Two-Headed Monster

The Two-Headed Monster is, as the name implies, a monster with two heads. He speaks gibberish that resembles baby talk, and many of his skits have to do with either cooperation or sounding out parts of words that suddenly show up. Skits with the Two-Headed Monster usually take place with the monster behind a brick wall.
Jerry Nelson remembered that he and Richard Hunt came up with the idea for the monster while playing around on the Sesame Street set, recalling in a 1999 interview: While right-handed performers use their right hands to perform the heads of characters and their left to perform left hands, whoever performs the left half of the monster performs the head with the left hand, and the right hand with their right hand.40 Years of Sunny Days has rehearsal footage of Jerry Nelson performing his half this way.
Although the heads don't normally go by names, they have been identified on occasion. In their debut Sesame Street sketch, Olivia reads a story to The Count about cooperation starring the monster, who are given the names Horn and Hardart. They were again called by these names in the end credits for YouTube's 2013 end-of-year video, entitled "YouTube Rewind: What Does 2013 Say?" In The Sesame Street Treasury Volume 13, the pair are featured in a photo answering phones. Their phones are labeled "Frank N." and "Stein" (Frankenstein).
From 2003 to 2006, the Two-Headed Monster made an appearance in each "Journey to Ernie" segment, with Big Bird asking both heads if they'd seen Ernie, and the monster pointing in both directions.
In Season 46, the monster was given a regular space on the street, maintaining a newsstand by the Subway Station.
The question of whether the monster is a singular being or not has led to semantic confusion, typified by this exchange between Bert and Ernie in A Muppet Family Christmas:
Bert: 	Now, who let the Two-Headed Monster be Santa Claus?
Ernie:	Yeah, but, Bert, he said he'd never been in a play before... I mean they said it... um... both of him said it.
On at least one occasion, during the "Ugga Wugga Lullabye" song, the horns-up head refers to the horns-down side as "me" (both in the script and in dialogue).
==Casting history==
Primary Performers
* Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt • (1978-1992)
* Jerry Nelson and David Rudman • (1998-1999)
* Joey Mazzarino and David Rudman • (2001-2016)
* Eric Jacobson and David Rudman • (2016-present)
Alternate Performers
* Richard Hunt and Peter Friedman • (Episode 1121, 1978)
* Jerry Nelson and Adam Hunt • (Let's Make a Word!, 1995)
* Martin P. Robinson and Joey Mazzarino • (Episode 4024, 2002)
* Matt Vogel and David Rudman • (Episode 4030, 2002)
* Stephanie D'Abruzzo and David Rudman • (Episode 4733, 2017)
==Sketches==
Picture	Summary / EKA 	Description
 	Cooperation Episode 1121 	The Count listens to Olivia read the story "The Two Headed Monster," enacted by the titular monster. The book is about how the monster cannot decide on what to do because both heads want to do different things. Eventually they learn that together, they are able to lift weights, play doctor ("Kildare! Kildare!"), play the piano ("Tchaikovsky! Mozart!"), and eat a salami-and-cheese sandwich.
In the character's debut appearance, the names of the monster are established as "Horn" and "Hardart." The left half is played by Richard Hunt (instead of Jerry Nelson, who performs the Count), while Peter Friedman performs the right half (a role which would go to Hunt as the regular performer).
 	Toothbrush Episode 1189 	The monster learns how to use a toothbrush.
 	LoveEpisode 1282 	After fighting with each other, the monster reads the word "Love" and forget their feud.
 	Feet Episode 1289 	The monster sounds out "feet," and then the camera trucks back to reveal a pair of live feet on some grass.
 	Hiccups Episode 1318 	The monster tries to cure itself of the hiccups.
 	Fall Episode 1319 	The monster sounds out the word "Fall" and leaves fall on them. Then, they fall over.
