The Royal Reader appears in a story written by Kingston Livingston III in a season 27 episode of Sesame Street. He assists an African king (portrayed by Kingston) in reading signs around his kingdom, including a STOP sign (saving them from oncoming horse traffic) and a DANGER sign (keep them from meeting the business end of a falling piano). The Royal Reader calls in sick one day, leaving the King to wander his kingdom alone. He doesn't know what any sign means, and is trampled by the horses and crushed by the piano. He decides to take reading lessons from the Royal Reader and soon, he can read the signs all on his own.