Rubber Balls

Four rubber balls who cannot tell each other apart.
PERFORMER	various
DEBUT	1970

Anthropomorphic pink rubber balls figured on Sesame Street in a handful of sketches during its early seasons.

Built on and operated with dark rods, the bouncing balls were built to be performed against a dark background, allowing the small spherical puppets to do their duty generally free of exposed puppetry tricks.

Performers of the balls included Frank Oz, Fran Brill, Caroll Spinney and Jerry Nelson.

Sketches

Picture	Sketch First Appearance	Description
	Kermit's Lectures: Round Objects Episode 0107	A wisecracking ball (Oz) who insists on singing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" assists Kermit the Frog in his lecture on the word "round." Although Kermit insists that rubber balls can't talk, the ball shoots back, "Neither can frogs!" Having had enough of the ball's jokes, Kermit finally threatens to flatten the ball against a wall — until he sees his "daddy," an intimidating basketball (Daniel Seagren), and takes off. When the little ball tells his father about his now-disappeared friend, the basketball tells his son that "frogs can't talk."
	Everybody's Different Episode 0166	In a second season sketch, Ernie is wondering what it would be like if everyone were the same when he comes across four identical balls who have trouble telling each other apart. Ernie helps out by dressing up the four balls — a young ball and his daddy (both Oz), his mommy (Brill), and a postman ball (Spinney) — to help them recognize and differentiate themselves from each other.
	Basketball Episode 0267	Five balls (Brill, Spinney, Nelson, and two Oz) get together to play basketball. It takes them awhile to count themselves, but then they realize they don't have a ball.
	Ball Team Episode 0478	Ernie is a coach for his baseball team of three balls: Yogi (Nelson), Scooter (Oz), and an unnamed third ball (Nelson). In front of him are three small caps and a huge cap. Each of the balls tries on the big cap and gets completely covered up. Ernie puts the small caps on them, and they're ready to start. As Ernie wonders where the huge "silly" cap came from, a basketball named Big Bill (Oz), captain of the opposing team, bounces in to demand his cap back. Ernie ends up postponing the game once he sees the competition.

See also

• The Zizzy Zoomers