Moishe Oofnik

  Muppeteer :   Gilles Ben - David   Moishe Oofnik  ( אופניק מוישה ) 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 Rechov Sumsum / Shara ' a Simsim. In 2006, he returned for the new version of Rechov Sumsum.

Oofnik 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 app le 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. According to 1 scene from the show ( re - dubbed for the Shalom Sesame episode, " Kibbutz " ) , Moishe ' s grandfather was a pioneer & the 1 st  Grouch  in Israel.

Oofnik is the only Israeli Muppet who has endured since the 1 st 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 for ever . "

His surname, Oofnik is Hebrew for  Grouch . In 1993, he & Kippi Ben Kippod appeared on ''[http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sesame_Street_Stays_Up_Late! 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. He also makes a cameo ( albiet colored yellow ) in the 1 st Sesame Street comic book issue.

TV / Movies / Specials

 * Rechov Sumsum ( 1982 - present )
 * Shalom Sesame ( 1986 - present )
 * Rechov Sumsum / Shara'a Simsim (1998 - present )
 * Sesame Street Stays Up Late ! ( 1993 )