'Sesame Street' is coming to Roblox

It's been a rollercoaster of a year for beloved public education program Sesame Street, from threats to its federal funding to new collaborations with Netflix and YouTube. Now the program is entering the world of virtual gaming, as children, families, and longtime Sesame Street fans are introduced to the new Roblox hub, Sesame Street: Neighborhood Adventures.

Designed by the childhood education stalwart, the hub will allow users to explore the iconic Sesame Street block and create their own custom Sesame Street-style avatars, with child-friendly features and accessories. They can play mini-games featuring neighborhood residents, like Abby’s Hide and Grow Seek, starring new creatures called Magical Beasties. Portals will connect users on the Sesame hub to the games, including Sesame Street: Magical Beastie Quest. 

Users can also watch exclusive show clips, including the Nov. 8 premiere of "Tales from 123," a brand new animated segment first teased in May. It's all leading up to Sesame Street Day, celebrated on Nov. 10.

“With gaming and immersive experiences growing in popularity alongside streaming video platforms, this launch is a vital new contribution to our audience-first, omni-channel approach," said Aaron Bisman, senior vice president of marketing at Sesame Workshop. "Our mission is to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder and our new Roblox Hub is an exciting new way we’re delivering on that. We can’t wait to welcome fans of all ages to explore our neighborhood."

The experience was supported by a grant from the Roblox Development Fund and created by Roblox game creators Shovel Team and immersive next-gen tech companies Exclusible and MindTrust, Sesame explained. 

The nonprofit co-created Sesame Street Mecha Builders: The Game with Roblox in 2022, which features STEM challenges for players 4 years and up. Nonprofit educational media has been investing heavily in childhood gaming, including PBS KIDS. In addition to its popular games app, PBS KIDS announced its own age-appropriate and expert-overseen gameplay show content, intended to provide a safer alternative to adult-led live stream and gameplay accounts. 

"The Sesame Workshop team understands the great power of meeting learners where they are, not just by showing up on Roblox, but by bringing to life a living, explorable Hub and leading players into worlds and narratives that can motivate and reinforce learning,” said Rebecca Kantar, head of education at Roblox. 

Users hunt for magical beasties in Abby Cadabby's colorful garden. Credit: Sesame Workshop

Sesame Street: Neighborhood Adventures is open to players of all ages, which may prompt alarm among those who have followed the gaming platform's legal troubles.  

"​​Our approach to developing the Sesame Street Hub on Roblox has been guided by rigorous safety standards and child-centered design," Sesame Workshop told Mashable. "Within the Hub, there are no social features that could expose children to harmful interactions. For example, the chat is disabled and users create their own avatar with kid-friendly elements (so children are not exposed to avatars that may not be age-appropriate)." Players under the age of 13 can't make purchases in the experience, either. 

Despite adding dozens of new safety features intended to protect young users, the platform is still often connected to child harm, according to an analysis by Lawsuit Legal News. Roblox filed 24,000 reports on suspected child exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2024, and is also facing multiple lawsuits, which accuse the company of failing to institute appropriate safety protocols. Another two were filed last week, alleging Roblox knowingly enabled environments where predators can target children.

"Sesame Workshop is deeply committed to creating high-quality, safe experiences for children and families across the platforms where they spend time. By creating a safe, age-appropriate, and educational space within Roblox, we are meeting children where they are while providing an environment that families can trust," the nonprofit stated.