Snuffy ' s Parents Get a Divorce Over the years , " Sesame Street " storylines have tackled such varied life issues as death , adoption , marriage , and birth , often inspired by national statistics or events within the circle of the show ' s own cast and crew . In 1992 , the subject of divorce was the big project of the season . Tackling Divorce . The decision to tackle the issue of divorce was a weighty one for the Children ' s Television Workshop , and the idea had a long gestation period . As early as 1989 , writer / director Jon Stone announced that he was attempting to examine the issue : Other crew and cast members expressed mixed feelings on the topic , however , even before the script was written . In fact , in 1990 , executive producer Dulcy Singer initially vetoed it . Singer was concerned with tackling more complex social matters , but also wanted to primarily emphasize issues affecting lower socio - economic groups , returning to the show ' s original target audience of inner city and financially disadvantaged families . She opposed the idea , claiming that " Divorce is a middle - class thing , " instead preferring a story illustrating a single - parent family , with the child born out of wedlock with an absent father . To some extent , this may have been fulfilled in a Sesame Street News Flash about a bird , whose parents live in different trees . Choosing an Approach . The topic of divorce would not be ignored , however , and it was discussed again the following year . The decision was affected by Census Bureau statistics , revealing that 40 percent of all children in the United States , not just the middle classes , would soon live in divorced households . Even so , it still required adjustment , for writers and performers alike . Jerry Nelson noted that " Now we delve into things like divorce that are likely to affect small children very heavily . We didn ' t touch those things before . " The first obstacle was determining how to address the issue in a narrative , and whether to use the Muppet characters or the human cast . Producer - director Lisa Simon publicly reported on the difficulties : According to Bob McGrath , a decision was finally made to use Muppets , and specifically , the family of Mr . Snuffleupagus : The Test Results . The tentatively scheduled airdate for the broadcast was April 10 , 1992 . The episode , intended as # 2985 , " Snuffy ' s Parents Get a Divorce , " was written by Norman Stiles , who had previously tackled the issue of Mr . Hooper ' s death , and the script was subject to scrutiny by the advisory board and developmental psychologists . The board suggested that the script more heavily emphasize the fact that arguments do not automatically mean divorce . The script was revised , the story was taped , and the completed episode screened before a test audience of 60 children . Dulcy Singer still had her doubts : The final episode addressed the advisors ' concerns via a conversation in which Gordon reassures Elmo , Big Bird , and Telly that " Just because parents have an argument , or get upset with each other , doesn ' t mean they ' re getting a divorce . . . Or that they don ' t love each other anymore . " He also reassured Snuffy and his sister Alice that it ' s not their fault , " No , not even if you spill something . " The reassurances had little effect on the test viewers , however , especially taken in conjunction with the rest of the episode . While Mommy Snuffleupagus had been a recurring character on the series for several years , Snuffy ' s Daddy had been a more elusive figure ; like so many Muppet parents , his appearances were generally limited to . When he does appear in the episode , arriving for a weekend visit , Alice attempts to bring him inside , but he reminds her that " I don ' t live here anymore . " Children were unclear on where Snuffy ' s parents lived , especially the father , and believed that Daddy " ran away and Snuffy and Alice would never see their father again . " The realistic depiction of the Snuffleupagus children struggling emotionally with the issue also proved troubling . In one scene , as Alice overhears her parents arguing in the next cave , she pounds and kicks her teddy bear out of frustration . Singer weighed in on the reactions , which despite the care taken , revealed both emotional responses and misunderstandings of the very points which the script attempted to clarify : With the testing results in , research director Valeria Lovelace recommended scrapping the episode and going " back to the drawing board , " and the idea was abandoned , at least for the season . Initially , there was some talk of attempting to broach the divorce issue later on , perhaps in multiple parts . However , as producer Michael Loman recalled , " We ate the cost and never aired it . We feel there are a range of issues that we can deal with in the family that do not go to the extreme of divorce . " A single screenshot from the episode can be seen in " " , likely depicting the scene where Alice tries to bring Daddy Snuffleupagus into their house . The Daddy Snuffleupagus was actually the Snuffy puppet , unaltered , as neither characters appeared in the same scene . Noel MacNeal voiced Daddy Snuffle for the show . While he usually performs Mommy Snuffle as well , Lynn Hippen did the voice ( they wanted her to have a more feminine - sounding voice ) . The subject of divorce was revisited nearly 20 years later , with the production of an educational resource video , " " , which debuted in December 2012 .