Sesame Street characters

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A wide variety of characters have appeared on the American children's television series Sesame Street . Many of the characters are Muppets, which are puppets made in Jim Henson's distinctive puppet-creation style. Most of the non-Muppet characters are human characters, but there are many characters that are animated.

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General information

Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, in 1989 Jim Henson (1989) headshot.jpg
Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, in 1989

Jim Henson created many Muppet characters for the purpose of appearing on Sesame Street. His involvement with the show began when he and one of the creators, Joan Ganz Cooney, met in the summer of 1968 at one of the show's five three-day curriculum planning seminars in Boston. Author Christopher Finch reported that director Jon Stone, who had worked with Henson previously, felt that if they could not bring him on board, they should "make do without puppets". [1]

Henson was initially reluctant, but he agreed to join Sesame Street for social goals. He also agreed to waive his performance fee for full ownership of the Sesame Street Muppets and to split any revenue they generated with the Children's Television Workshop, the series' non-profit producer. [2] The Muppets were a crucial part of the show's popularity and it brought Henson national attention. [3] In early research, the Muppet segments of the show scored high, and more Muppets were added during the first few seasons. The Muppets were effective teaching tools because children easily recognized them, they were predictable, and they appealed to adults and older siblings. [4]

During the production of Sesame Street's first season, producers created five one-hour episodes to test the show's appeal to children and examine their comprehension of the material. Not intended for broadcast, they were presented to preschoolers in 60 homes throughout Philadelphia and in daycare centers in New York City in July 1969. [5] The results were "generally very positive"; [6] children learned from the shows, their appeal was high, and children's attention was sustained over the full hour. [5] However, the researchers found that although children's attention was high during the Muppet segments, their interest wavered during the "Street" segments, when no Muppets were on screen. This was because the producers had followed the advice of child psychologists who were concerned that children would be confused if human actors and Muppets were shown together. As a result of this decision, the appeal of the test episodes was lower than the target. [6] [7]

The Street scenes were "the glue" that "pulled the show together", [8] so producers knew they needed to make significant changes. The producers decided to reject the advisers' advice and reshot the Street segments; Henson and his coworkers created Muppets that could interact with the human actors. [8] [9] These test episodes were directly responsible for what writer Malcolm Gladwell called "the essence of Sesame Street—the artful blend of fluffy monsters and earnest adults". [8] Since 2001, the full rights for the Sesame Street Muppets have been owned by Sesame Workshop, as the CTW was renamed in 2000. [10]

Muppets

Big Bird

One of the series' three main protagonists along with Elmo and Cookie Monster, and the first Muppet to appear on the show [11] was Big Bird, a curious 8-foot-tall yellow bird believed by writer Shalom M. Fisch and Dr. Lewis Bernstein to be a canary, [9] who resides in a large nest alongside the "123 Sesame Street" building [11] and represents the 6-year-old child with his tendency to question everything. [12] [13] On special days, he wears a white collar and colorful necktie. Big Bird's best friend is Aloysius Snuffleupagus (better known as "Snuffy"), who was portrayed as the bird's imaginary friend from the adults' perspectives until revealed to the human cast in 1985. [14] [15]

Oscar the Grouch

Also living outside of the building is Oscar the Grouch, a trash can-dwelling creature belonging to his own unique species, who is portrayed as a habitual pessimist [16] and was designed to give children "permission to feel grouchy—and to demonstrate differing opinions". [17] Oscar and Big Bird were specifically created for the reshooting of the "Street" scenes with the idea that they would be able to interact with the human characters. [18] For his part, Oscar has several friends of his own despite his pessimism; these include the Grouch's pet worm, Slimey, [16] and his girlfriend Grundgetta. [19]

Bert and Ernie

Two other Muppets who have appeared on the show since its beginning are Bert and Ernie, a pair of best friends with contrasting personalities; Ernie is portrayed as a free-spirited trickster who loves his rubber duck, [20] [21] while Bert is the world-weary foil to his friend's naïve trouble-making, and shows himself to be obsessed with things like pigeons and paper clips. [22] The debate on these characters' sexuality is highly disputed, but as of September 2018, Bert and Ernie are confirmed to not have any sexuality, as do the other characters on this list. [23] [24]

Also appearing on the show are an unidentified species of furry characters referred to as "monsters". [8] Among these are Cookie Monster, a blue monster with a baritone voice, who is addicted to the baked goods for which he is named [25] but ironically also likes healthy foods; [26] he will eat anything and everything in sight, regardless of whether it's food or not.

