Herbert Birdsfoot

PERFORMER	Jerry Nelson
DEBUT	1970
PATTERN	Lavender

Herbert Birdsfoot was introduced on Sesame Street in Season 2 as a lecturer, usually with Grover as his assistant. He was the brief replacement for Kermit the Frog in his lecturing job on the street. With Kermit's return later that season, the character was quietly phased out within a few years, but continued to appear in re-used segments through Season 28. He made one of his last appearances in The Muppet Movie during the finale, where he can be spotted between Count von Count and Sherlock Hemlock.

Herbert was referenced many years later in a 2018 sketch featuring Chance the Rapper. Herbert's name appears on director Elmo's clipboard for a theatrical production, where Herbert is listed as handling the props. (First: Episode 4908)

His name is a play on the pasture crop "bird's-foot trefoil," which was familiar to Jim Henson because of his father's work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sketches

Picture	Summary / First Appearance	Description
	Cookie Puzzle Episode 0132	Herbert Birdsfoot invents a complicated machine, to test Cookie Monster's problem-solving abilities. Cookie Monster needs to pull the string to raise the glass cover off the plateful of cookies at the other end -- but when he lets go to retrieve the cookies, the cover will fall again. Herbert hears Cookie Monster approaching, and hides to observe him. Cookie investigates the machine for a moment, then gets the cookies by karate-chopping the glass cover.
	ET Family Episode 0138	In a three-part sketch, Herbert and Grover make words ending in ET.
	The OP Family Episode 0148	Herbert Birdsfoot displays the letters O and P, mentioning that they're the OP family. When he adds an M for "mop", he has Grover fetch a mop. When he adds a DR for "drop", he has Grover drop a heavy rock. When he adds an H for "hop", he has Grover hop repeatedly until he faints. Herbert then adds a FL for "flop" and a ST for "stop".
	Hopping Poem Episode 0150	Herbert Birdsfoot recites a poem with OP words, counting on Grover to hop whenever he says "hop" — repeatedly, until Grover faints.
	M and W Episode 0155	Herbert explains what the letters M and W look like with a very uncooperative letter that keeps switching itself. The letter eventually stops switching, and Herb solves the problem by rotating the camera angle, turning the letter upside down.
	AN Family Story Episode 0158	Big Bird tells Herbert a story about the AN family at his nest.
	AN Family Lecture Episode 0160	Herbert and Grover talk about "AN" words. Herbert demonstrates the words themselves, while Grover provides visual aids. Part 1: The first word they talk about is RAN. While Herbert talks about how to make the word, Grover keeps running around the scene until he tires himself out. Part 2: The next word they demonstrate is CAN. Grover brings out an armful of soup cans and stacks them all up. Then he clumsily knocks the tower over. Part 3: The final word for today is FAN, which Grover says is one of his favorite words. He brings in an electric fan and turns it on full blast. Everything is blown away, including Herbert and Grover.
	T-H-E Episode 0166	Grover assists Herbert Birdsfoot in a demonstration of the word "THE", by holding a sign with the word as Herbert tells a story and rings a bell whenever the sign is needed. As usual, Grover wears himself out.
	Ernie Borrows a Vacuum Episode 0181	Ernie wants to borrow Herbert's vacuum cleaner, but he worries about how Herbert will respond. Maybe Herbert's taking a bath, and he'll be so angry at Ernie for interrupting him that he'll tell everyone to never loan Ernie anything ever again!
	Alphabet Episode 0188	Grover and Herbert recite the alphabet together.
	Count to 20 Episode 0189	Herbert and Grover count to 20.
	Counting Three Blocks Episode 0192	Herbert Birdsfoot arranges three blocks for Grover to count. No matter how the blocks are arranged, they still add up to three. Herbert asks Grover to count some oranges as well. Grover confesses that he's good at counting blocks -- but he doesn't know how to count oranges!
	Over and Under Episode 0198	Herbert Birdsfoot demonstrates "over" and "under" by having Grover lie over a mattress. Then Grover lies under the mattress, and Herbert drives the point home by adding more objects over Grover.
	Shadows Episode 0221	Grover sees his shadow follow him around, and thinks it's a person following him. However, Herbert Birdsfoot explains what a shadow is.
	M Sound Episode 0276	Herbert Birdsfoot thinks that Grover is talking about the letter M whenever he makes an Mmmmm sound, but Grover is only making the sound because he ate peanut butter and got his mouth stuck shut. Video: Old School: Volume 1
	ET Family Delivery (3-part sketch) Episode 0473	Herbert presents the "ET" word family, as a deliveryman brings in different letter. The deliveryman gets progressively furious as Herbert makes him sound out the word and refuses to give him a signature until he does so.

Book appearances

Herbert presents a ring to a lady friend in the February 1975 issue of Sesame Street Magazine.

• The Sesame Street Storybook (1971)
• The Sesame Street ABC Storybook (1974)
• The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
• A Day in the Life of Oscar the Grouch (1981)
• Put & Play Magic Show (1981)
• Bounce Along with Big Bird (1987)

Album appearances

• The Official Sesame Street 2 Book-and-Record Album (1971), "High, Middle, Low"
• The Muppet Alphabet Album (1971), "Herbert's Silly Poem" and "The Tale of Tom Tattertall Tuttletut"
• Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert (1972), "The Magic Cookie" and "Pat Pat Patty Pat"
• Bert's Blockbusters (1974), "Pat Pat Patty Pat"
• Big Bird Sings! (1974), "Big Bird Writes a Poem"
• C is for Cookie (1974), "The Magic Cookie" and "The Monster's Three Wishes"
• Let a Frown Be Your Umbrella (1974), "The Monster's Three Wishes"
• Letters ...and Numbers, Too! (1975), "Herbert's Silly Poem"
• Ernie and Bert's Greatest Hits (1996), "High, Middle, Low" (Note: This release is only credited to Ernie and Bert, but Herbert sings the high part.)