Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty is also a "leaping beauty."

Bert and Sleeping Beauty

Grundgetta as "Sleeping Grouchy"

Baby Piggy in "Once Upon an Egg Timer."

Sleeping Beauty is a classic fairy tale by Charles Perrault first published in 1697, but perhaps the most famous interpretation is Walt Disney's 1959 animated film, which borrowed from the Tchaikovsky ballet.

Muppet Characters

• Prince Charming looks for Sleeping Beauty on Sesame Street in Episode 0627, finding her sleeping in barrels near Big Bird's nest. After blowing her a kiss, she wakes up, annoyed that the prince had found her; She complains about a lack of sleep, due to Prince Charming always finding and kissing her awake.

• In a Sesame Street News Flash sketch, Prince Charming kisses Sleeping Beauty, and she turns into a Green Anything Muppet frog, who falls for Kermit. Here, she was performed by Jerry Nelson. (First: Episode 0453) She appears again in another News Flash where Prince Charming falls asleep. (First: Episode 0483)

• Sleeping Beauty falls asleep on the Fix-It Shop's workbench in Episode 2707.

• Bert portrays Prince Charming in Episode 3777, who wakes up Sleeping Beauty, but then puts her to sleep again when he starts talking to her about his paper clips. Here, she was performed by Fran Brill.

• In Episode 4109 of Sesame Street, an energetic dancing Sleeping Beauty appears in a Healthy Storybook Moment, performed by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph.

References

• The Sesame Street Library Volume 2 features a short version illustrated by Michael Smollin.

• Baby Piggy assumes the title role in the Muppet Babies episode "Once Upon an Egg Timer." Later, she is told a version of the story in the episode "Slipping Beauty".

• Oscar the Grouch plays the prince in a bedtime story he reads for Irvine in Sesame Street Episode 1779. He must awaken Sleeping Grouchy (played by Grundgetta), but because he's a grouch, he keeps trying to find an alternative to kissing.

• Count von Count plays the prince from the story on Sesame Street in Episode 2352 opposite Gladys the Cow as Sleeping Beauty. Meryl Sheep takes over the lead role when Gladys quits.

• A portion of Tchaikovsky's score, "Grande valse villageoise" (The Garland Waltz), is quoted when Mr. Noodle swims through the air in Elmo's World: Water.

• Oscar and Grundgetta reprise the roles in Episode 4143 where they read a parody of the story called "The Tale of Sleeping Grouchy".

• Finchen pretended to be Sleeping Beauty in Sesamstrasse episode 2393, while the Fariytale prince tries to find the right way to wake Sleeping Beauty.

• In the Muppet Kids book, Kermit's Cleanup, Kermit and Bean Bunny imagine themselves doing battle against a dragon inspired by Maleficent's final transformation in the Disney animated film adaptation.

• In the closing moments of the third issue of the Muppet Snow White comic book, Miss Piggy (as the Wicked Queen) rides what narrator Rizzo calls the Dragon from Sleeping Beauty as it captures Kermit (as Prince Charming) just moments before he kisses and wakes Spamela Hamderson (as Snow White).

Connections

• Carol Kane played the 'Good' Fairy in the Faerie Tale Theatre episode "Sleeping Beauty" (1983)
• Sally Kellerman played both Queen Natasha and Queen Farrah in the Faerie Tale Theatre episode "Sleeping Beauty" (1983)
• Richard Libertini played King Murray in the Faerie Tale Theatre episode "Sleeping Beauty" (1983)
• Bernadette Peters played the Sleeping Beauty/Princess Debbie in the Faerie Tale Theatre episode "Sleeping Beauty" (1983)
• Christopher Reeve played the Prince in the Faerie Tale Theatre episode "Sleeping Beauty" (1983)