Sesame Street characters facts for kids

Sesame Street is a famous American TV show for children. It features many different characters. A lot of these characters are Muppets, which are special puppets created by Jim Henson. There are also human characters and some animated characters on the show.

All About the Characters

Jim Henson, the amazing creator of The Muppets, in 1989

Jim Henson made many Muppet characters especially for Sesame Street. He joined the show because he believed in its goal to help children learn. He agreed to work without a fee, but he wanted to own the Sesame Street Muppets. He also agreed to share any money they made with the show's creators, the Children's Television Workshop (now called Sesame Workshop).

The Muppets quickly became a huge part of why the show was so popular. Kids easily recognized them, and they helped teach important lessons. Early tests of the show showed that children loved the Muppet parts the most. More Muppets were added in the first few years because they were such good teaching tools.

When Sesame Street was first being made, producers tested five episodes with young children. They found that kids loved the Muppets, but their attention dropped when only human characters were on screen. This happened because experts thought kids might get confused if humans and Muppets were together.

To fix this, the producers decided to let Muppets and humans interact. This change was very important. It created the unique mix of "fluffy monsters and earnest adults" that makes Sesame Street special. Since 2001, Sesame Workshop has fully owned all the Sesame Street Muppets.

Meet the Muppets

Big Bird, the Curious Friend

• Performed by Caroll Spinney (1969–2018), Matt Vogel (1997–present)

Big Bird is one of the main characters and was the first Muppet on the show. He is a tall, yellow bird, about 8 feet high! He lives in a big nest near the "123 Sesame Street" building. Big Bird is like a curious 6-year-old child who loves to ask questions about everything. His best friend is Aloysius Snuffleupagus, also known as "Snuffy." For a long time, Snuffy was Big Bird's imaginary friend until the human characters finally met him in 1985.

Oscar the Grouch, the Grumpy Pal

• Performed by Caroll Spinney (1969–2018), Eric Jacobson (2015–present)

Oscar the Grouch lives in a trash can outside the building. He is a unique creature who is always grumpy. Oscar was created to show children that it's okay to feel grouchy sometimes. He also shows that people can have different opinions. Oscar and Big Bird were made so they could talk to the human characters on the street. Even though he's a grouch, Oscar has friends like his pet worm, Slimey, and his girlfriend, Grundgetta.

Bert and Ernie, Best Friends Forever

• Bert: Performed by Frank Oz (1969–present), Eric Jacobson (1997–present)
• Ernie: Performed by Jim Henson (1969–1990), Steve Whitmire (1990-2014), Billy Barkhurst (2014–2017), Peter Linz (2017–present)

Bert and Ernie have been on the show since the very beginning. They are best friends, but they have very different personalities. Ernie is playful and loves his rubber duck. Bert is more serious and loves things like pigeons and paper clips.

Cookie Monster, the Hungry Blue Monster

• Performed by Frank Oz (1969–present), David Rudman (2001–present)

Cookie Monster is a blue monster with a deep voice. He loves cookies more than anything, but he also enjoys healthy foods. Cookie Monster will eat almost anything he sees, whether it's food or not!

Zoe, the Dancing Monster

• Performed by Fran Brill (1993–2015), Jennifer Barnhart (2016–present)

Zoe is an orange, three-year-old girl monster. She is both graceful and strong, practical and playful. Zoe is Elmo's best friend. She has a pet rock named Rocco and loves to dance ballet.

Rosita, the Bilingual Musician

• Performed by Carmen Osbahr (1991–present)

Rosita is a turquoise, five-year-old girl monster. She speaks both English and Spanish, making her bilingual. Rosita also loves to play the guitar.

Grover, the Helpful Hero

• Performed by Frank Oz (1970–present), Eric Jacobson (1998–present)

Grover is a blue monster who is confident and smart. He also has a superhero alter-ego called "Super Grover." Super Grover always tries to be helpful, even if his plans don't always work out perfectly.

Count von Count, the Number Lover

• Performed by Jerry Nelson (1972–2012), Matt Vogel (2012–present)

Count von Count is a friendly vampire who loves numbers! He is based on the famous character Count Dracula. The Count loves to count everything he sees.

Prairie Dawn, the Show Director

• Performed by Fran Brill (1970–2015), Stephanie D'Abruzzo (2016–present)

Prairie Dawn is a very organized young girl. She loves to write and direct pageants (small plays or shows) that feature her friends.

Elmo, the Little Red Monster

• Performed by Brian Muehl (1980–1984), Richard Hunt (1984–1985), Kevin Clash (1985–2012), Ryan Dillon (2012–present)

Elmo is a small, red monster with a high-pitched voice. He is like a three-year-old child and usually talks about himself using his name (like "Elmo loves to play!"). Elmo became incredibly popular after Kevin Clash started performing him in 1984. He is known for being friendly, cheerful, and having a distinctive giggle.

