Honkers

PERFORMER	various
DEBUT	1980
DESIGN	Caroly Wilcox designer and builder

The Honkers are fuzzy creatures from Sesame Street who communicate by honking their bulbous noses. Conceptualised by Tony Geiss, the Honkers made their debut in 1980, during Season 12 (first appearing in Episode 1458).

Honkers come in a variety of colors, and baby Honkers are hatched from eggs. It is not known how closely related (if at all) the Honker species is to that of The Dingers, although there are similarities between the two.

As the Honkers never speak, their performers vary, depending on puppeteer availability. In the feature film Follow That Bird, Tim Gosley performed the Honker who served as Oscar's car horn. That specific Honker puppet has been named several times. Another Honker whose name has been mentioned is Henrietta Honker, the small pink honker.

Most of the Honker puppets were constructed with only one arm, built for the puppeteer's left hand. This arm is directly connected to the front of the body, but on the television screen, it is barely noticeable due to the amount of fur and fabric on a Honker's body, and the framing of the puppet on-screen.

A few songs have focused on the Honkers and their unique talent, including "Honk Around the Clock" and "The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree". A list of Honker puppets used on the show:

Image	Features	Notes
	Fur: Green Hair: Blue Nose: Yellow-orange	Has been called Mr. Honker (in "Name That Sound"), Alphonse (in a "Next To" sketch), Murray Beethoven, Hildegard (in Episode 2595), Hank (in Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece), and Homer (most likely erroneously on page 63 of Jim Henson: The Works).
	Fur: Green Hair: Red Nose: Yellow-orange	Similar to above, but with red hair. Appearances: Episode 4818, 4821, 4902, 4911, Elmo's World: Noses, The Cookie Thief
	Fur: Pink Hair: Orange Nose: Orange	Appearances: Episode 1813, Episode 2312, 2317, 2626, 2638, 3139, 3224, 3421, 3466, 3661, 3806, 3825, 3850, 3893, 3976, 4007, 4074,4079, 4115, 4157, 4164, 4176, 4810, 4825, 4905, 4518, 4605, 4618, 4619, 4815, 4828, 4911, 4914, Let's Make Music
	Fur: Purple Hair: Purple Nose: Orange	Appearances: Episode 1458, 1576, 1706, 2484, 2749, 2809, 2967, 2998, 3194, 3256, 3301, 3402, 3577, 3786, 4062, 4081, 4115, 4818, 4911
	Fur: Orange Hair: Orange Nose: Red-orange	Appearances: Episode 1458, 1576, 1706, 1813, 2226, 2312, 2317, 2484, 2561, 2638, 3059, 3301, 3466, 3840, 4089, 4098, 4115, "Old MacDonald Cantata", Sing Yourself Silly!
	Fur: Blue Hair: Blue Nose: Green	Appearances: Episode 1576, 1706, 2626, 2638, 3301, 4074, The Best of Elmo, Let's Make Music
	Fur: Turquoise Hair: Primrose Nose: Gold	Appearances: Episode 1458, 1576, 3059, 3100, 3194, 3301, 3402, 3702, 3868, 3895, 3954, 4007, 4028, 4034, 4039, 4052, 4055, 4115, 4618, 4911, 4923, Kids' Favorite Songs 2, Elmo's World: Noses
	Fur: Pink Hair: Pink Nose: Yellow-orange	A baby Honker who was named Henrietta Honker in Episode 4074.
	Fur: Light blue Hair: White Nose: Light pink	Appearances: Episode 4031, 4056, 4074, 4417, Elmo's World: Families

Notes

The Honkers make music with a Dinger, Ernie and Rubber Duckie.

A mother, a father, a baby and a grandfather Honker as seen in "Elmo's World: Families".

Target billboard in Times Square.

File:HonkDinger-BirdGames.jpg

A Honker and Dinger in Big Bird's Favorite Party Games.

Performers of the Honkers have included Brian Muehl, Kathryn Mullen, and Cheryl Blaylock, all of whom did them in "The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree", and Pam Arciero and Jim Martin, who operated them in "Conga".

Despite being depicted on Sesame Street as non-vocal, in A Muppet Family Christmas, they are seen singing along with the rest of the crew during the musical numbers.

Appearances

• Sesame Street (1980 - present)
• The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
• Follow That Bird (1985)
• Learning About Letters (1986)
• Learning About Numbers (1986)
• Bedtime Stories & Songs (1986)
• Getting Ready to Read (1986)
• Sing Along (1987)
• A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
• Big Bird's Favorite Party Games (1988)
• Free to Be... a Family (1988)
• Sing Yourself Silly (1990)
• Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years (1993)
• Basil Hears a Noise (1993)
• Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993)
• The Best of Elmo (1994)
• Do the Alphabet (1996)
• Fiesta! (1998)
• Elmopalooza (1998)
• Big Bird Gets Lost (1998)
• The Rosie O'Donnell Show on Sesame Street (1998)
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)
• CinderElmo (2000)
• Let's Make Music (2000)
• Sesame Street 4D (2003)
• One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure (2008)
• Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2008)
• Families Stand Together (2009)
• Bedtime with Elmo (2009)
• The Cookie Thief (2015)
• The Magical Wand Chase (2017)

Book appearances

• The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites (1981)
• More Who's Who on Sesame Street (1982)
• Bert's Big Band Paint-with-Water Book (1983 reprint)
• Big Bird Can Share (1985)
• Big Bird Says... A Game to Read and Play (1985)
• Follow That Bird Activity Book (1985)
• Follow That Bird coloring book (1985)
• Welcome Home, Big Bird (1985)
• ABC (1986)
• Baby Animals on the Farm (1986)
• Honk If You Like Honkers (1986)
• Sesame Street ABC (1986)
• Grover's Just So-So Stories (1987)
• Going Places (1988)
• Great Monsterpieces (1989)
• Splish-Splashy Day (1989)
• Who's Who on Sesame Street (1989)
• Cookie Soup and Other Good-Night Stories (1990)
• Museum of Monster Art (1990)
• Big Bird Presents the Nutcracker (1990)
• 1-2-3 (1991)
• Sesame Street 123 (1991)
• We're Different, We're the Same (1992)
• Elmo's Lift-and-Peek Around the Corner Book (1996)
• Baby Play (1998)
• Where Is Elmo's Blanket? (1999)
• Clap Your Hands! (2002)
• Elmo's Night Before Christmas (2005)
• Elmo's Favorite Places (2007)
• What Makes You Giggle? (2007)
• Elmo's 123 Lift-the-Flap (2015)