Zoe

Zoe is an orange 3-year-old female monster who is "simultaneously dainty and strong, practical and impulsive" and is Elmo's best friend. She has a pet rock named Rocco; [27] and loves to dance ballet. [28]

Rosita

Rosita is a bilingual turquoise 5-year-old female monster who speaks both English and Spanish. [29] She also plays the guitar.

Grover

Grover is a blue monster described by Borgenicht as "self-confident, furry, cute, capable, and intelligent", [30] and has a superhero alter-ego named "Super Grover", who is more well-meaning than helpful. [31]

Count von Count (The Count)

In addition to Ernie and Bert, recognizable humanoid Muppets appearing on the show include Count von Count, a friendly and harmless, but number-obsessed vampire based on Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula. [32] The Count has been confirmed to be of Indian descent, explaining the love of numbers as his being directly related to Aryabhata. [33] [ failed verification ]

Prairie Dawn

Prairie Dawn is a methodic and driven young girl who loves to write and direct pageants featuring her friends. [34]

Elmo

One Muppet monster who became a household name in the show's recent history is Elmo, a small, red monster with a falsetto voice, representing the 3-year-old child, and usually referring to himself from a third person perspective. Elmo became what his eventual portrayer, Kevin Clash, considered a "phenomenon" [35] after Clash took over the role in 1984, and his popularity ultimately grew to the point where he became what writer Michael Davis called "the embodiment" of Sesame Street. [36] Typically, he is portrayed as friendly and cheerful, he has a distinctive giggling laughter, and every so often he falls over backwards to amuse viewers, such as in the 2002 video, Elmo Visits the Firehouse (except that Maria caught him on that occasion). In 1998, the Muppet got his own segment occupying the last 15 minutes of the show, "Elmo's World", in which he explored child-centered topics [37] from two worlds of live action and computer animation, which looked like "a child's squiggly crayon drawing come to life". [38] "Elmo's World" continued until 2012, when it was alternated by another segment starring the character, "Elmo the Musical". [39] Later, "Elmo's World" returned in 2017, with a new revamped version. [40]

Abby Cadabby

While the rights to Muppet characters from other productions were sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2004, Sesame Workshop continued to fully own the Sesame Street Muppets; as a result, Sesame Workshop was and is allowed to have new Muppets designed and built for the show. [41] These have included Abby Cadabby, a four-year-old pink fairy-in-training, who was introduced in 2006 to increase the number of the show's female Muppets; [42] Her stepbrother, Rudy, was introduced to the show in the summer of 2017.

Julia

Julia is the first Muppet with autism on the show, introduced in 2017, who was created to familiarize young children with the autism spectrum. [43] She is four years old.

Two-Headed Monster

Two-Headed Monster teaches cooperation while speaking in baby-like gibberish but with heavy accents. [44]

Others

In addition to these regular characters, others that occasionally appear are: the Twiddlebugs, a family of cute and innovative insects; [44] the Yip Yips, a species of Martians who "valiantly explore our world despite their frequent terrifying encounters with everyday objects"; [45] game show host Guy Smiley; [46] construction workers Biff and Sully; [47] Herry Monster, a burly blue monster who does not know his own strength; [48] Forgetful Jones, a "simpleton cowboy" [47] with a short-term memory disorder; [49] and even Kermit the Frog, the flagship character of The Muppets. [50]

The Three Bears from the story of Goldilocks appear in Muppet form on Sesame Street. [29] Telly Monster, a violet-red worrywart who overthinks everything, was described by writer David Borgenicht as "neurotic", and was originally portrayed as a television addict; [51] Murray Monster, a dark orange monster with an energetic, outgoing personality and a sense of quick wit, [52] who hosts a segment at the beginning of each episode called "Word on the Street". [53]

Humans

The original human cast, chosen by Stone, consisted of four characters. [54] The first character to be introduced to the show was Gordon Robinson, a "well-liked and respected" African-American ultimately portrayed as a science teacher; [55] he was played by Garrett Saunders on the test pilots, [56] by Matt Robinson in the early years of the actual series, [55] and after being briefly played by Hal Miller, was taken over by his longest-serving portrayer, Roscoe Orman, in 1974. [57] [58] The other three original human characters were Gordon's wife Susan, played by Loretta Long; [54] Mr. Harold Hooper, a "gruff grocer with [a] warm heart" [59] portrayed by Will Lee until his death in 1982; [60] and Bob Johnson, a music teacher played by Bob McGrath. [61] Unlike what was done for most children's television series at the time, the producers of Sesame Street decided against using a single host and cast a group of ethnically diverse actors, [54] with, as Sesame Street researcher Gerald S. Lesser put it, "a variety of distinctive and reliable personalities". [62]

