Sesame Street’s New Season Launches Thursday, January 16 on Max

55^th Season Curriculum Focuses on Emotional Well-Being 

Celebrity Guests Include Michael B. Jordan, Reneé Rapp, SZA, Noah Kahan, Chris Stapleton, Samara Joy, Jonathan Van Ness, Billie Jean King 

(January 9, 2025 – New York, NY) – Sesame Workshop, the global impact nonprofit behind decades of award-winning educational media content, announced Sesame Street’s 55^th season will debut on Thursday, January 16 on Max, with episodes releasing every Thursday. The season be available on local PBS stations across the country and on the free PBS KIDS Video app Fall 2025. Season 55’s curriculum will focus on emotional well-being, helping children learn accessible strategies to comprehend and cope with big feelings through fun, lighthearted, relatable, and engaging stories.  

“New episodes of Sesame Street will help young viewers understand and express their feelings, learn new mindfulness practices, and as always, have a blast with their favorite furry and funny friends,” said Sal Perez, Executive Producer, Sesame Street. “Whether it’s taking a volcano breath when angry, learning to give yourself a hug when frustrated, or wiggling it out when disappointed, we are empowering children with the strategies to help build resiliency and the foundational skills for emotional well-being.” 

“This season’s emotional well-being curriculum was developed in response to the growing mental health crisis affecting children globally,” said Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President of Curriculum & Content. “Focusing on emotion awareness and social connection skills, children will learn that all feelings are important and that we all experience big feelings, as well as how to navigate social scenarios with friends, families, and the wider community.” 

Sesame Street will feature celebrity and special guests throughout the season, including Reneé Rapp (Thursday, January 16), Michael B. Jordan (Thursday, January 23), Samara Joy (Thursday, February 6), Noah Kahan (Thursday, March 6), SZA (Thursday, April 10), Chris Stapleton (Thursday, July 24), Jonathan Van Ness (Thursday, August 21), and Billie Jean King (Thursday, August 28) who join for Street Stories, songs, and other segments.    

Feature episodes include: Beachball Bop (Thursday, January 16), where Elmo learns how to do volcano breaths after he feels angry; Abby Taps Into Kindness (Thursday, April 10), where Abby learns what it means to be kind to yourself to overcome frustration, all with the help of her friends; Happy Bert Day (Thursday, July 24), where Ernie is excited to throw Bert a big, loud party for Bert’s birthday, but Bert gets frustrated as he wants to celebrate his birthday with a quiet puzzle – can lion breaths help them both feel better?; and New School Scaries (Thursday, September 4), where Cookie Monster, feeling nervous about going to a new cooking school, enlists his friends to help him prepare. 

Also this season, Mecha Elmo, Mecha Cookie, and Mecha Abby make their Sesame Street debut as Mecha Builders shorts air within select episodes. Mecha Builders is Sesame Street’s first-ever 3D CGI animated series, which combines the lovable characters with a STEM curriculum. Plus, Sesame Street’s BFF (best furry friends) duo, Elmo and Tango, along with their adventurous pal Gabrielle and certified fact checker, Grandma Nell, explore the unknown world both on and off the Street in the animated Sesame Street Nature Explorers shorts. And don’t miss Cookie Monster and his popular Foodie Truck!  

Sesame Street continues to be available on PBS stations and streams on PBS KIDS, and games are available on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Games app.

Sesame Street  is the pioneering children’s educational television program that debuted in 1969 and continues to reach children in more than 150 countries. Created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett during the Civil Rights movement, the show blends live performance, musical numbers, puppetry, and animation to educate and engage young audiences on school-readiness skills and values like empathy, kindness, and inclusion. Featuring timeless characters including Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch, Sesame Street  has become a standard-bearer for early childhood storytelling through carefully researched educational content that teaches literacy, numeracy, social skills, and cultural awareness. Sesame Street  is produced by the global impact nonprofit Sesame Workshop. 

Sesame Street  is underwritten in part by Beaches Resorts® and Google.   

Learn more about Sesame Street  Season 55 in the press kit HERE.  

About Sesame Workshop   

Sesame Workshop is the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street  and so much more. For over 50 years, we have worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Our beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 150 countries and advance our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Learn more at www.sesame.org and follow Sesame Workshop on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.   

About Max  

Max®, which launched May 23, 2023, is an enhanced streaming platform from Warner Bros. Discovery, delivering unparalleled quality content for everyone in the household. With a personalized user experience that brings unique and unexpected stories ranging from the best of unscripted to the highest quality in scripted programming, Max is the destination for HBO Originals, Warner Bros. films, Max Originals, the DC universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, an expansive offering of kids and family content, and best-in-class programming across food, home, reality, lifestyle, and documentaries from leading brands like HGTV, Food Network, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID and more, all in one place.