Mr. Snuffleupagus

Mr. Snuffleupagus is a full-bodied Muppet character on Sesame Street. He lives with his family in a cave just off of the street. His species is Snuffleupagus as well as his last name.
Although his friends call him Snuffy, his full name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus. He is eternally four and a half years old,Season 40 Press Kit Bio and mentioned on-screen by Big Bird in Learning About Letters. As early as Episode 0619 he is mentioned as being four years old; in Episode 1681 it's bumped up to four-and-a-half. 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, and in the fifth season premiere, he revealed that he also drinks sassafras tea. In one episode during his debut season, it is revealed that Snuffy is afraid of fruit. He dislikes apples because he fears they might fall from the tree and hit him on the head, and he dislikes bananas out of fear that he might slip on the peels.
Snuffy is a big fan of opera music, and at one point attended daily rehearsals at Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. He even performed a light-opera rendition of the alphabet with Judy Collins. In one episode, Snuffy tap danced with the Hines Brothers, Maurice and Gregory (who were appearing in the Broadway musical Eubie! at the time).
==Imaginary==
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.
While Snuffy served as the show's resident incredible figure for years, other characters had alleged imaginary friends of their own. Mr. Hooper reminisces about "Mr. Mish-Mosh" in Episode 0513. Big Bird accuses David of manufacturing his childhood friend Bill in Episode 1940, and similarly doesn't believe in David's juggler friend Michael Davis (who also does not believe in Big Bird) in Episode 1959. Snuffy describes his friend the Wheelermonster in Episode 0806 (whom Big Bird believes to be made-up). In Episode 2014, Uncle Wally made up the very similar Mrs. Snortleoutagus, or "Snorty" for short, and, until she met him in Episode 1494, Mommy Snuffleupagus originally thought Big Bird to be Snuffy's imaginary friend. In Episode 1361, Big Bird says that Snuffy thinks Maria is imaginary. On at least two occasions (in episodes 0361 and 0731), the adults manage to temporarily convince Big Bird that his friend Snuffy isn't real.
From 1972 to 1985, various kids could see Mr. Snuffleupagus, some Muppets saw him, and even a few celebrities (including Judy Collins in a fantasy sequence), but the major human characters never believed his existence until Episode 2096, the season 17 premiere. In fact, many appearances of Snuffy on the show during the fourteen years in which he was "imaginary" (allegedly) involved some scenario in which the adults would be very close to meeting Snuffy but then just miss him in the last moment. This was often due to Snuffy being called by his mommy or otherwise needing to go home in the time it took Big Bird to gather his friends. Snuffy can be heard in some tracks on the 1972 album Havin' Fun with Ernie and Bert, yet none of the other Muppets acknowledge his presence. A similar case occurs on the 1975 album Merry Christmas from Sesame Street, where Snuffy sings the last verse of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." 
By the 7th season premiere (in which the street residents' skepticism even makes newspaper headlines), Snuffy is so used to people not seeing him that he counts everyone who doesn't notice him. His hopes are raised again in the 8th season premiere when he sees all of Big Bird's human friends in the courtyard discussing what to do. He tells Big Bird, but by then the group has left to gather things for a park picnic and baseball game, so Big Bird doesn't see them. When the group returns and leaves one more time, it's the bird's turn to play skeptic and assume his not-imaginary friend was himself imagining. 
However, at least one of Big Bird's adult friends would believe, even if their meetings didn't work out. Still in the 8th season, in Episode 1028, Buffy decided to believe Snuffy was real as long as Big Bird did (singing "I Believe"). By Episode 1360 (season 11), Buffy had joined the skeptical majority, and Snuffy himself (who by this point has seen most of Big Bird's friends) thinks Buffy is the imaginary "Buffle-up-a-gus," leaving the yellow bird disbelieved on both sides. Snuffy maintains his opinion in Episode 1546 (season 12),but ultimately decided to also believe in her without meeting, while for her part Buffy returns to believing (this time with Cody's belief spurring her on), sincerely wants to meet Snuffy, and sings a different but similarly affirming song "I Believe in Snuffleupagus." 