Stone did not audition actors until the spring of 1969, a few weeks before the show's five test pilots were due to be filmed. Stone videotaped the auditions, and researcher Ed Palmer took them out into the field to test children's reactions. The actors who received the "most enthusiastic thumbs up" were cast. [63] For example, when the children saw Long's audition, they stood up and sang along with her rendition of "I'm a Little Teapot". [63] [64] As Stone said, casting was the only aspect of the show that was "just completely haphazard". [65] Most of Sesame Street's cast and crew found their jobs through personal relationships with Stone and the other producers. [65]

Bob's former girlfriend was Linda (Linda Bove), a librarian who communicated using American Sign Language, and who became the longest-running deaf character in television history. [66] [67] In 1985, Gordon and Susan adopted a shy child, Miles, who was later age-progressed into a fun-loving teenager who formed his own band. [66] In 1971, the show introduced a Mexican-American character named Luis Rodriguez (Emilio Delgado), a repairman who has been called the "Mr. Fix-It" of Sesame Street. [68] [69] Luis marries Maria (Sonia Manzano) in 1988, [70] and their daughter, Gabi, was born the following year. [71]

When Lee died (and Mr. Hooper with him), Sesame Street dealt with his death in what Davis called a "landmark broadcast" [60] aired on Thanksgiving Day 1983. [66] After that, Mr. Hooper's apprentice David (Northern Calloway) took over as his store's proprietor until he himself left the show in 1989, [66] and was succeeded by Mr. Handford (played first by Leonard Jackson and then by David Smyrl from 1990 to 1998), a former firefighter. [66] The most recent owner of Hooper's Store is Alan, played by Alan Muraoka. [72] Gina Jefferson (played by Alison Bartlett O'Reilly) [73] started on the show as a teenager working at Hooper's Store, later ran a day care center, and eventually became a veterinarian. [74] [75] The most recently introduced human characters on Sesame Street include Chris (Chris Knowings), Gordon and Susan's nephew, who works part-time at Hooper's Store; [76] [77] Indian-American laundromat owner Leela (Nitya Vidyasagar); [78] and Armando (Ismael Cruz Córdova), an energetic Latino writer and "techie [who] loves his gadgets". [79]

Mr. Noodle, a major character in the "Elmo's World" segment, was played by Broadway actor Bill Irwin, who had previously worked with Arlene Sherman (one of the show's executive producers) in short films for Sesame Street. [80] [ full citation needed ] When he became unavailable, Sherman asked her friend Michael Jeter to replace Irwin as Mr. Noodle's brother Mr. Noodle. [81] [ full citation needed ] Jeter was in the role beginning in 2000, until his death in 2003. [82] Kristin Chenoweth played Mr. Noodle's sister Ms. Noodle, [82] and Sarah Jones played Mr. Noodle's other sister Miss Noodle. Writer Louise A. Gikow called the Noodles "a dynasty of mimes...in the tradition of great silent film comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd". [82] They made mistakes, but solved them with the help of "enthusiastic kid voice-overs", [82] which empowered children and helped them feel smarter than the adults. According to long-time Sesame Street writer Judy Freudberg, "Mr. Noodle, who never speaks, is all about trial and error. When you throw him a hat, he acts like he's never seen one before. Kids feel empowered watching him because they can do what he can't". [83]

Animated characters

In addition to its "variety of distinctive and reliable personalities", [62] both Muppet and human, Sesame Street has featured a few animated characters throughout its history, who have included (among others) Alice Braithwaite Goodyshoes, described by Lesser as an "arrogant, sanctimonious know-it-all", [62] and the Teeny Little Super Guy, a typical problem solver. [84] In 2008, Bert and Ernie got their own Claymation segment called "Bert and Ernie's Great Adventure", in which they explore the world, going on "active adventures in exotic locations", according to Sesame Street executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente. [85] The following year, Abby Cadabby got her own computer-animated segment, "Abby's Flying Fairy School", [86] where she takes fairy training classes from her teacher Mrs. Sparklenose, [87] along with her classmates Gonnigan and Blögg. [88] Additionally, several DC Comics characters were licensed for use in animated segments on the show during its first season, including Batman [89] and Superman. [90] Animated characters rarely if ever interact with the human and Muppet characters, with the exception of Smarty. Smarty debuted in 2017 season 47 of Elmo's World . Smarty is a sentient smartphone who can look things up in order to learn about them, and gives that information to Elmo and the audience.

