- Ernie has ADD. He shows several of the classic signs of this condition
- Bert and the Count both have OCD. They manifest in different ways. With Bert it is with keeping things neat with Count he has OCD with counting things.
- Grover has Obsessive Compulsive personality disorder (distinct from OCD). people with this condition are obsessed with things like order, routine, or rules to the point that the main object of the activity is lost. They are often seen as both workaholics and perfectionists which is what we see in Grover. His OCPD manifests itself with the many jobs he holds.
- Cookie Monster has a binge eating disorder. This is self explanatory because he has habit of eating things with a lack of nutrition, especially non-food items.
- Oscar has Anti Social Personality Disorder. He is often shown to lack empathy and loves to lie to others in order to manipulate them. His irritability is another way that this manifests.
- Big Bird and Zoe have Schizophrenia. This condition involves having hallucinations and delusions. Zoe's talking to her pet rock could be either one of these. It also explains why she has so many more family members present than most other characters. They aren't actually there, she just pretends they are. Big Bird also believes that Snuffy is imaginary until the rest of the cast introduces him.
- Elmo has Narcissistic personality disorder. This explains why he talks in third person to emphasize himself. He is also usually concerned with his own agenda (Elmo Saves Christmas and Elmo's World are the most notable representations of this).
- Abby Cadabby has Megalomania. She believes that magic can solve the problems.
- Telly has Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This is self explanatory by how he worries about everything.
- Prairie Dawn has Histrionic personality disorder. She is always seeking attention like behavior. Her mature attitude could be another way this manifests
- All the human characters represent the family, friends, and acquaintances of the mentally ill. They are shown from many angles because there are many ways to approach this subject.
- That’s ridiculous. First off, Elmo is 3 years old. Children don’t start developing theory of mind until around 4 or 5, which is why personality disorders can’t be diagnosed until adulthood. Of course he acts narcissistic! Secondly, Zoe, and Big Bird are also children. It’s common for children to believe in magic or have imaginary friends. That doesn’t mean they’re schizophrenic, that just means they’re imaginative. Also, Big Bird knew Snuffy wasn’t imaginary. When Snuffy was first introduced in the early 70s, none of the adults ever saw him. Only Big Bird saw him. Every time Big Bird tried to get the adults to meet him, something silly would happen and they wouldn't meet each other due to it. Because of this, the adults assumed Snuffy was an imaginary friend. It wasn't until the mid-80s that they all finally met him. The adults apologized for how they acted. Big Bird never thought he was imaginary. Also, people with schizophrenia aren’t pretending. They genuinely believe what they are seeing is real. Thirdly, Binge Eating Disorder isn’t eating foods with a lack of nutrition. Binge Eating Disorder is when you eat unusually large amounts of food in one sitting, and feeling that your eating habits are out of control due to that. The closest disorder that fits what you are describing is Pica, which Cookie Monster doesn’t have because cookies are edible, even if a bit unhealthy. Fourth, Oscar is also a child. Like I said, children are little shits, and have trouble seeing other people’s perspectives, especially if they’re small children. Most children have tried manipulating adults to get what they want. Chances are, Oscar will grow out of it. Also, if you were a child and living in a trash can like him, I guarantee you would be grumpy all the time and manipulate to get what you want from people too. Fifth, lots of people have more than one job. Doesn’t mean that they have OCPD. Same thing with Abby who is both a fairy and a kid. She is probably always suggesting magic to solve problems just because she thinks it’s the easiest way to fix it, not because she’s obsessed with her own power. She’s a kid learning how to problem solve, and she’s slowly learning that some problems don’t have the easiest solutions. Sixth, as someone with OCD themselves, Count and Bert probably don’t have it. The main symptom of OCD is obsessive thoughts, which is kinda in the name. The both of them have shown many times that they’re able to stop cleaning or counting if they need to without much discomfort. Having real OCD means that you can’t let go of those thoughts, and you need to do your compulsions to make these thoughts go away, even if temporarily. Seventh, Prairie is also most definitely a kid, and again, kids can’t be diagnosed with personality disorders. Kids naturally love attention, that doesn’t mean they have a disorder! Again, chances are, she will grow out of her attention seeking behavior. Though, I do agree with the part that Ernie might have ADD.
http://pristichampsus.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=big+bird#/d2elvxd
Although, to be fair it was kinda of obvious.
- I have two words for the original poster: You Bastard!
