Roosevelt Franklin



Roosevelt Franklin appeared on Sesame Street from Season 1 (1970) to Season 6 (1974). The precocious Roosevelt Franklin attended Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School, where he taught the class as often as not. He taught concepts like family, pride, respect, and not drinking poison. Roosevelt was a cool kid who loved to scat, rhyme, and sing the blues. His mother was proud of him.

In addition to his elementary school, he had his own stadium, Roosevelt Franklin Stadium, where he coached the Headball.

Matt Robinson, who played Gordon during the first three seasons, created the character and performed Roosevelt's voice.

For a while, Roosevelt was considered one of the main characters on Sesame Street. He even had his own record album, The Year of Roosevelt Franklin. Despite significant popularity, he was dropped from the cast following letters complaining of a negative African-American stereotype, and because his rowdy elementary school did not set a good example for children. Roosevelt continued to surface occasionally in storybooks, however, as late as 1996.

Roosevelt also makes a cameo appearance in Follow That Bird.

Individual Skits
See also Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School
 * Roosevelt Franklin Counts
 * Roosevelt Franklin counts to 10 for his mother.


 * Roosevelt Franklin Alphabet
 * Roosevelt Franklin says the alphabet.


 * Roosevelt Franklin's Days of the Week
 * Roosevelt's mother asks him to sing about the days of the week.


 * Roosevelt Franklin spells his name
 * Roosevelt shows that he can spell his name.


 * Same Sound Brown
 * Roosevelt sings about his friend, Same Sound Brown, who can rhyme faster than anybody else that he knows.


 * Mailman Roosevelt
 * Roosevelt pretends to be a mailman and has to deliver a letter to Hard Head Henry Harris.


 * Headball
 * Hard Head Henry Harris, coached by Roosevelt Franklin, participates in the Headball, and must answer a question. The headball is held at Roosevelt Franklin Stadeum. Audience members include Bert, Guy Smiley, Simon Soundman, Biff, Sully, Grover, and Count von Count.

Book Appearances

 * The Together Book (1971)
 * Bert's Hall of Great Inventions (1972)
 * The Sesame Street Storybook (1972)
 * The Sesame Street 1, 2, 3 Storybook (1973)
 * Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum (1974)
 * The Sesame Street ABC Storybook (1974)
 * Big Bird's Busy Book (1975)
 * Big Bird's Red Book (1977)
 * The Great Cookie Thief (1977)
 * The Sesame Street Bedtime Storybook (1978)
 * The Exciting Adventures of Super Grover (1978)
 * The Sesame Street Cookbook (1978)
 * Cookie Monster's Storybook (1979)
 * Ernie's Work of Art (1979)
 * Sesame Stories (1979)
 * Down on the Farm with Grover (1980)
 * The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
 * The Sesame Street Pet Show (1980)
 * The Count Counts a Party (1981)
 * Oscar's Rotten Birthday (1981)
 * The Songs of Sesame Street in Poems and Pictures (1983)
 * My Sesame Street Yearbook 1984 (1983)
 * Elmo's Lift-and-Peek Around the Corner Book (1996)