Oscar the Grouch

  Muppeteer :   Caroll Spinney   Design Team:  Jim Henson  • ( Designer ) John Lovelady • ( Original  OSCAR  builder )  Earliest Known Appearance: Episode 0001  OSCAR THE GROUCH  is, without a doubt , the most famous  GROUCH  in the world & also 1 of the key characters on Sesame Street. He lives in a  TRASH CAN  that is right between BIG BIRD ' s NEST & 123 Sesame Street. In fact, he loves  TRASH  so much that he ' s rarely seen out side of his  TRASH CAN  , ever. His trademark song  is "  I LOVE TRASH  " explaining his love of  TRASH . 1 tradition is, whenever  OSCAR  sings "  I LOVE TRASH  " , his signature song  , he is always shown singin at his  TRASH CAN  , & nowhere else.  OSCAR  ' s birthday, according to Sesame Street Magazine , is June 1  st.

Like all  GROUCHES ,  OSCAR  ' s mission in life is to be as miserable &  GROUCHY  as possible , & pass that feeling on to everyone else. When a visitor knocks on his  TRASH CAN  - - invariably interrupting him from a nap or an important task,  OSCAR  greets them with a snarl. He complains that he wants to be left alone, although when he ' s left entirely to himself , he ' s dissatisfied - - there isn't anybody around to irritate or complain to.  OSCAR  has said that : " I don ' t really like being happy . But then, sometimes somebody will give me a nice bag of  TRASH  , & I ' m going to get a chance to look through it . So that makes me happy . But I don ' t like to be happy . I ' d like to be miserable . But being happy makes me miserable . So I like being miserable , so that makes me happy . But I don ' t like being happy . That makes me miserable . But being miserable makes me . . . I ' m a mess . "

 OSCAR  has had many pets  but his closest companion is his  WORM ,  SLIMEY . He also has a girlfriend, a  GROUCH  named  GRUNDGETTA  , although a romantic relationship between 2  GROUCHES  is understand ably rocky.  GRUNDGETTA  usually calls him  OSKIE  while he occasionally calls her   GRUNGIE .  OSCAR  &  GRUNDGETTA , in addition to being a " couple " , are best friends as well.  OSCAR  &  GRUNDGETTA  have been friends for " a very long time", as stated by  OSCAR  & Gordon ' s sister Olivia in episode 2107. Elmo & Telly Monster both consider  OSCAR  to be a close friend, although  OSCAR  disputes this since Telly & Elmo are the 2 mons ters that  OSCAR  just doesn ' t like at all.  OSCAR  reluctantly confirmed in  GROUCH  land that Elmo was, however , indeed his friend.

 OSCAR  ' s family  includes his grandmother. Granny  GROUCH , who appeared in season 2 of Sesame Street , & was the 1 st indication on the series that Grouches  are a completely separate species. Since then  OSCAR  has been visited by his grandfather, Grandpa  GROUCH  & his mother ,  MRS . GROUCH  , & sometimes babysits his niece ,  Irvine. He has 2 brothers, Ernest  &  Otto  along w/ a sister named  Bunny. In both episode 0131 & A Special Sesame Street Christ mas,  OSCAR  revealed that he also has a father.

 OSCAR  is 43 years old, according to performer   Caroll Spinney.

Origins
According to Sesame Street Unpaved, " The character of  OSCAR  was inspired by a nasty waiter from a restaurant called  OSCAR  ' s Tavern in Manhattan . Jim Henson  & Jon Stone were waited on by a man who was so rude &  GROUCHY  that he surpassed annoying & started to actually amuse both  Jim  & Jon . They were so entertained that going to  OSCAR  ' s Tavern became a sort of masochistic form of luncheon entertainment for them , & their waiter forever became immortalized as the world ' s most famous  GROUCH . " In the Ask Henson . com web column, Jim Henson  Company Archivist Karen Falk said that the restaurant was named  OSCAR  ' s Salt of the Sea -- & went on to say , " Some of the designs that we have in the Archives were done by  Jim  on  OSCAR  ' s paper placemats ! "

While Jim Henson  ' s 1 st  OSCAR  sketches were colored purple, the original  OSCAR  puppet was orange (  Henson  later said in an interview that this change was made cause the early cameras couldn ' t capture the color right ). In chapter 9 of the book The Wisdom of  BIG BIRD , Caroll Spinney  says that the  OSCAR  puppet was rebuilt about a month after Sesame Street started taping. Jim tore apart the original puppet, & a new puppet was built. An early version of the green  OSCAR  debuted on The Flip Wilson Show in 1970 &  OSCAR  ' s explanation for that was that he had vacationed at Swamp Mushy Muddy , where the dampness had turned him green overnight. In a 2003 appearance,  OSCAR  stated that while his time in Swamp Mushy Muddy  made him appear green , he is still in fact orange underneath all the slime & mold. ( with an exception, he's just never taken a bath ).