- Doubtful. I think the reason the cause of Mr. Hooper's death was never explained was because it wasn't important. Most children in the show's target demographic wouldn't understand whether someone died of a heart attack, pneumonia, an accident or complications from Alzheimer's. The basic message has always been, "At some point in our lives, we will die. Everyone dies, and the reason it has to be this way is, "Just because." Very simple.
- Agreed. Although Big Bird would sometimes test Hooper's patience — as he did with everyone, just because that's who he was — it's unlikely that Hooper staged his death to give Big Bird the hint that he just wanted him to go away. That would be the ultimate cruel act that the other adults would never have endorsed, let alone gone along with, anyway. note At the end of the day, Hooper loved and nurtured Big Bird and looked out for him in every way, and his death created a big void on the Street that, even 35 years later, is felt.
- Who's to say Mr. Hooper didn't get murdered?
- I recall reading somewhere (can't remember where, might have been the other Wiki) that the reason why they didn't explain the cause of Hooper's death is because they didn't want to scare children and make them paranoid. The mission of the episode was to explain that death is permanent and that although things will never be the same again, it's okay to miss a loved one who has died. The cause of death just wasn't important.
- Or similarly, he's a Discworld style "black ribboner" who uses a compulsion to count as a substitute for drinking blood.
- Another possibility is that the Count belongs to the same race of vampires as Mitchell in Being Human. For these vampires, blood is more of a craving than a necessity: like Mitchell, the Count is currently on the wagon, and counts to take his mind off his cravings. Also, Mitchell can come out during the day (without sparkling) which the Count does regularly.
- Which actually makes him like Hal from the same series who has to do things like count every day unless he turn into the murderous monster he once was. This kinda puts a tragic twist on all the times the other muppets get annoyed at The Count for counting all the time as he is silently pleading with them that he has to otherwise he'll lose control of his mind and kill his very friends that are getting annoyed with him.
- I always thought he was just a Malkavian.
- Or a Time Lord.
- The original Gordon has been retired since the 70s and is living like a king in Patagonia.
- Goodnight Elmo, sleep well, I'll most likely kill you in the morning.
- You guys rule. Also, for the eight people who don't get the joke: there you go.
- Goodnight Elmo, sleep well, I'll most likely kill you in the morning.
- So Big Bird is Haruhi?
- Haruhi is Big Bird?! God help us all. Oh, wait...she won't.
- Sesame Street s (or operates on the same belief->deity system) as Discworld.
- Or Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
- Or Homestar Runner
- Or he's a Tulpa
- Or at least Heck.
- "Me do craaaazy stuff in '70s and '80s!"- Cookie Monster on The Colbert Report
- It's not poison oak, it's Elmo.
- How is "Elmo is a pedophile" not confirmed?
- Somewhat confirmed seeing as he is able to walk around in broad daylight without catching fire or sparkling.
- See Our Vampires Are Different; Sunlight was not originally lethal to vampires, that's a 20th-century movie retcon.
- A Crossover/Crack Fan Fic this Troper recently discovered explains it by his medaillon which protects him due to some ritual (it's only glossed over).
- See Our Vampires Are Different; Sunlight was not originally lethal to vampires, that's a 20th-century movie retcon.
- He may be a math teacher by day, but by night he is a pimp. They don't outright say he's a pimp but I know a pimp when I see one. He's got a cape and everything.
- I came here to post this exact theory but an alternate came to me which is that...
His "world" is drawn in crayon, and even though it is comprehensible, you lose your sanity by looking at it. The creep can see his fish's thoughts, I think that says it all.
- If Sesame Street is part of that polluted cesspool it certainly explains this origin story for Oscar...
- Cool thanks for making me more disappointed that we never got anymore of Flying Fairy School...
- In Elmo's case, you could argue that he is actually a kind of stealth WSD (Weapon of Self-Destruction), because his extreme annoying cuteness induces all but the strongest/stupidest of his targets to commit suicide. He was designed not to have this effect on kids to prevent collateral damage of killing innocents.
- The supposedly extinct Moa got to be twelve feet tall! As we all know, Big Bird hasn't even grown up yet. Poor kid, Last of His Kind, no wonder he has to be raised collectively by everyone on the street. It would take a village to raise a moa bird. It would explain why his best friend is a wooly mammoth, too.
- One problem: The moa was a dark brown color, unlike the bright yellow Big Bird. And now for my theory...
