Sesame Street is a city block where Muppets and people live side by side. Monsters, birds, grouches and children share stoops, shops and apartment buildings, and every episode slips counting, letters and kindness into everyday stories. It's one of the longest-running children's shows in the world, and its characters have taught several generations to read.
The show premiered in the United States on November 10, 1969, created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett at the Children's Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop), with Muppets designed by Jim Henson's company. This guide covers the classic Muppets, the newer characters added over the years, the human neighbours, the puppeteers behind the best-known faces, and a short history of how the cast has changed.
- Premiere
- November 10, 1969
- Created by
- Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett
- Muppets by
- Jim Henson
- Producer
- Sesame Workshop
- Address
- 123 Sesame Street
- Where to watch
- PBS, Netflix (new seasons from 2025)
The classic Muppets
These characters have been on the Street for decades. Most were there from the first season or arrived during the 1970s and 1980s, and they're still the faces most people picture.
Big Bird
Giant yellow bird · Since 1969
An eight-foot, six-year-old bird who lives in a nest behind 123 Sesame Street. He's curious, sweet and sometimes confused about the grown-up world, which makes him a stand-in for the children watching. Big Bird has carried many of the show's hardest stories, including the death of Mr. Hooper in 1983.
Elmo
Red monster · Three and a half
A small red monster who talks about himself in the third person and loves everyone. Elmo existed as a background character before a new performer made him the show's breakout star in the mid-1980s. Since 1998 he's had his own segment, Elmo's World, and he's now the character most toddlers know first.
Cookie Monster
Blue monster · Since 1969
A shaggy blue monster who cannot stop thinking about cookies and eats them in a joyful spray of crumbs. In the 2000s the show started teaching him that cookies are a "sometimes food", and he took it in good humour. His later segments often use his appetite to teach self-control.
Oscar the Grouch
Grouch · Lives in a trash can
A grumpy green character who lives in a trash can and loves everything nasty. He's rude to everyone and proud of it, but he also shows children that it's fine to feel grumpy. His pet worm is Slimey, and his trash can holds far more than seems possible.
Bert
Ernie's roommate
A serious, tidy fellow with a unibrow who loves pigeons, oatmeal, paper clips and bottle caps. He's the straight man to Ernie's jokes and is forever exasperated. His fondness for the boring things in life is exactly why he's funny.
Ernie
Bert's roommate
A cheerful prankster with a rubber duckie, which he sings to in the bath. He loves to wind Bert up with silly questions when Bert is trying to sleep. The pair's sketches are some of the oldest and most-loved on the show.
Grover
Blue monster · Super Grover
An earnest, lovable furry monster who explains concepts like near and far by running back and forth until he's exhausted. He also works as a waiter and as Super Grover, a superhero who rarely helps. He's eager to please and endlessly patient with himself.
The Count
Count von Count
A vampire who loves to count anything, from bats to raindrops, finishing each count with a triumphant laugh and a crash of thunder. He's a gentle parody of horror films and a very effective maths teacher. Counting is his only real interest.
Mr. Snuffleupagus
Big Bird's best friend
A huge, shaggy, slow-speaking creature that resembles a woolly mammoth. For years the grown-ups thought he was Big Bird's imaginary friend because he always left before they arrived. Since 1985 everyone has known he's real.
Telly Monster
Worried monster
A nervous purple monster who frets about everything and loves triangles. He's a friend to Baby Bear and Elmo and a reminder that worry is normal.
Newer Muppet friends
Over the years the show has added characters to reflect the children watching: different cultures, different abilities and different family situations.
Abby Cadabby
Fairy-in-training · Since 2006
A pink fairy who moved to the Street with her mother and is still learning magic. Her spells often go a little wrong. She's bright, sunny and great friends with Elmo and Rosita, and she runs her own segment at a flying fairy school.
Rosita
Bilingual monster · Since 1991
A turquoise monster from Mexico who speaks both Spanish and English and plays guitar. She was the show's first regular bilingual Muppet. Her father has been shown as a military veteran who uses a wheelchair, giving the show a way to talk about military families.
