PERFORMER | Jerry Nelson 1974-1977 |
Michael Earl 1980-1981 | |
DEBUT | 1974 |
Poco Loco is a parrot who debuted on Sesame Street as a recurring character from season 6 to 8, first performed by Jerry Nelson.
He is first mentioned in Episode 0649, when Big Bird receives a postcard from him; at the time, he was living in South America. The following year, he was often paired in street scenes with Big Bird, who would get frustrated with the parrot repeating everything he said. He made only brief visits in the seventh and eighth seasons.
He returned in seasons 11 through 14, now able to speak of his own volition and gaining the ability to imitate unique sounds like bells and even the voices of the other characters. During these seasons, he lived at the Fix-It Shop, to both the delight and chagrin of Luis and the other Sesame Street residents. By this time, the role was taken over by Michael Earl for two seasons, then by Brian Muehl in Episodes 1657 and 1668.
The puppet appeared frequently thereafter as a background bird. He appeared in Follow That Bird, with one speaking line, and in the song "We Are All Earthlings," sharing a sung line with Little Bird, voiced by Rick Lyon. The puppet was later modified and used for H. Ross Parrot, and repurposed again for Bolo (performed by Joey Mazzarino) in Episode 3839.
Poco continued to appear on Sesame Street as late as Episode 4508, and has even popped up on the Spanish spin-off Sesame Amigos, appearing in one segment as Vadhir Derbez's parrot Juan. (YouTube) The puppet also appeared as Stephanie in episode 209 of The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo.
In Spanish, "poco loco" means "a little crazy."
Episodic appearances[]
- Season 6: 0674, 0679, 0689, 0701, 0721, 0736
- Season 7: 0800
- Season 8: 1036, 1042
- Season 11: 1413, 1415, 1419, 1425
- Season 12: 1447, 1448, 1449, 1453, 1459, 1472, 1484, 1531, 1539, 1555, 1559, 1560, 1574
- Season 13: 1594, 1657, 1668
- Season 14: 1750, 1794
Book appearances[]
- More Who's Who on Sesame Street (1982)
- The Sesame Street Question and Answer Book About Animals (1983)