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| {{short description|Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street}} | |||
| {{Refimprove|date=January 2007}} | |||
| {{Redirect|Grouch|other uses|Grouchy{{!}}Grouchy (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{Infobox character | {{Infobox character | ||
| | name |
| name = Oscar the Grouch | ||
| | series |
| series = ] | ||
| | image = LBJ Foundation DIG14086-069 (34650875314).jpg | |||
| | image = ] | |||
| | caption = | |||
| | caption = Oscar(right) with actor ], who played Gordon from 1972–1974 and ], who plays Susan. | |||
| | first |
| first = Episode 0001 (November 10, 1969) | ||
| | last |
| last = | ||
| | creator |
| creator = ]<br>] | ||
| | lbl1 = Performed by | |||
| | portrayer = | |||
| | |
| data1 = ] (1969–2018)<br>] (2015–present) | ||
| | alias |
| alias = Oskie (Grundgetta's pet name for him)<br>Son (by his mother)<br>Mr. Oscar<br>Mr. Grouch | ||
| | species |
| species = Grouch | ||
| | gender |
| gender = Male | ||
| | significant_other = Grundgetta (girlfriend) | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Oscar the Grouch''' is a ] character |
'''Oscar the Grouch''' is a ] character created by ] and ] for the ]/] children's television program '']''. He has a green body, no visible nose, and lives in a ]. Oscar's favorite thing is ], as evidenced by the song "]", with a running theme being his collection of seemingly useless items. Although the term "Grouch" aptly describes Oscar's ] interaction with the other characters, it also refers to his species. The character was originally performed by ] from the show's first episode until his retirement. ] began understudying for the character in 2015, and in 2018 officially became the primary performer of the role following Spinney's retirement. | ||
| ==Origins== | ==Origins== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| Initially, the |
Initially, the puppet characters on ''Sesame Street'' did not appear on the actual Sesame Street set, but were relegated to the intermediary segments. Muppets creator ] wanted them to be integrated into the series, suggesting a giant bird and also a creature living in the neighborhood's trash can. The character was developed by ''Sesame Street'' head writer ] and Henson. Puppeteer Caroll Spinney found inspiration for the voice in the driver of a ] he took to the studio. His first line was "Where to, Mac?". | ||
| Henson credits the character's name based on the personality of a "magnificently rude" restaurant owner and namesake of Oscar's Salt of the Sea which Henson and Stone frequented. Henson's office was on East 67th Street, just around the corner from Oscar's Salt of the Sea on Third Avenue. In the early 1960s, Henson and Stone often had lunch there and observed that the owner, Oscar Karp, dressed in black, looked unkempt, and had a gruff disposition.<ref name="NYCyear">{{cite book | first = Jeffrey A. | last = Kroessler | title = New York Year by Year: A Chronology of the Great Metropolis | publisher = ] | year = 2002 | page = 306 | isbn = 9780814747513}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = RESTAURANTS; East Side favorites for steak, seafood | first = Mimi | last = Sheraton | date = October 1, 1982 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/01/arts/restaurants-east-side-favorites-for-steak-seafood.html | work = The New York Times | access-date = 13 October 2019}}</ref> | |||
| His name's source is of some debate. Most sources suggest it's derived from the name of the aforementioned restaurant, Oscar's Tavern. In recent years, however, the family of Canadian folk musician ] has suggested he was the namesake. Brand was an early board member for the show's non-profit production company, ]. The claim has been made in an interview with the CBC around the time of Brand's 90th birthday,<ref>''Sunday Edition'', CBC Radio, 7 February 2010.</ref> and by his son in the interview segment of ''Jeopardy''.<ref>Interview with Jordan Brand on ''Jeopardy'' episode, aired 4 March 2010.</ref> Named “Oscar the Grouch”, writers would eventually add other ], an entire species explored in the film '']'' and various television episodes. | |||
| The Oscar Muppet was orange for the first season of ''Sesame Street'' and then changed to green, which remained his permanent color. This was explained within the show by a visit to Swamp Mushy Muddy.<ref name=wisdom>{{Cite book | title = The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers | isbn = 0-375-50781-7 | first1 = Caroll | last1 = Spinney | first2 = J | last2 = Milligan | author-link1 = Caroll Spinney | publisher = Villard | year = 1993 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/wisdomofbigbirda00spin}}</ref>{{rp|59}} | |||
| The initial puppet, built by staff builder ],{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} was orange with a single dark-colored eyebrow. | |||
