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| PERFORMER | Jerry Nelson |
| DEBUT | 1974 |
| DESIGN | Caroly Wilcox designer/builder |
An alternate Fred puppet, as seen in "Horse Sense".
Play With Me Sesame
Fred the Wonder Horse travels with Marshal Grover in a recurring series of Sesame Street sketches. He first appeared in Season 5 (1974). In these sketches, Fred is wiser than Marshal Grover, and often resolves Grover's problems, such as finding water in the desert, rescuing animals, and counting backwards.
Though he is usually seen in the company of Grover, he was occasionally seen on the street. He performed the song "Cripple Creek" with Buffy, and he sang "Horse Sense" with Judy Collins. He joined Buster the Horse to back up Gladys the Cow on "Proud to Be a Cow." He also appeared as "Professor Fred", lecturing kids about body parts.
In his earliest sketch, Fred spoke in a Western accent as a dusty workhorse. In subsequent years, he spoke with a Southern twang.
Notes
- An alternate version of the Fred puppet used during the 1970s would eventually be recycled for Buster the Horse.
- Ed Christie performed the character in "Proud to Be a Cow." Matt Vogel also performed the character for an appearance in a season three episode of Play with Me Sesame.
Filmography
- Sesame Street
- The Muppet Movie (1979) - "Rainbow Connection" finale (alternate puppet used here)
- A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
- A Brief History of Motion Pictures (1998)
- Elmo's World: Wild Wild West (2001)
- A Celebration of Me, Grover (2004)
Book appearances
- The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
- The Sesame Street Question and Answer Book About Animals (1983)
- Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? (1984)
- A Silly Sesame Street Story: The Three Little Pigs (1984)
- Trace & Color (1984)
- Find the Shapes (1986)
- Colors (1987)
