Betty Lou





Betty Lou is a young girl from Sesame Street, and has been variously played over the years by Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, Fran Brill, Marilyn Sokol, and Lisa Buckley.

She is made from the Small Pink Anything Muppet, much like Prairie Dawn. The two have occasionally been confused, but were sometimes paired as contrasts in illustrated books.

During the early years, Betty Lou was a minor character who was performed by whoever was available to perform her. She seemed to appear more in books than on the show. Apart from singing "I Want a Monster To Be My Friend" (credited, in The Sesame Street Monsters! as "Little Girl"), notable appearances included singing "Amigo" with a male friend in a sketch from the late 70s, and serving as lead singer (backed by Grover and various Anythings) for the song "Exercise" in the 1980s. She was an extra in the song "Listen to the Bells" and, according to the Sesame Street 35 Years Anniversary Game, she once opened up a medical program for dolls called the "Betty Lou Clinic."

As part of an increased attempt by Children's Television Workshop to balance the number and prominence of the male and female characters, Betty Lou appeared on a more regular basis, in street storylines and not just inserts, beginning around 1993. She gained a consistent performer during this time, Lisa Buckley, and an interest in collecting dolls before fading once again into the background. Betty Lou also appeared in the video Do the Alphabet. Betty Lou has a baby sister, seen in the book Grover Learns to Read.

She also has a little brother named Herbie, who appeared in at least one book, The Sesame Street Bedtime Storybook (1978).

Book appearances

 * More Sesame Street Finger Puppets (1972)
 * Sherlock Hemlock and the Great Twiddlebug Mystery (1972)
 * Ernie and Bert's Counting Book (1977)
 * The Sesame Street Bedtime Storybook (1978)
 * The Exciting Adventures of Super Grover (1978)
 * The Amazing Mumford Forgets the Magic Words! (1979)
 * Anybody Can Play (1980)
 * The House That Biff Built (1980)
 * I Like School (1980)
 * Look What I Found! (1980)
 * The Sesame Street Storybook Alphabet (1980)
 * What Did You Bring? (1980)
 * The Count Counts a Party (1981)
 * I Have a Friend (1981)
 * The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites (1981)
 * The Sesame Street Sun (1981)
 * Which One Doesn't Belong? (1981)
 * Big and Little Stories (1982)
 * A Sesame Street Christmas (1982)
 * Grover Sleeps Over (1984)
 * Big Bird Can Share (1985)
 * Big Bird Says... A Game to Read and Play (1985)
 * Oh, I Am So Embarrassed! (1988)
 * When is My Birthday? (1988)
 * Happy Mother's Day! (1989)
 * Grover's 10 Terrific Ways to Help Our Wonderful World (1992)
 * Elmo's Little Playhouse (1993)
 * ''Elmo's Mother Goose (1993)
 * Around the Corner on Sesame Street (1994)
 * Elmo's Big Lift-and-Look Book (1994)
 * B is for Books! (1996)
 * Elmo Loves You! (1997)
 * Going Places (1998)
 * Elmo's Ducky Day (2000)
 * Sesame Street Library (2001)
 * Sesame Street Museum (2001)
 * Clap Your Hands! (2002)
 * Elmo Look and Find (2002)