| ⚫ | According to ''Sesame Street''{{'}}s Robert W. Morrow, Oscar was created to indirectly demonstrate racial and ethnic diversity. Since his manners and tastes were different from those of the other characters, his creators hoped to address social issues by using his differences as a metaphor for racial and ethnic differences. Some viewers saw Oscar as a "surrogate for poor, urban Americans" during the show's early seasons.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Morrow | first = Robert W. | title = Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television | publisher = ] | year = 2006 | location = Baltimore, Maryland | page = | isbn = 0-8018-8230-3 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/sesamestreetrefo0000morr/page/76}}</ref> | ||
| Spinney's other lead character is ], whom Oscar often describes to children as his friend during public appearances. He especially likes to prank him every morning by putting ketchup in his alarm clock. When Big Bird and Oscar are required in a scene together, Jim Martin often operates Oscar to a vocal track by Spinney so the latter can perform Big Bird. However, occasionally, ] will instead operate the Big Bird puppet to a vocal track by Spinney, while he performs Oscar. During the first season of ''Sesame Street'', the street set was arranged such that Spinney, who is right-handed, was forced to operate Oscar's head with his left hand. A subsequent redesign of the set (and Oscar himself, as he was ripped apart by Jim Henson)<ref>{{Cite book| title = The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers |ISBN=0-375-50781-7|author=Caroll Spinney and J Milligan|publisher=Villard|year=1993 }} Chapter 9{{Page needed|date=September 2010}}</ref> allowed him to switch hands. In the first season of Sesame Street, Oscar was orange, and later became green in Season 2. | |||
| In the early ''Sesame Street'' development there was criticism that Oscar represented residents of inner city who had grown to accept injustice unchallenged, whilst other observers perceived Oscar to be a negative impression of African-Americans even though the Sesame Workshop did not intend the character to be a representation of black people. ] was confused by this viewpoint when journalist Linda Francke informed her of its existence.<ref>{{cite web|last=Morrow|first=Robert W.|title="Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television|publisher=]|year=2006|isbn=<!--ISBN: 0801882303-->9780801882302|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HZpIIYUrHp4C&pg=PA153|page=}}</ref> | |||
| ==Performing Oscar== | |||
| ⚫ | According to ''Sesame Street'''s Robert W. Morrow, Oscar was created to indirectly demonstrate racial and ethnic diversity. Since his manners and tastes were different from those of the other characters, his creators hoped to address social issues by using his differences as a metaphor for racial and ethnic differences. Some viewers |
||
| During the first season of Sesame Street, the street set was arranged in such a way that Spinney, who was right-handed, was forced to operate Oscar's head with his left hand. After the set was redesigned, Spinney was able to switch hands. | |||
| In scenes where Oscar and ] (both performed by Spinney) interact in a scene together, the situation has varied depending on the number of lines one or the other is given. When Spinney performed Big Bird, a second puppeteer operated Oscar to Spinney's vocals; occasionally, ] instead operated the Big Bird puppet to a vocal track by Spinney, while he performed Oscar. Previous Oscar puppeteers have included ] and ]. | |||
| In 2015, due to being diagnosed with ], Spinney no longer puppeteered Oscar full-time on the show. ] became his understudy; often lip-syncing to a prerecorded vocal track by Spinney, and other times doing the voice himself. Spinney continued to provide Oscar's voice on the series for seasons 46 and 47, as well as select commercials, online videos, and the special '']''. Afterwards, Spinney entered semi-retirement, and Eric Jacobson fully assumed the role. Despite this, Spinney continued to receive onscreen credit for playing the characters through Season 50. | |||
| On October 17, 2018, Spinney announced his official retirement from both his characters. The following day, he recorded his final performances as Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird as part of Episode 5022 for the series' landmark 50th anniversary, though, when the episode aired, none of his vocals were kept in.<ref>{{cite news|last=Itzoff|first=Dave|title=Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves 'Sesame Street' After Nearly 50 Years|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/arts/television/sesame-street-big-bird.html|newspaper=]|date=October 17, 2018|access-date=October 17, 2018}}</ref> Spinney's final vocal performance as Oscar the Grouch to air was for Episode 4731. | |||
| ==Attributes== | ==Attributes== | ||
| Oscar can also become mobile with the help of his friend Bruno the |
Oscar can also become mobile with the help of his friend Bruno the Trashman, who carries Oscar around in his trash can. Bruno is a full-body costume which allows Oscar's puppeteer to manipulate Oscar while remaining hidden by the Bruno costume.<ref name= wisdom />{{rp|61–62}} Bruno's tenure on the show lasted from 1979 to 1993. Also, as seen in the '']'' episode "Dance", Oscar's legs can protrude from the bottom of his trash can to allow him to walk around. Similarly, in '']'' (1978), Oscar is seen ice skating. For several seasons, Oscar was frequently shown with his friend and pet Slimey, an orange ]. On occasional episodes he has mentioned leaving Sesame Street to attend "the annual Grouch convention in ], ]". | ||
