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List of Sesame Street Muppets

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Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets (seen here at the 41st Primetime Emmy Awards 8 months before his death), was initially reluctant to work on Sesame Street, but joined due to social concerns of the time.

The Sesame Street Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson, many for the purpose of appearing on the children's television program Sesame Street. Henson's involvement in Sesame Street began when he and Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the creators of the show, 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 originally reluctant but agreed to join Sesame Street in support of its 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 (renamed to Sesame Workshop on June 5, 2000), the series' non-profit producer.[2] The Muppets were a crucial part of the show's popularity, and brought Henson national attention.[3] The Muppet segments of the show were popular since its premiere, 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 day care 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] specifically Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird, who became two of the show's most enduring characters.[10] These test episodes were directly responsible for what Canadian 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 Muppets created for Sesame Street (which do not include Kermit the Frog) have been owned by Sesame Workshop;[11] Sesame continues to license the trademarked term "Muppet" from The Muppets Studio for their characters.

Muppets

[edit]
Frank Oz, who performed many Muppets throughout his career, from the debut of Sesame Street to most Henson productions
Caroll Spinney performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch from the show's debut in 1969 until his retirement in 2018
Steve Whitmire, who took over many of Jim Henson's characters after Henson's death in 1990, including Ernie and Kermit the Frog[12]
Kevin Clash, with Elmo, his most famous puppet, whom he performed from 1985 to 2012
Eric Jacobson (2015), pictured here performing Grover
David Rudman (2015), who performs Baby Bear, Cookie Monster, and the Two-Headed Monster
Jennifer Barnhart, who performed Gladys the Cow and Mama Bear, and also currently performs Zoe
Matt Robinson, who in addition to performing the voice of the character Roosevelt Franklin, played Gordon for the first 3 seasons of Sesame Street
Contents
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Character Actor/Muppet performer Description
Abby Cadabby Leslie Carrara-Rudolph[13] Abby is a 4-year-old fairy-in-training with tiny wings, a magic wand and sparkles in her hair. She was created to increase the number of the female Sesame Street Muppets. Daughter of the fairy godmother, she "has her own point of view and is comfortable with the fact that she likes wearing a dress".[14]
Alice Snuffleupagus Judy Sladky[15] Alice is the baby sister of Aloysius Snuffleupagus ("Snuffy"). She was one of the first Muppets controlled by remote control.[16]
Alistair Cookie Frank Oz[17] Played by Cookie Monster, he is a parody of British broadcaster Alistair Cooke[18] and appears in the "Monsterpiece Theater" sketch (a parody of Masterpiece Theatre). At first, he used a tobacco pipe that he would eat in each segment. The pipe was eventually removed because according to executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente, it "modeled... wrong behavior".[19]
The Amazing Mumford Jerry Nelson,[20] John Kennedy[21] The Amazing Mumford is a "W.C. Fields-esque" magician whose magic tricks often go awry. His catchphrase, used to produce his tricks, is "Ă€ la peanut butter sandwiches".[20]
Anything Muppets Various[22] Writer Christopher Finch called Anything Muppets "unadorned puppet torsos and heads"[22] used for a single role or purpose. This ever-expanding troupe of Muppets comes in all shapes, sizes and appearances. The Anything Muppets portray humans, specific animals and occasional aliens.[23]
AM Monsters Various[24] Short for "Anything Muppet Monsters", the AM Monsters are customizable Muppet Monsters like the Anything Muppets and the Whatnots from The Muppet Show. Like the Anything Muppets, the AM Muppets come in all shapes, sizes and appearances. According to writer Louise Gikow, Elmo started out as an AM Monster.[24]
Aristotle Richard Hunt[25] Aristotle is a blind monster created to increase inclusiveness of people and puppets with disabilities on the show. He was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Ed Christie.[26]
Arlene Frantic Fran Brill[27] Arlene appeared in the Sesame Street sketch "What's My Part". She was a parody of actress Arlene Francis.[27]
Baby Bear David Rudman[28] Baby Bear, "borrowed from the enduring 'The Three Bears' story", is Curly Bear's big brother and Telly Monster's best friend.[29]
Barkley Toby Towson (1978),[30] Fred Garbo,[31] Brian Muehl,[32] Bruce Connelly[33] Barkley was originally named "Woof-Woof", he is a "large, friendly, shaggy dog" owned by Linda and knows a few words in American Sign Language.[20] Barkley appeared in the 1983 TV special Big Bird in China.[33]
Beautiful Day Monster Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney[34] Beautiful Day Monster originally appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. This puppet was used interchangeably with Cookie Monster on the first season of Sesame Street. He was portrayed as the main antagonist of Sesame Street as he loved to steal things and had sharp teeth. The character was axed from the show because of how he made a terrifying B sound "BAAAAAH!", and how he loved scaring people.[34]