 	Surprise CakesEpisode 1335 	Each half of the monster sleeps one at a time, while the awake half shows the viewer that he has prepared a cake for the other half. Once both are awake, they surprise the other and present their cakes to each other. However, once they taste the other one's cake, they are disgusted, and switch them. Surprise!
A brief clip from this sketch was used during the 1981-1982 opening for the Dutch version of the show.
 	Manners Episode 1340 	The monster learns to use manners while eating with a spoon.
 	Hat Episode 1349 	After sounding the word "hat," The monster shares one giant straw hat.
 	Piano Episode 1366 	The monster finds a piano and decides to play it. The left half wants to play short notes, while the other half prefers to run his fingers across the keyboard. They decide to cooperate, and both use their notes to play "Chopsticks."
 	Trumpet Practice or Sleep? Episode 1390 	One head wants to play the trumpet, but the other head wants to sleep.
 	Dance Episode 1395 	The monster sounds out the word "dance" at a disco.
 	Sad Episode 1422 	The monster, after telling itself a joke, reads "SAD" and suddenly gets emotional.
 	Run Episode 1446 	The monster sounds out the word "run," and starts running.
 	"Two Heads Are Better Than One" Episode 1447	Herry sings with the monster about cooperation.
 	Bathtime Episode 1449 	The Two-Headed Monster shares a bathtub and help each other get clean. They are discouraged when they are finished and empty the tub, but find joy in drying.
 	Playground or Zoo Episode 1475 	The monster argues over whether to go to the playground or the zoo.
 	Kermit Draws a 2 Episode 1479 	After Kermit the Frog draws the number 2 onscreen (via a telestrator), the monster appears, inadvertently providing visual aid for Kermit to count with.
 	Sandwich Episode 1479 	The left half is about to enjoy a large sandwich until the right half asks for some. The left half becomes selfish until his brother starts crying. They end up splitting the sandwich in two.
 	Mom Episode 1481 	The monster sounds out the word "mom," and then the viewer sees the monster's mother.
 	Hop Episode 1482 	The monster sounds out the word "hop" and starts hopping.
 	Mad Episode 1513 	The monster gets mad when the word "MAD" appears on-screen.
 	Hi De Ho Man Episode 1540 	Cab Calloway sings Hi-De-Ho Man with the Two-Headed Monster and the Anything Muppets.
 	Telephone Episode 1569 	The monster finds a TELEPHONE, and reads the word.
center 	Pop Episode 1569 	The monster reads the word "Pop" and blows up a balloon so they can pop it.
 	P vs R Episode 1574 	The monster fights over the letters P and R, one of them displaying P foods and the other one displaying R foods (and a radio). They have a picnic, which is cut short because of another r-word: rain.
 	Jump Jive Episode 1575 	Cab Calloway sings "Jumpin' Jive" when the Two-Headed Monster can't decide whether to jump or jive.
 	Coin FlipEpisode 1583 	The Two-Headed Monster are arguing over which direction to go, so Gordon decides to help by teaching them how a coin flip works. Once the monster learns how it works, they decide to stay and play the coin flip game instead!
 	Snowman Episode 1622 	The monster has built a two-headed snowman and struggles with how to apply a carrot nose.
 	Follow Arrows Episode 1627 	The monster's arrows point in opposite directions, so they straighten the arrows out and follow them.
 	Headphones Episode 1628 	One head is listening to some funky music on some headphones. The other head wakes up and asks to listen to the music, but the first head doesn't want to stop listening. They fight over the headphones, which get longer as they struggle. After seeing this, they both shout share, each head takes a speaker, and walks off-screen while the music becomes completely audible to the viewer.
 	Shapes Episode 1629 	The monster observes different shapes.
 	Honk Episode 1653 	After sounding out the word "honk," several Honkers suddenly appear and honk their noses. The left half of the monster then honks the right half's nose (and hurts him).
 	Pillow Episode 1669 	The monster shares a pillow.
 	Pat Episode 1697 	After sounding the word "pat," The monster pats each other, and they stop crying.