Snuffy's own skepticism about things unseen continues in Episode 1546, when Mister Rogers stops by the street and agrees to judge a race between the bird and the Snuffleupagus (who he doesn't meet, but he never questions anything from Big Bird). A frustrated Big Bird realizes, with adults doubting the race could happen on one side and Snuffy doubting Mr. Rogers in the neighborhood, he can't talk about the event with anyone. A more momentous race occurs in Episode 1836, when Snuffy participates in the NY marathon and Big Bird hopes at last his friends will see him. However, the only one who observes and meets him is Forgetful Jones, and true to form, he forgets that he saw him (he sees Snuffy again in Episode 2085, and in trying to persuade diehard skeptic Bob, is convinced he too was imagining things).
Big Bird's efforts to prove his best friend's existence occasionally included taking photographic evidence. His first effort, in Episode 0323, is dismissed because Mr. Snuffleupagus was standing in front of David's shaggy rug (which he resembles). He tries again in Episode 1659, with a successful image, but Snuffy takes it to show his mommy. Undaunted, Big Bird takes a photo again in Episode 1676, for inclusion in his newspaper, this time including himself with Snuffy. The final picture only shows Snuffy's fur and Big Bird's feathers, but the pair are proud, and no adult reactions are revealed.
In Episode 1966 (the season 16 premiere), a year before Snuffy finally met the adults, Big Bird makes an impassioned plea to the adults to believe him, as he knows the difference between reality and imagination. This results in Maria, Gordon, and Linda deciding to believe that Snuffy is real despite the lack of evidence. (Maria had shown signs of believing as early as Episode 1800 when she saw Snuffy's giant toaster.) In Episode 2042, while Gordon made plans to meet Snuffy, Oscar instead ended up seeing Snuffy. While ever contrary Oscar insists Snuffy is imaginary in this episode, they had previously met, including sharing can space (Episode 0585 and Episode 1017). Later that season, in Episode 2058, Oscar lets Snuffy join the Grouchketeers.
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.Borgenicht, David. Sesame Street Unpaved, p. 41. 
Many years later, the writers played at Snuffy's original imaginary role in Episodes 4069 and 4070 for a plot in which Snuffy became invisible. Martin Robinson once said about Snuffy, "He's not invisible, he just has bad timing!"Personal Interview, Austin Costello
==Snuffy's family==
:see Snuffy's family
Mr. Snuffleupagus lives with his family in a cave located at 456 Snuffle Circle. His little sister Alice was featured as a main character for several years, and he has a Snuffleupagus friend at school named Rosalyn. Sometimes he can be seen playing with his puppet Gus or his stuffed toy Mr. Anteloper.
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."
==Notable events==
*Episode 0276: Snuffy first appears
*Episode 0331: Snuffy celebrates his 2nd birthday
*Episode 0731: Big Bird almost believes Snuffy is imaginary
*Episodes 1090-1095: Trip to Hawaii
*Episode 1122: Big Bird and Snuffy remember how they met.
*Episode 1494: Big Bird visits Snuffy's cave for the first time
*Episode 1496: Snuffy learns sign language
*Episode 1800: Cousin Abigail visits
*Episode 1938: Snuffy goes to the Movies
*Episode 2042: Oscar meets Mr. Snuffleupagus
*Episode 2058: Snuffy joins The Grouchketeers
*Episode 2096: The adults meet Snuffy for the first time
*Episode 2410: Snuffy introduces his sister, Alice
*Episode 2477: Snuffy plays with Alice
*Episode 3821: Snuffy draws a huge picture for Gina
*Episode 4069 - Episode 4070: Snuffy's Invisible
*Episode 4088: Snuffy wants to be a cloud
*Episode 4091: Snuffy feels he's too big
*Episode 4223: Snuffy sneezes all over Sesame Street
*Episode 4321: Lifting Snuffy
*Episode 4414: Snuffy serves at Hooper's Store
==Behind-the-scenes==
Some early scripts written with the character in them originally referred to Snuffy as "Galopogus."scripts for Episode 0291 and 0293 The script for Episode 0278 includes the internal note "Galopogus is known as Snuffle-upagus now."
The original Mr. Snuffleupagus puppet had bright yellow eyes, immobile eyelids, and yellow eyelashes. He was redesigned in Season 4, gaining white eyes, eyelids, and eyelashes.
