PERFORMER | Frank Oz |
DEBUT | 1972 |
PATTERN | Orange Gold |
Prince Charming is the hero and love interest in many fairy tale stories. In the first decade of Sesame Street, he made recurring appearances in sketches and street scenes, portrayed as a waspy, upper crust elite. The 1973 character style guide describes him as a "noble, princely, and terribly conceited" person who talks in "Ivy Leaguese."
This persona first appeared in a Sesame Street News Flash sketch involving Rapunzel. He appeared in a few more News Flash sketches, attempting to woo such damsels as Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. According to the script for Episode 1312, his monarchy hails from the Land of Nod. He was occasionally accompanied by his horse, Duke.
He made his last speaking appearance in this form in a "Fairytale Update" sketch in season 24 (revisiting his first flame, Rapunzel). He also briefly cameoed in Let's Eat!: Funny Food Songs.
Originally, the Prince Charming puppet was a redressed version of Guy Smiley, another Orange Gold Anything Muppet, except with different clothes. The puppet would later have slightly modified facial features to better distinguish the two. Before the design would be used for Prince Charming, the Guy Smiley puppet had occasionally been used as a prince, in the same clothes as Prince Charming, in "Bob reads an F story" (First: Episode 0095), where he is called Prince Fred and performed by Jim Henson, in "The Fairy Godmother" (First: Episode 0135), where he is a transformed version of Cookie Monster, and in "The Girl, the Trees and the Terrible Troll" (First: Episode 0307), as the magic prince transformed from the troll.
Episodic appearances[]
Other versions[]
In later appearances, Prince Charming's puppet design and performers have varied.
Picture | Description |
---|---|
An orange live-hand Muppet Prince Charming made a few appearances in the 1990s, including Episode 2943 (performed by Jerry Nelson), the Colambo "Lost Slipper Caper" sketch (also Nelson), the "Fairytale Detective" sketch (performed by David Rudman). | |
In Episode 3319, Prince Charming appears in the story of "The Princess in a Low Tower." Here, he's played by Martin P. Robinson and is made from a Lavender Little Anything Muppet. | |
A Large Lavender Live Hand Prince Charming (Martin P. Robinson) appears in Episode 3342, where he tires of the strenuous lifestyle of a prince and Ruthie and Elmo help him choose another occupation. | |
A Green Prince Charming (David Rudman) appears at the end of Episode 3734 looking for Sleeping Beauty, who has confused Barkley for her prince. | |
A Pumpkin live-hand Prince Charming (played by Joey Mazzarino) appears in Episode 4233, attempting to romance a science-obsessed Cinderella. | |
Prince Charming (played by Tyler Bunch), once again in the Orange Gold pattern and in a similar royal outfit but with altered features, appears in Episode 4703, where Abby Cadabby takes him to an eye doctor to correct his vision. |
Book appearances[]
- Big Bird's Busy Book (1975)
- See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Smell No Evil (1975)
- The Sesame Street Library Volume 5 (1978)
- The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
- The Sesame Street Storybook Alphabet (1980)