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In 40 seasons, Sesame Street has featured over 1,000 characters. Although we’ll always have mainstays like Big Bird, Elmo, Bert and Ernie, many Muppets have been forgotten or deemed unnecessary. Here are a few Sesame Street residents who were evicted.
1. Roosevelt Franklin
Perhaps the most famous of the retired Sesame Street Muppets is Roosevelt Franklin. Originally voiced by Matt Robinson, who portrayed the first Gordon on Sesame Street, Roosevelt was an African-American Muppet who had his own school (named Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School). He often taught the class important lessons about things such as the geography of Africa and how to avoid drinking poison.
Parents wrote to the Children’s Television Workshop to complain that Roosevelt was a negative stereotype of African-American children, citing his rowdy nature and the fact that his classes closely resembled after-school detention. Roosevelt only lasted from 1970-1975, but he has appeared in many Sesame Street books, and it was recently revealed that he will make an appearance in the background of an episode of Sesame Street in the upcoming 40th season.
2. Harvey Kneeslapper
If a Muppet with a ’70s porn mustache and googly eyes offers to keep an eye on your hat, run the other way. Chances are he’s Harvey Kneeslapper, and he’s about to crush your fedora with an oversized letter I. Harvey pulled practical jokes on unsuspecting victims—jokes featuring bad puns about letters and numbers. Harvey was his own biggest fan, laughing loudly at his gags. One person who didn’t care for Harvey’s trademark laugh was his performer, Frank Oz, who complained that performing the character was too hard on his throat.
3. Professor Hastings
If there’s one thing kids like, it’s boring lectures. That’s why Sesame Street introduced Professor Hastings, a Muppet whose lectures were so boring, he’d put himself to sleep. And as entertaining as an educational narcoleptic might be, the dull Professor didn’t last long.
4. Don Music
One of Richard Hunt’s most beloved characters was Don Music, a pianist and lyricist who penned such hits as “Mary Had a Bicycle,” “Drive, Drive, Drive Your Car,” and “Can You Tell Me How to Get to Yellowstone Park?” Although his lyrics were so very close to their familiar counterparts, Don demonstrated his artistic frustration by banging his head on the piano, shouting “I’ll never get it! Never, never!” Unfortunately, the kids at home found that so amusing, they began to imitate the act themselves, thus causing Don Music to join the growing pile of retired Muppets.
5. Buddy & Jim
In the first season of Sesame Street, two bumbling humans named Buddy and Jim (played by Brandon Maggart and James Catusi) appeared as “a walking Polish joke” (at least that’s what Time called them). They repeatedly failed at simple tasks: they’d hammer a backwards nail into the wall, or play checkers with backwards chairs (I think you’re starting to see the pattern here). The long-standing rumor is that the actors who played Buddy and Jim took their act on the road to make a few extra bucks, but neglected to ask for permission to use the Sesame Street scripts. By season two, they were replaced by Larry and Phyllis (played by real-life couple Alan Arkin and Barbara Dana). But parents hated Larry and Phyllis, and a myriad of angry letters forced Sesame Street to replace them with Wally and Ralph (played by Joe Ponazecki and Paul Rice). A weak copy of the Buddy and Jim team, Wally and Ralph lasted just one season, and Sesame Street abandoned the human comedy duo format altogether.
6. Bruno the Trashman
In the 1970s, there were only two ways for Oscar to get around. He either had to let a cast member move his can across the set, or he had to walk around with the trash can obscuring the upper half of his body (Oscar’s legs were performed by none other than Fantasy Island’s Hervé Villechaize). Oscar’s performer, Caroll Spinney, created Bruno the Trashman, who was inspired by a puppeteer on The Gong Show. Bruno was a full-bodied puppet with an opening in the stomach, so Spinney could perform Oscar while walking around (or even roller skating). The large, yet silent Bruno stuck around for several years, and appeared in the motion picture Follow That Bird. After years in storage, the Bruno puppet began to disintegrate, and the decision was made not to rebuild him. Oscar’s trashman eventually became trash himself.
