Maurice Monster

PERFORMER	various
DEBUT	1974

Maurice with Cookie, Grover, Telly and Herry.

Maurice Monster is a light-blue monster with a bright green nose on Sesame Street.

He appeared as a named character as early as Episode 0806. He also appeared in Episode 1262, 1267 and 1581. He was referred to by name again in the "First and Last" sketch (First: Episode 1307), and in the game show sketch "Say the Word" (First: Episode 1373).

The puppet debuted under the name "Elmo Mondiporg" (performed by Jim Henson) in a season 5 sketch where Grover finds an empty telephone booth (First: Episode 0654). For this first appearance, along with his appearances in seasons 6 and 7, the puppet was a Green Anything Muppet draped entirely in blue fur. The blue fur pattern would later be converted into an AM monster in season 8, and was used frequently as a background monster from 1975 through 1984.

Maurice appeared as one of the Frazzletones in 1975, singing "Frazzle" with the title monster himself. He had a major role in a 1975 episode, where he and Herry Monster were afraid of the dark out on the street and decide to sleep near Big Bird. In Season 11, he was featured in Monsterpiece Theater's "Me, Claudius" (along with Harvey, Bruce, and Elmo).

The puppet was used as Kermit the Gorf in "The Wonderful World of T-Shirts" sketch, where Kermit the Frog tries to buy a customized T-shirt with his name on it.

Like most Anything Monsters, Maurice's puppeteer varied according to the sketch. Performers have included Richard Hunt (in "Say the Word," "Me Claudius," the "First and Last" sketch, and the song "Beginning, Middle, End,"), Jerry Nelson (in "Frazzle" and "The Wonderful World of T-Shirts" sketch), Jim Henson (the Grover telephone booth sketch), and others on various occasions.

In 2017, the puppet reappeared, refurbished, heavily altered and closely resembling Frazzle as Boso in Eine Möhre für Zwei: Pizza mit Biss, a spin-off of German co-production Sesamstrasse.

Filmography

• Sesame Street
  • "Telephone booth" (as Elmo Monderporg)
  • "Frazzle" (as a member of the Frazzletones)
  • Episode 0806 (involved in main plot)
  • "Fur" (as a member of The Aristocrats)
  • "I Want a Monster to Be My Friend"
  • "Beginning, Middle, End"
  • Episode 1262
  • Episode 1267
  • "Are Monsters Scary"
  • "The Wonderful World of T-Shirts" (as Kermit the Gorf)
  • "Say the Word"
  • "ABC Disco"
  • "First and Last" (1979 remake)
  • "Easy Listening Band"
  • "Monsterpiece Theater: Me Claudius"
  • "Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco"
  • Episode 1581
  • "Me Gotta Be Blue"
  • "Kermit: In and Out"
• The Muppet Movie: "Rainbow Connection" finale
• The Muppets Take Manhattan: Wedding finale
• Follow That Bird
• Don't Forget to Watch the Movie

See also

• Sesame Street monsters