Zoe
Orange monster · Since 1993
An energetic orange monster who loves dancing and has a pet rock named Rocco. She's adventurous and imaginative, and one of Elmo's best friends.
Julia
Autistic Muppet · Since 2017
A four-year-old girl with autism who loves to play but sometimes needs time to respond. She's sensitive to loud noises and flaps her hands when she's excited. She has helped many families explain autism to children.
Ji-Young
Korean American Muppet · Since 2021
A seven-year-old Korean American girl who plays the electric guitar and loves skateboarding. She was introduced to help children talk about Asian American identity and being a good friend when someone faces unkindness.
Gabrielle and Tamir
Cousins · Since 2020
Two Black Muppet children, Gabrielle and her cousin Tamir, introduced to help children understand race, skin colour and fairness. Their conversations with their families give parents an easy way into talks that can feel hard to start.
Baby Bear
Little bear
The son of Papa and Mama Bear from the Three Bears fairy tale, now living on the Street. He's sensitive and earnest and often plays with Telly. He speaks with a slight lisp and takes his friendships very seriously.
Prairie Dawn
Pageant director
An organised, earnest girl who loves to put on shows and pageants that never go to plan. She's often stuck directing the chaotic Cookie Monster.
The human cast
Sesame Street was one of the first children's shows to feature a racially diverse group of adults living together on an urban street. Their families, jobs and life events gave the show a sense of real time passing.
Mr. Hooper
Shopkeeper · Will Lee
The kindly owner of Hooper's Store, played by Will Lee from 1969 until his death in 1982. The 1983 episode in which the adults explain his death to Big Bird is one of the most famous moments in children's television.
Gordon and Susan Robinson
Teacher and nurse
A married couple who were among the original residents. Gordon was played first by Matt Robinson, then Hal Miller and longest by Roscoe Orman; Susan by Loretta Long.
Bob
Music teacher · Bob McGrath
A friendly music teacher who sang with the Muppets for decades. Bob McGrath played him from the first season until 2016.
Maria
Sonia Manzano
A young woman who arrived in 1971, worked at the Fix-It Shop and married Luis. Sonia Manzano also wrote for the show, and Maria's story spanned more than four decades.
Luis
Fix-It Shop · Emilio Delgado
The gentle owner of the Fix-It Shop. Luis and Maria's 1988 wedding and the birth of their daughter Gabi brought milestones to the show.
Linda
Librarian · Linda Bove
A deaf librarian who taught children sign language. Linda Bove was one of the first deaf actors in a recurring TV role.
Alan
Hooper's Store · Alan Muraoka
The current owner of Hooper's Store since 1998, a calm and friendly presence for a new generation.
Mr. Noodle
Elmo's World · Bill Irwin
A silent, bumbling mime who tries to answer Elmo's questions and gets everything wrong. Bill Irwin is the best-known Mr. Noodle.
Who performs the main Muppets
Muppets are puppets, so the voice and the hand movements come from the same performer. Many characters have been passed from their original performer to a successor, usually after years of training together.
| Character | Original performer | Later performer |
|---|---|---|
| Big Bird | Caroll Spinney (1969–2018) | Matt Vogel |
| Oscar the Grouch | Caroll Spinney | Eric Jacobson |
| Elmo | Kevin Clash (main performer 1985–2012) | Ryan Dillon |
| Cookie Monster | Frank Oz | David Rudman |
| Bert | Frank Oz | Eric Jacobson |
| Grover | Frank Oz | Eric Jacobson |
| Ernie | Jim Henson | Steve Whitmire, then Peter Linz |
| The Count | Jerry Nelson | Matt Vogel |
| Abby Cadabby | Leslie Carrara-Rudolph | — |
| Rosita | Carmen Osbahr | — |
| Julia | Stacey Gordon | — |
For more on how puppet and voice performance differ, see our voice acting guide.
A short history of the cast
- 1969 The show premieres with Big Bird, Oscar, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, plus Gordon, Susan, Bob and Mr. Hooper.
