Aloysius Snuffleupagus
Encyclopedia
Aloysius Snuffleupagus, more commonly known as Mr. Snuffleupagus or Snuffy, is one of the Muppet characters on the longest-running educational television program for young children, Sesame Street
. He was created as a woolly mammoth
, without tusk
s or (visible) ears, and has a long thick pointed tail, similar in shape to that of a dinosaur or other reptile. He has long thick brown hair and a nose, or "snuffle", that drags along the ground. He is a friend of Big Bird
and has a baby sister named Alice. He also attends Snufflegarten.
s some young children have.
The Snuffleupagus' fur in the earlier years was light brown as it is today, but not the exact same shade; he also had yellow almond-shaped eyes with thin pupils and shorter eyelashes. This appearance was deemed frightening for younger children, so later it was revamped to have his eyes look normal and to have a friendly personality.
By the late 1970s, the story lines had the adult characters becoming increasingly frustrated with Big Bird using Snuffleupagus as a scapegoat
whenever something went wrong while they were out of the room. In one episode, newspapers on Sesame Street carried the front page headline, "Snuffy's Got To Go!". Some adults gradually began to believe Big Bird, the first being folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie
who sang Big Bird a song about her belief in Mr. Snuffleupagus. After Buffy's departure from the show, Linda (Linda Bove
), Maria (Sonia Manzano
), and Gordon (Roscoe Orman
) became believers in Snuffy's existence.
offers to be the one. Snuffy returns, then tells Elmo he had better go home and brush his fur to prepare for the grown-ups' arrival, but Elmo holds on to his snuffle so he cannot go. Big Bird yells, "Food!" and one by one the adults come and see Snuffy for the first time ever. After viewing Snuffleupagus in stunned disbelief, then cautiously approaching, Big Bird does an "I told you so" routine to the adults. Susan (Loretta Long
) apologizes on behalf of the group for disbelieving Big Bird for so long. Bob (Bob McGrath
) then tells him, "From now on, we'll believe anything you tell us." Linda (Linda Bove
) then suggests that Big Bird introduce Snuffy to everyone one by one. The entire Sesame Street
cast henceforth sees Snuffy regularly on the show.
In an interview on a Canadian telethon that was hosted by Bob McGrath
, Snuffy's performer, Martin P. Robinson
, revealed that Snuffy was finally introduced to the main human cast mainly due to a string of high profile and sometimes graphic stories of pedophilia
and sexual abuse of children that had been aired on shows such as 60 Minutes and 20/20. The writers felt that by having the adults refuse to believe Big Bird despite the fact that he was telling the truth, they were scaring children into thinking that their parents would not believe them if they had been sexually abused and that they would just be better off remaining silent. On the same telethon, during Robinson's explanation, Loretta Long
uttered the words "Bronx daycare," a reference to a news event on New York TV station WNBC-TV in which there were reports of alleged sexual abuse at a Bronx daycare center. This was seen in the documentary Sesame Street Unpaved
.
website and Sesame Street Unpaved
, the character's name is spelled "Snuffleupagus." Many licensors, closed-captioners, and fans (including websites) misspell the word. Even The Jim Henson Company
website errs, spelling the character's name "Snuffulupagus."
The 1985 Warner Brothers movie Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird
depicts his name properly spelled on his mailbox. At the time he was still considered by others as Big Bird's "imaginary" friend. The fact that he was shown with his own real place, as well as him sending Big Bird a very real postcard, set up his revelation to the rest of Sesame Street later that year.
, then Michael Earl, and more recently Marty Robinson
.
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. He was created as a woolly mammoth
Woolly mammoth
The woolly mammoth , also called the tundra mammoth, is a species of mammoth. This animal is known from bones and frozen carcasses from northern North America and northern Eurasia with the best preserved carcasses in Siberia...
