Mr. Snuffleupagus

Mr. Snuffleupagus is a full-bodied Muppet character who lives with his family in a cave, just off of Sesame Street. Snuffleupagus is his species as well as his last name.

His full name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus, although his friends call him Snuffy. His best friend is Big Bird, whom he affectionately calls simply "Bird." His favorite foods are cabbage and spaghetti. He has a little sister named Alice and a friend named Rosalyn.

Mr. Snuffleupagus first appeared on Sesame Street in episode 0276, the third season premiere. When he first appeared, many of the adults assumed that he was Big Bird's imaginary friend, due to a series of coincidences and near-miss encounters which continually kept Snuffleupaguses and humans apart. Big Bird would often try to find ways for Snuffy to meet the adults, but something would always cause Snuffy to leave before the humans could see him. Sometimes, all it would take for the adults to see Mr. Snuffleupagus would be to turn their heads, yet they usually wouldn't do so until Snuffy had already gone.

Various kids could see Mr. Snuffleupagus, some Muppets saw him, and even a few celebrities (including Judy Collins) saw him, but the major human characters never believed in his existence until episode 2096 in 1985.

Mr. Snuffleupagus became real to the entire cast for a few reasons. One was because the writers were running out of new ways to have Snuffy just barely miss meeting them. Another factor was increased concerns that the adults' refusal to believe Big Bird's claims of his friend's existence would discourage children from sharing important things with their parents.

It takes two people to perform Mr. Snuffleupagus. The person who performs the front also performs the voice. Jerry Nelson was the first to play the character, but back problems caused by the physical stress of the performance forced him to bow out. Michael Earl Davis took over for two seasons, before Marty Robinson became the permanent voice and face of Snuffy. The back of Mr. Snuffleupagus has been performed by Richard Hunt, Brian Muehl, and others, but since 1979, the regular back-end has been Bryant Young.

In the early years of Snuffy's Sesame Street appearances, his entrances were scored by a low-range brass musical cue.

For a time, his catchphrase was "Ohhh, dear." These were also his first words as a baby.

Mr. Snuffleupagus' Family
Mr. Snuffleupagus lives with his family in a cave located at 456 Snuffle Circle.
 * Mommy Snuffleupagus (also known as "Mommy Snuffle")
 * Daddy Snuffle
 * Alice Snuffleupagus (younger sister)
 * Aunt Agnes Snuffleupagus
 * Granny Snuffle
 * Abigail Snuffleupagus (cousin)

Notable Events

 * Episode 0276: Snuffy first appears
 * Episode 1090 - 1095: Trip to Hawaii
 * Episode 1800: Cousin Abigail visits
 * Episode 2040: Snuffy Goes to the Movies
 * Episode 2096: The adults meet Snuffy for the first time
 * Episode 2208: Big Bird and Snuffy remember how they met
 * Episode 2477: Snuffy plays with Alice
 * Episode 3007: Snuffy is not an elephant
 * Episode 3093: Honey I Shrunk the Snuffleupaguses
 * Episode 3821: Snuffy draws a huge picture for Gina
 * Episode 4013: Snuffy's Grandmother visits
 * Episode 4069 - 4070: Snuffy's Invisible
 * Episode 4088: Snuffy wants to be a cloud
 * Episode 4091: Snuffy feels he's too big

Trivia

 * The original Mr. Snuffleupagus puppet had bright yellow eyes, immobile eyelids, and yellow eyelashes. He was redesigned in Season 4, gaining white eyes, eyelids, and eyelashes, to look more like he does today.


 * Whenever the Mr. Snuffleupagus puppet is in the studio but not being used, it is hung on hooks so that it won't get in the way.


 * Snuffy is a big fan of opera music, and at one point attended daily rehearsals at Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. He even performed a light opera rendition of the alphabet with Judy Collins.

Near Misses
Before his existence was revealed to the grown-ups on Sesame Street, there were many instances when the adults almost saw Mr. Snuffleupagus, only to just barely miss him. Some even heard him talk but thought they were imagining things. Here are some of the many close encounters between Mr. Snuffleupagus and others.


 * In Episode 0796, Mr. Snuffleupagus counted people who didn't see him. Among these were Mr. Hooper, whose glasses fell off (he couldn't see anything without them); Cookie Monster, who was eating cookies and got his head stuck in the bag; and Maria, who looked out the window and stuck her head back in right before Mr. Snuffleupagus came into sight.


 * Forgetful Jones once encountered him, but then Snuffy left before Bob came onto the scene, and by the time Bob arrived, Forgetful Jones forgot all about his meeting with Snuffy.


 * Grover once had a bad case of the hiccups, so Big Bird tried to cure his hiccups by wearing scary costumes. When Mr. Snuffleupagus showed up, Grover thought he was just one of Big Bird's scary costumes.


 * Mr. Snuffleupagus once came to Sesame Street wearing his black and white striped pajamas. Bob was sleeping on the street, and woke up just before Snuffy left, and actually saw him. However, when Bob told Big Bird, he mentioned the black and white stripes, and Big Bird thought Bob was imagining things.


 * David once stood next to Big Bird's doors and heard Big Bird and Snuffy having a conversation, but instead of looking to see for himself if Snuffy was there, he chose to gather everybody to Big Bird's nest. By the time the rest of the adults looked in the nest, Big Bird and Snuffy were gone, and everyone thought that David was just hearing things.


 * Not long before Snuffy was finally revealed to the adults, Gordon, Linda, and Maria decided they would believe Big Bird despite the lack of evidence. Once, Snuffy saw Linda sitting in the courtyard and walked up to her to say hello.  Unfortunately, she was facing away from him and couldn't hear his greeting.  Not realizing she was deaf, Snuffy eventually gave up and walked away.


 * Uncle Wally believed Big Bird when he first told him about Mr. Snuffleupagus, and claimed to have encountered other snuffleupaguses.


 * Marty Robinson (His Performer) once said about Snuffy, "He's not invisible, he just has bad timing!"

Snuffleupagus Books
Books that focus on Snuffy include:


 * Bert and the Magic Lamp: "Life-Styles of the Large and Furry"
 * The Day Snuffy Had the Sniffles
 * See You Later, Mashed Potater!

Book appearances

 * ''Prairie Dawn's Upside-Down Poem (1981)
 * I Have a Friend
 * Big Bird Joins the Carnival (1985)