A familiar pair of Sesame Street babies is being used to advocate for parents' mental health.
The Ad Council has partnered with Sesame Workshop for a new installment of its "Love, Your Mind" mental health campaign.
This time, they're focusing on maternal well-being through a PSA built around baby versions of Elmo and Cookie Monster.
The film also introduces their mothers to drive the point that parenting is not just about caregiving, but something that requires care in return.
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According to Heidi Arthur, chief campaign and programme officer at the Ad Council, the goal of the campaign is to reach a variety of audiences who need help.
"Research shows a real need for resources tailored for new moms, who we know are navigating a new set of challenges as they welcome their babies into the world.
"We're proud to partner with Sesame Workshop to encourage moms to take care of their minds and seek support when they need it. And we know that this will help them take care of their little ones, too."
Inside the Film Approach
The PSA is written by Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro and directed by Matt Vogel, who puppeteers Kermit the Frog and other Sesame characters.
The short film starts with Baby Elmo and Cookie Monster's mothers expressing their woes with motherhood.
"It can feel a bit overwhelming," Cookie Monster's mom says, as she struggles with feeding her child.
The two parents then drive home the point that if mothers take care of themselves, it helps them take care of their children better.
The new film will run across donated media placements in both English and Spanish, directing audiences to LoveYourMindToday.org and ConAmorTuMente.org for resources aimed at maternal mental health.
It continues a long-running collaboration between Ad Council and Sesame Workshop, with efforts aimed at normalizing emotional support for caregivers.
A Platform That Cares
The Ad Council, a nonprofit organization founded in 1942, has produced some of the most widely recognized public service campaigns in the United States, spanning issues from road safety to public health.
In 2024, the organization created a campaign celebrating the 80th birthday of Smokey Bear, a mascot for wildfire prevention.
Through this effort, they invited the public to partake in his legacy by being careful and vigilant with their surroundings.
With "Love, Your Mind," Ad Council cements its reputation as a behavior-change platform instead of a traditional advertiser.
The partnership with Sesame Workshop establishes the organization's long-standing position as a children’s education brand that increasingly speaks to the adults around the child as well:
- Use familiar characters first. Audiences process emotional messages faster when they already trust the faces delivering them.
- Emotional vulnerability will always resonate with audiences. Customers are more likely to trust brands they feel emotionally connected to.
- Build partnerships that last. Long-running collaborations create stronger audience trust because the message feels more consistent.
Ultimately, public service campaigns become more effective when they soften their messaging with emotional storytelling.
Our Take: Can Comfort Carry a Heavy Message?
People respond better to difficult conversations when the message comes from beloved characters, and that works to the Ad Council's benefit.
The organization and Sesame Street treat the mental health subject matter with care, knowing people can relate but have a hard time talking about it.
And this makes the message feel less intimidating for parents already dealing with stress and exhaustion.
A lot of mental health campaigns still sound like instructions, but this one feels human.
This is because it understands that sometimes the hardest part is simply getting people to stop, relate, and feel seen long enough to pay attention.
In other news, FOX Sports also recently teamed with Sesame Street to deliver live sports coverage in time for the World Cup.
Global brands building sports campaigns need creative partners who understand how to carry a single concept across markets and formats.
Explore these top creative agencies in our directory.
