. >> reporter: and they have previously featureded >> characters like rocita, maria, and luis. the show since the early '70s. >> agua. >> more recently, stars like actress sofia were on the show. earlier she appeared on the show. >> hola. this is my friend supreme court justice. now the long-running program is looking for a character who will be featured on "sesame street's" 44th season which begins taping in the fall, the role which producers hope will be fill by 18 to 25 years'd, male or female who can sing, dance, and is also bilingual. >> there's so much diversity and beauty and we want to explore that even more. this new character can help us not only for the character itself but explore new stories and not only about hispanic heritage but in general. >> as for the characters you grew up with like rocita, she'll remain on the show. she'll teach dance. >> and rafael romo is here now. i was wrapped up in watching that. is there anything about the timing like the old "why now?" ? >> well, they're trying to focus on hispanic heritage for the next season, but also it has to do