 	Singing Lesson Episode 1736 	In Bob's room, Bob gives the Two-Headed Monster a singing lesson: singing "Sing."
 	Bubbles Episode 1738 	The monster blows bubbles.
 	Listening Episode 1767 	Kermit the Frog explains the importance of listening, using the monster as an example.
 	Same and Different: Mirrors Episode 1769 	Both heads look at themselves in mirrors, and the right half notices that both of them are the same; they have the same nose, mouth, and hands. The other half points out that they're different: their horns point different ways, their hair is different, and their laughter is different.
 	Quiet Episode 1850 	The monster observes the letter Q, then the word QUIET.
 	A Fight Episode 1857 	Part 1: Both heads of the monster argue over which letter is an A. The right head points to the lowercase a ...Part 2: The left head points to the capital A ...Part 3: Luis sees the monster arguing, and informs it that both of these letters are the letter A. Relieved, the monster showers him with kisses.
The Two-Headed Monster has reversed performers in this sketch. The right half was performed by Jerry Nelson, while the left half was performed by Richard Hunt.
 	Telephone Booths Episode 1863 	Luis teaches the monster how to use the new telephone booths on Sesame Street. Once they've figured out how to use it, one of the heads uses one booth to call the other head on the other booth.
 	Highest Flattery Episode 1880 	In a three-part segment, the monster sees a cardboard cut-out of himself wearing cowboy hats. The monster decides to find hats that match, and copy the picture. Once they have succeeded, the cardboard cut-out falls over, as does the monster.
Sketch written by Tom Dunsmuir and taped on March 31, 1983.documents provided by trusted source
 	School Episode 1907 	The Two-Headed Monster reads the sign atop a miniature school building, and observes a small group of children that run out of it. Once they've left, the monster picks up the now empty building, and declares, "School's out!"
 	Tap Episode 1912 	The monster spells the word "tap," then tap-dances away.
 	Bed Episode 1932 	The monster sounds out the word "Bed." They then use the word as a bed for their dolly.
 	Clarinet CooperationEpisode 1955 	Bob gives the monster a music lesson on their clarinet with two mouthpieces, but one head wants to play fast, and the other one slow. When Bob suggest they play at different times, the monster impresses Bob by playing different melodies on the same instrument.
 	Car Crash Episode 1966 	The monster drives an old green jalopy as they sound out "seatbelt" and "safety." They buckle up, and go for a drive that proves to be very short, since they get into a huge auto accident and crash into a wall (as an old stock car crash sound effect is heard).
 	Emotions Episode 1982 	The monster shows his emotions.
 	Lullabye Episode 2014 	At night, one of the heads of the Two-Headed Monster sings his other the "Ugga Wugga Lullabye."
center 	Alphabet Argument Episode 2033 	The monster disagrees on whether to sing or say the alphabet. Jane Curtin resolves the fight by singing the Alphabet Song. When the monster asks Curtin to join in, all three end up speaking in the same monster language!
 	The How Many Game Episode 2076 	The monster appears on one of Guy Smiley's game shows. The monster has to bring in two of something. The monster brings in one bowling ball, four sheep, and three cows, but then realizes that the monster has two heads.
 	Pencil Episode 2096 	The monster finds a pencil with a broken point, and demonstrates the fun you can have with it.
 	Newspaper Episode 2097 	The monster finds a newspaper, and thinks up different uses for it. A man comes along and claims the paper as his, and reads the funny papers (with the monster reading over his shoulders).
 	Shoe Sizes Episode 2142 	The monster's heads can't agree on which shoes to wear. They eventually agree on something: the shoebox.
 	Shake Episode 2557 	The Two-Headed Monster sounds out the word SHAKE, and an earthquake happens.
 	Tipping the Scales Episode 2577 	The monster brings in a suitcase filled with heavy and light objects, and places them on a wall. The right half lays out a feather, a ribbon, and a tissue. The left half puts down a book, a brick, a rock, and a 1000 pound weight, but the more weight that is placed on the wall causes the ground they're standing on to tilt!