Elmo even had his own part of the show called "Elmo's World" from 1998 to 2012. In this segment, he explored topics important to kids using both live action and computer animation. The animation looked like a child's crayon drawing brought to life! Later, "Elmo the Musical" replaced "Elmo's World."

Abby Cadabby, the Fairy-in-Training

• Performed by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (2006–present)

Abby Cadabby is a pink, four-year-old fairy-in-training. She was introduced in 2006 to add more female Muppets to the show. Abby is learning how to use her magic. Her stepbrother, Rudy, joined the show in 2017.

Julia, the Autistic Muppet

• Performed by Stacey Gordon

Julia is the first Muppet on the show with autism. She was introduced in 2017 to help young children understand the autism spectrum. Julia is four years old.

Two-Headed Monster, the Cooperation Experts

• Left Head: Performed by Richard Hunt (1978), Jerry Nelson (1978–2001), Joey Mazzarino (2001–2016), Eric Jacobson (2016–present)
• Right Head: Performed by Peter Friedman (1978), Richard Hunt (1978–1992), David Rudman (1992–present)

The Two-Headed Monster teaches kids about cooperation. They speak in a baby-like way but with strong accents.

Other Fun Muppets

Many other Muppets appear on Sesame Street sometimes. These include:

• The Twiddlebugs: A family of clever insects.
• The Yip Yips: Friendly Martians who explore our world.
• Guy Smiley: A lively game show host.
• Biff and Sully: Construction workers.
• Herry Monster: A strong blue monster who sometimes doesn't know his own strength.
• Forgetful Jones: A cowboy who often forgets things.
• Even Kermit the Frog, a very famous Muppet, has appeared!
• Telly Monster: A violet-red monster who worries a lot and overthinks everything.
• Murray Monster: An energetic orange monster who hosts a segment called "Word on the Street."

Human Characters of Sesame Street

The first human characters on Sesame Street were chosen to be a diverse group. This was different from other children's shows at the time, which often had just one host. The show wanted a group of different people with unique personalities.

The Original Cast

• Gordon Robinson: A respected African-American science teacher. He was played by several actors, with Roscoe Orman being the longest-serving.
• Susan: Gordon's wife, played by Loretta Long.
• Mr. Harold Hooper: A kind grocer who ran Hooper's Store, played by Will Lee until he passed away in 1982.
• Bob Johnson: A music teacher played by Bob McGrath.

The actors were chosen based on how children reacted to them. For example, when kids saw Loretta Long's audition, they stood up and sang along with her!

Later Additions and Family Stories

• Linda (Linda Bove): Bob's former girlfriend, a librarian who used American Sign Language. She became the longest-running deaf character on TV.
• Miles: Gordon and Susan adopted Miles, who grew up on the show.
• Luis Rodriguez (Emilio Delgado): A Mexican-American repairman who joined in 1971. He was known as the "Mr. Fix-It" of Sesame Street.
• Maria (Sonia Manzano): Luis married Maria in 1988, and their daughter, Gabi, was born the next year.

When Mr. Hooper passed away, Sesame Street addressed his death in a special episode in 1983. This was a very important moment in children's television. After that, Mr. Hooper's apprentice David (Northern Calloway) took over the store. Later owners included Mr. Handford and the current owner, Alan (Alan Muraoka).

• Gina Jefferson (Alison Bartlett O'Reilly): Started working at Hooper's Store as a teenager, then ran a daycare, and became a veterinarian.
• Chris (Chris Knowings): Gordon and Susan's nephew, who works part-time at Hooper's Store.
• Leela (Nitya Vidyasagar): An Indian-American laundromat owner.
• Armando (Ismael Cruz Córdova): An energetic Latino writer who loves his gadgets.

The Noodle Family

The Noodle family are special characters in the "Elmo's World" segment. They don't speak, but they use mime to solve problems.

• Mr. Noodle: Played by Bill Irwin.
• Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle: Played by Michael Jeter.
• Mr. Noodle's sister, Ms. Noodle: Played by Kristin Chenoweth.
• Mr. Noodle's other sister, Miss Noodle: Played by Sarah Jones.

The Noodles often make mistakes, but they figure things out with the help of kids' voices. This helps children feel smart and empowered.

Animated Characters on Sesame Street

Besides Muppets and humans, Sesame Street has also featured animated characters.

• Alice Braithwaite Goodyshoes: An animated character known for being a know-it-all.
• The Teeny Little Super Guy: A small problem solver.

In 2008, Bert and Ernie got their own Claymation segment called "Bert and Ernie's Great Adventure." In these shorts, they go on exciting trips around the world. The next year, Abby Cadabby got her own computer-animated segment, "Abby's Flying Fairy School." Here, she learns to be a fairy with her teacher and classmates.

Some DC Comics characters like Batman and Superman were also used in animated parts of the show in the first season. Animated characters usually don't interact with the human or Muppet characters. However, Smarty, a talking smartphone, debuted in 2017 in "Elmo's World." Smarty helps Elmo and the audience learn new things by looking up information.