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Go Behind the Scenes of Sesame Street in a Sneak Peek at 50 Years of Sunny Days

Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days will reveal a whole new side of the beloved children's show. Watch a sneak peek now!

By Lauren Piester Apr 22, 2021 1:23 AMTags

Prepare for a big wave of nostalgia to hit you on Monday night. 

That's when ABC is debuting the two-hour special Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days. It's a celebration of the PBS series that has been entertaining and educating children for half a century, and marks the beginning of a new era for the series as the special chronicles the creation of a new Black family for the show. 

The special is produced by TIME Studios and will highlight the impact of the show and Sesame Workshop, featuring a whole host of very special guests. That includes Jill Biden, Angelina Jolie, John Oliver, Rosie Perez, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Whoopi Goldberg, W. Kamau Bell, Gloria Estefan, Lucy Liu, Olivia Munn, Questlove, Christopher Jackson, Usher and even Dr. Anthony Fauci

E! News has an exclusive sneak peek above, which shows the creation of a new character. You can see him jump right from a drawing on a page to a fully-built puppet, ready to become beloved by a new generation of kids. 

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2021 TV Premiere Dates

The new puppets are named Wes and Elijah, and they're a father and son duo who are part of the show's new racial justice initiative, Coming Together

ABC

The special will also feature unseen footage from a 1992 episode about divorce that focused on the experiences of Mr. Snuffleupagus and his family. It was the only time in the show's history that an episode was pulled, and the special will explain why. 

In addition, Sesame Street: 50 years of Sunny Days will feature a special performance by Stevie Wonder with a re-imagined version of the "Sunny Days" theme song.

It airs Monday, April 26 at 8 p.m. on ABC.