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Over time, I'm going to collect what information I can about these tiny figures and include it all here in one place because, well, I'm just obsessed enough with these little Sesame dudes to do so! Once completed, I'm hoping this page will serve as a reference to help collectors properly identify these numerous, awesome little Sesame dudes. The list is in order by year beginning in 1974 up to 2010. Applause PVC figures are shown on their own page, as are figurines by Fisher-Price / Illco / Tyco / Mattel.
Very important! If you see that I've made a mistake identifying something, or think that I have, please let me know on the comments page (link is above) or send me an email. I'd rather double check the info to see if it's correct than leave an error posted. I appreciate the second set of eyes! :)
As I'm just getting started, this page is still a work in progress and is by no means a complete list. I will update it every so often. Okay, here we go..... Yayyy! Sesame PVC figures!!!
Fisher-Price, Little People Playset, 1974
See Sesame Street Figurines Part 3, Fisher-Price / Tyco / Mattel 1974 - 2010
Questor / Child Horizons / Child Guidance, 1974
The year 1974 was very big for Sesame Street merchandising, as at least three different companies produced officially licensed figures based on the Muppet characters. One of those companies was Questor.
Not only did Questor produce my favourite Sesame toy hand puppets and finger puppets to date, but in 1974 we also got some nifty little PVC dudes to play with. Sold in boxed sets of three, these were the very first Sesame Street PVC figures that were available in North America. They were marketed as "Muppet Miniatures".
Three pack boxed set Box designed to be a wall with three doors and a sidewalk, figures attached with individual bubbles in each door.
Big Bird, mouth open, both hands flat against tummy, feet attached together with a space between legs, detail of feathers and proportioning of figure is much nicer than the Minikins and Bullyland figures mentioned below
Cookie Monster dark blue, upper half of figure is sculpted to look the same as the Child Guidance Cookie Monster finger puppet with the mouth in the same shape and both hands overlapping on his tummy
Oscar, bright green fur, light grey trash can with unevenly dented sides, both hands on edge of can, a very nicely detailed figure
Three pack boxed set Box designed to be a wall with three doors and a sidewalk, figures attached with individual bubbles in each door.
Bert, wearing solid green shirt, white collar, black pants and shoes, right hand flat on side of chin, mouth slightly open, left hand flat across tummy
Ernie wearing solid blue shirt, both hands flat against tummy, black pants and shoes, feet are sculpted too large for figure
Grover dark blue, head tilted to his left, left arm bent with hand on chest flat against figure, right hand behind back, legs together (this figure is the mirror opposite of the "Abrete Sesamo" version sold in Spain)
Three pack boxed set Box designed to be a police car with three figures inside, all are in the same bubble.
Bert, wearing small blue police hat, solid green shirt, white collar, black pants and shoes, right hand holding a whistle to his mouth, mouth slightly open, left hand flat across tummy
Ernie wearing large blue police hat, solid blue shirt, both hands flat against tummy, holding a stop sign flat against figure in right hand, black pants and shoes, feet are sculpted too large for figure
Sherlock Hemlock figure is sculpted to look the same as the Child Guidance Sherlock Hemlock finger puppet, light green face, mouth slightly open, dark green outfit and hat, holding magnifying glass flat against figure in left hand, right arm flat against side, black pants and shoes
Three pack boxed set Box designed to be a fire truck with three figures inside, all are in the same bubble.
