Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) When the Afghan Muppet named Zari makes an appearance at an orphanage on the outskirts of Kabul, the faces of the children light up in wonder. Three-year-old Tahira Sreen keeps interrupting the Muppet, getting up and kissing its fuzzy purple cheeks. Meanwhile, a five-year-old Sadaf says she wants to let Zari play with her dolls. "We will also make food for Zari," Tahira chimes in. The two young women who take turns bringing Zari to life say these children's reaction is not unusual. "When they see Zari they are looking so happy," says 18-year-old Sima Sultani, the puppeteer who voices the character in the Pashto language, Dari.Zari is the first and only Afghan Muppet on the country's version of Sesame StreetHer puppeteer said she wants to show people that a girl can "do anything she wants"
But in the show's fifth year, Zari, supposed to represent a six-year-old _ girl, was introduced. Her segments air alongside appearances by other internationally recognized "_" characters.