, without tusk
Tusk
Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...
s or (visible) ears, and has a long thick pointed tail, similar in shape to that of a dinosaur or other reptile. He has long thick brown hair and a nose, or "snuffle", that drags along the ground. He is a friend of Big Bird
Big Bird
Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
and has a baby sister named Alice. He also attends Snufflegarten.
Character biography
For many years, Big Bird was the only character on the show who could see Mr. Snuffleupagus, but later in the 16th season (1985) he showed his friends on Sesame Street his "imaginary" friend so they believe him. Before that happened, the main adult characters teased Big Bird when he said he had seen the Snuffleupagus, because they did not believe there was such an animal, often despite evidence to the contrary (such as an oversized teddy bear that Snuffy had left behind, or segments in which Snuffy interacted with other characters, such as a street scene where Snuffy was seen playing London Bridge with some of the neighborhood kids). This concept was meant to echo the existence of imaginary friendImaginary friend
Imaginary friends and imaginary companions are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than external physical reality. Imaginary friends are fictional characters created for improvisational role-playing. They...
s some young children have.
The Snuffleupagus' fur in the earlier years was light brown as it is today, but not the exact same shade; he also had yellow almond-shaped eyes with thin pupils and shorter eyelashes. This appearance was deemed frightening for younger children, so later it was revamped to have his eyes look normal and to have a friendly personality.
By the late 1970s, the story lines had the adult characters becoming increasingly frustrated with Big Bird using Snuffleupagus as a scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
whenever something went wrong while they were out of the room. In one episode, newspapers on Sesame Street carried the front page headline, "Snuffy's Got To Go!". Some adults gradually began to believe Big Bird, the first being folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
who sang Big Bird a song about her belief in Mr. Snuffleupagus. After Buffy's departure from the show, Linda (Linda Bove
Linda Bove
Linda Bove is a deaf American actress who played the part of Linda the Librarian on the children's television program Sesame Street from 1971 to 2003.-Sesame Street:...
), Maria (Sonia Manzano
Sonia Manzano
Sonia Manzano is an American actress and writer. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street since 1971. She also licenses her image to promote items of baby clothes and plates in Hispanic America....
), and Gordon (Roscoe Orman
Roscoe Orman
Roscoe Hunter Orman is an American actor who plays Gordon Robinson on the television program Sesame Street. Orman joined the show in 1973, taking over as the third actor to play Gordon on the show...
) became believers in Snuffy's existence.
Snuffy meets the adults
This running gag ended with the Season 17 premiere of Sesame Street, episode 2096 (first aired November 18, 1985, following the release of the Sesame Street film Follow That Bird). Big Bird is sick and tired of not having the grown-ups believing him when he tells them about Snuffy, so he decides to arrange for them to come to his nest and meet Snuffy when he yells the signaling word, "Food!" He chooses this word because he knows the grown-ups will not believe him if he tells them his real reason for inviting them to his nest, and "food" is a more credible lure. When Big Bird calls out the word, Snuffy runs off to tell his mother about the meeting, so once again the grown-ups just miss him. Gordon, wanting to help, suggests to Big Bird that he needs someone to help him keep Snuffy in his nest, and ElmoElmo
Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is a furry red monster and currently hosts the last full 15 minute segment on Sesame Street, Elmo's World, which is aimed at toddlers. His puppeteer, Kevin Clash, uses falsetto to produce his voice...
offers to be the one. Snuffy returns, then tells Elmo he had better go home and brush his fur to prepare for the grown-ups' arrival, but Elmo holds on to his snuffle so he cannot go. Big Bird yells, "Food!" and one by one the adults come and see Snuffy for the first time ever. After viewing Snuffleupagus in stunned disbelief, then cautiously approaching, Big Bird does an "I told you so" routine to the adults. Susan (Loretta Long
Loretta Long
Loretta Long is an American actress best known for playing Susan Robinson on Sesame Street, having starred on the show since its debut in 1969....
