Moishe Oofnik

 Moishe Oofnik  (מוישה אופניק) is a brown Grouch who lives in a broken car. He's also the resident Grouch on Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli co-production of Sesame Street, & also appeared in the bilingual version, Shalom Sesame & the later Israeli-Palestinian co-production Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim. In 2006, he returned for the new version of Rechov Sumsum.

He is the cousin of Oscar the Grouch  (so he is also the cousin of  Oscar 's brothers,  Ernest  &  Otto the Grouch  & their sister  Bunny ), &, not surprisingly, he shares many of his cousin's tastes. Rather than celebrating Rosh Hashanah by dipping apple slices into honey for a sweet new year, Moishe tells us that Oofnik s prefer to dip them into sardine grease so the new year will be slimy. He loves to hear Itzhak Perlman play violin, as long as the music is off-key. If he responds lovingly to flowers & puppies, it's probably a sign that he's gotten a bad case of spring fever.

Oofnik is the only Israeli Muppet who has endured since the 1st incarnation of Rechov Sumsum. Haim Idisis, a long-time scriptwriter for the show, explained his longevity: " Oofnik is probably the only lasting character. Those types always survive, he'll stay shut in his trash can  & survive. He's not young, but he'll stay childish forever."

His surname, Oofnik, is Hebrew for Grouch. In 1993, he & Kippi Ben Kippod appeared on Sesame Street Stays Up Late, to show how Israel rings in the New Year. However, the character was introduced as Oofnik the Grouch , a redundant label.

TV/Movies/Specials

 * Rechov Sumsum
 * Shalom Sesame
 * Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim
 * Sesame Street Stays Up Late