 	Shadow Episode 2578 	The monster sounds out the word "shadow" and then sees one of itself projected behind them.
This segment was taped on December 20, 1988, and was directed by Jon Stone.Documents provided by trusted source
 	Story Episode 2590 	The monster takes turns reading itself a story.
This segment was taped on December 20, 1988, and was also directed by Jon Stone.Documents provided by trusted source
 	Spin Episode 2595 	The monster sounds out the word "Spin" and watch it spin around, getting dizzy in the process.
 	Feelings Song Episode 2710 	The monster sings about the emotions they have, including mad, happy, and scared. In the end, they decide to surprise a small yellow monster, and all go out for ice cream.
 	Trash Can Episode 2718 	The Two-Headed Monster finishes a bag of popcorn, and almost leaves it on the brick wall, but then argues over which trash can to throw it in. Finally, it rips the bag in half to "share" the trash.
This segment was taped on November 20, 1989, and was directed by Jon Stone.Documents provided by trusted source
 	TripEpisode 2721 	The monster trips over the parts of the word TRIP.
 	Milk Carton Episode 2726 	After drinking cartons of milk, The monster reuses the cartons as toy trains.
 	Twinkle, Twinkle Episode 2737 	The monster sings "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
 	Cheese Episode 2742 	After sounding out the word "cheese," the monster poses for many pictures.
This segment was taped on November 20, 1989, and was also directed by Jon Stone.Documents provided by trusted source
 	Two Headed Baseball Episode 2795 	Robin Williams asks Elmo and the kids whether they would allow a nonsense talking, horned two-headed stranger to play baseball with them. The Two-Headed Monster shows up to play.
 	Fast and Slow Music Episode 2823 	Hoots the Owl convinces the monster that whether music is fast or slow, it's still enjoyable.
 	Mountains or Seashore? Episode 2837 	The monster is in a disagreement about where to go for vacation: the mountains or the seashore. Cookie Monster says he likes both, better than going to Cucamonga for the National Cookie Convention. Two-Head gets inspired, and heads off for Cucamonga, leaving Cookie to choose between the mountains and the seashore.
 	Two-Headed Monster School Episode 2853 	The Two-Headed Monster are the teachers of a two-headed-oriented classroom, with Elmo and Telly as their pupil/pupils (they are sharing the same shirt). The first lesson is to say "Good Morning" in monster language, then how to argue over what to read.
 	Surprise Episode 2924 	The monster demonstrates surprise.
 	Loud and Soft Episode 4056 	Elmo wants to play with the Two Headed Monster, but they can't decide on whether to play baseball or hockey. Aaron and Nick Carter pass by and are told what's happening, which the brothers can relate to. They sing "Loud and Soft," and sing of their differences. This resolves the monster's argument; now they want to sing! But what can they sing? They start arguing again!
 	14 Episode 4214 	Chris (in voice-over) says the monster will show 14. One half shows 7 pigs, while the other has 7 chickens, neither of which are 14. But when added together, they make 14!
 	The Number 10 Episode 4249 	Chris instructs the monster to show the number of the day (10). They each think the number they're holding is the number of the day, until Chris tells them to put the two numbers next to each other.
 	RectangleEpisode 4261 	Chris announces the monster who show a rectangle. When they each show a triangle, they learn that they can put them together to make a rectangle.
 	ConflictEpisode 4280 	The Two-Headed Monster help Robin Williams explain the word "conflict."
 	Who Has More Milk?Episode 4301 	The monster comes across two glasses of milk, but they are of uneven proportions and they try to find a way for them both to be equal.
 	Take TurnsEpisode 4402 	Chris teaches the Two-Headed Monster how to take turns when playing with a toy car.
 	Playing CatchEpisode 4510 	The monster learns to keep trying when learning to catch a ball.
