The Number Painter facts for kids
The Number Painter, also known as The Mad Painter, was a fun character from the TV show Sesame Street. He starred in a series of short, funny films. These films helped kids learn to recognize numbers. They showed what numbers look like and how to draw them.
Unlike other Sesame Street segments that focused on counting, "The Number Painter" focused on seeing and drawing numbers. There were ten films in the series, covering numbers 2 through 11. The show didn't make films for number 1 or number 12 in this series.
The Number Painter was played by Paul Benedict. He was a quirky character who loved painting numbers in all sorts of places. He wore a striped shirt, gray pants, sneakers, and a paint-splattered smock. He also had a black bowler hat. He always carried paint, a brush, and a cut-out of the number he was going to paint. The Painter never spoke out loud, but you could hear his thoughts in a voice-over.
These films were made in 1971. The first one, for the number 2, aired on February 23, 1972. Sesame Street often replayed its segments, so the Painter skits were shown again and again into the 1980s. Robert Dennis created the cheerful piano music for each film. Eliot Noyes Jr. directed and produced the series.
How the Skits Worked
Each film followed a similar pattern. The Painter would announce the number he was going to paint. Then, he would look for the perfect spot to paint it. He would pull out a stencil of the number from his smock. This helped viewers see the number's shape clearly.
The Painter would paint on many different things. These included sailboat sails, slices of bread, umbrellas, rubber balls, and even elevator doors. Once, in the number 8 film, his painting made the front page of a newspaper! Many films ended with people getting upset about his paintings.
Who Were the Characters?
Mac
Jerome Raphael played Mac, who was often the target of the Painter's antics. Mac appeared in seven of the skits. He was a boat owner in the number 2 film and a baker in the number 6 film. He was also a department store customer, a man relaxing in a pool, a street cleaner, and a janitor. Mac usually managed to stop the Painter's work. Only once did the Painter get the better of him, in the number 8 film.
The Lady
Stockard Channing appeared in four of the sketches. She later became famous in movies like Grease and TV shows like The West Wing. She played a lady at a picnic in the number 3 film. She was also the woman with the umbrella, a customer in an elevator, and a doctor saying "Next" to patients.
Skit List
| Number | What Happened |
|---|---|
| 2 (March 1972) | The Painter paints a 2 on a sailboat sail. The boat owner gets angry, and the Painter quickly rows away. |
| 3 (February 1972) | The Painter uses mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup to paint a 3 on bread slices. A woman quickly eats the bread before he can admire his work. |
| 4 (February 1972) | The Painter paints a 4 on a woman's umbrella. Suddenly, both get soaked by a big splash of water. |
| 5 (January 1972) | At the zoo, the Painter starts painting a 5 on a ball. A gorilla finishes the painting, and they high-five. |
| 6 (February 1972) | In a bakery, the Painter uses icing to draw a 6 on a cake. The baker shoves the cake in the Painter's face. |
| 7 (February 1972) | The Painter tries to paint a 7 on an elevator door. He ends up painting it on a shopping bag and a purse. He then sees a football player with a 7 on his jersey. |
| 8 (January 1972) | The Painter paints an 8 on Mac's bald head while Mac is in a swimming pool. A funny chase scene follows. |
| 9 (February 1972) | The Painter paints a 9 on the street. A street cleaner truck, driven by Mac, washes it away. |
| 10 (February 1972) | The Painter paints a 10 on a bar stool. A janitor sits on it, and the wet paint transfers to his coveralls. |
| 11 (February 1972) | The Painter paints an 11 on a doctor's office window. The janitor (Mac) washes it off, and the doctor pulls the Painter into the office. |
