Alan Muraoka ’85 stood on the stage of Schoenberg Hall during the 1982 UCLA Carol Burnett Musical Comedy Competition, belting out “Try Me” from the Broadway musical She Loves Me. The song captivated both the celebrity judges and the audience; Muraoka’s proud grandfather declared he would “never wash his hand again” after shaking hands with Burnett and posing for photos with her and judge Rock Hudson.
It was Muraoka’s first time competing in the contest, and he placed second. He’d go on to win in his third year, after which he secured an agent and launched a celebrated career spanning Broadway, television and international productions. “I’m just so grateful,” he says. “Carol’s generosity really started me on this journey.”
The journey would take him to New York, and specifically to one of the most famous thoroughfares in American culture: Sesame Street. For the past 27 years, Muraoka has played the proprietor of Hooper’s Store, while also contributing to the treasured children’s program as one of its influential creative voices. His impact has been felt during some of the show’s most pivotal segments, including ones exploring 9/11 and the COVID pandemic.
Muraoka credits late UCLA professor Patricia Harter for shaping his philosophy of respecting children’s intelligence and autonomy while engaging them in the arts. Some of his most meaningful interactions have been with Sesame Street’s autistic Muppet, Julia. “I’ve had parents come up to me on trains whose children are autistic to tell me how kids who don’t have autism are now coming up and playing with their child because they have the tools that we taught them,” he says. “To me, that is so beautiful.”
Watch a clip from Sesame Street with Alan and Ji-Young, the show’s first Asian American Muppet:
During 2020, Muraoka co-directed and produced landmark episodes of the show that addressed racial justice and anti-Asian violence. “The Power of We” empowered children to be upstanders, while “See Us Coming Together” introduced the show’s first Asian American puppet, Ji-Young. Muraoka also co-directed the episode introducing Sesame Street’s first LGBTQ+ family.
“It’s just been so amazing to be able to be part of a solution rather than a problem,” he explains. “It’s cathartic, and it’s impactful for us to be a face of empathy and a face of kindness during a time when there’s a lot of stress.”
Muraoka’s UCLA memories remain vivid, from marathon sessions in the campus music library exploring every Broadway cast album to managing Kerckhoff Coffeehouse, where his theater friends-turned-hirees organized playful, unsanctioned theme days. Muraoka still counts fellow Bruins among his closest friends.
He says, “To be able to go full circle and then bookend my entire UCLA experience with sharing these memories — it’s lovely.”
The new season of Sesame Street is now available on Netflix and PBS KIDS.
Read more from UCLA Magazine’s Fall 2025 issue.