7. “Around the Corner”
Did you know an entire section of Sesame Street was shuttered? The cul-de-sac known as “Around the Corner” was introduced in 1993, and featured a ritzy hotel, jazz club, thrift store, dance studio, park, and subway station. The Around the Corner locations stuck around for five years, but research showed that kids were confused about having to look to the right to see more of the Street. The alleyway was abandoned, as were all the characters who worked at the aforementioned establishments. The alley now serves as a parking spot for Oscar’s Sloppy Jalopy.
8 & 9. Kermit the Frog & Herbert Birdsfoot
Yes, that Kermit the Frog. Jim Henson knew Kermit was going to be his trademark character for a long time to come, so after the first season of Sesame Street, Henson “retired” Kermit from the show. At the time, Kermit was known for giving lectures on Sesame Street about letters, numbers and basic concepts. He was replaced by Herbert Birdsfoot, an accountant-looking Muppet whose nerdiness was usually offset by his lovable assistant, Grover. As we all know, it wasn’t so easy to keep Kermit away from the Street, and he returned to the show for the third season. Herb was phased out by season five.
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Comments (44)
Comment
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roosevelt franklin = GOB’s franklin!
posted by vidiotsavant on 11-10-2009 at 1:48 pm
it ain’t eaaaasy bein’ white….
posted by vidiotsavant on 11-10-2009 at 1:51 pm
it ain’t eaaaasy bein’ brown,
all this pressure to be smart,
I got kids all over tooooown.
posted by bobby mcgee on 11-10-2009 at 2:04 pm
Did SOMEbody call me by my first and last name?
I remember most of those.
posted by Mike Wilson on 11-10-2009 at 2:08 pm
Harvey Kneeslapper terrifies me. I blocked him out until one day I was looking at Muppet Central and the maniacal laugh came rushing back to me.
posted by vegebrarian on 11-10-2009 at 2:12 pm
Always loved Buddy and Jim. One of the things their act was meant to do was to teach spacial relations.
Didn’t realize they were only on for one season.
posted by Steven on 11-10-2009 at 2:40 pm
Man…all the people I’ve had to convince that Kermit was once a regular!! One bunch of skits I remember well was his turn as a reporter, where he’d introduce himself: “Hi ho, Kermit Thee Frog here…!”
Ahh youth…
posted by Bubba on 11-10-2009 at 3:06 pm
After many years, I had totally forgotten about Don Music… I can tell you that kids really did try to bang their own heads on piano keyboards. As a seven-year-old, I can remember thinking something along the lines of, “That hurt! Why didn’t I realize it would beforehand?”
posted by Also J on 11-10-2009 at 3:14 pm
Thank you so much for this blast from the past! So many memories!
posted by Ranger J on 11-10-2009 at 3:23 pm
I was four when Sesame Street debuted, and I loved Roosevelt Franklin. It never occurred to me that Muppets could be racial stereotypes, because I never thought they had races. It made me very sad when Roosevelt disappeared and no one explained why.
I still think it’s a bogus excuse today.
posted by loripop on 11-10-2009 at 4:23 pm
what about the cookie monster? now he’s been changed.
posted by lsmith on 11-10-2009 at 4:58 pm
I have child that watches Sesame Street. I never see Forgetful Jones anymore. I wonder if the got rid of him too?
posted by P. Esh on 11-10-2009 at 5:45 pm
Vidiotsavant,
I thought the same thing while I was reading this…
Seems GOB has alot of connections with Sesame Street…
posted by Chrystani on 11-10-2009 at 5:54 pm
I had forgotten about Roosevelt Franklin but as soon as I saw him here, a song started going through my head. Something like “Roosevelt Franklin, yes he is”. Did he have a song?
posted by Barbara on 11-10-2009 at 6:09 pm
I grew up with SS in the 90s and i knew about Franklin still. Oh what about Biff and his pal (the construction workers) and the Owl that played the Sax. And Guy Smiley! I still hate that they took him off.
