Oscar the Grouch

  Earliest Known Appearance :  EPISODE 000 1   OSCAR   THE   GROUCH  is, without a doubt , the most famous  GROUCH  in the world & also 1  of the key  character s  on  SESAME STREET . He lives in a  TRASH CAN  that is right between  BIG BIRD  ’ s  NEST  & 1 2 3   SESAME STREET . In fact, he loves  TRASH  so much that he ' s rarely seen out side of his  TRASH CAN  ever. His trade mark 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 show n sing in at his  TRASH CAN  , & no where else.  OSCAR  ’ s birth day , according to  SESAME STREET   Magazine  , is  June 1  s t.

Like all  GROUCHES ,  OSCAR  ’ s mission in life is to be as miserable &  GROUCH Y  as possible , & pass that feeling o n to everyone else. When a visitor knocks o n his  TRASH CAN  - - invariably interrupting him from a nap or an important task,  OSCAR  greet s the m wit h a snarl. He always complain s that he want s to be left alone, although when he ' s left entirely to himself , he ' s dissatisfied - - there is n ' t any body a round to irritate or complain to.  OSCAR  has said that : "  I   DON ' T  really like being happy . But then, some time s somebody will give  me  a nice bag of  TRASH  , & I ’ m going to get a chance to look through i t . So t hat make s  me  happy . But  I   DON ’ T  like to be happy .  I  ’ d like to be miserable . But being happy make s  me  miserable . So  I  like being miserable , so that make s me happy . But  I   DON ' T  like being happy . That make s me miser able . But be in g miser able make s  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| 2  GROUCHES  is understand ably rocky.  GRUNDGETTA  usually calls him  OSKIE  while he occasion a ll y call s her   GRUNGIE .  OSCAR  &  GRUNDGETTA , in addition to being a " coup le " , are best friends as well.  OSCAR  &  GRUNDGETTA  have been friend s for " a  very  long time ", as stated by  OSCAR  & Gordon  ’ s sister  Olivia  in  EPISODE 2 1 0 7 .  Elmo  &  Telly Monster  both consider  OSCAR  to be a close friend, although  OSCAR  dispute s this since  Telly  &  Elmo  are the 2   m o n s t e r s  that  OSCAR  just does n ' t like a t all.  OSCAR  reluctant l y confirmed i n GROUCHland that  Elmo  w as, how eve r , indeed his friend.

 OSCAR  ' s family  include s his  grand mother. Granny  GROUCH , who appear ed in season 2  of  SESAME STREET  , & was the 1| 1  st indication on the  series  that  GROUCHES  are a completely separate species. Since then  OSCAR  has been visited by his grand father ,  GRANDPA GROUCH  & his  mother  ,  M R S . GROUCH  , & some time s babysit s his  niece  ,  Irvine . He has 2| 2  brother s ,  ERNEST  &  OTTO  a l on g w / a  sister  name d  BUNNY . I n bo t h episode 0 1 3 1  &  A Special  SESAME   STREET  Chris t mas ,  OSCAR  revealed that he also has a  FATHER .

 OSCAR  is 4 3 year s old according t o performer   CAROLL SPINNEY .

Origin s
According to  SESAME   STREET   UN  paved , " 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 s o rude &  GROUCH Y  that he surpass ed 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 t hem & their waiter forever became immortalize d as the world ’ s most famous  GROUCH  . " In the  Ask  HENSON  . com  web column ,  JIM HENSON   Company  Archivist  Karen Falk  sa id that the rest aur a nt was name d  OSCAR  ' s Salt of the Sea - - & went on to say , " Some of the d e sign s that we have in the Archive s were done by  JIM  on  OSCAR  ' s paper place mat s ! "

While  JIM HENSON  ’ s 1| 1 st  OSCAR  sketches we re colored purple, the original  OSCAR  puppet was orange (  HENSON  later said in an interview that this change was made cause the early cameras could n ' t capture the color right ). In chapter 9| 9  of the book  T he 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 19 7 0  &  OSCAR  ' s explanation for that was that he had vacationed a t  Swamp Mushy  MUDDY , where the dampness had turned him green over night. In a 2 00 3  appearance,  OSCAR  stated that while his time in  Swamp Mushy  MUDDY  made him appear green , he is still in fact orange under neath all t he slime & mold. ( with an except ion , he ' s just n ever t a k e n a bath ).