Related Research Articles

<i>Sesame Street</i> American childrens television show

Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop and was created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. It is known for its images communicated through the use of Jim Henson's Muppets, and includes short films, with humor and cultural references. It premiered on November 10, 1969, to positive reviews, some controversy, and high viewership. It has aired on the United States national public television provider PBS since its debut, with its first run moving to premium channel HBO on January 16, 2016, then its sister streaming service (HBO) Max in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sesame Workshop</span> American nonprofit organization and childrens media producer

Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-known, Sesame Street—that have been televised internationally. Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett developed the idea to form an organization to produce the Sesame Street television series. They spent two years, from 1966 to 1968, researching, developing, and raising money for the new series. Cooney was named as the Workshop's first executive director, which was termed "one of the most important television developments of the decade."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bird</span> Sesame Street character

Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the children's television show Sesame Street. An eight-foot-two-inch-tall (249 cm) bright yellow anthropomorphic bird, he can roller skate, ice skate, dance, swim, sing, write poetry, draw, and ride a unicycle. Despite this wide array of talents, he is prone to frequent misunderstandings, on one occasion even singing the alphabet as a single word. He would refer to grocer Mr. Hooper as "Mr. Looper", among other mispronunciations. He lives in a large nest behind the 123 Sesame Street brownstone and right next to Oscar the Grouch's trash can. In Season 46, the nest sits within a small, furnished maple tree, and is no longer hidden by used construction doors. He has a teddy bear named Radar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Noodle</span> Member of Elmos World

Mr. Noodle and his siblings – – are characters who appear in the "Elmo's World" segments during the educational children's television program Sesame Street. Mr. Noodle was played by Broadway actor Bill Irwin, who had previously worked with Arlene Sherman, executive producer of Sesame Street and co-creator of "Elmo's World", in short films for the program. The first Mr. Noodle is the oldest child of the Noodle siblings.

History of <i>Sesame Street</i>

The preschool educational television program Sesame Street was first aired on public television stations on November 10, 1969, and reached its 54th season in 2023. The history of Sesame Street has reflected changing attitudes to developmental psychology, early childhood education, and cultural diversity. Featuring Jim Henson's Muppets, animation, live shorts, humor and celebrity appearances, it was the first television program of its kind to base its content and production values on laboratory and formative research, and the first to include a curriculum "detailed or stated in terms of measurable outcomes". Initial responses to the show included adulatory reviews, some controversy and high ratings. By its 40th anniversary in 2009, Sesame Street was broadcast in over 120 countries, and 20 independent international versions had been produced. It has won eleven Grammys and over 150 Emmys in its history—more than any other children's show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Hooper</span> Sesame Street character

Mr. Harold Hooper was one of the first four human characters to appear on the television series Sesame Street. Created by producer and writer Jon Stone, Mr. Hooper is the original proprietor of Hooper's Store, the neighborhood variety store and combination diner/corner store that serves as a place for Muppets and humans to meet and interact. Lee, a character actor and instructor was "perfectly cast" as Mr. Hooper. Mr. Hooper ranked first of all human characters of the show in recognition by young viewers. Mr. Hooper, who has been described as "slightly cranky but good-hearted" and "curmudgeonly", bridges the gap between the older generation and its young audience. Hooper's Store, "an idealized social institution", is an extension of his personality. He had a close relationship with the Muppet Big Bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Clash</span> American puppeteer (born 1960)

Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer, director and producer best known for puppeteering Elmo on Sesame Street from 1985 to 2012. He also performed puppets for Labyrinth, Dinosaurs, Oobi, and various Muppet productions.

