List of Sesame Street Muppets
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The 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 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 stereotypical and 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 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 Muppets created for Sesame Street have been owned by the Sesame Workshop, as the CTW was renamed in 2000.[11]
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Notes
- ^ Finch, p. 53
- ^ Davis, p. 5
- ^ Morrow, p. 93
- ^ Morrow, pp. 94–95
- ^ a b Lesser, p. 164
- ^ a b Finch, p. 39
- ^ Gladwell, p. 105
- ^ a b c Gladwell, p. 106
- ^ Fisch & Bernstein, pp. 39–40
- ^ Fisch & Bernstein, p. 40
- ^ Retsinas, Greg (2003–05–08). "Hensons Buying Back the Muppets for $89 Million". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/08/business/media/08MUPP.html. Retrieved 2011–12–07.
- ^ "Abby Cadabby". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/abby_cadabby. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
- ^ Dominus, Susan (2006–08–06). "A Girly-Girl Joins the 'Sesame' Boys". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/06/arts/television/06domi.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2009–06–19.
- ^ Hellman, Peter (1987–11–23). "Street smart: How Big Bird & Co. do it". New York Magazine 20 (46): 48. http://books.google.com/?id=KOUCAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover. Retrieved 2009–06–20.
- ^ "Alice Snuffleupagus". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/alice_snuffleupagus. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
- ^ Heffernan, Virginia (2007–11–18). "Sweeping the Clouds Away". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine/18wwln-medium-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine. Retrieved 2010–11–04.
- ^ "Mumford the Magician". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/mumford. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g Borgenicht, p. 132
- ^ "Sesame Street Amphibian Show". New York Times. http://www.kbyutv.org/programs/show/episode/?sid=838&enum=4201. Retrieved 2010–11–5.
- ^ Finch, p. 64
- ^ Lesser, p. 127
- ^ Gikow, p. 100
- ^ Gikow, p. 181
- ^ a b Episode 0131 (1970-11-09), in Old School, Volume 1 (Disc 2) [DVD] (2006), Children's Television Workshop
- ^ "Baby Bear". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/baby_bear. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ Gikow, p. 70
- ^ Gikow, p. 93
- ^ "Barkley the Dog". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/barkley. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ Gikow, p. 41
- ^ a b c Gikow, p. 207
- ^ Finch, p. 59
- ^ "Behind the Scenes of Sesame Street". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/behind-the-scenes-of-sesame-street-1816327.html?action=Gallery&ino=5. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ Finch, p. 61
- ^ "Bert". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/bert. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g Borgenicht, p. 131
- ^ "Betty Lou". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/betty_lou. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g Borgenicht, p. 133
- ^ a b c d Davis, p. 242
- ^ Gikow, p. 48
- ^ Gikow, p. 141
- ^ "Big Bird". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/big_bird. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 33
- ^ Gikow, p. 51
- ^ a b Gikow, p. 231
- ^ "Bruno". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/bruno. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ "Buster the Horse". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/buster. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
- ^ a b Gikow, p. 92
- ^ a b Gikow, p. 105
- ^ a b Gikow, p. 226
- ^ "Colambo". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/colambo. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ Davis, p. 246
- ^ Fischer, Shoshana Lewin (2008-05-29). "The Town that Bunnies Built". Jewish Journal. http://www.jewishjournal.com/yeladim/article/the_greatest_gift_of_all_and_bunnies_20080528/. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 65
- ^ "Cookie Monster". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/cookie_monster. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
- ^ Davis, p. 239
- ^ "Count Von Count". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/count_von_count. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ "Countess Darling von Darling". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/countess. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ "Countess Von Backwards". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/countess_von_backwards. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ a b c Gikow, p. 134
- ^ a b Gikow, p. 164
- ^ "Curly Bear". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/curly_bear. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ Whitlock, Natalie Walker. "How Elmo Works: Elmo's World Episode Guide". Discovery.com. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-elmo-works5.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
- ^ Howard, Brendan (2006–08–20). "Puppeteer Loved to 'Rock'". Home Media Magazine. http://www.homemediamagazine.com/news/puppeteer-loved-rock-9543. Retrieved 2009–10–11.
- ^ a b c d e Gikow, p. 104
- ^ a b "Donald Trump becomes a Muppet, Donald Grump". CBC News. 2005–02–11. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2005/02/11/grump050211.html. Retrieved 2010–11–19.
- ^ Whitlock, Natalie Walker. "How Elmo Works: Behind the Scenes of Elmo's World". Discovery.com. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-elmo-works2.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
- ^ Clash, p. 2
- ^ Clash, pp. 1–3, 9
- ^ "Elmo". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/elmo. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
- ^ Davis, p. 166
- ^ Twardzik, Cathleen (200–02–22). ""Who is the fellow that's fluffy and yellow?"– Caroll Spinney". Somerville News. http://www.thesomervillenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=566. Retrieved 2009–10–12.