| Oscar openly admits that he does not like anything or anybody that is nice, except young human children (the only people that he can actually act nice to without facing ridicule from his fellow Grouches) as well as older fans of the show.<ref>Archived at {{cbignore}} and the {{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sILeklYs5HQ|title=Carroll Spinney (pt 1)|date=14 June 2007|work=YouTube|access-date=25 July 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The only person he liked on camera was ], which he would never admit. He once inadvertently complimented a dance that his followers, The Grouchketeers, had performed for him. Oscar has shown rare acts of kindness such as trying to replace Ernie's ]ie when Ernie had lost it. He also went out to find the missing Big Bird in "]". He and his girlfriend Grundgetta also love each other, though their relationship is somewhat rocky. | |||
| == |
==Oscar’s trash can== | ||
| While appearing to be the size of a normal trash can, Oscar's |
While appearing to be the size of a normal ] on the outside, ] is much ], as revealed in '']''. Oscar has said it holds a farm, swimming pool, ice rink, bowling alley, and piano. Other items include his pet ] Slimey, his pet ] Fluffy, his shoes, a backdoor and a gate to Grouchland USA, his hometown. | ||
| ==International== | ==International== | ||
| While Oscar receives new names in international dubs, ''Sesame Street'' international co-productions have often created their own version of the character. | While Oscar receives new names in international dubs, ''Sesame Street'' international co-productions have often created their own version of the character. | ||
| In their second season, Germany's '']'' created an antagonistic character named Uli von Bödefeld. While not a |
In their second season, Germany's '']'' created an antagonistic character named Uli von Bödefeld. While not a Grouch, he served the same role in plots as Oscar. When a fire destroyed the costume in 1988, a decade after he debuted, he and American segments of Oscar were both replaced by a Grouch named Rumpel. He has a pet caterpillar named Gustav, who is based on Slimey. | ||
| Israeli Grouch, ], Oscar's cousin, is the only character to survive the first '']'', appearing in its current reboot |
Israeli Grouch, ], Oscar's cousin, is the only character to survive the first '']'', appearing in its current reboot; English/Hebrew series ''];'' and Israeli-Palestinian co-production ''Rechov Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim''. | ||
| Other Grouches include Bodoque on Mexico's '']'', Gugu on Brazil's '']'', |
Other Grouches include Bodoque on Mexico's '']'', Pancho Contreras, technically a monster, on US Spanish version, Gugu on Brazil's '']'', Kırpık on Turkey's '']'', Ferrão on Portugal's '']'', and Kewal Khadoosa on India's '']''. Filipino adaptation '']'' featured Kiko Matsing, basically a gorilla; also ] featured Bebong (The Trashed Monster). | ||
| Some Grouches differ from the mostly antagonistic mold. France's '']'' featured Mordicus, who lives in a trash can, and is slightly cynical, but is also described as lively and enthusiastic, and participated in the neighborhood band. | Some Grouches differ from the mostly antagonistic mold. France's '']'' featured Mordicus, who, like Oscar, lives in a trash can, and is slightly cynical, but is also described as lively and enthusiastic, and participated in the neighborhood band. | ||
| In ], he is named Akhtar and lives in a rusty ]. | In ], he is named Akhtar and lives in a rusty ]. | ||
| ==Appearances in other media== | ==Appearances in other media== | ||
| A hybrid of Oscar the Grouch, ], and the ] appears in ] episode ], where it attacked ] whilst in a bin, only for Tim to eat it. | A hybrid of Oscar the Grouch, ], and the ] appears in '']'' episode "]", where it attacked ] whilst in a bin, only for Tim to eat it. | ||
| Oscar made what he called "a very brief ]" in the 1981 ] movie '']''. When ] threw a truck driver (played by ]) into a pile of boxes and a pile of trash cans, Oscar emerged from his trash can and demanded "Hey, what's all the racket? |
Oscar made what he called "a very brief ]" in the 1981 ] movie '']''. When ] threw a truck driver (played by ]) into a pile of boxes and a pile of trash cans, Oscar emerged from his trash can and demanded "Hey, what's all the racket?" Oscar also appeared in the Jim Henson holiday special, '']'', when the Sesame Street Gang comes to the Grizzly Farm House for the holidays. In the film he befriends ] who asks the Grouch if he could stay in his trash can for the night. Oscar agreed saying that he never had a rat in his trash can before. | ||
| Oscar could be seen among many villains in the '']'' episode "]". | Oscar could be seen among many villains in the '']'' episode "]". | ||
| Oscar |