 OSCAR  explained his family  root s & fur color again in a  Life Magazine  article i n  2 00 9 , " Most of the  family  was orange . But I had a lovely vacation in  Swamp Mushy  MUDDY  resort . It was s o dark & dreary I kind of turn ed  GREEN  . It ' s mostly moss . I like i t — it goes with  my  eyes .  I  accident ally took a bath once , turn ed orange again & wash ed all the moss o ff , so I went right back to  Swamp Mushy  MUDDY  , & h e re I a m . " "

In his introduction to the book   SESAME   STREET  : A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on t he  STREET  ( which also contained h i s lunch from yesterday, grape juice , & something unidentifiable ) ,  OSCAR  tells how he ended up on  SESAME STREET  , saying he was a nor mal  GROUCH  when  Joan Ganz Cooney  &  Jon Stone  decided to create the  show  , they hire d  JIM HENSON  , who bugged him until he agreed to be on the  show  for the 1| 1  st  episode  only. He headed off to Swamp Mushy  MUDDY  after t h e production wrapped, disgust ed , but discovered that h i s agent , Bernie , had signed a contract to have him on the entire run o f  SESAME STREET .  OSCAR  became so mad he t hat he turned  GREEN  ( a fictitious explanation around how he became  GREEN  ), but figure d the show  would n ’ t run f o r more than 6| 6  month s any w a y ( obviously disappoint ed ).

 CAROLL SPINNEY  says that  OSCAR  ’ s voice on another New York  resident - - a Bronx taxi driver who drove  him  to  his  1| 1  st day  performing  the character. On entering the cab, t he driver snapped , " Where t o , Mac  ? "

 OSCAR  ’ s 1  s t line o n  SESAME STREET , in  episode 1  , was " Don ' t bang on  MY   CAN  ! Go a way . " This would sum up his personality as it would remain for over  4 0  y ear s.

Performing OSCAR
During season 1  o f  SESAME STREET , the set of the  STREET  was arranged in such a w ay that  SPINNEY  , who is right - handed , w as force d t o operate  OSCAR  ' s head w / his left hand. Eventual l y, a subsequent r e design of the  STREET  let  SPINNEY  switch hand s.

I n scene s where  BIG BIRD  &  OSCAR  ( both performed  b y  CAROLL SPINNEY  ) interact in a scene together, the situation has varied depending on the amount of line s  1  or the other is give n. When  SPINNEY  perform s  BIG BIRD , a 2| 2 nd puppeteer operate s  OSCAR  to  SPINNEY  ’ s voice. The puppeteer s have include d  JERRY NELSON  ( c . 1 970  s ). & Jim Martin  (  1 99 0  s -  2 000  s ). Paul McGinnis also puppeteer ed  OSCAR  at the  2 00 3   Annual  SESAME  Work s hop Benefit Gala.

As of Sea s on 4 6 ,  SPINNEY  no longer puppeteer s  OSCAR  full - time on the show. By 2 0 1 5 ,  ERIC JACOBSON  became  SPINNEY  ’ s under study for  OSCAR .  JACOBSON  performed  OSCAR  for his  Sprout  appearances o n February 2 1  s t,  2 0 1 5  ; some time s lip - syncing to a pre record ed vocal track by  SPINNEY  , & other time s doing the voice  himself.  JACOBSON  also performed  OSCAR , un - dubbed , on a 2 0 1 6  appearance on  Last Week Tonight with John Oliver  & a  You Tube  video promoting the  SESAME  Studio s  channel.  SPINNEY  continue s to puppeteer  OSCAR  sporadically, such as at live e vent s.

Transportation
 OSCAR  has many form s o f transportation. He can move w / his legs sticking out of his  TRASH CAN , as seen in early 1 9 7 0 s   SESAME STREET   episode s  ( portray e d by  Hervé Villechaize  ) , i n the  special s   Chris t mas  Eve on  SESAME   STREET  ,  DON ' T  Eat the P i c t u r e s  & various stage show s. He also often had  BRUNO THE TRASH MAN  just carry his  TRASH CAN  around while he ' s i n side. 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 3 9 5 8. In a few episode s  he has al so made a few out - of -  his  -  TRASH  -  CAN  appearances during which the top half of his body is show n. Also, when he sing s , "  I  ’ m Sad Be cause  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 s a y s " S| S  C  R  A  M  ".  OSCAR  has also been seen driving a broken - down taxi.

