in the U.S. is growing and “Sesame Street” has always modeled that diversity, since the beginning,” she said.
“Sesame Street” also has a version produced in Mexico called “Plaza Sésamo”.
(Photo by Gil Vaknin/AP)
