New Year, New Healthy Habits: Sesame Workshop and Abbott Debut New Resources to Help Children and Families Build Healthy Habits Early

Join Elmo, Grover, and friends, with special guest Aubrey Plaza as Ms. Noodle, as they host a supersized dance party in the new YouTube special Elmo’s World: Dance Party! premiering today in the United States, and rolling out in India, Mexico, and Brazil in the next few weeks. The special, produced by Sesame Workshop, the global nonprofit behind Sesame Street, is part of a new initiative, generously funded by global healthcare company, Abbott, to help families build healthy routines around nutrition, movement, and sleep at an early age, setting the stage for a lifetime of healthy habits to help reduce the risk of chronic illness in the future. The program uses a combination of research-based multimedia resources and in-person community outreach, including a suite of free, multilingual resources for children and caregivers, available at Sesame.org/HealthyHabits.

“We are delighted to team up with Abbott on our new global program providing children and their families with tools and resources they need to promote healthy habits for mind and body,” said Carolina Casas, Vice President of Global Education, Sesame Workshop. “Creating and maintaining a new habit can be challenging at any age but for young children, the impact of a strong healthy foundation lasts a lifetime.”

“Healthy habits are the building blocks of lifelong well-being, and they start early in childhood,” said Melissa Brotz, senior vice president, Global Marketing and External Affairs, Abbott and president of Abbott’s philanthropic foundation, Abbott Fund. “Along with Sesame Workshop, we’re reaching families with resources that fit into real life because small steps to stay healthy, taken early in life, can make a difference in the prevention of chronic illness for years to come.”

January Premiere of Global Elmo’s World Special
From balanced nutrition to active play to the importance of a good night’s sleep, Elmo’s World: Dance Party! is designed to motivate and encourage young viewers and their caregivers to make healthy choices and try new things in a supportive, joyful environment. In the 26-minute special, Elmo and Grover take viewers on an adventure where they discover new dance moves while learning about healthy habits to fuel their minds and bodies.

The music-filled special will be available on YouTube and YouTube Kids, and features Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird, Abelardo, Chamki, and Aubrey Plaza as Ms. Noodle, along with real children from around the world. Children will also delight in seeing Elmo, Grover, and Tango get animated while chasing Felix the chicken inside the iconic 123 brownstone.

Research-based Multimedia Resources
In addition to the global special, the multilingual resources, available at Sesame.org/HealthyHabits, feature favorite Sesame Street friends and include:

• Storybook — “Sun’s Up, Sun’s Down,” featuring healthy rhythms from a day in the life of Sesame Street’s furry friends and their families;

• Activity book — “Healthy Together,” with five stand-alone printable activity sheets, focused on building and maintaining positive habits as a family;

• Articles — Exploring what healthy means to different cultures, small steps that make a big difference, and tips for creating routines that last.

Sesame Workshop’s commitment to supporting families with strategies and tools to promote positive physical and emotional health extends worldwide to Mexico, Brazil, and India with resources and content created for and adapted to local contexts. This includes the release of four new storybooks (“Abby’s Magical Mistakes,” “Abelardo’s Family Day,” “Elmo’s Exciting Sleep,” and “Super Tasters”) available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hindi.

• In Mexico and Brazil, Sesame Workshop will roll out a 40-activity classroom box set; family micro-learning WhatsApp cards; and interactive posters to help track routines and habits.
• In India, new Hindi-language resources include a storybook on healthy eating; a yoga posture book; and calendar, flashcards, and interactive games distributed via childcare centers, WhatsApp, and the Chalo Sesame Street app.

About Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the global 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 190 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 Abbott

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. Together with our foundation, Abbott Fund, we partner with trusted organizations to build programs that strengthen care, improve access and help families and communities thrive.