Trivia

 * According to  CAROLL SPINNEY  ' s book  The Wisdom o f  BIG   BIRD  ( &amp; the Dark  GENIUS  of  OSCAR   THE   GROUCH  ) : Lessons from a Life in  FEATHERS ,  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 Work shop , eliciting dismay from the mail room staff . An Information Department staff member wrote in March  1 971  , " Aside from an unopened can of sardines , which are probably perfectly good ,  OSCAR  has been gifted with a box of old sneaker s ( not a box o f Snickers ) , a ratty old bathing cap , some stale poppy seeds & some used Kleenex es . On the o the r side o f the co in , an adult fan sent a $ 50 check to purchase a new  TRASH CAN  . W e may soon need one for h i s fan mail ! "
 *  OSCAR  temporarily turned white ( & nice ) in the  SESAME STREET   Live  show  Elmo  ’ s Coloring Book  in 1997.
 * Although he does n ' t have a nose visible t o the T V audience, he insists he has one ( as well as ear s ) , as he did in an early 9 0 s   episode  when  Ruby  kept giving him a hard time about i t . Year s earlier , another episode had explain ed that he h as a " cute " nub hidden among his fur.
 * When appearing on the game show  1 vs 1 00 ,  OSCAR  revealed his age to Bob Saget  claim in g he ' s 4 3 years old & has always been 4 3.
 * I n  A Muppet Family Chris t mas ,  OSCAR  s hare s 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 Hall s  " , as when it came time for him to sing the line " Follow me in merry measure " he shouted " I will not sing t his song ! ".
 * Along with his girlfriend  GRUNDGETTA  along with the rest of his fellow Muppet s ,  OSCAR  participated in sing in g "  Just 1 Person  " at  Jim Henson  ' s  Memorial.
 *  CAROLL SPINNEY  is also a golf fan & brought  OSCAR  t o the 2 00 7   Irish  Open at Adare Manor, where the puppet posed with Padraig " t he  GROUCH  " Harrington , t h e eventual tourney win ner.
 *  OSCAR  has become somewhat of a mascot f or  WASTE  reduction &  WASTE  manage ment, including Canada  ' s  WASTE   Reduction Week  , the  Japan e s e   E c o Ki ds Project  , & various u n official u se s.
 *  OSCAR  claim s to own a cell phone . He says of i t, " but it weigh s 7| 7 pounds — it ' s an old one  Jim HENSON  threw a way . "
 *  OSCAR  makes a cameo appearance in the film  Night a t 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 find s him " mild l y  GROUCHY  . "
 * On t he show , the lid on  OSCAR  ' s  TRASH CAN  opens by swinging up , wit h t he back edge still attached . In illustration s ,  OSCAR  normally wear s the lid like a hat . & when ever  BRUNO  carries the  TRASH CAN  , the lid hang s from the side.
 *  OSCAR  eats a lot of the same foods that people like . However, he prefers them mixed together i n un usual combination s . He paid  Ernie  &  Bert  a visit once & traded his ice cream  cone for a banana with ice cube s & gravy on i t . Another time , he invited  Candice Bergen  to join him f or lunch , which would consist of clam tuna pie with chocolate sauce & anchovies.
 * For  SESAME STREET  ' s 4 0  t h  season ,  SESAME  Work shop  created an online promotion spoofing  Face book  c all ed "  Muppet  boo k " . For his profile ,  OSCAR  said he like s Anchovy milkshake s , but dislike s that he like s anchovy milk shakes . Among his other dis like s were  r a i n b o w s  , candy & chocolate . He list s his favorite  song s  a s "  I LOVE TRASH  " , "  All You Need Is  TRASH  " & "  I  Wanna Ho ld Your  TRASH  "

SESAME STREET  Live  Appearances

 *  SESAME  Jamboree  ( 1 9 8 2  -  1 9 8 4  )
 *  Around the World  ( 1 9 8 3  )
 *  Save Ou r  STREET  ( 1 9 8 5  -  1 9 8 6  ;  1 9 8 6  -  1 9 8 7  )
 *  BIG   BIRD  Go e s Holly wood  ( 1 9 8 6  )
 *  BI G   BIRD  &amp; the A B C s  ( 1 9 8 7  )
 *  BIG   BIRD  ’ s  SESAME   STREET  Story  ( 1 9 88  )
 *  Sill y Dancing  ( 1 9 8 9  )
 *  Sleep in g  BIRDIE  ( 1 99 0  )
 *  Let ’ s Play School  ( 1 99 0  )
 *  When I Grow U p  ( 1 99 3  /  1 99 4  ;  1 99 5  /  1 99 6  )
 *  Where ' s the  BIRDIE  ?  ( 1 99 0  )
 *  L et ’ s Be Friend s  ( 1 99 4  )
 *  Elmo  ’ s Color in g Book  ( 1 99 7  )
 *  BIG   BIRD  ’ s  Sunny  Day Camp O ut  ( 1 999  )
 *  Eve r y one Make s Music  ( 2 00 1  )
 *  Out of This World  ( 2 00 3  )
 *  1 - 2 - 3 Imagine !  ( 1 99 6  )
 *  Super   Grover  ! Ready for Action  ( 2 00 5  )
 *  When  Elmo  Grow s Up  ( 2 0 0 7  )
 *  Elmo  ’ s  GREEN   THUMB  ( 2 00 8  )
 *  Elmo  ’ s Super Hero e s !  ( 2 0 1 0  )
 *  Can ' t Stop Singing  ( 2 0 1 2  )

