New Jersey plates in Episode 1703.
A Beetle is a model of car made by Volkswagen. Manufactured in Germany from 1938 to 2003, the unique look of a Beetle, also called a Bug, was a rear-engine economy vehicle, intended for five occupants.
On Sesame Street during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, Susan and Gordon owned a Volkswagen Beetle that featured in a number of episodes. When it was first purchased in Episode 0554, the car was yellow, but it would change in color over the years. It also originally had a sun roof which is not a feature later on, indicating that a new model may have been purchased at some point.
The Beetle features prominently in Follow That Bird as the mode of transportation that takes Gordon, Olivia, Cookie Monster (and later Super Grover) on the road to find Big Bird who has run away from his foster home in Oceanview, Illinois. Upon their return to Sesame Street, Cookie Monster has eaten large chunks out of the vehicle, which Susan claims is insured.
On the show, Susan could often be seen maintaining the vehicle, pulling apart its engine, and getting dirty while working. Occasionally, it was stored in the garage, but often parked on the street in front of 123 Sesame Street when the plot of the episode called for it.
The car is named Ramona by Sam the Robot in Episode 0874, and in Episode 0944 he falls in love with it, singing it a love song.
Appearances[]
- Yellow
- White
- Blue
- "In, On and Under" insert (First: Episode 0796)
- Episode 0838
- Episode 0874
- Episode 0913
- Episode 0944
- Episode 1010
- Episode 1056
- Episode 1079
- Episode 1123
- Episode 1196
- Episode 1277
- Episode 1422
- Episode 1703
- Episode 1858
- Episode 1920
- Episode 1953
- Episode 2914
- Episode 3656
Other Volkswagen Beetles[]
- A red Volkswagen Beetle appears in a Sesame Street human cast sketch from 1973 (First: Episode 0476).
- Susan helps repair Slimey's worm-sized car (called a Wormsvagen) in Episode 1920.