Ismith, don’t you dare say they changed Cookie! I hate when people say that. They just added veggies, but never took his cookies!
On a sidenote, I’m wearing a Sesame Street shirt right now b/c i’m that cool =]
ReCaptcha: bostons sympathy
The feeling the have for the Phillies since the World Series ended =/
posted by Barbara on 11-10-2009 at 7:14 pm
as a guy in my late 30’s who grew up with Sesame Street – around the corner will ALWAYS be Mr. HOOPERS fix-it shop !
posted by Scott T. on 11-10-2009 at 8:07 pm
I liked Roosevelt Franklin.
posted by Diane on 11-10-2009 at 8:23 pm
@P.Esh – Sesame Street Unpaved has a blurb about Forgetful Jones, but nothing about why he’s no longer a regular. He was played by Richard Hunt, who died in ‘92.
@Barbara – SSU lists no “theme” song per se for Roosevelt Franklin, but does list “Same Sound Brown” to show his rhyming skills.
posted by Meri on 11-10-2009 at 8:44 pm
We loved Roosevelt Franklin. There was a song about his school that we used to sing when I was growing up. I agree with whoever said that as kids we didn’t detect those stereotypes — we just liked the character.
posted by Amy on 11-10-2009 at 8:52 pm
I HEART Don Music ;-D
posted by Anon Emous on 11-10-2009 at 10:32 pm
Am I the only person who remembers Little Bird? Early ’90s? He was on my Sesame Street sleeping bag, so I know I’m not pulling things out of thin air.
And – gasp! – they got rid of the “around the corner” section? I remember that!
Unfortunately, Sesame Street has turned into more and more of a propaganda machine. Not to mention the link people think it has to ADD. My children will never watch it.
posted by Kate H on 11-10-2009 at 10:35 pm
@Kate H The only link I’m finding is in kids who watch tv, in general. Link supporting evidence?
posted by MLD on 11-10-2009 at 11:14 pm
One muppet I miss was the loveable dog Barkley. To me he just disappeared. He was a bundle of joy.
posted by Mandy on 11-10-2009 at 11:43 pm
More than 440 celebrities have visited Sesame Street and there are a few celebrities who appeared who probably won’t be asked back after they later became infamous for bad behavior.
Check out this funny list of the Top 10 Celebrity Guests On Sesame Street Who Were Abusers, Boozers & Losers
http://www.tvtango.com/news/detail/id/114
posted by Jane on 11-11-2009 at 1:08 am
I guess I stopped watching Sesame Street before they took Kermit off…Grover and Kermit were my favorites, and I was really afraid of Guy Smiley. LOL
posted by Rachel on 11-11-2009 at 1:38 am
Roosevelt Franklin was African American? I guess that was lost on me as a kid. Kids don’t see race or stereotypes.
posted by MN on 11-11-2009 at 7:09 am
They used to have on a British character that was a negative stereotype. Let’s all go around being offended so everything is watered down.
SS rules when I was a kid. I remember when it started. Now it’s all about being PC.
posted by Dee on 11-11-2009 at 8:07 am
There was also Sam the Robot. For some reason I used to call him Sam Machine. A Sesame Street robot that used to scare the heck out of me. This must have been sometime during the ‘72-’75 seasons. Here’s a shot of poor ol’ Sam: http://images.wikia.com/muppet/images/thumb/f/f8/Character.samrobot.jpg/300px-Character.samrobot.jpg.
posted by Jim on 11-11-2009 at 8:40 am
Man, I loved Sesame Street as a kid, and probably enjoy it now even more than my 2 year-old daughter…
My question: What ever happened to good ol’ Forgetful Jones?
posted by Pete on 11-11-2009 at 8:47 am
I assume that “retire” means “nothing new was filmed with these characters but the old spots continued to air for decades,” because I know there are still bits from the 70s on there even today.
My most notable Sesame Street memory lies in the death of Mr. Hooper. (I know that doesn’t count as “retired,” but still.)
Remember that typewriter that typed on itself? Or the funky plant that wouldn’t wake up to loud music? Ah, good times.
