Lefty the Salesman



Lefty is a shady-looking salesman in a trench coat who appears on Sesame Street. He speaks in a whispery voice, and usually tries to sell Ernie such esoteric items as a letter U or O, an invisible ice cream cone, and an empty box. His sales pitches are rarely successful.

Lefty is best known for singing "Would You Like to Buy an O?" to a skeptical Ernie. This song appeared on the 1971 LP The Muppet Alphabet Album. The song shows off Lefty's memorable catchphrase, a breathy "Riiiight!"

Although Lefty was primarily performed by Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney played Lefty in a few segments from Season 1. An excerpt of one such segment appears in A&E's Biography: Sesame Street.

Some of Lefty's sketches involved his attempts to carry out assignments from his boss, such as planning to steal a Golden AN. Lefty's boss is the only character who refers to him as "Lefty"; in Sesame Street merchandise, such as storybooks and record albums, he is usually referred to as "The Salesman."

Book Appearances

 * The Sesame Street Storybook (1972)
 * The Sesame Street ABC Storybook (1974)
 * Big Bird's Busy Book (1975)
 * Grover's Little Red Riding Hood (1976)
 * The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)

International
Lefty's name on Sesamstrasse, the German counterpart to Sesame Street, is Schlemihl, a Yiddish expression for a habitual bungler.