Mr. Johnson



Mr. Johnson is Waiter Grover's recurring customer at Charlie's Restaurant and various other locations. Sometimes referred to by his Anything Muppet designation "Fat Blue", such as in the book Sesame Street Unpaved, he has also been credited as "The Customer" (as in Let's Eat!: Funny Food Songs).

Almost everywhere Mr. Johnson goes, Grover is sure to be the one providing his service. Grover has even come to his apartment at 14 Sesame Street from time to time as a door-to-door salesman. In one sketch, the character finally revealed that his name is Mr. Johnson, and was later called by his first name, Fred, at a Birdland concert featuring the Squirrel-Nut Zippers singing "Put a Lid On It." In A Celebration of Me, Grover, he is referred to as Mr. Blue, although this is likely a term of affection.

He has appeared in the videos Elmo's Sing-Along Guessing Game, Let's Eat!: Funny Food Songs, and A Celebration of Me, Grover. He was in the specials The Sesame Street Special, Elmo Saves Christmas, and CinderElmo, and the feature film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, where he was performed by David Rudman, and mostly dubbed later by Jerry Nelson (one of Rudman's lines remains in the final cut).

Once the restaurant series was well established, as Grover returned to the kitchen to rectify an error in his order, Mr. Johnson would frequently turn to the camera and soliloquize, "Why do I keep coming back to this restaurant?"

In at least one sketch ("Pizzeria Dos," ), Mr. Johnson was seen visiting a restaurant other than Charlie's, but despite Grover's absence, his knack for receiving bad service remained the same. He also went to Hooper's Store in Episode 3825, asking Alan if he had any toast, at a time when Alan's toaster had broken.

Little is known of Mr. Johnson's private life other than that he's been married, that his mother still lives in Chicago, and that he himself used to live in Buffalo, New York. He was most recently interviewed in the notes of the Old School: Volume 2 booklet. However, this piece was written as a fourth-wall breaker in that Mr. Johnson seems to have knowledge of his Fat Blue Anything Muppet pattern having been used for other characters on the show. This would be the equivalent of Count von Count acknowledging that he also "plays" Biff or The Amazing Mumford.

Mr. Johnson appeared in "Counting Café," a video game for the Sega Genesis console released in 1994, based on the premise that Grover must serve orders at a café properly in order to advance through the levels.

Book appearances

 * More Sesame Street Finger Puppets (1972) -- referred to as "Harvey Kneeslapper's Victim"
 * The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980) -- referred to as "Mr. Smith"
 * Brought to You by the Letter A (2000)
 * If You're Happy and You Know It... Clap Your Paws! (2001)
 * The Monsters on the Bus (2001)
 * Grover's Guide to Good Eating (2007)
 * What's the Word on the Street? (2008)