The Woman Behind the New First Muppet With Autism: Stacey Gordon

Julia and Stacey Gordon

The world will soon be introduced to the first Muppet with autism. For this groundbreaking character everything had to be considered, especially who would be the puppeteer to bring her to life. Sesame Street was very mindful when selecting Julia’s puppeteer because they wanted to make sure that her unique characteristics were showcased correctly. For this reason Sesame went with a puppeteer who has experience with autism. Julia will be played by Stacey Gordon, a puppeteer from Phoenix, Arizona who has a son on the autism spectrum. Gordon made an appearance on 60 Minutes on March 19th and has since been thrusted into the spotlight. Gordon has been working with puppets since she was in high school. She is very active in the puppet community and due to her background and experiences was recommended to Sesame for the role. Gordon recognizes that Julia’s role is not to to stand for all children with autism, as this is impossible, but instead her goal is that Julia will help destigmatize autism and allow for neurotypical children to learn more about their peers with the disorder. Read more about Stacy Gordon and Julia here