Mr. Snuffleupagus is REAL!

I always worried about how Big Bird felt when the adults on Sesame Street told him that Mr. Snuffleupagus, or Snuffy to his friends, was not real. The show had created a running gag from the time Snuffy was introduced in 1971 – Snuffy would cause Big Bird to be late for something because he was waiting for him to show up, or Snuffy would knock something over or break something. When Big Bird would tell the adults of Sesame Street that it was in fact Snuffy’s doing, they would chastise him for using his “imaginary friend” as a scapegoat. Even when Snuffy wasn’t to blame for something, whenever Big Bird would mention him there was always a gentle chiding about his “imaginary friend” or a chuckle at how cute and creative the giant canary was. This always irritated me!

It turns out I was right in a way. The gag ended in season 17 when Snuffy was finally revealed to the rest of Sesame Street. Episode 2096, which first aired on November 18, 1985, had Big Bird sick and tired of the adults not believing him. He concocted a plan to get everyone to his nest to finally see Snuffy. After one more missed opportunity, Bird finally gets Snuffy to stay in one place long enough for the adults to see him. Everyone apologizes, and Big Bird even has a chance to “I told you so” the adults.

The decision to reveal Snuffy to everyone else was brought on by an ever increasing number of pedofile reports and a need for children to feel that they could tell adults anything, no matter how fanciful, and be believed. Kids needed to be able to tell their parents or teachers about abuse, without feeling that they would be chastised for making up stories, or chided for overactive imaginations.

One of the things that makes Sesame Street special as educational programming is the reality that it depicts. Children have imaginary friends, and sometimes those friends become scapegoats for bad behavior. “I didn’t knock over that vase, Mommy – Mr. Monster did!” is not uncommon in childhood. And how parents handle those imaginary friends is not always unlike how the adults of Sesame Street handled Snuffy:  with humored tolerance sometimes, but often with impatience and annoyance. The people of Sesame Street are just that:  People! They are human and make mistakes. They sometimes make assumptions that they shouldn’t, and sometimes let their own feelings get in the way of understanding a child’s feelings. Parents do that. Kids need to learn that it will happen. It’s just another life lesson from our favorite street.

What sets the adults of Sesame Street apart from many is their willingness to apologize. All this time, Big Bird was right. They’re sorry. They’re appropriately appologetic and chastised themselves. They’ve learned too. Adults can be taught!

Aloysius Snuffleupagus was a perfect character to use in this ongoing story arc. A brown furry elephant without ears or tusks, more like a dinosaur or mastadon but still not quite, he was exactly what a child would create for an imaginary friend. He even had an imaginary-friend-sounding name:  Snuffleupagus. Performed originally by Jerry Nelson, then in later seasons by Michael Earl and Martin P. Robinson, he had that gravelly slow voice that matched his body perfectly. His slow shuffle made him all the more lovable. He’s still a popular part of Sesame Street and a favorite character. Who wouldn’t want Snuffy as a friend – real or imagined?!