Mr . Snuffleupagus Mr . Snuffleupagus is a full - bodied Muppet character who lives with his family in a cave just off of " Sesame Street " . Snuffleupagus is his species as well as his last name . His full name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus , although his friends call him Snuffy . He is eternally 4 and a half years old , and celebrates his birthday on August 19 . Snuffy ' s best friend is Big Bird , whom he affectionately calls " Bird . " His favorite foods are cabbage and spaghetti . In the fifth season premiere , he revealed that he also drinks sassafras tea . He has a little sister named Alice and a friend named Rosalyn . Mr . Snuffleupagus first appeared on " Sesame Street " in episode 0276 , the third season premiere . When he first appeared , many of the adults assumed that he was Big Bird ' s imaginary friend , due to a series of coincidences and near - miss encounters that continually kept Snuffleupaguses and humans apart . Big Bird would often try to find ways for Snuffy to meet the adults , but something would always cause Snuffy to leave before the humans could see him . Sometimes , all it would take for the adults to see Mr . Snuffleupagus would be to turn their heads , yet they usually wouldn ' t do so until Snuffy had already gone . Various kids could see Mr . Snuffleupagus , some Muppets saw him , and even a few ( including Judy Collins , in a fantasy sequence ) saw him , but the major human characters never believed his existence until episode 2096 in 1985 . Mr . Snuffleupagus became real to the entire cast for a few reasons . One was because the writers were running out of new ways to have Snuffy just barely miss meeting them . Another factor was increased concerns that the adults ' refusal to believe Big Bird ' s claims of his friend ' s existence would discourage children from sharing important things with their parents . It takes two people to perform Mr . Snuffleupagus . The person who performs the front also performs the voice . Jerry Nelson was the first to play the character . Most sources ( including " Sesame Street Unpaved " and " " ) state that back problems caused by the physical stress of the performance forced him to bow out , but in a 2009 interview Jerry Nelson gave a different explanation for giving up the role : " I was not loathed to give that character up . But the reasons for giving it up were because at that time we were doing " The Muppet Show " and he was a real part of the show , and they needed his presence . So they asked if I ’ d mind giving it up . " Michael Earl Davis took over for three seasons ( 1978 – 1981 ) , before Marty Robinson became the permanent voice and face of Snuffy . The back of Mr . Snuffleupagus has been performed by Richard Hunt , Brian Muehl , Frank Kane , and Peter Friedman , but since 1979 , the regular back - end has been Bryant Young . In the early years of Snuffy ' s " Sesame Street " appearances , his entrances were scored by a low - range brass musical cue ( composed by Joe Raposo ) . A modified version of this theme appeared on various . Also , during his first appearances in 1971 , Snuffy spoke in a sad - sounding tone of voice . Later , the sad tone was dropped and Snuffy began to speak in a more neutral tone of voice that could sometimes be cheerful . In his debut season , he also had some strange topics on the show , such as being afraid of fruit and wanting to move in with Big Bird . Also , sometimes he would answer questions with statements that did not make sense . Such as in the closing of his premiere episode Big Bird asks " Where did you go ? " and he replies " Well I suppose so . " Mr . Snuffleupagus ' Family . Mr . Snuffleupagus lives with his family in a cave located at 456 Snuffle Circle . In 1992 , the producers of " Sesame Street " tested an episode in which Snuffy ' s parents get a divorce . After a series of arguments , Daddy Snuffle moved out of the cave , and Snuffy and Alice had to deal with the emotional fallout of a breakup . The episode didn ' t test well with children , and the producers decided to shelve it . In the context of the show , Mommy and Daddy Snuffleupagus are still married . For more information , see " Snuffy ' s Parents Get a Divorce " . Near Misses . Before his existence was revealed to the grown - ups on Sesame Street , there were many instances when the adults " almost " saw Mr . Snuffleupagus , only to just barely miss him . Some even heard him talk , but thought they were imagining things . Here are some of the many close encounters between Mr . Snuffleupagus and others . Snuffleupagus Books . Books that focus on Snuffy include : Sources . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _