Hoots the Owl



Hoots the Owl is the resident jazz musician on Sesame Street, first introduced in 1985. Hoots plays the saxophone, often performing at the jazz club Birdland. He has a granddaughter named Athena.

Some of his songs have included " Put Down the Duckie," "The Birdcall Boogie," and most recently, returned to the show to perform "A Cookie Is a Sometime Food" with Cookie Monster.

John Tartaglia performed Hoots in the video Music Works Wonders to a pre-recorded track of Kevin Clash's voice for Hoots (with, unusually, credit for the role). The puppet used for Hoots made an appearance, with a different performer, as the owl member of the Feathered Friends in Follow That Bird, the only member skeptical of Big Bird's sadness.

According to a 2006 interview with TVGuide.com, Hoots is from Harlem.

Character Evolution
Originally, when Hoots debuted in 1985, the Hoots puppet had realistic owl-like eyes, as well as a moving eyelid mechanism, allowing Hoots to close his eyes and blink, allowing for more expression. The character was then briefly retired from the show in 2001. In 2005, a new Hoots puppet was built for his Season 36 return, with new eyes that look more generic and less owl-like.

Book Appearances

 * Sleep Tight! (1991)
 * Grover's 10 Terrific Ways to Help Our Wonderful World (1992)
 * Around the Corner on Sesame Street (1994)
 * Elmo's Lift-and-Peek Around the Corner Book (1996)
 * Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bug (1996)
 * The Bunny Hop (1997)