Sesame Street's Big Bird is hoping to triumph where George Bush, Tony Blair and numerous heads of state have failed, by bringing peace to the Middle East.
The European commission has given the producer of the long-running children's television show a £1.75m grant to produce a series of programmes for Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories.
The American storylines of Sesame Street has been shown in the Middle East for 25 years but the new Sesame Stories are the first to feature local situations.
The EU grant is part of a £5m fund Sesame Workshop is using to develop 26 programmes promoting cooperation, respect for others and self-esteem.
The Ford Foundation, a not-for-profit philanthropic organisation, and other contributors have provided the rest of the money.
Israel began showing the shows produced specifically for the country last month and the programmes for the Palestinian territories and Jordan will air from October 26, the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
On the Israeli show, Israeli and Arab characters are friends and band together to stage a peaceful protest when one of the Muppets bangs his drums too loudly. In an episode created for the Palestinian Ma'an Network, children are shown struggling to reach a high shelf or trying to ride a bike to a chorus of "keep trying, you will get there".
The move comes a year after after an HIV-positive character joined Big Bird, Ernie, Bert and friends in the South African Sesame Street in an effort to educate children about Aids. The disease is one of the biggest killers in South Africa and there are estimated to be 500,000 Aids orphans in the country.
Plans to introduce the HIV-positive character to the American series were shelved when the broadcaster that screens Sesame Street, Public Broadcasting System, bowed to pressure from rightwing Republican politicians who were vehemently opposed to the idea.