Welcome to Muppet Wiki!
 | |
| PERFORMER | Christopher Cerf voice |
| Jim Henson puppeteer | |
| DEBUT | 1973 |
| PATTERN | Fat Blue |
Little Chrissy (occasionally addressed as Chrissy or Chris) is the lead singer and piano player for Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats. He is voiced by his namesake, Christopher Cerf, who also wrote most of the character's songs. Jim Henson often performed the actual puppet until his death in 1990.[1]
Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats first appeared on Sesame Street in 1973, performing the song "Count it Higher." Other songs by the band include "Exit," "You're Alive," "Rock 'N Roll Readers," and "Cluck Around the Clock." Little Chrissy has sometimes been backed by Big Jeffy from Little Jerry and the Monotones (often filling in for the Lavender Alphabeat) in the songs "Gonna Rock You to Sleep," "I Go to School," and "Startin' Kindergarten." Chrissy and Jeffy often appeared together in the late 80s/early 90s as a duo in street scenes, including a few numbers with Elmo. Additionally, Chrissy has also been referenced as a member of Little Jerry's band, in Episode 2867 and Episode 2972.
Little Chrissy occasionally performed without the Alphabeats, in songs such as "Eight Balls of Fur," "Raise Your Hand," "The Opposite Song," and "Wet or Dry."
His latest appearance to date occurred in Season 30, acting as piano accompanist to Patti LaBelle's rendition of "Gospel Alphabet."
Notes
- Besides Henson, other performers who have puppeteered Little Chrissy include Frank Oz in a sketch where Don Music rewrote "Yankee Doodle,"[2] Richard Hunt in "Rock 'N Roll Readers,"[3] and Kevin Clash in "Eight Balls Of Fur"[3], "Cluck Around the Clock" and "Gospel Alphabet"[4].
- In "Eight Balls of Fur," Little Chrissy demolishes his piano from aggressively playing it. This was a reference to Cerf's reputation for breaking so many pianos in the studio over the years.[5]
Episodic appearances
Book appearances
- See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Smell No Evil (1975)
- The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
- Fooled You, Bert! (1981)
- The Amazing Mumford Presents the Magic Weather Show (1981)
- Trace & Color Alphabet (1984)
- Count to Ten (1986)
- Just Like Ernie (1988)
- Sesame Street Lift-and-Peek Party! (1998)
See also
- Chrissy (member of Little Jerry and the Monotones)
Sources
- ↑ Cerf, Christopher Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music booklet, p. 12
- ↑ Pastimes, March 1976 issue, includes a photo of Frank performing Chrissy and the Lavender Alphabeat
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Documents provided by trusted source
- ↑ Stephanie D'Abruzzo on Twitter, December 18, 2018 tweet
- ↑ The Atlantic "The Songsmiths of Sesame Street" by Julie Beck, March 29, 2019