Oscar appears in the episode "Fashion" of the IFC show '']''. | ||
| Oscar was on ] '']'', imagined as the new chief of medicine. | |||
| ⚫ | Oscar |
||
| ⚫ | Oscar is one of numerous PBS personalities chasing after ] for not being able to pay a pledge in a '']'' ], "]". Oscar crashes through the window of the ] Homer is hiding in, and demands the money while Elmo, who was hiding in the trash can with him, tells Homer he knows where he lives. He also appears in "]", a ]. | ||
| ⚫ | Oscar inspired an ] ] written by Eric B. Shapiro and shown at the 1989 ] conference, featuring a singing animated Oscar that appeared from the trash can when the trash was emptied. The ] was so popular that some parents lost the entire contents of their hard disks to preschoolers wanting to see more of Oscar,<ref> |
||
| ⚫ | Oscar inspired an ] ] written by Eric B. Shapiro and shown at the 1989 ] conference, featuring a singing animated Oscar that appeared from the trash can when the trash was emptied. The ] was so popular that some parents lost the entire contents of their hard disks to preschoolers wanting to see more of Oscar,<ref>{{cite book| title= Late Nights with MacHack| first= Doug| last= Houseman| page= 27| isbn= 1-55851-395-7| year= 1994}}</ref> prompting Shapiro to create a stand-alone application using the same animation and sounds.<ref>{{cite newsgroup| url= https://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.mac.apps/msg/fc10b4deae2cc713| title= Stand-Alone Grouch | newsgroup= comp.sys.mac.apps| first= Daniel| last= Denham |quote= In the Read Me for The Grouch 2.5B3 by Eric Shapiro |access-date=25 July 2015}}</ref> The software was discontinued after Children's Television Workshop sent Shapiro a cease and desist letter.<ref>{{cite newsgroup|url=https://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.mac.apps/msg/a447d78d8f896fa2|title= 'The Grouch' INIT | newsgroup= comp.sys.mac.apps| date= May 20, 1994| first= Jeff | last= Stephan |quote=Sesame Street brought heavy patent infringement pressure against the author| access-date= March 23, 2017}}</ref> | ||
| Oscar first appeared on the January 11, 2008 episode of the television game show '']'' as a member of the mob. He was eliminated on both games, but was so popular he continued to appear for the remainder of the season as a regular member of the mob until the program's cancellation, but didn't win much money. Oscar has made appearances on Canadian public broadcasting advertising "] awareness days" at the ] hockey games.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7TDiqoH5LE</ref> | |||
| The ] comic '']'' once featured Oscar in an issue in which he sings a variation of his "I Love Trash" song about ]' movies. In the end Wesley Snipes (as Blade) decapitates him. | The ] comic '']'' once featured Oscar in an issue in which he sings a variation of his "I Love Trash" song about ]' movies. In the end, Wesley Snipes (as ]) decapitates him. | ||
| Oscar appeared on seven episodes of the game show '']'', which aired between January and February 2008. | |||
| Oscar was adopted as the mascot for ] in ], an ] campaign that took place October 19–25, 2008.<ref>http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hr5xOKyormdfCmLWURxL-T5zv2vg{{dead link|date=November 2012|bot=Legobot}}</ref> | |||
| Beginning in 2008, Oscar became the mascot for ] in Canada, an ] campaign.<ref>{{cite press release| url= https://www.rco.on.ca/news/pub:52/Waste-Reduction-Week-Spokes-Muppet-Oscar-the-Grouc |publisher=Recycling Council of Ontario | title= Waste Reduction Week Spokes-Muppet Oscar the Grouch Missing| date= September 30, 2009| location= Toronto| access-date= March 23, 2017| quote= ...Oscar the Grouch will return for his second year as the program's spokes-Muppet...| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170324084629/https://www.rco.on.ca/news/pub:52/Waste-Reduction-Week-Spokes-Muppet-Oscar-the-Grouc| archive-date= March 24, 2017| url-status= dead}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | In an episode of '']'', |
||
| ⚫ | In an episode of '']'' called "Scythe for Sale", a parody of Oscar emerges from a dumpster telling Billy to "get outta my house" and a car then crashes into his dumpster. The man in the car and "Oscar" then instruct the viewers that it is wrong to play with ]s (in response to Irwin's stealing and misuse of Grim's scythe) and to "tell an adult immediately" if they find one. | ||
| ⚫ | In '']'', Oscar has an appearance with ], trying to become part of Kahmunrah's |
||
| ⚫ | In the '']'' sequel '']'', Oscar has an appearance with ], trying to become part of Kahmunrah's team—only to be discovered that he is not evil, just "vaguely grouchy". The Oscar puppet that was used in filming is on display at the ] ]. | ||
| ⚫ | On May 29, 2009, Oscar the Grouch appeared in an ABC ] on economics called ''Un-broke: What You Need |
||
| ⚫ | On May 29, 2009, Oscar the Grouch appeared in an ABC ] on economics called ''Un-broke: What You Need to Know About Money''. He appeared showing the viewers what ] stocks means. It is shown that he has investment filings with ], ], ], and ] even though they are bankrupt companies, but he then says that they are not really his filings. The press kit for the special reveals that Oscar was popular with the crew for the special even during filming. | ||
