I started watching Sesame Street pretty much right from the word go, way back in the early ’70s. Being a young impressionable kid, I loved pretty much everything about it, happily finding my way to Sesame Street, any and every opportunity I got. While I loved everyone on the show, there were three characters in particular that captured my attention, and being the touchy-feely guy that I am, my heart, and it’s this trio of wonderful characters that I want to celebrate today.
GROVER
First performed by the legendary Frank Oz, Grover made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967, appearing on Sesame Street in its first season in 1969 as a blue monster known as “Fuzzyface” or “The Hairy One”. Like many of Jim Henson’s creations he morphed and grew over time into the loveable, sweethearted Grover we know today, coming to take on other personas such as the fallibly comedic but well-intentioned Super Grover. By the time I came across he was unflappably garrulous Grover, a hapless waiter sometimes, ardent actor in all kinds of Sesame Street send-ups, and a cheerleader for learning and curiosity about life.
But mostly, he was just adorably, unaffectedly caring and lovely, an innocent abroad who possessed no end to his quest for learning, his love of people, his fellow monsters (except, of course for The Monster at the End of this Book! GASP!) and well, pretty much everyone he came in contact with. I loved him so much, and with such unbridled passion, that my parents got me a Grover puppet one Christmas back in the early ’70s, a present once thought lost that turned up out of nowhere at my parents’ place, giving me in the process one of the happiest days of my adult life.
ERNIE
One half of Sesame Street‘s most famous and much-loved comedic duo with the easily-exasperated Bert, Ernie, who first appeared in the first season singing an ode to his precious Rubber Duckie, is the cheeky, give anything a go guy I always wanted to be. Armed with an infectious chuckle, an impish sensibility and a willingness to do anything in pursuit of making a point (even better if he could drive Bert mental in the process), Ernie was captivating for an extrovert who found himself constrained and shoved into a buttoned-down box by years of constant teasing and the expectations of certain people in my church where dad was the minister.
Freed in university of both of those constraints, I burst out of my quieter than I actually am persona, and while I didn’t adopt Ernie’s cheeky approach to life, I did embrace wholeheartedly his zest for going for broke in life. He was everything I never let myself I wanted to be, full of bravura and chutzpah that made him a beguiling character to watch. Even now as an out-and-proud gay man who has long since left his involuntarilu pushed into the background past behind him, Ernie continues to delight and enhance, an exuberant tour de force who approaches everything and everyone with devil-may-care gusto. Oh to be more like him!
MR. SNUFFLEUPAGUS
Oh how I used to feel sad for poor mammoth-like Mr. Snuffleupagus who despite being Big Bird’s friend for the longest time, was consigned to the “imaginary friend” by everyone else who never the sweet-talking, quiet, aw shucks character in the flesh. As someone who felt damn near invisible to my peers – sadly not invisible enough to avoid being endlessly bullied by the thugs I went to school with! – and wholly overlooked by the very people who should’ve made me welcome growing up, I really identified with Snuffy, brother to younger sister Alice, who never got welcomed into the Sesame Street family like everyone else.
Sure Big Bird suffered because no one believed him, but that was nothing compared to Snuffy who was left out of everything. Consequently he had my empathy and my heart, and even though a 1985 episode saw him come out, so to speak, to everyone, I still hold him close in my heart. Just like Snuffy of course I came out in all kinds of ways, learning just like he did, how lovely and special it is to be part of a group of people who love and care for you.