Placido Flamingo



thumb|300px|right Placido Flamingo is an operatic flamingo from Sesame Street whose performances at the Nestopolitan Opera are seen in the "Live from the Nest" series. He is based on the famous tenor, Placido Domingo. Placido is proud of his talents and not averse to the sound of his own voice. The character was first introduced in Season 18, and helped to introduce classical music into the series.

Though retired in 1992, along with most of Richard Hunt's other characters, Placido Flamingo is still frequently cited in articles about opera appreciation, as an effective and influential early introduction to opera, ranking with the Bugs Bunny short What's Opera Doc? (1957).

Sketches

 * Peligro.
 * Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Seiji Ozawa leads a symphony of animals, and soloist Placido Flamingo, in the Italian Street Song from Victor Herbert's Naughty Marietta (about a princess who trades places with her maid in order to avoid an arranged marriage).
 * Up and Down Opera with Ernie.
 * "The Telephone of Brazil."
 * "The Dentist of Seville."
 * "The Perfect Thing."
 * "Naughty Door."
 * "The Lost Toy Opera" -- To help Big Bird find his lost toy truck, Placido sings his new opera, the "Lost Toy Opera" about a flamingo who's lost his favorite toy. He looked in several different places, such as Big Bird's nest and mailbox, as well as Oscar's trash can (and Oscar yells "What's the big idea?!"). He reveals at the end that the flamingo finds out that his toy has run off with his best friend. Big Bird suddenly remembers he loaned his toy truck to Snuffy. He thanks Placido for the help and then he heads over to Snuffy's cave to get his truck back. Placido says "Oh do not thank me Big Bird! Thank opera!" And then Oscar shouts "Get your foot outta the bait bucket! You're botherin' the worms!"
 * With Placido Domingo in Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting.

Book appearances

 * Grover's Overtures (1991)
 * What Do You Do? (1992 edition)