The evolution of Mahna Mahna (and Bip Bippadotta).
Image | As seen in / Year | Notes |
---|---|---|
Sesame Street Season 1 (1969) |
This is Mahna Mahna's initial Anything Muppet incarnation. The beard and wild hair would be a trademark, but his eyes and expression would evolve, and alternate according to which production he was used in. His backing group is initially a pair of Anything Muppet girls, as opposed to the later Snowths. | |
The Ed Sullivan Show (1969 - 1971) |
Mahna Mahna begins to enter his more familiar form, with purple skin, pink nose, orange hair/beard, "furry" green vest and sunglasses-esque eyes. In his first appearance on Ed Sullivan, he has shorter hair than his later incarnations. The puppet is able to blink and, going a step further in this early stage, to wink. | |
The Ed Sullivan Show (1971 - 1976) |
This puppet is similar to the 1969 version, but with longer and wilder hair. Mahna Mahna now has arm rods and can move his arms. | |
Sesame Street Season 5 (1973-1974) |
Bip Bippadotta, as Mahna Mahna has been rechristened for his Sesame appearances, continues the green-furred torso of his variety show incarnation, but his facial features return to the angrier eyes of his first Sesame appearance, and would remain in this mold through his Street appearances in Season 5. His fleshtones are orange. | |
The Muppet Show Episode 101 (1976) |
Mahna Mahna appears in the premiere episode of The Muppet Show, complete with backing Snowths. He makes sporadic appearances during the first three seasons. | |
Sesame Street Season 16 (1985) |
Bip Bippadotta begins to look a little bit more like Mahna Mahna. He now has a pair of visor-like "hip" sunglasses in place of the blinking eyes, more hair added, and a goatee, but has lavender fleshtones. | |
Sesame Street (1985-1989) |
Mahna Mahna's Sesame incarnation, Bip Bippadotta, has now become much closer to the Muppet Show version, with more feathery hair, purple fleshtones, and an orange nose. | |
CanTeen Bandanana ad (2005) |
Mahna Mahna has a larger nose, down-turned eyes, and a generally softer aesthetic. | |
Promotional photo (2006 - present) |
Mahna Mahna now appears closer to his 1971-1976 design, though with longer brighter hair/beard, lavender skin and a darker forest-green vest. He is also larger than previous puppets. | |
Sesame Street Season 40 (2009) |
Bip Bippadotta makes a comeback appearance in a 2009 episode of Sesame Street. He returns in his "Everybody's Song" get-up, with fuller hair and goatee. | |
Alternate Mahna Mahna Puppets | ||
Movin' with Nancy: Nice 'n' Easy (1973) |
Oversized version of Mahna Mahna built for stage shows. This puppet also appeared with the Muppet monsters in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years. |