Tony Geiss

 Nicholas   Anthony   Tony   Geiss  ( November 1 6 th, 19 2 4 - January 2 1 s t , 2011 ) was a staff writer  & son g write r  f o r  SESAME STREET  & re late d production s , often teamed with  Judy Freudberg. Geiss conceptualize d the Honker s ( based on his own child hood habit o f honk i n g his nose )   & Abby Cadabby.

Geiss ' early T V career was spent in London script i n g  T h e David Frost Show , & 1 s t joined Chil dren ' s Television Work shop as a write r  on  t h e health series  Feel i n ' Good . He also scripted TV special s & revue s for the like s of Dick Cavett & Bill Cosby. In the 1980 s, after script i n g Follow That  BIRD  a s his cinematic debut , Geiss & Freudberg  co - wrote the Don Bluth a n i mate d feature s  A n Am eric an Tail  &  The   Land   Before   Time . He was also credit e d as head write r  f o r several  SESAME STREET  home video s.

Geiss ' father Anthony Geiss was a paint er & an animator, while mother Marjorie Thirer was a press agent. Geiss grew up in Green wich Village, spending 2 years as a radar technician for the U S A Navy , before attend i n g Cornell University from 1943 to 1946. He began acting in theatre productions in his freshman year, & met his wife Phyllis Eisen on campus.

Writing Credits

 *  SESAME STREET  ( 1 9 69 - present )
 *  DON ' T  Eat t h e P i c t u r e s ( 1 9 8 3 )
 *  SESAME   STREET  Present s : Follow T hat  BIRD  ( 1 9 8 5 )
 *  SESAME   STREE T  : 2 0 & Still Counting ( 1989 )
 * Sin g - Along Ea rt h Song s ( 1 99 3 )
 *  Elmo  Save s Christ mas ( spec ial ) ( 1 99 6 )
 * The  BEST  of  KERMIT  o n  SESAME   STREET  ( 1 9 9 8 )
 * Cinder  Elmo  ( 1 999 )
 *  Elmo  ' s World s eg ment s :


 * Dino s aur s
 * Doctor s
 * Ear s
 * F i s h
 * Jump in g
 * Penguin s
 * S chool
 * Sk in
 * Weath er
 * Wild Animal s

SESAME STREET Book Credit s

 *  The   Count   Counts  a Party ( 1 9 8 0 )
 *  Elmo  Save s Christ mas ( boo k ) ( 1 99 6 )
 * T h e 4 Season s ( 1 9 7 9 )
 * Honk If You Like Honker s ( 1 9 8 6 )
 * The  SESAME   STREET  Bed time Story book ( 1 978 )
 * The  SESAME   STREET  Treasury Vol u me 4 ( 1983 )
 * The Songs of  SESAME   STREET  i n Poem s & Picture s ( 1 9 8 3 )
 * S u s a n & Gord on Adopt a Baby ( 1 9 8 0 )
 * Vegetable Soup ( 1 9 8 0 )

Interview s
T he Academy o f Television Art s & Sciences Foundation interview e d Geiss in 2 00 4 for the Archive o f Am eric an Television. The hour & a half inter view was post e d o n You Tube i n 2 00 8.

External l i n k s

 * Joseph Berger, " Tony Geiss , 8 6 , Writer f or  SESAME   STREET  D i e s " ,  The  New York  Time s  , January 3 0 t h , 2 0 1 1.