'I Love My Hair' Video Inspired by Father's Love of Daughter

'Sesame Street' writer pens song to help Black girls love their hair

By LIinsey Davis and Jessica Hopper, ABC News
10.18.10
"Sesame Street" has always been about learning. But one particular muppet is getting tremendous praise for her latest lesson; teaching young, black girls that their hair is beautiful just the way it is.

The viral video of a brown Muppet, meant to represent an African-American girl, singing, "I really, really, really love my hair" has been visited by a quarter of a million people on YouTube. The video, which has made many people smile, was inspired by one father's love for his daughter.

Joey Mazzarino, the head writer at "Sesame Street," who is also a puppeteer, adopted a little girl from Ethiopia named Segi.

Sesame Street Writer Inspired By Daughter

"She's like my little muse," Mazzarino said.

As Mazzarino and his wife watched their daughter grow, he noticed a change when she started playing with Barbies. Segi started saying negative things about herself and her own hair.

"She was going through this phase where she really wanted like the long, blonde hair. ... She would look at Barbies and really want the hair."