| ⚫ | On October 11, 2009, Oscar appeared on the ] show ''Q'', hosted by Jian Ghomeshi. Beyond talking about his time on ''Sesame Street'', his love for trash and ], Oscar revealed that his father is actually from Saint David, ] and his mother grew up in ], thus making him of ] descent. He further went on to suggest that he had cheated on ], his long-time girlfriend. | ||
| ⚫ | On October 11, 2009, Oscar appeared on the ] show ''Q'', hosted by ]. Beyond talking about his time on ''Sesame Street'', his love for trash and ], Oscar revealed that his father is actually from Saint David, ] and his mother grew up in ], thus making him of ] descent. He further went on to suggest that he had cheated on ], his long-time girlfriend. | ||
| On November 12, 2009, Oscar appeared on ] to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ''Sesame Street''. In an interview with ], Oscar reveals that he would still be orange if he bathed; his green exterior is apparently ]. | On November 12, 2009, Oscar appeared on ] to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ''Sesame Street''. In an interview with ], Oscar reveals that he would still be orange if he bathed; his green exterior is apparently ]. | ||
| On an episode of '']'', Buddy and his bakers visited Sesame Street, and Danny could be seen inside Oscar's trash can. He tries his best Oscar impression by saying "I live in the trash." Oscar can also be seen at the end when Buddy reveals his cake, but then goes back in his trash can, ostensibly to get away from the laughing and cheering. | |||
| Oscar also made appearances in episodes of the ] show '']''. | Oscar also made appearances in episodes of the ] show '']''. | ||
| On a ] interview promoting the benefits of being "Green", Oscar suggests that he is actually Canadian.<ref name="CBC 102209">Archived at {{cbignore}} and the {{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7TDiqoH5LE |date= October 22, 2009 | publisher= CBC Radio| website= YouTube.com| title= Oscar the Grouch on Q TV| interviewer= ] | access-date= March 23, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>{{rp|13:30}} He later mentions that his favorite dessert is spinach sardine chocolate fudge sundaes. His second favorite dessert is mashed bananas with ice cubes and cold beef gravy, and in Season 12, he owns a car called "The Sloppy Jalopy". | |||
| The October 12, 2019 episode of ] of '']'', hosted by ], included a sketch presenting the origin story of Oscar the Grouch in a ] spoof.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/13/entertainment/snl-joker-oscar-grouch-parody-trnd/index.html |title='SNL' takes on the origin story of Oscar the Grouch in a 'Joker' spoof |first=Harmeet |last=Kaur |publisher=CNN|date=13 October 2019|access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref> | |||
| In 2023, Oscar the Grouch was appointed the Chief Trash Officer of United Airlines' Sustainable Airline Fuel (SAF) program.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-names-oscar-the-grouch-as-first-chief-trash-officer-301760860.html |title=United Names Oscar the Grouch as First Chief Trash Officer}}</ref> | |||
| On the ], guest Oscar was treated to ]'s song ]; Oscar replies, "You're Too Good!" | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist |
{{Reflist}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{muppets}} | * {{muppets}} | ||
| {{Sesame Street Characters}} | {{Sesame Street Characters}} | ||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Oscar The Grouch}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Oscar The Grouch}} | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 06:54, 19 January 2025
Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street "Grouch" redirects here. For other uses, see Grouchy (disambiguation). Fictional character| Oscar the Grouch | |
|---|---|
| Sesame Street character | |
.jpg) | |
| First appearance | Episode 0001 (November 10, 1969) |
| Created by | Jim Henson Jon Stone |
| Performed by | Caroll Spinney (1969–2018) Eric Jacobson (2015–present) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Oskie (Grundgetta's pet name for him) Son (by his mother) Mr. Oscar Mr. Grouch |
| Species | Grouch |
| Gender | Male |
| Significant other | Grundgetta (girlfriend) |
Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character created by Jim Henson and Jon Stone for the PBS/HBO children's television program Sesame Street. He has a green body, no visible nose, and lives in a trash can. Oscar's favorite thing is trash, as evidenced by the song "I Love Trash", with a running theme being his collection of seemingly useless items. Although the term "Grouch" aptly describes Oscar's misanthropic interaction with the other characters, it also refers to his species. The character was originally performed by Caroll Spinney from the show's first episode until his retirement. Eric Jacobson began understudying for the character in 2015, and in 2018 officially became the primary performer of the role following Spinney's retirement.