And @Pete – I remember Forgetful Jones!
posted by Stephanie on 11-11-2009 at 10:38 am
I love Forgetful Jones and his horse Buster! And Guy Smiley!
I was also kind of freaked out by The Amazing Mumford because he doesn’t have eyes. And there was a cartoon about a kid who litters named Willy Wimple that really gave me the creeps. It always ended with someone saying yuck.
posted by vegebrarian on 11-11-2009 at 11:32 am
Ok, for those of you who remember the band SemiSonic and/or live in the Minneapolis area… you can’t tell me that “Don Music” and “Dan Wilson” aren’t the same “person”. Seriously.
posted by Steve on 11-11-2009 at 1:23 pm
Awww man what about those aliens that would say “yep yep yep yep” or “nope nope nope nope” ??? I still say that to people and few know what I am talking about but I still say it! (They kind of looked like furry squids and they were purple or blue or something like that)
I liked the original tweedle bugs in the milk carton. Now they are just computer animation. :(
posted by Saryna on 11-11-2009 at 1:30 pm
I can still hear Roosevelt Franklin’s song… “Roosevelt Franklin / That’s my name! / (Roosevelt Franklin)”
“Did I here somebody call my by my first name first and my second name second?”
posted by Matt on 11-11-2009 at 3:00 pm
What about the aliens things that looked like carpet monsters and the honkers?
posted by tia on 11-11-2009 at 4:20 pm
ha ha ha ha ~ Steve, that’s hilarious! Semisonic was one of my favorite bands when I was in high school.
posted by vegebrarian on 11-11-2009 at 5:15 pm
Bruno the Trashman also came in useful during the Muppets on Ice tours. He very gracefully hauled Oscar all around and around.
posted by SandC2009 on 11-11-2009 at 10:22 pm
“Awww man what about those aliens that would say “yep yep yep yep” or “nope nope nope nope” ??? I still say that to people and few know what I am talking about but I still say it! (They kind of looked like furry squids and they were purple or blue or something like that)”
Those are the Yip-Yips, and they are my favorite characters ^_^ Yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip yip…
posted by MetFanMac on 11-12-2009 at 3:32 am
Made me laugh with memories.. how many of you took your muppets at home and made a play ? WE did! My brother made ‘the muppets go to Niagra Falls’ in ‘76. So funny. Roosevelt Franklin was one of our faves, and putting a race to him is so RIDICULOUS! For yrs I thought that was the presidents (Roosevelt’s) name.
Guy smiley was funny and sometimes scary, THE SCARIEST WAS THAT DRAWING CARTOON where they showed the man and woman’s face, changing shapes.. what WAS That?! Can somebody tell me? That song still runs through my mind ‘in springtime.. and start all over again’ that showed all the changes of the season.
I think S St is the only show that CALMS kids, and brings focus for ADD!!!!!! It is a masterpiece at that.
posted by ww on 11-14-2009 at 7:02 pm
Don Music was amusing? I still remember being really freaked out whenever he would bang his head on the piano, and I’d run out of the room!
Also, remember Teeny little super guy? He was a figure on a glass cup and had his own cool little segment.
posted by Colin GG on 11-16-2009 at 12:11 am
I did the Don Music thing when I was a kid. Fortunately, I was smart enough to do it on my grandparents’ electric organ, whose keys are MUCH more forgiving than a piano’s.
posted by Random on 11-16-2009 at 2:45 am
Roosevelt Franklin, yeah yeah yeah! I wondered what happened to him! :)
posted by Angi M on 11-16-2009 at 8:20 am
My favorite little-seen character is Slimey, the orange-striped worm who was Oscar’s friend. I remember an episode where John Candy, dressed in lederhosen, and Slimey played a clarinet duet.
posted by Michelle Smith on 11-16-2009 at 10:19 am
Muppet Madness Giveaway: enter to win your own one-of-a-kind custom muppet
http://www.gifts.com/sweepstakes/holidaygiveaway
posted by sarah on 11-16-2009 at 2:54 pm