Bennett Snerf Jerry Nelson (AM Monster version), Caroll Spinney (Anything Muppet version) Bennett Snerf appeared in the Sesame Street sketches "What's My Part". He was a parody of American publisher Bennett Cerf.[27]
Benny Kevin Clash[35] Benny is a cynical and cantankerous rabbit who worked as a bellhop at the Furry Arms Hotel (which was part of the Around-the-Corner set expansion of the 1990s).[35]
Bert Frank Oz (1969–2006),[36] Eric Jacobson (1997–present)[37] Bert is Ernie's best friend. He collects paperclips and bottle caps, is fond of oatmeal and is fascinated by pigeons. His sketches were made by Henson and he was built by Don Sahlin.[38]
Betty Lou Lisa Buckley[39] Borgenicht says about her: "With her blonde braided hair, [she] is friendly and unassuming".[39]
Biff Jerry Nelson,[40] Matt Vogel (2020–present) Biff is an "Archie Bunker-style blue-collar loudmouth". He and his partner Sully made for a "classic comedy team". Whenever they encounter a problem, Biff often asks for Sully's opinion, but interrupts him before Sully can answer; however, it is Sully who inevitably comes up with the solution.[41]
Big Bird Caroll Spinney (1969–2018), Matt Vogel (1997–present)[42][43][44] Standing at eight feet two inches, Big Bird was designed by Don Sahlin from Jim Henson's sketches and built by Kermit Love.[45] It was Spinney's idea to make Big Bird a child, with "his trademark curiosity and innocence".[46]
Bip Bippadotta Jim Henson,[47] John Kennedy Bip is the wild-haired puppet featured in the Muppet segment "Mah NĂ  Mah NĂ ".[47]
Bruno Caroll Spinney[39] Bruno is a trashman who sometimes carries Oscar's trash can around the Street. Spinney designed Bruno as a way to allow Oscar to move around and talk at the same time. Spinney also had roller skates made so he could skate around the stage while performing Bruno and Oscar.[48]
Buster Martin P. Robinson[39] Buster is Forgetful Jones' horse with a southern Texas accent who often helps Forgetful get out of difficulties and remember things.[39]
Captain Vegetable Jim Henson (1982), Richard Hunt (1983–1984), Peter Linz (2019–present) Captain Vegetable is a superhero who fought for healthy vegetables. His insignia was a carrot.
Clementine Brian Muehl (1980–1984), Kevin Clash, Camille Bonora (voice) Forgetful Jones' girlfriend
Colambo Joey Mazzarino[39] A lamb detective who is inspired by Columbo[39]
Cookie Monster Frank Oz (1969–2004),[49] David Rudman (2001–present)[50][51] According to Sesame Workshop, "Cookie Monster is a frenzied yet cuddly character on a persistent quest for more food...especially cookies!"[52]
Count von Count Jerry Nelson (1972–2012), Matt Vogel (2013–present)[53] The Count is a number-obsessed vampire who craves counting with a single-focused passion. Nelson based the Count's character and exaggerated European accent on Bela Lugosi's Count Dracula.[54]
Countess Dahling von Dahling Fran Brill (1980–1984)[39] The Countess is Count von Count's girlfriend. She has a dog named Masha and is modeled after Marlene Dietrich.[39][55]
Curly Bear Stephanie D'Abruzzo[56][57] Curly is Baby Bear's little sister. Created to address the issue of sibling rivalry, Curly calls her brother "Bebo", has a very loud growl, and unlike the rest of her family, does not like porridge.[56][58]
Deena Karen Prell[59] Deena is a young, energetic pinkish-purple monster with red hair and wild rolling eyes, speaks in the third person. Described as "hyperactive", Prell reported that her performance was deemed "over-the-top", so the character did not last long.[59]
Dexter Kevin Clash A purple tall monster who loves to juggle
Dingers Various Like the Honkers, the Dingers communicate only with dings.[60]
Don Music Richard Hunt,[41] Ryan Dillon (2019–present) Don Music is a piano-playing composer who required assistance from Kermit the Frog to complete the lyrics to his songs. Whenever he got frustrated, he would say, "Oh, I'll never get it right! Never, never, never!" and bang his head on the piano. He had a bust of Ludwig van Beethoven on his piano and, as an inside joke, a framed photo of Joe Raposo hanging on the wall.[41]
Donald/Ronald Grump Martin P. Robinson According to The Washington Post, New York businessman and eventual President of the United States Donald Trump has been parodied by Sesame Street three times, depicted as a grouch like Oscar. The first time was in the late 1980s; Ronald Grump, a Muppet wearing a fedora attempts to con Oscar out of his trash can. Actor Joe Pesci played Ronald Grump in 1994, during the show's 25th anniversary. In 2005, Donald Grump, a Muppet with an orange wig, appeared in a parody of Trump's TV show The Apprentice.[61]
Dr. Feel Steve Whitmire A spoof of TV personality and author Dr. Phil McGraw[62]
Dr. Nobel Price Brian Muehl (1980–1984), Kevin Clash (1984–1988)[60] Price's inventions consist solely of things that were either useless (like a flying cupcake) or had already been invented. Author Louise Gikow called Price a "misguided inventor" and the "bane of reporter Kermit's existence."[60]
Elizabeth Stephanie D'Abruzzo[56] Elizabeth is a pig-tailed Muppet with a Brooklyn accent who loves the number 732 and her cat Little Murray Sparkles. D'Abruzzo said about her: "She was unlike your typical little girl characters".[56]
Elmo Brian Muehl (1980–1984), Richard Hunt (1984–1985), Kevin Clash (1985–2012),[63][64] Ryan Dillon (2013–present)[65][66] Sesame Workshop calls Elmo "a 3½-year-old red monster with a distinctive cheerful voice and a contagious giggle" and "Enthusiastic, friendly, and curious".