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 40 Years of Life on the Street) 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 loath 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."Nelson, Jerry Tough Pigs interview with Jerry Nelson
Nelson continued to provide Snuffy's voice through Season 11, and he reprised the role for the audiobook version of Don't Cry, Big Bird in 1983. Michael Earl Davis performed the front-end of Snuffy from 1978 to 1981;See Talk:Michael Earl lip-syncing to Nelson's voice for two seasons, then voicing the character for Season 12. Since 1981, Martin P. Robinson has been 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. Jennifer Barnhart did the back half one time when Young wasn't available.Jake's Happy Nostalgia Show Episode 119: Jennifer Barnhart (27:51) May 27, 2023
Jerry Nelson recalled in the film Muppet Guys Talking that in casting for Snuffleupagus, Jon Stone described the character as "Eeyore-like." Hence, Snuffy originally spoke in a low, sad-sounding tone of voice, which was gradually lightened over time, and his catchphrase was "Ohhh, dear." (According to his baby book in Episode 2267, these were his first words). This depressed aspect is especially noticeable during his first year on the show. When Snuffy entered and Big Bird asked how he was feeling, Snuffy would typically say, "Oh sad, very, very sad," though he often wouldn't give a reason why this was.
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)BMI#2762893 legally titled "Snuffy Theme" that could be heard by those nearby (Big Bird explains to Mrs. Sharp in Episode 0965 that when Snuffy walks, he makes a musical sound). A modified version of this theme appeared on various Sesame Street albums, and was the basis for Snuffy's song-and-dance "Doin' the Snuffleupagus."
Because the Snuffy costume is so enormous, the suit is stored above the studio soundstage, with a pink blanket wrapped over it, when not in use. During the filming of the Hawaii episodes, the costume was maneuvered to different locations using a helicopter.
The Snuffy puppet and his facial movements are operated entirely from within the puppet. There is a long stick that moves his eyes around, a long string to pull down his eyelids, and a handle to pull down the lower part of his mouth, as the size of his mouth makes it practically impossible for a puppeteer to operate it like a normal puppet. The interior was first publicly shown in the Sesame Family Robinson blog post "HandyMan in Snuffleupagus." In another post, Martin Robinson explained that in between takes, one of the camera operators will fan air through the mouth of the puppet to cool off the puppeteers. Robinson also explained it was a lot easier to perform the puppet when it was warm as he was less likely to pull muscles, although on some days he would sweat through three or four t-shirts.
For scenes where a Muppet character rides atop Snuffy — such as Elmo (in Kids' Favorite Songs) and Zoe (Elmo's World: Happy Holidays!) — the puppeteer performs from inside the Snuffy puppet between the front and back-end performers, and the camera avoids showing Snuffy's bottom half.Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration with the Legendary Cast; via ToughPigs "Sesame Street Comes to New Jersey: Part Two"
==Notes==
* Similar to how Big Bird often mispronounced Mr. Hooper's name as Mr. Looper, Snuffy would mispronounce Mr. Handford's name as Mr. Handfoot.
* His shoe size (or at least his roller skate size) is 65 triple G, as said in Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake.
* Snuffy gets weighed in Episode 1606 and discovers he weighs 1,000 pounds.
==Filmography==
*Sesame Street
*Julie on Sesame Street
*Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
*Don't Eat the Pictures
*Follow That Bird
*Learning About Letters
*Getting Ready for School
*Big Bird's Story Time
*Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting
*Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Hospital
*Sesame Street Stays Up Late
*A New Baby in My House
*Big Bird Sings!
*Elmo Saves Christmas
*Big Bird Gets Lost
*Elmopalooza
*The Rosie O'Donnell Show (November 11, 1998)
*Kids' Favorite Songs
*CinderElmo
*Kids' Favorite Songs 2
*Elmo's World: Happy Holidays!
*Elmo's Christmas Countdown
*Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala (June 2, 2010)
*Spaghetti Space Chase
*Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (September 25, 2013)
*Good Morning America (September 12, 2014)
*Saturday Night Live (April 11, 2015)
*The Rachael Ray Show (October 30, 2015)
*Vanity Fair (2017)
*Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration
*Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2019)
==Album appearances==
*Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert
*Sesame Street LIVE!
*Big Bird Sings!