) apologizes on behalf of the group for disbelieving Big Bird for so long. Bob (Bob McGrath
Bob McGrath
Robert Emmet "Bob" McGrath is an American singer and actor best known for playing the human character Bob on Sesame Street. He was born in Ottawa, Illinois. McGrath was named for Irish patriot Robert Emmet....
) then tells him, "From now on, we'll believe anything you tell us." Linda (Linda Bove
Linda Bove
Linda Bove is a deaf American actress who played the part of Linda the Librarian on the children's television program Sesame Street from 1971 to 2003.-Sesame Street:...
) then suggests that Big Bird introduce Snuffy to everyone one by one. The entire Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
cast henceforth sees Snuffy regularly on the show.
In an interview on a Canadian telethon that was hosted by Bob McGrath
Bob McGrath
Robert Emmet "Bob" McGrath is an American singer and actor best known for playing the human character Bob on Sesame Street. He was born in Ottawa, Illinois. McGrath was named for Irish patriot Robert Emmet....
, Snuffy's performer, Martin P. Robinson
Martin P. Robinson
Martin P. Robinson is a puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company. He originally built, designed, and performed the puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. He is perhaps best known for his work on Sesame Street. He has performed the characters of Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Tony...
, revealed that Snuffy was finally introduced to the main human cast mainly due to a string of high profile and sometimes graphic stories of pedophilia
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
and sexual abuse of children that had been aired on shows such as 60 Minutes and 20/20. The writers felt that by having the adults refuse to believe Big Bird despite the fact that he was telling the truth, they were scaring children into thinking that their parents would not believe them if they had been sexually abused and that they would just be better off remaining silent. On the same telethon, during Robinson's explanation, Loretta Long
Loretta Long
Loretta Long is an American actress best known for playing Susan Robinson on Sesame Street, having starred on the show since its debut in 1969....
uttered the words "Bronx daycare," a reference to a news event on New York TV station WNBC-TV in which there were reports of alleged sexual abuse at a Bronx daycare center. This was seen in the documentary Sesame Street Unpaved
Sesame Street Unpaved
Sesame Street Unpaved is a name used for numerous Sesame Street related productions.*Sesame Street Unpaved was a nationwide tour of ten United States colleges to mark the thirtieth anniversary of children's television show Sesame Street...
.
Spelling "Snuffleupagus"
According to sources like the Sesame WorkshopSesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world...
website and Sesame Street Unpaved
Sesame Street Unpaved
Sesame Street Unpaved is a name used for numerous Sesame Street related productions.*Sesame Street Unpaved was a nationwide tour of ten United States colleges to mark the thirtieth anniversary of children's television show Sesame Street...
, the character's name is spelled "Snuffleupagus." Many licensors, closed-captioners, and fans (including websites) misspell the word. Even The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The Muppets helped the company gain worldwide acclaim in family entertainment for more than four decades...
website errs, spelling the character's name "Snuffulupagus."
The 1985 Warner Brothers movie Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird
Sesame Street presents Follow That Bird
Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird is a 1985 American road film directed by Ken Kwapis, starring many Sesame Street characters . This was the first of two Sesame Street feature films, followed in 1999 by The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland...
depicts his name properly spelled on his mailbox. At the time he was still considered by others as Big Bird's "imaginary" friend. The fact that he was shown with his own real place, as well as him sending Big Bird a very real postcard, set up his revelation to the rest of Sesame Street later that year.
Performers
Snuffleupagus was first performed by Jerry NelsonJerry Nelson
Jerry Nelson is an American Muppet puppeteer, known for his wide range of characters, singing abilities, and his frequent partnership with Richard Hunt.-Early years:...
, then Michael Earl, and more recently Marty Robinson
Martin P. Robinson
Martin P. Robinson is a puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company. He originally built, designed, and performed the puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. He is perhaps best known for his work on Sesame Street. He has performed the characters of Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Tony...
.