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The iconic children's show Sesame Street is debuting a new comic book artist character (and he already has his first fan)

First Jim Lee appeared on Sesame Street, now this!

Sesame Street
Image credit: Zach Hyman (Sesame Workshop)

Comics are the synthesis of words and art to tell a story, and can be part of an amazing, well-rounded life for anyone... and in this week's episode of iconic children's TV series Sesame Street, comic art, and the artists who make them, are taking focus.

In the May 16 episode of Sesame Street, actor/comedian Eugene Cordero will make his debut as the character of a comic book artist named Bobby Manalo. Cordero is no stranger to the crossover between comics and TV, as he played one of the TVA hunters in Marvel Studios' Loki on Disney+. (You may also recognize his voice from Star Trek: Lower Decks, where he plays Rutherford.)

Related: Sesame Street's Elmo learns what real (loveable) monsters we all are thanks to social media.

Cordero (as Bobby Manalo) debuts when one of the show's newest major Muppets, TJ, gets ready to meet the comic book artist - his favorite of all time. To prepare for first meeting his hero (and to welcome him onto Sesame Street), TJ makes him a comic book, with help from his friend, Tamir. Along the way, Tamir learns various words and phrases in Taglog, like 'Hello' and 'Thank you,' to say to Manalo whose family is Filipino.

We have an exclusive clip from the episode, which you can watch here:

Arguably America's most popular modern comic artist, Jim Lee, appeared as himself on a November 2021 episode of Sesame Street. Now, Sesame Street just needs a comic book store.

This Sesame Street episode, titled 'Tamir Learns Tagalog,' debuts May 16 on Max.


Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.  

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)

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