Betty Lou, pink face, wearing red fire hat and light blue dress, pig tails stick out from sides of head, holding a fire hose
Betty Lou, variation with purple face, otherwise same as above figure (to be confirmed if this is an actual manufactured variation or simply discoloured plastic due to age)
Big Bird, wearing red fire hat, mouth open, both hands flat against tummy holding red axe, feet attached together with a space between legs,
Grover dark blue, head tilted to his left, wearing red fire hat, both hands and arms flat on chest holding a ladder, legs together
Three pack boxed set "Hansel and Gretel" theme, box designed to be a house, figures attached with individual bubbles in a large window
Connie the Witch green face and hands, light blue dress, green hat and shawl, holding a yellow and black broom in left hand, right hand flat against body (this is the only PVC figure of this character to date)
Ernie as Hansel, wearing green overall shorts, white short sleeve shirt, arms flat against sides, legs together
Betty Lou as Gretel, wearing blue dress with straps at shoulders, white shirt, arms flat against sides
Three pack boxed set "Little Red Riding Hood" theme, box designed to be a house, figures attached with individual bubbles in a large window
Big Bad Wolf (box says "Herry Monster dressed as the Wolf"), light blue wolf, yellow nightgown with white trim, arms held up at sides of head (this is the only PVC figure of this character to date)
Grover as the Woodsman, head tilted to left, wearing red jacket and hat, both hands and arms flat on chest holding a brown stick, legs together
Prairie Dawn as Little Red Riding Hood wearing a red hood with cape, light blue dress, basket on right arm, both hands flat against tummy
"Abrete Sesamo" Three pack boxed set Box designed to be a wall with three doors and a sidewalk, figures attached with individual bubbles in each door. Sold in Spain.
Bert, wearing solid green shirt, white collar, black pants and shoes, right hand flat on center of chest, left arm flat against side
Ernie wearing solid blue shirt, left hand flat against chest, right hand sculpted out to side, black pants and shoes
Grover dark blue, head tilted to his right, right arm bent with hand on chest flat against figure, right hand behind back, legs together (this figure is the mirror opposite of the North American version)
Sesame Street Train Set
Heimo "Minikins", 1974
Figures are marked with a small circle logo. These were sold only in Europe.
Bert with white collar
Betty Lou, pink face, blue dress with white collar, blue bow on top of head, yellow pig tails stick out from sides of head
Big Bird, mouth is clearly open, waiving with right hand, left hand flat against tummy, legs and feet painted dark orange, feet attached together with a space between legs
Cookie Monster, dark blue, mouth not painted (shown above)
Ernie (shown above)
Grover (shown above)
Herry Monster, light blue fur, yellow pants
Herry Monster, dark blue fur variation (shown above)
Lefty the Salesman brown suit (shown above, this is the first PVC figure of this character)
Oscar holding a brown shoe, he does not have any eyebrows (they were not painted)
Professor Hastings, light blue head, brown moustache and hair, white vest and pants with yellow shirt, brown shoes (this is the first PVC figure of this character)
Roosevelt Franklin, pink head, solid yellow shirt, black pants and shoes (this is the only PVC figure of this character to date)
Sherlock Hemlock green head, brown moustache and hair, brown suit and hat, black shoes, holding a magnifying glass in left hand
Series 2 The Muppet Wiki sight has one photo showing all six of these figures. It is attached at the bottom of the photo list on their website with little information. Apparently the figures are from Australia, 1980's. They have a similar look to the Bullyland figures noted further below on this page.
Bert, wearing solid green shirt, white collar, brown pants, blue and white shoes, right hand flat on side of chin, left hand flat on tummy
Big Bird, mouth slightly open, head tilted back slightly, waiving with right hand, feet attached together with a small space between legs, feathers are not sculpted with as much detail as series 1 figure
Cookie Monster dark blue fur, holding cookie in left hand, right arm flat against figure
Ernie wearing solid red shirt with yellow trim, blue pants, red shoes, right arm held out to side waiving, lefts arm flat against tummy
Grover leaning against a grey object (possibly a fire hydrant), both arms hanging straight down, right leg crossed over left
Oscar, in trash can, does not appear to have any hands
Additional Figures (These are shown on the Muppet Wiki site, I have never seen them before otherwise)
Bert dressed as a fire fighter holding a hose, grey jacket with red stripe across back and arms, hat has grey brim with red top section, black pants, brown boots, green shirt, red nose nozzle, black hose
Cookie Monster dressed as a baker holding a spoon in his right hand, holding his finger to his mouth
Ernie playing a brown guitar, solid blue shirt, black pants and shoes
Paper Mate Pen Holders Marked "Muppets Inc. 1981" Each of these figures are attached to a brown base. Sold individually in window boxes. These are far more detailed and nicer than the above figures.