- I'm sure feather-color mutations cropped up on occasion. Or it could just be the fact that he's a juvenile.
- I'd be more worried about the fact that he has arms, rather than lacking forelimbs altogether.
- His feathered neck and head support this idea. Big Bird has also called himself a canary on a few occasions, he may be a hybrid created by combining canary and Moa DNA in a genetic experiment at Muppet Labs, explaining his color and forelimbs.
- One problem: The moa was a dark brown color, unlike the bright yellow Big Bird. And now for my theory...
- This mythological bird lived in the Middle East, ate elephants like hawks eat mice and is sometimes said to have a beak full of knife-like teeth. When Big Bird grows up, he will develop the ability of flight and destroy the street and its inhabitants, starting with his old friend Snuffleupagus.
- So... Big Bird is of Middle Eastern descent? Perfect for an episode or two about racial sensitivity towards Arabs, Iranians, etc!
- Sorry, but here's a new theory for y'all...
- Think about it: they're both feathered, stand taller than an adult human, have tubby bellies and don't eat meat. Only problem is that Big Bird is lacking large claws, but that can be easily handwaved by saying he's not full grown yet.
- Didn't they have teeth?
- Yes, but they were small and in life they were probably hidden anyway.
- It actually makes more sense the more you think about it. They're both Extreme Omnivores and Cookie Monster is technically younger than Animal.
- If they are, they're not aware of it. They appear together in A Muppet Family Christmas and give no notion that they've met before — though Animal does, upon seeing Cookie Monster scarf down a whole plate of cookies, sum him up as "my kinda fella."
- Consider: There are very few adult humans on the street. There are always a large rotating group of children around. Conversations automatically lean towards education, and this is not considered normal by others: see A Muppet Family Christmas. Anyone can simply walk into Mr. Hooper's Store and ask for anything they need. Everyone gets their toasters repaired - clearly an effort to meet their budget. The primary living quarters that we see is owned by two children (Bert and Ernie). Most of the monsters in the show are also very young, and follow the instructions of the adults on the street. All of which indicates that it's a new kind of orphanage-one where everyone pitches in and helps everyone else, and kindness trumps all.
- Also, I think that the street moves around (mainly New York area), and seems to reflect our world.
- It also explains why some of the strange events that happened on Sesame Street and not anywhere else in New York.
- EX:There was a storm that blew through a country, devistating everyone's home. Sesame Street showed this, by showing the aftermath of a hurricane that blew through the street, destroying Big Bird's nest. How can a storm blow through Sesame Street, but not through all of New York?
- I believe that it's magically protected and thus Unplottable.
- Alternate: After the final "WE DON'T HAVE COOKIES!!! JUST BOOKS!!!!" exchange between Cookie and the librarian, the video suddenly stops and a kid says, "Hey! Libraries have more than just books!" ... followed by new footage of kids doing crafts and doing other activities including story time (which does involve books), working on computers, checking through the stacks of videos/compact discs/other materials, reading the newspaper, studying and much more ... many more services that modern libraries provide ... even a live-human librarian commenting about what is going on. And yes, we do even see the librarian serving a plate of cookies and refreshments to kids after craft time is over, and the kids laughing and enjoying fellowship while having their snack.
For Muppets at least. While the humans age, the Muppets don’t. Or they age very slowly. Think about it. Big Bird has been six years old for over 40 years and other Muppet characters like Elmo have also stayed the same age while the human characters grew older.
- Rosita coping with her winglessness as a Muppet metaphor for learning to live with a physical disability.
- Rosita's seldom-seen father is a wheelchair user, so Rosita's "disability" is something the two of them have in common. That could be explored to talk about parent-child relationships.
- A more standard "You Are Special Just The Way You Are" episode where she misses her wings but learns that she can still do plenty of good things with both feet on the ground.
- Maybe they decide to redesign the Muppet to bring back her wings. Aside from "up and down" / "sky and ground" vocabulary, they could teach kids about the dangers of getting too competitive with Abby, the show's other resident flyer.
- Rosita getting her wings back as a stand-in for surgery or other scary-seeming trips to the doctor.
- According to her original designer, he chose to give Rosita wings as a reflection of her heritage as a Latina cave-monster. The show can talk about being an immigrant kid and feeling different from your extended family using the wings in place of more abstract cultural concepts.
- In an interview, Rosita revealed that she lost her wings when she flew from her cave during a storm.