Origins
Initially, the puppet characters on Sesame Street did not appear on the actual Sesame Street set, but were relegated to the intermediary segments. Muppets creator Jim Henson wanted them to be integrated into the series, suggesting a giant bird and also a creature living in the neighborhood's trash can. The character was developed by Sesame Street head writer Jon Stone and Henson. Puppeteer Caroll Spinney found inspiration for the voice in the driver of a New York City taxi he took to the studio. His first line was "Where to, Mac?".
Henson credits the character's name based on the personality of a "magnificently rude" restaurant owner and namesake of Oscar's Salt of the Sea which Henson and Stone frequented. Henson's office was on East 67th Street, just around the corner from Oscar's Salt of the Sea on Third Avenue. In the early 1960s, Henson and Stone often had lunch there and observed that the owner, Oscar Karp, dressed in black, looked unkempt, and had a gruff disposition.
The Oscar Muppet was orange for the first season of Sesame Street and then changed to green, which remained his permanent color. This was explained within the show by a visit to Swamp Mushy Muddy.
According to Sesame Street's Robert W. Morrow, Oscar was created to indirectly demonstrate racial and ethnic diversity. Since his manners and tastes were different from those of the other characters, his creators hoped to address social issues by using his differences as a metaphor for racial and ethnic differences. Some viewers saw Oscar as a "surrogate for poor, urban Americans" during the show's early seasons. In the early Sesame Street development there was criticism that Oscar represented residents of inner city who had grown to accept injustice unchallenged, whilst other observers perceived Oscar to be a negative impression of African-Americans even though the Sesame Workshop did not intend the character to be a representation of black people. Joan Ganz Cooney was confused by this viewpoint when journalist Linda Francke informed her of its existence.
Performing Oscar
During the first season of Sesame Street, the street set was arranged in such a way that Spinney, who was right-handed, was forced to operate Oscar's head with his left hand. After the set was redesigned, Spinney was able to switch hands.
In scenes where Oscar and Big Bird (both performed by Spinney) interact in a scene together, the situation has varied depending on the number of lines one or the other is given. When Spinney performed Big Bird, a second puppeteer operated Oscar to Spinney's vocals; occasionally, Matt Vogel instead operated the Big Bird puppet to a vocal track by Spinney, while he performed Oscar. Previous Oscar puppeteers have included Jerry Nelson and Jim Martin.
In 2015, due to being diagnosed with dystonia, Spinney no longer puppeteered Oscar full-time on the show. Eric Jacobson became his understudy; often lip-syncing to a prerecorded vocal track by Spinney, and other times doing the voice himself. Spinney continued to provide Oscar's voice on the series for seasons 46 and 47, as well as select commercials, online videos, and the special Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas. Afterwards, Spinney entered semi-retirement, and Eric Jacobson fully assumed the role. Despite this, Spinney continued to receive onscreen credit for playing the characters through Season 50.
On October 17, 2018, Spinney announced his official retirement from both his characters. The following day, he recorded his final performances as Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird as part of Episode 5022 for the series' landmark 50th anniversary, though, when the episode aired, none of his vocals were kept in. Spinney's final vocal performance as Oscar the Grouch to air was for Episode 4731.
Attributes
Oscar can also become mobile with the help of his friend Bruno the Trashman, who carries Oscar around in his trash can. Bruno is a full-body costume which allows Oscar's puppeteer to manipulate Oscar while remaining hidden by the Bruno costume. Bruno's tenure on the show lasted from 1979 to 1993. Also, as seen in the Elmo's World episode "Dance", Oscar's legs can protrude from the bottom of his trash can to allow him to walk around. Similarly, in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978), Oscar is seen ice skating. For several seasons, Oscar was frequently shown with his friend and pet Slimey, an orange worm. On occasional episodes he has mentioned leaving Sesame Street to attend "the annual Grouch convention in Syracuse, New York".
