Kippi Ben Kippod

Kippi Ben Kippod (קיפי בן קיפוד) (translated means Kippi son of Hedgehog) lives on Rechov Sumsum, the first Israeli co-production of Sesame Street. Kippi is a full-bodied character who is cheerful and optimistic, and has a pet goat named Sheba.
Kippi first appeared on Rechov Sumsum in 1983, and he also appeared on Shalom Sesame, a bilingual 1986 Israel-US co-production.
Kippi also appeared, along with other international Sesame Street Muppets, in the special Sesame Street Stays Up Late.
For Rechov Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim, the Israeli/Palestinian co-production, Kippi, along with Moishe Oofnik, was retained. Kippi was redesigned for the new show, with a more traditional "Muppety" design, and has a male performer, Guy Friedman.
==Species==
For US co-productions, such as Shalom Sesame, the producers chose to translate kippod (קיפוד) as "porcupine," and Kippi refers to himself as "your friendly neighborhood porcupine." Bill Cosby also refers to Kippi as a porcupine in the Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting special.
The translation of קיפוד is actually "hedgehog," according to Milon, a Hebrew-English dictionary. Hedgehogs and porcupines are often confused by laypeople, although they are not part of the same family.
Kippi has a similar design to Espinete from Barrio Sésamo, who is a hedgehog. Additionally, Kippi possesses a long snout like that of a hedgehog, which porcupines lack.
KippiandKid.jpg
KippiinShalomSesame.jpg
kippi plants.jpg
KippiNewYearsReport.png|Kippi reporting from Sesame Street Stays Up Late
==Notes==
* Kippi Ben Kippod has a special eyebrow mechanism similar to Big Bird's eyelid mechanism that allows the puppeteer to pull down on a trigger to lower or raise the eyebrows.
* Before the 1998 revamp, the original puppet, which had a more realistic design during the show's first season, was refurbished twice. Most of the design changes were minor and involved softening the features, specifically the eyes and a shorter snout, giving Kippi a cuter appearance. 
==Book appearances==
*Sesame Street Stays Up Late (1994)
*A Sesame Street Passover: Kippi and the Missing Matzah (1994)
*The Story of Passover (1994)
*A Chanukah Party for Kippi (1995)
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Category:Muppet Characters
Category:International Sesame Street Characters
Category:Full-Bodied Muppets
Category:Rechov Sumsum Characters
Category:Shalom Sesame Characters