This has been quite a week for a new muppet on the small screen!
image from kissmyblackads.blogspot.com
The Sesame Street natural hair muppet has been blogged about EVERYWHERE. On my Facebook page she stirred up controversy – The Fashion Bomb blogged about the dissenting opinions here, and the Hey Bella Blog expressed some concerns as well.
But for the most part, the response has been overwhelmingly positive! Case in point: the BRILLIANT I Love My Hair/Whip My Hair mashup that you’ve probably seen EVERYWHERE online now.
SO awesome! I wish Willow Smith would appear on Sesame Street to do the song with her in person!
We know more about the origin of the song and message now – Sesame Street’s head writer and puppeteer Joe Mazzarino explains in an interview that the song was dedicated to his adopted daughter Segi, who is from Ethiopia. There’s more in this ABC News article as well.
Joe Mazzarino gave a longer on camera video on CNN that’s worth seeing – they address the Willow Smith mashup, the Carol’s Daughter connection, and the video’s viral popularity.
Syd loves I Love My Hair! (Thanks Annella!!)
The fact that Sesame Street’s natural hair muppet became a viral hit so quickly shouldn’t go unnoticed by those in the advertising and marketing industry – there’s a great post on the topic on Kiss My Black Ads, which points out 10 things marketers can learn from this multicultural muppet. Adults love the message, but even more importantly – so do kids!!! The photo you see above is of my high school friend Annella’s daughter, Syd. Syd loves I Love My Hair! And kids like Syd are what this video and this message are all about.
I’ve been saying it for a while now – natural hair isn’t a fad or a trend, we are here to stay. I believe that the awakening has started with us grown folks on the internet, and now thanks to the natural hair movement online and in the media, more and more people are realizing the beauty of being natural. And because of what we’re doing, the younger generation will grow up with products made for them and a sense of self that their parents may have taken a longer time to grow into. I hope this isn’t the end of the road for this muppet. If Sesame Street is smart, they’ll keep her around!
What are your feelings about Sesame Street’s natural hair muppet now that I Love My Hair has become so popular?
little syd is too cute! i’m glad the message is one she enjoys!
you’re right, natural hair is not a trend. i think and pray that it is actually a movement to remove the kinks from our brains, not our hair.
but you know what i love even more about this sesame street piece – including the fact that children of all races will see it – that little black BOYS are going to enjoy it as well. at such a young age boys watch the same things girls watch so they will begin to learn and develop a sense of appreciation of not only themselves as well, but their sisters too.
this video made a step in the right direction without even knowing the impact it was going to have.
all because a dad loved his daughter. so many beautiful messages here.
Kurlybella, you’re so right! More of this type of song/video! Our little girls and boys can’t hear it enough that they’re wonderful as is!
i am so glad that it spread so quickly and with such vigor! and the mashup with “whip my hair” is awesome! The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for both to come out and make little girls feel awesome
I love this video. I saw it for the first time on Sesame Street with my kids before it went viral on the internet. I thought it was fantastic, but I had no idea that it would become so popular. My 6-year-old daughter gets excited when she shows her hair in twists because that is how I have her hair right now. My 4-year-old son loves it as well. They want me to play it over and over on YouTube. I agree with Kurlybella about it being great that our boys see this too. I don’t think my son would have too much trouble appreciating natural hair on women because myself, my daughter, both my sisters and my mom are naturals, but this definitely won’t hurt.
Annellabella you are the sweetest EVER for letting me use Syd’s photo! She looks so much like you!!!
xoxoxoxox
Patrice
I’ve always loved the video..I can’t get enough of it, it sends a powerful message to our younger girls to let them know its ok to love their hair
I love this video and have been watching it at least once a day lately. I don’t have a little girl but I do have a 5 year old son and I made sure he watched it. He really enjoyed it! Kurlybella hit the nail on the head when she stated that this video is doing a great job at helping him appreciate not only himself but also his sistas too. And i just LOVE the fact that a father was in tune enough with his daughter to create something like this. Love, Love, Love it!!
My pleasure Patrice! Keep up the fantastic work!
:-*
I absolutely love the video! I’m in college and Willow Smith’s song, and the Sesame Street have been played by both me and my roommate nonstop and at every event lol. Love it, and love what it means to Black girls!
Willow on Sesame Street is a GREAT idea. That would be so cute and could drive the message home even further. As one who has never had a relaxer and was so stressed about my puff when I was younger I really appreciate the I Love My Hair. It has taken me too long to love my hair (even when we’re not getting along). So I really hope little girls learn to love their hair from early on.
I absolutely love it! I emphasize to my girls that one of the many great things about their hair is the versatility. This reinforces that message.
I SIMPLY ADORE IT!!
I watched the video on youtube and scrolled down to look at the comments made and I was shocked that someone found the video to be racist.
I felt empowered as a black woman by this video because it reminds me that I am beautiful just the way I am and my hair is wonderful. I have been in love with my hair for years and have struggled to understand how other black women could not love their hair as I do. I think this video will teach children to be more accepting of themselves and that they do not need to search for acceptable from others to fit in. Also that we are different and our differences should be celebrated.
I just wanted to share that.
The Sesame Street Natural hair song, Willow’s song, this post and the whole Natural hair online media world is very timely! It is a Natural hair evolution and I am honored and proud to play a major part in it. Contributing to the long term pride, love, celebration, maintainence and empowerment of self-loving our african textured hair in its natural state with the 1st ever Natural hair collector’s item!
Hey Bella,
I’m catching up on a few posts on your website and saw that you linked my Huffington Post interview with the Sesame Street writer. Thanks!!
I love this video and Willow Smith’s video so much that they are also on my blog. I don’t think natural hair is a trend. I was just as afraid to go natural when I did as I have ever been. It has to be a personal choice based on whatever. I personally wasn’t trying to make any points. I was just baldheaded and heard my hair would grow if it was natural. Lol. Whatever the reason, we should be able to be us if we choose to do so.