Roosevelt Franklin was a Muppet featured on the children's television series Sesame Street during the early 1970s. He is purple with shaggy black hair that stands on end. His name is word play on the name of US President Franklin Roosevelt. Sesame Street cast member Matt Robinson, who also played Gordon, provided Roosevelt Franklin's voice.
Franklin is an intelligent boy who often speaks in rhyme or scat. Franklin began to appear less frequently in episodes created after the mid-1970s until he no longer was on the series.
Roosevelt Franklin usually appears in scenes with his mother, voiced by Loretta Long, who plays Susan on the series, and Roosevelt frequently recited poetry. Later scenes are set in a classroom, in which Roosevelt appears to fill in for an absent teacher.
Franklin is featured on a 1971 record album called The Year Of Roosevelt Franklin, which was reissued in 1974 as My Name Is Roosevelt Franklin.
On an episode of The Colbert Report from September 25, 2008, Stephen Colbert mediated a debate concerning whether US President Franklin Roosevelt or US President Teddy Roosevelt is the better Roosevelt. Upon a tie, Colbert declared Roosevelt Franklin the continued champion.[1]
Roosevelt Franklin is also the name of a hip hop artist known for collaborations with Atmosphere.
The hip hop duo Organized Konfusion feature a track titled Roosevelt Franklin on their eponymous album, Organized Konfusion.
In the comedy TV series Arrested Development, the name of Gob Bluth's puppet Franklin Delano Bluth references Roosevelt Franklin.
Canadian R&B group Bass is Base released a track called "Days of the Week" on their 1995 album Memories of the Soulshack Survivors. The track begins with a recreation of the beginning of Rosevelt Franklin's Days of the week sketch and segues into a listing of the major musical influences of the members of the band.[2]