Move Over Maria, Here Comes Leela
Sesame Street has a new neighbor running the laundromat: Leela, or Indian American actor Nitya Vidyasagar.
The best part of this story [1] is that the producers claim that they weren't looking for another ethnic character:
"When the producers of Sesame Street were looking for a new actor to run the local laundromat, they were not looking for an Indian or any particular ethnicity -- they just wanted someone who was charming and not patronizing to a young audience. According to the newspaper India-West, the fact that this character is a Hindu and Indian American is purely coincidental. In fact, the character was recreated for this actress since they were smitten by her theatrical abilities."