Barkley (Sesame Street)

Barkley is a Muppet dog who appears on Sesame Street. Barkley was originally called Woof-Woof when he first appeared in Season 9. In the 10th season premiere, the cast voted to rename him Barkley.^[1]

Personality

Barkley is energetic and playful, but is not anthropomorphized in the way that Rowlf the Dog and other characters are. While he may exhibit human-like emotions, he communicates only through barks, yelps, and physical contact. He was Linda's dog and understood the American Sign Language signs for "sit" and "stay." However, Barkley also had a close relationship with Big Bird. Indeed, in the 1997 book Big Bird Meets Santa Claus, the large bird refers to Barkley as his dog. Although Linda has since moved on from Sesame Street, Barkley has remained, presumably becoming a ward of the community as a whole. The book A Bird's Best Friend shows that Granny Bird brought Barkley as a puppy for a present for Big Bird.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Barkley is, like many dogs, known for enjoying human food, sometimes more so then dog food. One specific moment of this was when the other Sesame Street humans and Big Bird were enjoying their lunches, but Barkley was in no mood for dog food and eventually goes over to their table and eats everybody else's food, leaving his behind untouched.

Appearances

Barkley's appearances in television specials include the 1978 A Special Sesame Street Christmas and the 1979 A Walking Tour of Sesame Street. More prominently, he accompanied Big Bird on his trips to China in 1982 and Japan in 1988. He also appeared with the Muppets on Night of 100 Stars. Additionally, for many seasons (until 1992), the Sesame Street closing credits depicted Barkley running through a park with the Kids.

Barkley somewhat disappeared in the series after the start of the 21st century, but returned in the 40th season premiere, being walked (or ran) by Bob. He also made a cameo in one episode the following season.

References

1. ↑ "Barkley - Muppets - Sesame Street - Sesame Street". sesamestreet.org. Retrieved 22 November 2013. 
2. ↑ "Barkley (Character)". imdb.com. Retrieved 22 November 2013. 
3. ↑ Kramer, Melanie. "Throwback Thursday: Barkley on "Sesame Street"". crittr.com. Retrieved 22 November 2013. 
4. ↑ "Sesame Street: In and Out With Barkley". youtube.com. Retrieved 22 November 2013. 
5. ↑ "Sesame Street Milestones". sesameworkshop.org. Retrieved 22 November 2013. 
6. ↑ "Does anyone remember the big dog Barkley on Sesame Street?". yahoo.com. Retrieved 22 November 2013. 

External links

• Barkley on Muppet Wiki, an external wiki