 OSCAR  explained his family  roots & fur color again in a Life Magazine article in 2009, " Most of the  family  was orange . But I had a lovely vacation in  Swamp Mushy Muddy  resort . It was so dark & dreary I kind of turned green . It ' s mostly moss . I like it — it goes with  my  eyes .  I  accidentally took a bath once , turned orange again & washed all the moss off , so I went right back to  Swamp Mushy  MUDDY  , & here I am . " "

In his introduction to the book Sesame Street : A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street ( which also contained his lunch from yesterday, grape juice , & something unidentifiable ) ,  OSCAR  tells how he ended up on Sesame Street , saying he was a normal  GROUCH  when Joan Ganz Cooney & Jon Stone decided to create the show , they hired Jim Henson  , who bugged him until he agreed to be on the show for the 1 st episode only. He headed off to Swamp Mushy  MUDDY  after the production wrapped, disgusted , but discovered that his agent , Bernie , had signed a contract to have him on the entire run of Sesame Street.  Oscar  became so mad he that he turned green (a fictitious explanation around how he became green ), but figured the show wouldn ' t run for more than 6 months anyway ( obviously disappointed ).

Caroll Spinney says that  OSCAR  ' s voice on another New York resident - - a Bronx taxi driver who drove him to his 1 st day  performing  the character. On entering the cab, the driver snapped , " Where to , Mac  ? "

 OSCAR  ' s 1 s t line on Sesame Street, in episode 1 , was " Don ' t bang on my  CAN  ! Go away . " This would sum up his personality as it would remain for over 40 years.

Performing OSCAR
During season 1 of Sesame Street, the set of the street was arranged in such a way that Spinney  , who is right - handed , was forced to operate  OSCAR  ' s head w / his left hand. Eventually, a subsequent redesign of the street let Spinney  switch hands.

Also, when  OSCAR  & BIG BIRD ( characters both performed by Caroll Spinney  ) are  required in a scene together  ,  Jim Martin  often operates  OSCAR  to a vocal track by  Spinney  , letting  Spinney  perform BIG BIRD. Or sometimes, Matt Vogel  operates the BIG BIRD suit to a vocal track by  Spinney  , letting  Spinney  perform  OSCAR .

At the 2003 Annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala,  OSCAR  is performed by Paul McGinnis.

Transportation
 OSCAR  has many forms of transportation. He can move w / his legs sticking out of his  TRASH CAN , as seen in early 1970s Sesame Street episodes ( portrayed by Hervé Villechaize  ) , in the specials Christ mas Eve on Sesame Street , Don ' t Eat the Pictures & various stage shows. He also often had  BRUNO THE  TRASH  MAN  just carry his  TRASH CAN  around while he ' s inside. While the puppet  OSCAR  frequently moves outside of the  TRASH CAN  on his own his limbs are rarely shown. A rare moment where his full body was shown  was in episode 3958. In a few episodes he has also made a few out - of - his -  TRASH - CAN  appearances during which the top half of his body is shown. Also, when he sings , " I ' m Sad Because I ' m Happy  " , we see his feet splash in the  MUD  but his voice is off - screen.

 OSCAR  has a car, The Sloppy Jalopy  , which was used in Follow That Bird & episodes of Sesame Street. The Sloppy Jalopy ' s New York license plate says " SCRAM ".  OSCAR  has also been seen driving a broken - down taxi.