Oscar openly admits that he does not like anything or anybody that is nice, except young human children (the only people that he can actually act nice to without facing ridicule from his fellow Grouches) as well as older fans of the show. The only person he liked on camera was Maria, which he would never admit. He once inadvertently complimented a dance that his followers, The Grouchketeers, had performed for him. Oscar has shown rare acts of kindness such as trying to replace Ernie's rubber duckie when Ernie had lost it. He also went out to find the missing Big Bird in "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street". He and his girlfriend Grundgetta also love each other, though their relationship is somewhat rocky.
Oscar’s trash can
While appearing to be the size of a normal trash can on the outside, Oscar's trash can is much bigger on the inside, as revealed in The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. Oscar has said it holds a farm, swimming pool, ice rink, bowling alley, and piano. Other items include his pet worm Slimey, his pet elephant Fluffy, his shoes, a backdoor and a gate to Grouchland USA, his hometown.
International
While Oscar receives new names in international dubs, Sesame Street international co-productions have often created their own version of the character.
In their second season, Germany's Sesamstrasse created an antagonistic character named Uli von Bödefeld. While not a Grouch, he served the same role in plots as Oscar. When a fire destroyed the costume in 1988, a decade after he debuted, he and American segments of Oscar were both replaced by a Grouch named Rumpel. He has a pet caterpillar named Gustav, who is based on Slimey.
Israeli Grouch, Moishe Oofnik, Oscar's cousin, is the only character to survive the first Rechov Sumsum, appearing in its current reboot; English/Hebrew series Shalom Sesame; and Israeli-Palestinian co-production Rechov Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim.
Other Grouches include Bodoque on Mexico's Plaza Sésamo, Pancho Contreras, technically a monster, on US Spanish version, Gugu on Brazil's Vila Sesamo, Kırpık on Turkey's Susam Sokağı, Ferrão on Portugal's Rua Sésamo, and Kewal Khadoosa on India's Galli Galli Sim Sim. Filipino adaptation Sesame! featured Kiko Matsing, basically a gorilla; also ATBP featured Bebong (The Trashed Monster).
Some Grouches differ from the mostly antagonistic mold. France's 1, Rue Sésame featured Mordicus, who, like Oscar, lives in a trash can, and is slightly cynical, but is also described as lively and enthusiastic, and participated in the neighborhood band.
In Pakistan, he is named Akhtar and lives in a rusty oil barrel.
Appearances in other media
A hybrid of Oscar the Grouch, Ernie, and the Cookie Monster appears in The Goodies episode "The Goodies Rule – O.K.?", where it attacked Tim Brooke-Taylor whilst in a bin, only for Tim to eat it.
Oscar made what he called "a very brief cameo" in the 1981 Jim Henson movie The Great Muppet Caper. When Miss Piggy threw a truck driver (played by Peter Ustinov) into a pile of boxes and a pile of trash cans, Oscar emerged from his trash can and demanded "Hey, what's all the racket?" Oscar also appeared in the Jim Henson holiday special, A Muppet Family Christmas, when the Sesame Street Gang comes to the Grizzly Farm House for the holidays. In the film he befriends Rizzo the Rat who asks the Grouch if he could stay in his trash can for the night. Oscar agreed saying that he never had a rat in his trash can before.
Oscar could be seen among many villains in the South Park episode "Imagination Land III".
Oscar appears in the episode "Fashion" of the IFC show Portlandia.
Oscar was on an episode of Scrubs, imagined as the new chief of medicine.
Oscar is one of numerous PBS personalities chasing after Homer Simpson for not being able to pay a pledge in a Simpsons season 11 episode, "Missionary: Impossible". Oscar crashes through the window of the church Homer is hiding in, and demands the money while Elmo, who was hiding in the trash can with him, tells Homer he knows where he lives. He also appears in "Trash of the Titans", a season 9 episode of The Simpsons.
Oscar inspired an Apple Macintosh INIT written by Eric B. Shapiro and shown at the 1989 MacHack conference, featuring a singing animated Oscar that appeared from the trash can when the trash was emptied. The hack was so popular that some parents lost the entire contents of their hard disks to preschoolers wanting to see more of Oscar, prompting Shapiro to create a stand-alone application using the same animation and sounds. The software was discontinued after Children's Television Workshop sent Shapiro a cease and desist letter.
The fumetti comic Twisted Toyfare Theatre once featured Oscar in an issue in which he sings a variation of his "I Love Trash" song about Wesley Snipes' movies. In the end, Wesley Snipes (as Blade) decapitates him.