- Although she recently got them back. The question is how she grew them back in-universe. Maybe her species can regrow wings after losing them (similar to how some real life animals are able to regrow severed body parts). But then that just begs the question of why they took so long to grow back (she was wingless for at least 15 years).
- The old lady (who calls herself the Dog Lady, Pet Lady, and Open and Closed Lady) is an Animal Lover who was originally ginger before she went grey. She married an unseen, dark-haired man named Mr. Martin and had four daughters:
- The eldest daughter inherited her mother's red, curly hair and bad eyesight (necessitating glasses). This is the one who got nicknamed Doc and Bones and went on to become a Jack of All Trades.
- Then, came the twins, Marla and Mandy, who both inherited their mother's red hair, but had better eyesight. Marla became a biologist and got married, changing her name to Perkins, while Mandy became a construction worker. Mandy is very energetic and sociable, hence her appearances as the Friend Lady and Jumping Lady. She also got the nickname "Handy Mandy" both from her song about hands and her construction worker job.
- The fourth daughter is Bubbles, who inherited her mother's love for animals and her father's dark hair. She's mainly just a lecturer, though shows a slight interest in biology like two of her sisters. Bubbles also got married, though unlike her sister Marla, she kept her name. She and her unseen husband have baby octuplets, who were shown in the "That's Being a Cat" sog.
As a result, this is where the cartoon-verse Men in Black come in. Along with keeping tabs on the various crazy crap in PBS Kids' shows, the MIB keep tabs on the Muppets and monsters on Sesame Street. However, they don't really have much to do concerning it, primarily because they aren't exactly sure how does one actually get to Sesame Street - through a Diagon Alley-esque entrance, through a dimensional portal, through a secret entrance hidden in a New York City alleyway, through a cave accessed by saying "Open Sesame" - plus there aren't exactly much in the way of threats from or to Sesame Street, so they keep it secret as they do everything else. They have, however, neuralized some of the celebrities who came to Sesame Street (e.g. Phil Donahue in Episode 2096, Al Roker in the 2001 Hurricane episodes) save Mister Rogers in Episode 1575 (who the MIB already keep a tab on).
The oddity of so many of Ernie's friends being in the bath tub with him (including characters who are clearly adult) for the song "Do De Rubber Duck" makes sense if Ernie is simply imagining his friends (including some television personalities like Kermit the Frog and Guy Smiley) in the tub dancing with him, which would also explain why Oscar the Grouch is in a bath tub (which would also explain why he's not orange again, if the explanation of Oscar being green is simply because he doesn't take baths is canon), and would explain why they all appeared to go down into the bath tub at the end of the song. It's simply Ernie coming back to reality after imagining his friends singing and doing the dance.
After Alex's dad went to jail, Lefty decided to keep an eye on his family until he got out. He makes sure they're safe and have what they need to live. Lefty tries to do all of this in secret so Alex doesn't idolize criminals like him and stays out of trouble when he grows up. Yeah, the creepy guy who tried to sell Ernie an 8 has a heart.
Elmo's father has been deployed, but also laid off. You don't get "laid off" from the military. Louie went overseas as a combat medic. Technically, they're not allowed to take part in combat and firing on one is a severe war crime. However, they are given a sidearm "just in case". Louie counts his lucky stars that he never had to use his sidearm while "helping people". After his overseas duty was over, Louie got a job with a hospital. Unfortunately, it had a funding problem during the recession and had to lay some people off.
This song is sung by the Country Western singer Muppet Polly Darton to her dog, which responds by yapping affectionately, if not sadly. The song opens with the stanza "Oh, I'm so sorry to see that you're leaving/It's so sad that you and I have got to part/And now, even though I'm deeply grieving/I'm waving goodbye to you with my heart". Given that she is singing this rather strong statement to a dog who is clearly a pet and not a talking anthropomorphic dog, it begs the question of what kind of journey the dog is supposed to be going on, and why it would be separated from its human. The line "It's so sad when a dear doggy goes" not only makes it clear that the song is about parting with a dog, if not this exact dog, but sounds a great deal like a euphemism for "it's so sad when a dear doggy dies". Not only, therefore, is there a distinct possibility that the song was inspired by someone losing a pet in Real Life, but this raises Unfortunate Implications as to the relevance of the song in-universe. Did Polly Darton learn that the dog we see in the video is suffering from a terminal illness? Or did she write the song after she, or someone close to her, lost another dog?