*Merry Christmas from Sesame Street
*Sleepytime Bird
*Sing: Songs of Joe Raposo
*Kids' Favorite Songs
*Elmo Saves Christmas: Holiday Favorites
*Kids' Favorite Songs 2
==Book appearances==
Books that focus on Snuffy include:
* Mr. Snuffleupagus Can't Get to Sleep (1976)
* Don't Be Shy (1987)
* Meet Mr. Snuffle-upagus (1988)
* The Day Snuffy Had the Sniffles (1988)
* Bert and the Magic Lamp (1989): "Life-Styles of the Large and Furry"
* See You Later, Mashed Potater! (1990)
* The Treasure Hunt (1990)
;Other book appearances
* The Sesame Street 1, 2, 3 Storybook (1973)
* Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum (1974)
* The Sesame Street ABC Storybook (1974)
* The Great Sesame Street ABC Hunt (1975)
* The Sesame Street A to Z Coloring Book (1976)
* Una Sorpresa (1976)
* Who's Who on Sesame Street (1977 and all subsequent editions)
* My Favorite Things (1979)
* The Tool Box Book (1980)
* I Have a Friend (1981)
* Prairie Dawn's Upside-Down Poem (1981)
* Put & Play Magic Show (1981)
* Which One Doesn't Belong? (1981)
* Big and Little Stories (1982)
* Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 3: The C Book (1982)
* Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 5: The EF Book (1982)
* Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 12: The S Book (1982)
* Don't Cry, Big Bird (1983)
* There's No Place Like Home (1983)
* Big Bird's Alphabet Book (1984)
* Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? (1984)
* I Think That It Is Wonderful (1984)
* Lovable, Furry Old Grover in Please Don't Push the Red Button (1984)
* A Silly Sesame Street Story: The Three Little Pigs (1984)
* Big Bird Joins the Carnival (1985)
* Big Bird's Book of Rhymes (1985)
* Ernie's Finish the Picture (1985)
* Follow That Bird Activity Book (1985)
* Follow That Bird coloring book (1985)
* Grover's Book of Colors (1985)
* ABC (1986)
* A My Name Is Annabel (1986)
* Sesame Street ABC (1986)
* Colors (1987)
* A Rainy Day on Sesame Street (1987)
* Shape Up! (1987)
* A New Playground on Sesame Street (1988)
* A My Name Is Alice (1989)
* Things That Go (1989)
* Museum of Monster Art (1990)
* Sleep Tight! (1991)
* We're Counting on You, Grover! (1991)
* Grover's 10 Terrific Ways to Help Our Wonderful World (1992)
* My Name Is Big Bird (1992)
* A New Way to Get to Sesame Street (1992)
* The Sesame Street Book of Poetry (1992)
* I Spy: A Game to Read and Play (1993)
* Merry Christmas, Everybody! (1993)
* Elmo's Christmas (1993)
* Rosita's Calico Cat (1994)
* Sesame Street Stays Up Late (1995)
* Christmas Songs (1997)
* Elmo Saves Christmas (1997)
* It's Not Easy Being Big! (1998)
* Elmo's New Laugh (1999)
* The Fix-It Shop (2001)
* Clap Your Hands! (2002)
* Red or Blue, I Like You! (2005)
* Let's Compare Sizes (2006)
* Abby Cadabby's Rhyme Time (2007)
* All About Me! (2007)
* Friendly, Frosty Monsters (2007)
* Music Player Storybook (2007)
* What Makes You Giggle? (2007)
* Our Kind of Bird (2008)
* Sing & Learn Counting (2008)
* Storybook ABCs (2008)
* Love, Elmo (2009)
* Murray's First Book of Words (2010)
* E is for Elmo (2017)
* Sesame Street 2024 comic book
** Issue 4: The Amazing Mumford's Card Trick
* I Love to Watch You Grow! (2024)
==Merchandise==
* Knickerbocker doll
* Snuffle-Upagus Dingy (Hasbro die-cast car)
* Applause PVCs -- many Mr. Snuffleupagus PVCs released
* Mr. Snuffleupagus bean
* Kellogg's mini bean
* Tyco PVC figure
==See also==
* Snuffleupaguses
* Mr. Snuffleupagus Through the Years
* Mr. Snuffleupagus Impersonators
* Mr. Snuffleupagus (animated)
* Snuffleupagus walk-around
* Snuffleupagus sightings
==Sources==
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Category:Sesame Street Muppet Characters
Category:Sesame Street Characters
Category:Muppet Characters
Category:Full-Bodied Muppets