== Case s where  OSCAR   THE   GROUCH  &  BIG BIRD  ( characters  both  performed  b y  Muppeteer   veteran   CAROLL SPINNEY  ) have appeared in the same scene ==

T V / Movie s  /  Special s

 *  SESAME STREET   ( 1 9 69  - present )


 * Episode 0 1 3 1 (  19 7 0  )
 * Episode 2 4 8 3 (  1 9 88  )
 * Episode 2 4 8 5 (  19 88  )
 * Episode 2 9 77 (  1 99 2  )
 * Episode 3 1 5 8 (  1 99 3  )
 * Episode 3 6 5 6 (  1 99 7  )
 * Episode 3 66 4 (  1 99 7  )
 *  EPISODE 3 6 9 8  ( 1 99 8  )
 * Episode 3 6 99 (  1 99 8  )
 * Episode 3 7 9 0 (  1 99 8  ) (  MATT VOGEL  operating the  BIG BIRD   puppet  to a vocal track by  CAROLL SPINNEY  )
 * Episode 3 7 9 7 (  1 99 8  )
 * Episode 3 8 0 4 (  1 999  )
 * Episode 3 8 3 1 (  1 999  ) (  MATT VOGEL  operating the  BIG BIRD   puppet  t o a vocal track by  CAROLL SPINNEY  )
 *  EPISODE 3 8 3 8  ( 1 999  ) (  MATT VOGEL  operating the  BIG BIRD   puppet  t o a vocal track by  CAROLL SPINNEY  )
 * Episode 3 8 4 5 (  1 999  )
 * Episode 3 8 6 3 (  2 000  )
 *  EPISODE 3 8 66  ( 2 000  )
 * Episode 3 8 7 9 (  2 000  )
 * Epi sode 3 9 5 8 (  2 00 1  ) (  MATT VOGEL  operating the  BIG BIRD   puppet  to a vocal track by  CAROLL SPINNEY  )
 * Episode 3 9 8 6 (  2 00 2  )
 * Episode 3 99 1 (  2 00 2  )
 * Episode 3 99 2 (  2 00 2  )
 * Episode 3 99 5 (  2 00 2  )
 * Episode 3 99 6 (  2 00 2  )
 *  EPISODE 3 99 7  ( 2 00 2  ) (  MATT VOGEL  operating the  BIG BIRD   puppet  t o a vocal track by  CAROLL SPINNEY  )
 * Episode 3 99 8 (  2 00 2  )
 * Episode 4 00 4 (  2 00 2  )
 *  EPISODE 4 0 3 0  ( 2 00 2  )
 *  EPISODE 4 0 4 1  ( 2 00 2  )
 * Episode 4 0 5 7 (  2 00 4  )
 * Episode 4 0 6 5 (  2 00 4  )
 * Episode 4 0 8 1 (  2 00 4  )
 * Episode 4 1 3 1 (  2 00 6  )
 * Episode 4 1 4 1 (  2 00 7  )
 * Episode 4 1 4 2 (  2 00 7  )
 *  EPISODE 4 1 8 1  ( 2 00 8  )
 *  EPISODE 4 2 5 3  ( 2 0 1 0  )
 * Episode 4 2 66 (  2 0 11  )
 * Episode 44 1 2 (  2 0 1 3  )
 * Episode 4 6 2 5 (  2 0 1 6  )
 *  SESAME STREET  Theme Intro  (  Episode 4 1 8 7  (  2 00 9  ) - present )
 *  Christ mas Eve on  SESAME   STREET  (  1 9 7 8  )
 *  A Special  SESAME   STREET  Chris t mas  ( 1 9 7 8  )
 *  DON ' T  Eat t h e P i c t u r e s  ( 1 9 8 3  )
 *  BIG   BIRD  in China  ( 19 8 3  )
 *  Follow That  BIRD  ( 1 9 8 5  )
 *  The Muppet s : A Celebration of 30 Year s  ( 1 9 8 6  )
 *  SESAME   STREET  Home Video Visit s t he Hospital  ( 1 99 1  )
 *  SESAME   STREET  Home Video Visit s the F i r e house  ( 1 99 1  )
 *  BIG   BIRD  ’ s Birth day or Let  ME  Eat Cake  ( 1 99 1  )
 *  Elmo  Save s Chris t m as  ( 1 99 6  )
 *  Quiet Ti me  ( 1 99 7  )
 *  Learn in g to S hare  ( 1 99 7  )
 *  Elmo  pa looza  ( 1 99 8  )
 *  The Adventure s of  Elmo  in  GROUCH  land  ( 1 999  )
 *  What ' s t h e Name of That Song ?  ( 2 0 0 4  )
 *  A Celebration of  Me ,  Grover  ( 2 00 4  )