Elmo's World is a segment that is shown in the American children's television program Sesame Street. It always comes last and premiered on November 16, 1998, as part of a broader structural change to the show. It originally lasted fifteen minutes at the end of each episode. The segment ran until 2009, and then returned in 2017. The segment was designed to appeal to younger viewers and to increase ratings, which had fallen in the past decade. The segment is presented from the perspective of a three-year-old child as represented by its host, the Muppet Elmo, performed by Kevin Clash in the original series and Ryan Dillon in the 2017 reboot.

Rosita (<i>Sesame Street</i>) Sesame Street Muppet character

Rosita is a Muppet character on the children's television series Sesame Street. Fluent in both American English and Mexican Spanish, she is the first regular bilingual Muppet on the show. Rosita comes from Mexico and likes to play the guitar.

<i>The Muppet Alphabet Album</i> 1971 studio album by Sesame Street

The Muppet Alphabet Album is a Sesame Street learning album based on the children's television series. It was first released in 1971 by Columbia, then reissued in 1976, and by Golden Music in 1990, and by Sony Wonder in 1996, and by Koch Records in 2008. Sony Wonder and Koch Records's reissues included Elmo singing a version of the song, "ABC-DEF-GHI", and called it "Sing the Alphabet". The album features one song for each letter in the alphabet, performed by a variety of Sesame Street characters. Each of the songs uses a different musical style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce</span> Unreleased episode of Sesame Street

"Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" is the name of an episode on the children's television program Sesame Street. Produced in 1992, it never aired because tests revealed several unintended negative effects. Sesame Street has a history of addressing difficult topics as part of its affective curriculum goals, including death, marriage, childbirth, and disaster. Extensive research was conducted before these episodes were written and produced to determine their focus, and after they aired, to analyze their impact on viewers. This was the case for "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce." The show's producers had expressed a desire to produce the episode as early as 1989, and they were convinced that it was a topic they should address after the US Census Bureau reported that 40% of American children had experienced divorce.

<i>Street Gang</i> Non-fiction book by Michael Davis

Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street is a non-fiction book chronicling the history of the children's television program Sesame Street. Street Gang is journalist and writer Michael Davis's first book, published by Viking Press in 2008. On bookshelves in time for the show's 40th anniversary in 2009, the book developed out of a TV Guide article Davis wrote to commemorate the show's 35th anniversary in 2004. Davis spent five years researching and writing the book, and conducted hundreds of interviews with the show's creators, cast, and crew.

Sesame Street is an American children's television series that is known for its use of format and structure to convey educational concepts to its preschool audience, and to help them prepare for school. It utilizes the conventions of television such as music, humor, sustained action, and a strong visual style, and combines Jim Henson's Muppets, animation, short films, humor, and cultural references. The show, which premiered in 1969, was the first to base its contents, format, and production values on laboratory and formative research. According to researchers, it was also the first to include a curriculum "detailed or stated in terms of measurable outcomes".

Music of <i>Sesame Street</i> Music of the television show Sesame Street

Music has been a part of the children's television show Sesame Street since its debut on PBS in 1969. For the first time, music was used as a teaching tool on a TV program for children; the songs written and performed on the show fulfilled specific purposes and supported its curriculum. The music on Sesame Street consisted of many styles and genres, but was consistent and recognizable so that it could be reproduced. The producers recorded and released dozens of albums of music; many songs became "timeless classics". In order to attract the best composers and lyricists, CTW allowed songwriters to retain the rights to the songs they wrote, which allowed them to earn lucrative profits. Sesame Street Book & Record, recorded in 1970, went gold and won a Grammy. As of November 2019, Sesame Workshop has partnered with Warner Music Group's Arts Music division to reform Sesame Street Records to make the music of Sesame Street fully available.

The children's television show Sesame Street, which premiered on public broadcasting television stations in 1969, was the first show of its kind that utilized a detailed and comprehensive educational curriculum, with specific educational goals, in its content. Its goals were garnered from in-house formative research and independent summative evaluations, and its first curriculum was created in a series of five seminars in 1968.

<i>Sesame Streets 50th Anniversary Celebration</i> 2019 TV Special

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration is a 2019 musical television special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street. Hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the special aired on November 9, 2019, on HBO, followed by a November 17 airing on PBS. It stars the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, including Kermit the Frog, from the past and present. Many retired cast members and characters reunited on the street for the first time in years since their last appearances. This is the final Sesame Street special to feature long-time Muppet performer Caroll Spinney, who performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for 50 years as well as the cast members Emilio Delgado and Bob McGrath, who played Luis and Bob, respectively, for 45 years.

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Works cited