Suki Lopez (born October 7, 1990) is an American actress, dancer, and graphic designer. She plays Nina on the children's television series Sesame Street .
Lopez grew up in Miami, Florida. [1] [2] [3] Lopez began studying ballet at age three, [1] [2] at the Maria Verdeja School of the Arts. [2] She participated in talent shows and school choir as a child, and performed in Spanish-language commercials that aired in Latin America. [1] She studied dance at summer workshops with Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. [1] [2] The first Broadway musical she saw was Hairspray , which further inspired her to pursue acting as a career. [2]
Lopez participated in musical theatre in high school. [1] She attended Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, where she performed in the Troupe 6273, [2] and was cast in Thoroughly Modern Millie in her senior year. [2] Lopez later moved to New York City to study at the Collaborative Arts Project 21 acting conservatory. [1] She appeared in a productions of the Singin' in the Rain musical, and in a national tour of the musical West Side Story . [1] [3] Lopez also performed on the Disney Cruise Line, [1] [2] appearing in the shows Disney Wishes and Disney's Believe. She also understudied the role of Jasmine from Aladdin , [1] and performed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast . [2]
Lopez joined the cast of Sesame Street during its 46th season in 2016, the first year that the show had moved first-run to HBO, marking her television debut. [1] [4] Her first audition was reading a scene involving a heart to heart conversation with someone performing as Elmo, and her second audition included singing and improvisation with the Murray Monster puppet. [1] Her casting was part of a series of updates and changes to the show that coincided with the move to HBO. [1] [4] [5] Lopez portrays Nina, works at the Sesame Street laundromat and bike store, [4] [6] [7] and works as a babysitter for Elmo. [1] Sesame Street promotional materials described Nina as "a young bilingual Hispanic woman who uses her wit, compassion, and charisma to help the furry residents of Sesame Street solve their daily dilemmas". [1] Lopez said of the character: "Nina is a millennial, and she has a bunch of jobs. So I guess she is like me." [1] [3] Lopez watched and enjoyed Sesame Street as a child. [1] [2] [3] Shortly after Lopez's character was introduced, a petition was circulated asking for Nina to be depicted as a college graduate. [8] [9]
Lopez has one brother. Her first name means "love" in Japanese. [1] She has also worked in graphic design, [1] [2] as a choreographer and acting coach, [2] and has run social media accounts for various dance studios in Florida. [1] [3] While appearing in Sesame Street, Lopez was also studying liberal arts at The New School in New York City. [1] [3] [8]
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 Max in 2020.
Elmo is a red Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. A furry red monster who speaks in a high-pitched falsetto voice and frequently refers to himself in the third person, he hosts the last full five-minute segment on Sesame Street, "Elmo's World", which is aimed at toddlers. He was originally performed by Kevin Clash. Following Clash's resignation in late 2012, Elmo has been performed by Ryan Dillon.
Sonia Manzano is an American actress, screenwriter, and author. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 to 2015. She received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016.
Elmo's World is a segment that is shown at the end of the American children's television program Sesame Street which 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.
Sesame Place Philadelphia is a children's theme park and water park based on the children's educational television program Sesame Street. It is one of the two Sesame Place theme parks owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts under an exclusive license from Sesame Workshop, the non-profit owner of Sesame Street. Located outside of Philadelphia in Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, it is the older of the two Sesame Street theme parks in the United States. Sesame Place Philadelphia includes a variety of rides, shows and water attractions suited for young children, and is the first theme park in the world to become a certified autism center.
Eric Jacobson is an American puppeteer. He is best known for his involvement with the Muppets, performing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle for The Muppets Studio, as well as Sesame Street characters Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley—all roles that he inherited from the characters' original performers, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, and Jim Henson.
John Nicholas Tartaglia is an American puppeteer, actor, and singer.
Stephanie Ann D'Abruzzo is an American actress, puppeteer and singer. She has performed various Muppets in the TV program Sesame Street. She held starring roles on Oobi and The Book of Pooh. She was one of the original cast members of the stage musical Avenue Q, receiving a nomination for the 2004 Best Actress in a Musical.
David Rudman is an American puppeteer, puppet builder, writer, director, and producer known for his involvement with the Muppets and Sesame Street. Rudman currently performs the roles of Scooter, Janice, and Beaker for The Muppets Studio, which were all originated by Richard Hunt, as well as Cookie Monster and Baby Bear on Sesame Street.
Abby Cadabby, mostly referred to as just Abby, is a Muppet character on the PBS/HBO children's television show Sesame Street, performed by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph. On August 14, 2006, Abby made her debut in the first episode of Sesame Street’s 37th season, when she moved into the neighborhood and met some of the Street's residents. On the day of her debut, her wand broke; Big Bird told her to take her wand to the Fix-It Shop where Maria would fix it. Season 40 features her CGI animated recurring segments titled Abby's Flying Fairy School which was adapted into a proper spin-off. She is also currently the host of another spin-off Abby's Amazing Adventures, with her stepbrother Rudy, which debuted in 2018.
Big Bag is an American live-action/animated children's television series created by Nina Elias-Bamberger for Cartoon Network and Sesame Workshop. It was targeted at preschool viewers. The show was co-produced by Cartoon Network and Sesame Workshop, with Muppet characters created by the Jim Henson Company. It aired from 1996 to 1998, with reruns airing through 2001, alongside another program titled Small World. Localized versions of Big Bag aired on Canal J in France and Yorkshire Television in the UK.
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.
The Furchester Hotel is a puppet series that aired on CBeebies. It was the second British-American spin-off of Sesame Street that the BBC had made after Sesame Tree 6 years before. The show ran on CBeebies on 26 September 2014. The show aired in 2016 on Sprout until March 2, 2019.
Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas is a one-hour Sesame Street Christmas special that first aired on HBO on November 25, 2016, and on November 22, 2017, on PBS. It was the franchise's first Christmas special in ten years.
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.
Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate is a 2020 television special which was produced as an extension of Sesame Workshop's Caring for Each Other initiative in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The special follows Elmo and other Sesame Street characters having a virtual playdate, along with a few celebrity guests. HBO and WarnerMedia's parent company, AT&T, was the program's sole sponsor, with United Health Care sponsoring the PBS Kids broadcast.
Mecha Builders is an animated children's television series and a spin-off of Sesame Street that began production in May 2020. The series is produced by Sesame Workshop and Guru Studio.
The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo is an American late-night talk show hosted by the Muppet character Elmo. It is a spin-off of Sesame Street and was developed exclusively for the HBO Max streaming service. The series, consisting of 13 episodes, debuted on HBO Max on May 27, 2020. The first three episodes were available at launch, after which new episodes were premiered weekly. Each episode runs for 15 minutes. In March 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on September 30, 2021, when the show moved to the service's Cartoonito section. However, in August 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max. The series aired on PBS Kids from February 10, 2023, to May 10, 2024.
When You Wish Upon A Pickle: A Sesame Street Special is a 48-minute Sesame Street HBO television special with special guest stars Blake Lively and Amanda Seyfried. The special was a co-production with Shout Factory and Sesame Workshop. The special received a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Children's Program at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards and was also nominated for Best Voice-Over for Eric Jacobson for his performances as Bert, Grover, and Oscar The Grouch.