Trivia

 * According to Caroll Spinney  ' s book The Wisdom of BIG BIRD,  OSCAR  ' s eyebrow has never changed in the entire run of Sesame Street . It is the same eyebrow that graced the  GROUCH  ' s face when he was still the orange  OSCAR  of Season 1.
 * In the show ' s early years enthusiastic young viewers frequently mailed gifts of  TRASH  to  OSCAR  in care of the Chil dren 's Television Workshop, eliciting dismay from the mailroom staff . An Information Department staff member wrote in March 1971 , " Aside from an unopened can of sardines , which are probably perfectly good ,  OSCAR  has been gifted with a box of old sneakers ( not a box of Snickers ) , a ratty old bathing cap , some stale poppy seeds & some used Kleenexes . On the other side of the coin , an adult fan sent a $50 check to purchase a new  TRASH CAN  . We may soon need 1 for his fan mail ! "
 *  OSCAR  temporarily turned white ( & nice ) in the Sesame Street Live show Elmo ' s Coloring Book in 1997.
 * Although he doesn ' t have a nose visible to the TV audience, he insists he has one ( as well as ears ) , as he did in an early 90s episode when Ruby kept giving him a hard time about it . Years earlier , another episode had explained that he has a " cute " nub hidden among his fur.
 * When appearing on the game show 1 vs 100,  OSCAR  revealed his age to Bob Saget claiming he ' s 43 years old & has always been 43.
 * In A Muppet Family Christ mas,  OSCAR  shares his  TRASH CAN  as a bed w/ Rizzo the Rat stating he never had a rat in his  TRASH CAN  before & that it might be nice . He also complained that he hated "Deck the Halls " , as when it came time for him to sing the line " Follow me in merry measure " he shouted " I will not sing this song ! ".
 * Along with his girlfriend  GRUNDGETTA  along with the rest of his fellow Muppets,  OSCAR  participated in singing " Just One Person " at Jim Henson  ' s Memorial.
 * Caroll Spinney is also a golf fan & brought  OSCAR  to the 2007 Irish Open at Adare Manor, where the puppet posed with Padraig " the  GROUCH  " Harrington , the eventual tourney winner.
 *  OSCAR  has become somewhat of a mascot for  WASTE  reduction &  WASTE  management, including Canada ' s  WASTE  Reduction Week , the Japanese Eco Ki ds Project , & various unofficial uses.
 *  OSCAR  claims to own a cell phone . He says of it, "but it weighs 7 pounds — it ' s an old one Jim Henson  threw away . "
 *  OSCAR  makes a cameo appearance in the film Night at the Museum : Battle of the Smithsonian . He tries to get recruited into Kahmunrah ' s army, alongside Darth Vader from Star Wars , as evil people can join , but Kahmunrah finds him " mildly  GROUCHY  . "
 * On the show, the lid on  OSCAR  ' s  TRASH CAN  opens by swinging up , with the back edge still attached . In illustrations ,  OSCAR  normally wears the lid like a hat . & whenever  BRUNO  carries the  TRASH CAN  , the lid hangs from the side.
 *  OSCAR  eats a lot of the same foods that people like . However, he prefers them mixed together in unusual combinations . He paid Ernie & Bert a visit once & traded his ice cream cone for a banana with ice cubes & gravy on it . Another time , he invited Candice Bergen to join him for lunch , which would consist of clam tuna pie with chocolate sauce & anchovies.
 * For Sesame Street ' s 40 t h season, Sesame Workshop created an online promotion spoofing Facebook called " Muppet book " . For his profile ,  OSCAR  said he likes Anchovy milkshakes , but dislikes that he likes anchovy milkshakes . Among his other dislikes were r a i n b o w s , candy & chocolate . He lists his favorite songs  as "  I LOVE TRASH  " , " All You Need Is TRASH " & " I Wanna Hold Your TRASH "

Sesame Street Live Appearances

 * Sesame Jamboree ( 1982 - 1984 )
 * Around the World ( 1983 )
 * Save Our Street ( 1985 - 1986 ; 1986 - 1987 )
 *  BIG BIRD  Goes Hollywood ( 1986 )
 *  BIG BIRD  & the ABC s ( 1987 )
 *  BIG BIRD  ' s Sesame Street Story ( 1988 )
 * Silly Dancing ( 1989 )
 * Sleeping Birdie ( 1990 )
 * Let ' s Play School ( 1990 )
 * When I Grow Up ( 1993 / 1994 ; 1995 / 1996 )
 * Let ' s Be Friends ( 1994 )
 * Elmo ' s Coloring Book ( 1997 )
 *  BIG BIRD  ' s Sunny Day Camp Out ( 1999 )
 * Everyone Makes Music ( 2001 )
 * Out of This World ( 2003 )
 * 1 - 2 - 3 Imagine ! ( 1996 )
 * Super Grover ! Ready for Action ( 2005 )
 * When Elmo Grows Up ( 2007 )
 * Elmo ' s Green Thumb ( 2008 )
 * Elmo ' s Super Heroes ! ( 2010 )
 * Can ' t Stop Singing ( 2012 )

== Cases where  OSCAR THE GROUCH  & BIG BIRD ( characters both performed by  Muppeteer  veteran  Caroll Spinney  ) have appeared in the same scene ==

TV / Movies / Specials

 * Sesame Street ( 1969 - present )