==Notes==
* An altered version of the Two-Headed Monster puppet, with different facial features and no horns, appears as a background monster in The Furchester Hotel.
==Filmography==
*Sesame Street (1978-present)
*The Muppet Movie (Rainbow Connection finale)
*Big Bird in China
*The Muppets Take Manhattan (Wedding finale)
*Follow That Bird
*The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
*Sing Along (What's the Name of That Song finale) 
*A Muppet Family Christmas
*Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting
*Basil Hears a Noise
*Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake
*Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years
*Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration
*Don't Forget to Watch the Movie
*Elmo Through the Looking-Glass
*The Rosie O'Donnell Show (guest appearance, November 11, 1998)
*Elmopalooza
*Peter and the Wolf
*Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic
*The Oprah Winfrey Show 
*What's the Name of That Song?
*Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas
*Chrysler "It's Electric" video
*When You Wish Upon a Pickle
*Respect Brings Us Together videos
*Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration
*The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo
**Episode 110: Mykal-Michelle Harris / Jonathan Van Ness / H.E.R
**Episode 202: Seth Meyers / Kelly Rowland
*Elmo's Mindfulness Spectacular
*Oscar's Handmade Halloween
*Cookie Monster's Bake Sale: Back to School
===Episodic appearances===
*Season 9: 1121
*Season 11: 1362
*Season 13: 1584, 1689, 1695
*Season 14: 1712, 1721, 1731, 1734, 1736, 1741, 1797, 1827, 1835
*Season 15: 1857, 1863, 1955
*Season 16: 2000, 2033
*Season 17: 2148, 2168
*Season 18: 2286, 2351
*Season 19: 2402, 2485
*Season 20: 2486
*Season 21: 2723
*Season 22: 2794, 2802, 2828, 2868
*Season 23: 2878
*Season 29: 3777
*Season 32: 3927
*Season 33: 4024, 4030
*Season 45: 4510, 4526
*Season 46: 4618, 4619, 4625
*Season 47: 4725, 4733
*Season 48: 4835
*Season 49: 4903, 4908, 4912, 4915
*Season 50: 5013, 5023
*Season 51: 5107
*Season 52: 5219
*Season 53: 5321, 5330
*Season 54: 5401, 5405, 5422
==Book appearances==
* What Do You Do? (1981)
* Monster (1982)
* More Who's Who on Sesame Street (1982)
* Bert's Big Band Paint-with-Water Book (1983 reprint)
* The Sesame Street Question and Answer Book About Animals (1983)
* The Songs of Sesame Street in Poems and Pictures (1983)
* Big Bird Can Share (1985)
* Big Bird's Book About the Earth and Sky (1985)
* Big Bird's Book of Rhymes (1985)
* Ernie's Finish the Picture (1985)
* Grover's Book of Colors (1985)
* The Runaway Soup and Other Stories (1987)
*ABC's (1989)
*Numbers (1989)
* Splish-Splashy Day (1989)
* Sesame Street 123 (1991)
* Sleep Tight! (1991)
* A New Way to Get to Sesame Street (1992)
* The Sesame Street Book of Poetry (1992)
* Pumpkin Patch Party (1997)
* The Monsters on the Bus (2001)
* Clap Your Hands! (2002)
* Monsters Munch Lunch! (2005)
* Home for the Holidays (2021)
* Monster Meditation: Try, Try Again, Two-Headed Monster (2022)
* All Aboard! The Sesame Street Subway (2023)
* Elmo Asks Why (2023)
* Sesame Street 2024 comic book
** Issue 1: Grover Lends a Hand
==See also==
*Two-Headed Monster's Alternate Identities
*Two-Headed Monster walk-around
*Head-impaired characters
*Sesame Street monsters
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:Sesame Street Muppet Characters
Category:Sesame Street Characters
Category:Muppet Characters
Category:Sesame Street Monsters
Category:Sesame Street Character Sketches
Category:Character Pairs