Oscar appeared on seven episodes of the game show 1 vs. 100, which aired between January and February 2008.
Beginning in 2008, Oscar became the mascot for Waste Reduction Week in Canada, an environmental campaign.
In an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy called "Scythe for Sale", a parody of Oscar emerges from a dumpster telling Billy to "get outta my house" and a car then crashes into his dumpster. The man in the car and "Oscar" then instruct the viewers that it is wrong to play with scythes (in response to Irwin's stealing and misuse of Grim's scythe) and to "tell an adult immediately" if they find one.
In the Night at the Museum sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Oscar has an appearance with Darth Vader, trying to become part of Kahmunrah's team—only to be discovered that he is not evil, just "vaguely grouchy". The Oscar puppet that was used in filming is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
On May 29, 2009, Oscar the Grouch appeared in an ABC television special on economics called Un-broke: What You Need to Know About Money. He appeared showing the viewers what investing stocks means. It is shown that he has investment filings with Lehman Brothers, Worldcom, Enron, and Washington Mutual even though they are bankrupt companies, but he then says that they are not really his filings. The press kit for the special reveals that Oscar was popular with the crew for the special even during filming.
On October 11, 2009, Oscar appeared on the CBC Radio One show Q, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi. Beyond talking about his time on Sesame Street, his love for trash and recycling, Oscar revealed that his father is actually from Saint David, New Brunswick and his mother grew up in Nova Scotia, thus making him of Canadian descent. He further went on to suggest that he had cheated on Grundgetta, his long-time girlfriend.
On November 12, 2009, Oscar appeared on CNN to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. In an interview with Anderson Cooper, Oscar reveals that he would still be orange if he bathed; his green exterior is apparently moss.
On an episode of Cake Boss, Buddy and his bakers visited Sesame Street, and Danny could be seen inside Oscar's trash can. He tries his best Oscar impression by saying "I live in the trash." Oscar can also be seen at the end when Buddy reveals his cake, but then goes back in his trash can, ostensibly to get away from the laughing and cheering.
Oscar also made appearances in episodes of the Cartoon Network show MAD.
On a Q TV interview promoting the benefits of being "Green", Oscar suggests that he is actually Canadian. He later mentions that his favorite dessert is spinach sardine chocolate fudge sundaes. His second favorite dessert is mashed bananas with ice cubes and cold beef gravy, and in Season 12, he owns a car called "The Sloppy Jalopy".
The October 12, 2019 episode of season 45 of Saturday Night Live, hosted by David Harbour, included a sketch presenting the origin story of Oscar the Grouch in a Joker spoof.
In 2023, Oscar the Grouch was appointed the Chief Trash Officer of United Airlines' Sustainable Airline Fuel (SAF) program.
On the Masked Singer, guest Oscar was treated to Linda Ronstadt's song You're No Good; Oscar replies, "You're Too Good!"
References
- Kroessler, Jeffrey A. (2002). New York Year by Year: A Chronology of the Great Metropolis. NYU Press. p. 306. ISBN 9780814747513.
- Sheraton, Mimi (October 1, 1982). "RESTAURANTS; East Side favorites for steak, seafood". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ Spinney, Caroll; Milligan, J (1993). The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers. Villard. ISBN 0-375-50781-7.
- Morrow, Robert W. (2006). Sesame Street and the Reform of Children's Television. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-8018-8230-3.
- Morrow, Robert W. (2006). ""Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television". JHU Press. p. 153. ISBN 9780801882302.
- Itzoff, Dave (October 17, 2018). "Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves 'Sesame Street' After Nearly 50 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Carroll Spinney (pt 1). YouTube. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- Houseman, Doug (1994). Late Nights with MacHack. p. 27. ISBN 1-55851-395-7.
- Denham, Daniel. "Stand-Alone Grouch". Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
In the Read Me for The Grouch 2.5B3 by Eric Shapiro
- Stephan, Jeff (May 20, 1994). "'The Grouch' INIT". Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.apps. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
Sesame Street brought heavy patent infringement pressure against the author
- "Waste Reduction Week Spokes-Muppet Oscar the Grouch Missing" (Press release). Toronto: Recycling Council of Ontario. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
...Oscar the Grouch will return for his second year as the program's spokes-Muppet...
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Oscar the Grouch on Q TV". YouTube.com. Interviewed by Jian Ghomeshi. CBC Radio. October 22, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- Kaur, Harmeet (13 October 2019). "'SNL' takes on the origin story of Oscar the Grouch in a 'Joker' spoof". CNN. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- "United Names Oscar the Grouch as First Chief Trash Officer" (Press release).
External links
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