- ^ Borgenicht, pp. 21, 25
- ^ "Ernie". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/ernie. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
- ^ a b Episode 0536 (1973-11-17), in Old School, Volume 1 (Disc 3) [DVD] (2006), Children's Television Workshop
- ^ a b Gikow, p. 103
- ^ "Forgetful Jones". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/forgetful_jones. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
- ^ Borgnicht, p. 134
- ^ a b Episode 0406 (1972-11-27), in Old School, Volume 1 (Disc 3) [DVD] (2006), Children's Television Workshop
- ^ a b Gikow, p. 140
- ^ a b "Grover". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/grover. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 46
- ^ a b Davis, p. 322
- ^ "Grundgetta". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/grundgetta. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
- ^ Gikow, p. 161
- ^ Gikow, p. 43
- ^ "Guy Smiley". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/guy_smiley. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 98
- ^ "Harvey Kneeslapper". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/harvey_kneeslapper. Retrieved 2011-04-03.
- ^ Whitlock, Natalie Walker. "Introduction to How Elmo Works". Discovery.com. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-elmo-works.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ Episode 0276 (1971-11-08), in Old School, Volume 1 (Disc 2) [DVD] (2006), Children's Television Workshop
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 102
- ^ a b "Herry Monster". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/herry_monster. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 103
- ^ a b "Hoots the Owl". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/hoots. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
- ^ Gikow, p. 63
- ^ "Behind The Voice Actors - Fran Brill". BTVA. http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Fran-Brill. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
- ^ Spin Staff (2006–07–26). "Legend, Foxx Hangin' on 'Sesame Street'". Spin. http://www.spin.com/articles/legend-foxx-hangin-sesame-street. Retrieved 2010–12–24.
- ^ "Jane Tuesday World Broadcast Premiere" (Press release). PR Web. 2004-04-29. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/04/prweb121693.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ Sheff, Jean (May 2004). "Sesame Street Turns 35 - Part 3". Parenthood.com. http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/sesame_street_turns_35_part_3.html/full-view. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ Gikow, p. 197
- ^ "Mr. Johnson". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/mr_johnson. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
- ^ Finch, p. 37
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 89
- ^ Lesser, p. 113
- ^ "Kingston Livingston III". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/kingston_livingston. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
- ^ Gikow, p. 45
- ^ "Little Bird". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/little_bird. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
- ^ Williams, Mary Elizabeth (2010–10–12). "The Viral Genius of "Sesame Street"". Salon. http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/2010/10/12/sesame_street_still_rocks. Retrieved 2011–01–06.
- ^ Gikow, p. 150
- ^ "Murray Monster". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/murray_monster. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ "Baby Natasha". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/baby_natasha. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
- ^ "Oscar". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/oscar. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ Gikow, p. 157
- ^ Gikow, p. 133
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 76–77
- ^ "Prairie Dawn". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/prairie_dawn. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ "Professor Hastings". IMDB.org. http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0120382/. Retrieved 2011–12–12.
- ^ a b Borgnicht, p. 135
- ^ "Rosita". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/rosita. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ a b c Gikow, p. 94
- ^ Gikow, p. 34
- ^ Gikow, pp. 34, 36
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 38
- ^ "Aloysius Snuffleupagus". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/snuffy. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
- ^ "Sonny Friendly". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/sonny_friendly. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 78
- ^ "The Twiddlebugs". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/twiddlebugs. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 73
- ^ "The Yip-Yips (Martians)". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/martians. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ Borgenicht, p. 87
- ^ "Zoe". Sesame Street.org. http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/zoe. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
References
- Borgenicht, David (1998). Sesame Street Unpaved. New York: Hyperion Publishing. ISBN 0-7868-6460-5
- Clash, Kevin, Gary Brozek & Louis Henry Mitchell (2006). My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo Has Taught Me about Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-7679-2375-8
- Davis, Michael (2008). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. New York: Viking Penguin. ISBN 978-0-670-01996-0
- Finch, Christopher (1993). Jim Henson: The Works: the Art, the Magic, the Imagination. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41203-4
- Fisch, Shalom M.; Lewis Bernstein, "Formative Research Revealed: Methodological and Process Issues in Formative Research". In Fisch, Shalom M. & Truglio, Rosemarie T.. G" is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street. Mahweh, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8058-3394-2.
- Gikow, Louise A. (2009). Sesame Street: A Celebration—Forty Years of Life on the Street. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 978-1-57912-638-4.
- Gladwell, Malcolm (2000). The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New York: Little, Brown, and Company. ISBN 0-316-31696-2
- Lesser, Gerald S. (1974). Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-394-71448-2
External links
- Muppet Wiki: Sesame Street characters
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