Telly Monster
Encyclopedia
Telly Monster, known usually as just Telly, is an eternally worry
ing, fuchsia
monster Muppet on Sesame Street
. He is puppeteered by Martin P. Robinson
.
On his debut in 1979, he was known as the Television Monster, a character that was fixated on television
. He had antennae
standing out of the top of his head, and his eyes would whirl around when he watched television. After that stint through season eleven, producers worried that he would be a negative influence on their easily influenced viewers, and changed him into the worry-wart character that he has been ever since.
His first appearance on Sesame Street, after the Television Monster stint, was with guest star Itzhak Perlman
playing the violin
, while Telly played his tuba
.
His name is derived from the British slang
term for a television, telly.
Telly is a triangle
lover, and he has a pet hamster Chuckie Sue. He has been known to pogo stick
uncontrollably around Sesame Street, often causing havoc with all that gets in his way. This segment is shown on Sesame Street Unpaved
. Baby Bear is his best friend and appears occasionally in many of the main plots in the later series. Telly also has somewhat of a friendship with Oscar the Grouch
, since they appear in many segments together.
Personality-wise, Telly is a fidgeting, nervous wreck, prone easily to manic
behavior and paranoia
.
In contrast to Kermit the Frog
as a news reporter for the Sesame Street News Flash, Telly also has been a roving reporter for his own segment, called Monster on the Spot.
Telly also made an appearance on the show Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends
. Rapid T. Rabbit was giving an interview to him in the Fix It Shop, and Telly drop-kicked
him.
In Telly's first Sesame Street appearance when he was performed by Bob Payne, a T.V obsessed Telly, enters Hooper's store, where he nervously asks Mr. Hooper to plug in the T.V. using his outlet. Suddenly, Telly quickly runs out of the store, leaving Mr. Hooper nervous. David then enters the store, and Mr. Hooper tells him about how he let Telly use his outlet. Mr. Hooper and David together, decide to follow the orange cord outside where they find a disturbed Telly occupied by his T.V. However, when Telly simply replies I'm glued", David comes up with the idea to ask him if he was moving into the neighborhood. Telly tells David that he had already moved in, and also when Mr. Hooper asks Telly if he was going to live right on the street, Telly said that he was right with his T.V. set not needing anything else. Mr. Hooper, Telly and David finally decide to settle things by getting to know each other, and after introducing himself, Telly turns around from his set looking at David and Mr. Hooper with his whirly, red eyes. Afterwards, both Mr. Hooper and David become puzzled with Telly's strange name.
Worry
Worry is thoughts, images and emotions of a negative nature in whichmental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. As an emotion it is experienced as anxiety or concern about a real or imagined issue, usually personal issues such as health or finances or broader ones such as...
ing, fuchsia
Fuchsia (color)
Fuchsia is a vivid reddish or pinkish purple color named after the flower of the fuchsia plant, itself named after the German scientist Leonhart Fuchs...
monster Muppet on 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...
. He is puppeteered by 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...
.
On his debut in 1979, he was known as the Television Monster, a character that was fixated on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. He had antennae
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
standing out of the top of his head, and his eyes would whirl around when he watched television. After that stint through season eleven, producers worried that he would be a negative influence on their easily influenced viewers, and changed him into the worry-wart character that he has been ever since.
His first appearance on Sesame Street, after the Television Monster stint, was with guest star Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
playing the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, while Telly played his tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
.
His name is derived from the British slang
British slang
British slang is English language slang used in the UK. Slang is informal language sometimes peculiar to a particular social class or group and its use in Britain dates back to before the 16th century...
term for a television, telly.
Telly is a triangle
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
lover, and he has a pet hamster Chuckie Sue. He has been known to pogo stick
Pogo stick
A pogo stick is a device for jumping off the ground in a standing position with the aid of a spring, used as a toy or exercise equipment. It consists of a pole with a handle at the top and footrests near the bottom, and a spring located somewhere along the pole...
uncontrollably around Sesame Street, often causing havoc with all that gets in his way. This segment is shown on 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...
. Baby Bear is his best friend and appears occasionally in many of the main plots in the later series. Telly also has somewhat of a friendship with Oscar the Grouch
Oscar the Grouch
Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. He has a green body , has no nose , and lives in a trash can. His favorite thing in life is trash; evidence for this is the song "I Love Trash". A running theme is his compulsive hoarding of seemingly useless items...
, since they appear in many segments together.
Personality-wise, Telly is a fidgeting, nervous wreck, prone easily to manic
Mania
Mania, the presence of which is a criterion for certain psychiatric diagnoses, is a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/ or energy levels. In a sense, it is the opposite of depression...
behavior and paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
.
In contrast to Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
as a news reporter for the Sesame Street News Flash, Telly also has been a roving reporter for his own segment, called Monster on the Spot.
Telly also made an appearance on the show Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends
Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends
Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends is a children's puppet show that is cablecast weekly on cable TV in New York City since February 21, 1983. The show runs on the Public-access television cable TV channels on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Queens Public TV and airs right before the Funday PawPet Show...
. Rapid T. Rabbit was giving an interview to him in the Fix It Shop, and Telly drop-kicked
Drop kick
A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
him.
In Telly's first Sesame Street appearance when he was performed by Bob Payne, a T.V obsessed Telly, enters Hooper's store, where he nervously asks Mr. Hooper to plug in the T.V. using his outlet. Suddenly, Telly quickly runs out of the store, leaving Mr. Hooper nervous. David then enters the store, and Mr. Hooper tells him about how he let Telly use his outlet. Mr. Hooper and David together, decide to follow the orange cord outside where they find a disturbed Telly occupied by his T.V. However, when Telly simply replies I'm glued", David comes up with the idea to ask him if he was moving into the neighborhood. Telly tells David that he had already moved in, and also when Mr. Hooper asks Telly if he was going to live right on the street, Telly said that he was right with his T.V. set not needing anything else. Mr. Hooper, Telly and David finally decide to settle things by getting to know each other, and after introducing himself, Telly turns around from his set looking at David and Mr. Hooper with his whirly, red eyes. Afterwards, both Mr. Hooper and David become puzzled with Telly's strange name.