I think most people my age grew up watching Sesame Street in one form or another. If it wasn’t The Muppets Show or Muppets Tonight, it was a Muppets movie, or a special guest on Sesame Street.

I was so happy when Lucas discovered Sesame Studios on YouTube Kids. It was so funny too, how we found out about it. Lucas kept saying “Miniature!” and Oneal and I were like, “Huh? Where did you even learn that word!” Then he said, “Humongous!”

In despair, I searched YouTube Kids for “miniature,” and this is what I found:

And apparently this is “humongous”:

I love Words With Puffballs so much, because it’s really amazing how they teach big words! Also, Professor and Tinka are adorable.

Another series I love on Sesame Studios is Henriyeti. Henriyeti belongs to an interracial family, and I’m not sure if she knows that she’s adopted. But she’s such a fun character, so full of energy and confidence, and she infects her friends with her enthusiasm!

And then there’s The New Neighbors. Mimi, Flurgg and Rainbow are monsters who have just moved in to an apartment building in what looks like an inner city neighborhood. Their neighbors, Earnest and Monni, look East Asian. I think Monni lives with her grandfather. With the help of their friends, the three monsters learn about bedtime routines, sharing, and making your friends smile.

It’s so hard to choose a favorite, but I really love this one:

Another favorite of mine is “Please and Thank You.”

There’s so much more content, like The Musical World of Mr. Zoink, and The Totems. There are live action videos about animals (quokka!) and there’s the Witch Sisters. There’s The Feelingwells and Marvie.

I guess I love this channel so much because it’s so reminiscent of the Sesame Street of my childhood. It’s songs and silliness, color and humor, with lessons not just about words and numbers, but manners and feelings, kindness and culture, confidence and family. It’s so lovely that even if it’s all digital and it’s all online, instead of puppets and stop-motion animation, it still feels familiar and friendly and wonderful.

I realize I’m far more attached to Sesame Studios than Lucas is. I’m well aware that it’s nostalgia and a longing for that sense of wonder that you only have in childhood. I hope he comes back to this channel soon, because there’s so much he can learn about being a decent human being from these lovely, whimsical characters.