PERFORMER | Martin P. Robinson |
DEBUT | 1986 |
Rocky is Sam's cat in the Sesame Street direct-to-video release, Getting Ready to Read. Rocky speaks only in meows to communicate to Sam that he's hungry.
The puppet has appeared frequently on Sesame Street starting as early as 1980, previously named "Gato" by Sally Sanchez in a Muppet insert, and Simba in Episode 1451. The cat's many appearances include installments of Marshal Grover and Mysterious Theater (as Lady Agatha's missing cat), and cameos in the songs "Do-Op Hop," "Quiet Time Song," "I Get There," "Italian Street Song," "Barn in the USA," and "C Drives Me Crazy." The puppet also appears with different color eyelids in the video Bert & Ernie's Word Play, where the cat meows and dances along with Rosita and Zoe to "Sticky Tape". Performers of the cat have included Richard Hunt, David Rudman, Pam Arciero, Kevin Clash, and Julianne Buescher.
The cat also appears in the Fall 1984 issue of Muppet Magazine, pictured in a spread with three dogs named "Mutt."