Sesame Workshop is focusing on laughter this summer with the launch of a new “Gift of Giggles” campaign that’s designed to extend its ongoing emotional well-being and kids mental health initiative. It will run in the US first, and then migrate to Latin America and Germany.

The linchpin entertainment driver is a series of digital shorts called The Giggle Group (initially six x two minutes) that launched with a first episode on Sesame Street‘s YouTube channel (23.9 million subscribers) yesterday. Each short will feature a few of the preschool show’s iconic characters paired with young kids to showcase what makes them laugh. Sesame has also released a YouTube playlist of 20 videos about laughter and jokes, drawing from the last decade of Sesame Street seasons. 

On the consumer products front, new books Elmo’s Favorite Jokes and Riddles from Random House Books for Young Readers (June 30, 2024) and 100 Words from the Street: Words to Grow Smarter, Stronger and Kinder from Sourcebooks Wonderland (October 3, 2024) are launching under the “Gift of Giggles” umbrella. And eyeing a March 6, 2025 retail rollout, Sesame has inked a deal to develop a collection of funny story cards for Yoto’s same-name kids audio player. 

Surprise appearances by costumed characters like Elmo and Cookie Monster, who will try to crack up live crowds, are also being planned to run throughout the summer. 

The mental well-being initiative has been in the market since May 2023, encompassing a short film, mindfulness videos, a podcast, three books from the Mayo Clinic Press Kids (launching in 2026) and a collection of online educational resources. 

Image courtesy of Sesame Workshop.