 * Episode 0131 ( 1970 )
 * Episode 2483 ( 1988 )
 * Episode 2485 ( 1988 )
 * Episode 2977 ( 1992 )
 * Episode 3158 ( 1993 )
 * Episode 3656 ( 1997 )
 * Episode 3664 ( 1997 )
 * Episode 3698 ( 1998 )
 * Episode 3699 ( 1998 )
 * Episode 3790 ( 1998 ) ( Matt Vogel  operating the BIG BIRD puppet to a vocal track by  Caroll Spinney  )
 * Episode 3797 ( 1998 )
 * Episode 3831 ( 1999 ) ( Matt Vogel  operating the BIG BIRD puppet to a vocal track by  Caroll Spinney  )
 * Episode 3845 ( 1999 )
 * Episode 3863 ( 2000 )
 * Episode 3866 ( 2000 )
 * Episode 3879 ( 2000 )
 * Episode 3958 ( 2001 ) ( repeat of 3790 ( 1998 ) ) ( Matt Vogel  operating the BIG BIRD puppet to a vocal track by  Caroll Spinney  )
 * Episode 3986 ( 2002 )
 * Episode 3991 ( 2002 )
 * Episode 3992 ( 2002 )
 * Episode 3995 ( 2002 )
 * Episode 3996 ( 2002 )
 * Episode 3997 ( 2002 ) (  Matt Vogel  operating the BIG BIRD puppet to a vocal track by  Caroll Spinney  )
 * Episode 3998 ( 2002 )
 * Episode 4004 ( 2002 )
 * Episode 4030 ( 2002 )
 * Episode 4057 ( 2004 )
 * Episode 4065 ( 2004 )
 * Episode 4081 ( 2004 )
 * Episode 4131 ( 2006 )
 * Episode 4141 ( 2007 )
 * Episode 4142 ( 2007 )
 * Episode 4181 ( 2008 )
 * Episode 4253 ( 2010 )
 * Episode 4266 ( 2011 )
 * Episode 4412 ( 2013 )
 * Sesame Street Theme Intro ( Episode 4187 ( 2009 ) - present )
 * Christ mas Eve on Sesame Street ( 1978 )
 * A Special Sesame Street Christ mas ( 1978 )
 * Don't Eat the Pictures ( 1983 )
 *  BIG BIRD  in China ( 1983 )
 * Follow That Bird ( 1985 )
 * The Muppets : A Celebration of 30 Years ( 1986 )
 * Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Hospital ( 1991 )
 * Sesame Street Home Video Visits the F i r e house ( 1991 )
 * Elmo Saves Christ mas ( 1996 )
 * Quiet Time ( 1997 )
 * Learning to Share ( 1997 )
 * Elmo palooza ( 1998 )
 *  The Adventures of Elmo in  GROUCH  land  ( 1999 )
 * What's the Name of That Song ? ( 2004 )
 * A Celebration of Me, Grover ( 2004 )


 * The Colbert Report ( 2005 - present )

Books

 * Sesame Street ( comic book ) ( 1970 s - present )
 *  OSCAR  ' s Book  ( 1975 )
 *  How to Be a  GROUCH  ( 1976 )
 * Ernie ' s Work of Art ( 1979 )
 *  A Day in the Life of  OSCAR THE GROUCH  ( 1981 )
 *  OSCAR  ' s Rotten Birthday  ( 1981 )
 * Bert & the Missing Mop Mix - Up ( 1983 )
 * Count All the Way to Sesame Street ( 1985 )
 *  BIG BIRD  Can Share ( 1985 )
 * It ' s a Deal ! ( 1986 )
 * Oh, Brother ! ( 1987 )
 * Imagine That ! ( 1987 )
 * Friends to the Rescue ( 1987 )
 * A Birthday Surprise ( Sesame Street ) ( 1987 )
 * The Day Snuffy Had the Sniffles ( 1988 )
 * Oh, I Am So Embarrassed ! ( 1988 )
 *  A  GROUCH ' ' s Christ mas  ( 1990 )
 *  Big Bird  Plays the Violin ( 1990 )
 *  Big BIRD  Is Yellow ( 1990 )
 * Sesame Street coloring books ( Sony ) ( 2010s )
 *  BIG BIRD  at Home ( 2011 )

Audio

 * Camping in Canada ( 1981 )

Songs

 * Just Three Co lo rs ( 1972 )
 * Simple Song ( 1972 )
 * Singing in the Shower ( 1986 )
 * Great Big Beautiful World ( 1998 )
 * If You ' re Happy & You Know It ( 2001 ) from Ki ds ' Favorite Songs 2 ( album )
 * Is It Alive ? ( 2002 )

Sesame Street Live

 * Around the World ( 1983 )
 * Save Our Street ( 1985 - 1986 ; 1986 - 1987 )
 * Silly Dancing ( 1989 )
 * When I Grow Up ( 1993 - 1994 ; 1995 - 1996 )
 * Elmo ' s Coloring Book ( 1997 )
 * When Elmo Grows Up ( 2007 )
 * Elmo ' s Green Thumb ( 2008 )