12 Best ‘Sesame Street’ Muppets, Ranked
Viewers have been enjoying sunny days sweepin’ the clouds away for 55 years now: Sesame Street debuted on TV on November 10, 1969.
And five and a half decades on, the street shows no signs of closing. Sesame Workshop is already at work on the children’s show’s 56th season, as executive vice president Whit Higgins told C21Media this April. “It’s just amazing when I say that, right?” Higgins added. “We say it all the time so it feels normal, but then I say it to other folks and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, 56 seasons, that’s amazing.’”
To celebrate Sesame Street’s latest milestone anniversary, we’re naming the best Muppets from the show — of the regular cast, at least — from the goofy to the Grouchy.
12. Rosita
We’re glad Rosita la Monstrua de las Cuevas flew from Mexico to Sesame Street. The winged, turquoise monster always has a song in her heart and Spanish vocab ready for the sharing. Her wings have come and gone over the years — for reasons not entirely clear — but she has always been an uplifting presence.
11. Snuffleupagus
Big Bird’s BFF is always ready for an adventure (or a Snuffle Shuffle). And though sometimes he gets down when the going gets tough, Snuffy carries on with encouragement from his fine feathered friend, showing kids how to bounce back from adversity. (Just don’t call him an elephant!)
10. Telly Monster
This fuchsia fellow just one big ball of worry. And frustration. And jealousy. And anxiety. Yeah, Telly deals with some monstrous feelings, all right — Sesame Workshop calls him “an intense and earnest monster who worries over everything” — but he’s also a role model for coping.
9. Julia
As Sesame Street’s first Muppet with autism, Julia confused some of the other Muppets with her behavior at first. But they soon learned that she’s like any other kid; she just does things “in a Julia sort of way.” Representation matters, especially in children’s television, and Julia reflects a significant segment of viewers.
8. Elmo
We’d probably rank this giggling guy higher if we weren’t still feeling Elmo-verload from the Tickle Me Elmo craze of 1996. But there’s no denying the red monster is lovable, especially with curiosity about the world and his can-do attitude. We can even forgive him for referring to himself in the third person.
7. Count Von Count
Don’t let that vampiric appearance fool you — the only thing Count Von Count sinks his teeth into is arithmetic. He’s been teaching young viewers to count for half a century now — with that Eastern European accent and that distinctive laugh (“ah-ah-ah”) that we all love to imitate.
6. Big Bird
Sesame Street’s tallest character — his highest feathers reach eight feet in the air — is also one of its most talented. (He dances! He skates! He writes! He draws!) But his biggest talent is making Sesame Street newcomers and viewers feel right at home with his wings outstretched.
4. Bert & Ernie (tie)
Sesame Workshop won’t admit it, but we side with the Sesame Street writer who argued that these roommates are actually a couple, and we love the duo all the more for it. They’re polar opposites — Bert is strait-laced and serious, Ernie is fun-loving and mischievous — but that makes them a perfect comedy team.
3. Grover
This blue monster’s résumé must be a mile long. He has been a taxi driver, a burger flipper, a magician, a private eye, a barista, a flight attendant, a plumber, and a safari guide, among so many other professions. He thinks he can do anything, and though he usually fumbles his responsibility, love the enthusiasm.
2. Oscar the Grouch
Who among us hasn’t wanted to just hole up, settle in for a nap, and ignore the rest of the world? (He’s been doing “goblin mode” long before it was popular.) Sesame Street’s trashcan-dwelling misanthrope complains about everything, and his unibrow is always in scowl position, but we all know he’s a big softie inside.
1. Cookie Monster
With his googly eyes, his growly voice, and the way he demolishes a baked good, this Sesame Street character makes us laugh more than any other. He’s been expanding his diet to include fruits and veggies lately, but there’s no replacing his love for cookies (nor does any food explode into crumbs in his chomping jaws like cookies do). Honestly, he’s an inspiration.
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