- 1971 Maria and Luis join; Mr. Snuffleupagus first appears.
- 1983 "Farewell, Mr. Hooper" helps children understand death.
- 1985 The adults finally meet Snuffy. Elmo begins his rise with a new performer.
- 1988 Maria and Luis marry; their daughter Gabi is born the next year.
- 1998 Elmo's World begins and Alan takes over Hooper's Store.
- 2006 Abby Cadabby moves in.
- 2016 First-run episodes move to HBO; Bob, Gordon and Luis leave the show.
- 2017 Julia joins the TV series.
- 2021 Ji-Young is introduced.
- 2025 A new deal brings new seasons to Netflix alongside PBS.
Where to start
For toddlers, Elmo's segments and the shorter recent episodes are the easiest way in. For older children and nostalgic adults, the classic sketches with Bert and Ernie, the Count and Grover hold up remarkably well, and many are available on Sesame Street's official channels.
Sesame Street's mix of puppets and humans inspired many shows that came after. For modern preschool favourites, try Bluey, Peppa Pig or CoComelon; for a classic with a gentle moral at the heart of each story, Thomas & Friends. It's also a good case study in how a large ensemble cast can keep a show running for decades.
Sesame Street character names A–Z
A–B
- Abby Cadabby — Fairy
- Alan — Hooper's Store
- Baby Bear — Muppet
- Bert — Muppet
- Big Bird — Muppet
- Bob — Human
C–G
- Cookie Monster — Muppet
- Count von Count — Muppet
- Elmo — Muppet
- Ernie — Muppet
- Gabi — Human
- Gabrielle — Muppet
- Gordon — Human
- Grover — Muppet
H–L
- Herry Monster — Muppet
- Ji-Young — Muppet
- Julia — Muppet
- Linda — Human
- Louie and Mae — Elmo's parents
- Luis — Human
M–O
- Maria — Human
- Mr. Hooper — Human
- Mr. Noodle — Human
- Mr. Snuffleupagus — Muppet
- Oscar the Grouch — Muppet
P–S
- Prairie Dawn — Muppet
- Rosita — Muppet
- Slimey — Oscar's worm
- Susan — Human
T–Z
- Tamir — Muppet
- Telly Monster — Muppet
- Zoe — Muppet
Frequently asked questions
Who are the main Sesame Street characters?
The best-known Muppets are Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, Grover, the Count, Abby Cadabby and Mr. Snuffleupagus. Around them are newer friends like Rosita, Zoe, Julia and Ji-Young, and a human cast who run the shops and homes on the Street.
What kind of animal is Big Bird?
A very large yellow bird. The show has never pinned down his species firmly, and he stands more than eight feet tall. He's six years old in character and lives in a nest behind 123 Sesame Street. His best friend is Mr. Snuffleupagus.
How old is Elmo?
Elmo is three and a half, and he's stayed that age for decades. He talks about himself in the third person, which is part of how the show captures how very young children speak. His parents are Louie and Mae.
Are Bert and Ernie brothers?
No. Bert and Ernie are best friends and roommates who share an apartment at 123 Sesame Street. The show presents them as an odd couple: Bert is serious and loves pigeons and paper clips, while Ernie is playful and loves his rubber duckie.
Who is Julia on Sesame Street?
Julia is a Muppet with autism. She started in a digital storybook in 2015 and joined the TV series in 2017, with puppeteer Stacey Gordon, who has an autistic son. Her stories show other children different ways of playing and communicating, and why that's fine.
Where can you watch Sesame Street now?
New seasons premiered on HBO and then Max from 2016, with episodes airing on PBS later. After that arrangement ended, Sesame Workshop made a deal in 2025 for new seasons to stream on Netflix while also airing on PBS. Older episodes and clips are widely available on Sesame Street's own YouTube channel.
Why didn't the adults believe in Snuffleupagus?
For years, Mr. Snuffleupagus always left just before any grown-up arrived, so they thought he was Big Bird's imaginary friend. In 1985 the writers had the adults finally meet him, partly so children would know adults will believe them when they say something important.