Cookie Monster to Fill Hillary Clinton's Shoes

Sesame Street has a global following, even in conflict zones.

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, tapes of regional Sesame Street episodes were collected as war booty, along with one of the characters, a Muppet camel. In the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, a homegrown version of Sesame Street called "Shara'a Simsim" is aired to the delight of children. That is why Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell has decided to utilize the show to promote what he calls "Muppet Diplomacy."

The show, which has a large following in areas of conflict, can teach kids as young as three years old how to comfortably coexist with populations with cultural differences. Television shows such as Sesame Street can counter negative propaganda filled shows such as Young Pioneers, a program created by the militant group Hamas that praises violence as a legitimate form of resistance.

Muppet Diplomacy can also be found in Tanzania, where characters teach children how to avoid malaria, and in Egypt, where Muppets emphasize the importance of girls' education. Knell even credits Muppet Diplomacy to helping end the conflict between Britain and the Northern Ireland resistance organization Sinn Fein.

"When I saw [Sinn Fein leader] Gerry Adams wearing a Cookie Monster watch, I knew we had made it in Northern Ireland," Knell told CNN.