Book s

 *  SESAME   STREET  ( comic book )  ( 1 9 7 0 s  - present )
 *  OSCAR  ’ s Book  ( 1 9 7 5  )
 *  How t o B e a  GROUCH  ( 1 9 7 6  )
 *  Ernie  ’ s Work o f Art  ( 1 9 7 9  )
 *  A Day in the Life of  OSCAR   THE   GROUCH  ( 1 9 8 1  )
 *  OSCAR  ’ s  ROTTEN  Birth day  ( 1 9 8 1  )
 *  Bert  &amp; the Missing Mop Mix - Up  ( 1 9 8 3  )
 *  Ernie  ’ s Little L ie  ( 1 9 8 3  )
 *  Count  All t he Way t o  SESAME   STREET  ( 1 9 8 5  )
 *  BIG   BIRD  Can Share  ( 1 9 8 5  )
 *  It ’ s a De a l !  ( 1 9 8 6  )
 *  O h, Bro th e r !  ( 1 9 8 7  )
 *  Imagine T hat !  ( 1 9 8 7  )
 *  Friend s to t he Rescue (  BIG BIRD  Story Magic )  ( 1 9 8 7  )
 *  A Birth d a y Sur prise (  SESAME   STREET  )  ( 1 9 8 7  )
 *  Do n ’ t B e Shy  ( 1 9 8 7  )
 *  T h e Day  Snuffy  Had the Sniffle s  ( 1 9 88  )
 *  Oh,  I  Am So Embarrassed !  ( 1 9 88  )
 *  A  GROUCH  ’ s Christ mas  ( 1 99 0  )
 *  A  BIRD  ’ s Best Friend  ( 1 99 0  )
 *  BIG BIRD  Play s the Violin  ( 1 99 0  )
 *  BIG   BIRD  Is  YELLOW  ( 1 99 0  )
 *  T he Poky Little Puppy Come s to  SESAME   STREET  ( 1 99 7  )
 *  SESAME   STREET  color ing book s ( Sony )  ( 2 0 1 0 s  )
 *  BIG   BIRD  at Home  ( 2 0 11  )

Audio

 *  Camping in Canada  ( 1 9 8 1  )

Song s

 *  Ju st Three Co lo r s  ( 1 9 7 2  )
 *  Simple Son g  ( 1 9 7 2  )
 *  Singing in the Shower  ( 1 9 8 6  )
 *  Itch &amp; S c r a t ch  ( 1 99 3  )
 *  Great  BIG  Beautiful World  ( 1 99 8  )
 *  If You ’ re Happy &amp; You Know It  ( 2 00 1  ) from  K i d s ' Favorite Songs 2 ( album ) 
 *  I s I t A live ?  ( 2 00 2  )

SESAME STREET  Live

 *  Around the World  ( 1 9 8 3  )
 *  Save O ur  STREET  ( 1 9 8 5  -  1 9 8 6  ;  1 9 8 6  -  1 9 8 7  )
 *  Sill y Dancing  ( 1 9 8 9  )
 *  When I Grow U p  ( 1 99 3  -  1 99 4  ;  1 99 5  -  1 99 6  )
 *  Elmo  ’ s Coloring Book  ( 1 99 7  )
 *  When  Elmo  G row s Up  ( 2 00 7  )
 *  Elmo  ’ s  GREEN   THUMB  ( 2 00 8  )