Bert green and yellow striped shirt, eyes/irises looking to left
Ernie red and blue striped shirt, eyes/irises looking to left
Sherlock Hemlock holding magnifying glass in right hand
Characters from Sesamstrasse (Info from Muppet Wiki) Samson is a bear and Tiffy is a pink bird
Samson furry brown chubby figure with dark brown face, black nose, white shoes, with his left hand straight down against his side, his right arm bent, both arms molded flat against the figure
Samson furry brown chubby figure with dark brown face, black nose, white shoes, wearing white bandana, holding a yellow cake (or waffle?) in his right hand
Tiffy pink figure, mouth closed, white eyes, no eyelids or irises, holding both arms out to the side, head turned slightly to the left, standing with legs and feet together, legs are extremely short, feet painted red
Tiffy pink figure, mouth partially open (a thin line), fingers molded spread apart, holding right arm out to the side, waiving with left hand, head turned to the left, standing with legs and feet together, legs are extremely short, feet painted red
Knickerbocker, 1978
In 1977 Knickerbocker produced a tub toy playset that came with three PVC figures, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch. Oddly enough, these figures are smaller versions of the Educational Toys finger puppets from 1971, which were also produced by Child Guidance in 1973. Additionally, they are almost identical to the PVC figures made by Child Guidance in 1974. I have no idea why Knickerbocker was allowed to produce PVC figures that are based on toys from another toy companies product line? (When a toy company discontinues a licensed toy, I wonder if the license owner can then offer that toy to other company to produce???) A photo of the tub toy with figures is shown on Muppet Wiki.
Big Bird standing with hands flat against tummy, space between legs, feet attached together. The head is much rounder than the Child Guidance version.
Cookie Monster standing with hands flat against tummy, his lips do not stick out as seen on the Child Guidance version.
Oscar the Grouch standing as a full-body figure without his trash can, which is also how Knickerbocker designed their plush toys of Oscar. This is the only PVC figure of Oscar without his can that I know of.
Delacoste, 1978
"1 Rue Sesame" figures Sold in France
Toccata white bird, body is shaped similar to a penguin, black dots for eyes, brown eyebrows, orange beak and feet, feet attached together with a small space between legs, both arms straight out to sides
Mordicus dark blue figure, ears sticking out at sides of head, one black eyebrow over both eyes, right arm bent at elbow with hand out to side, left arm hanging down with hand slightly lifted out front, legs separate
Wilson, late 1970's or early 1980's, second set likely made in 1990's
Wilson made two sets of cake topper figures. The first set of figures are not PVC figures as they are made out of hard plastic, however I wanted to include them here for identification sake. I've often seen them listed on e-bay as PVC figures but they are not PVC! They're also much smaller than typical PVC figures. This was the standard Sesame Street cake decoration set available in stores for at least a full decade. An entire generation of kid's had these on their cake during birthday parties all across North America. As they were manufactured for so long there are many production variations, specifically colour variations, for each figure.
Tara Toy Corp, 1980's (later distributed by Child Dimension, 1993)
In the 1980s Tara Toys made four sets of Sesame Street PVC figures, a set of finger puppets, Tricky Trikes figures (Bert or Big Bird on a tricycle), and an awesome series of action figures. They also made a collector's case that held 12 figures, though I'm not sure what size of figure (if it was intended for PVC figures or the action figures). From the various packaging of these toys it's possible to put a production date on all but two of the PVC sets. However, all of the Tara Toy Sesame items were definitely made in the 1980s. The action figures and Tricky Trikes are shown on the Sesame Street: 1980-1989 page of this blog, and the finger puppets are shown on the Sesame Street Finger Puppets page.
It's always been my assumption that the two PVC figure sets that have no dates were the first sets to be made, as they are more cheaply made, however it's possible that they were made last. Each set has six figures featuring Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird and Grover. One set has the characters with white hats and canes and the other set presents the characters doing different outdoor activities. Both sets are shown below. These were sold in North America.
These two sets are not true PVC figures as they are made out of a harder type of plastic rather than the typical PVC rubber-like plastic, so they seem to be more cheaply made. Tara Toys made additional figures, aside from these first two sets, that were made with the typical PVC figure material (shown further below) and therefore they were better quality figures. So it looks like the quality of the Tara Toy Sesame figures improved over time. It would be odd for a toy company to do the reverse and start making cheaper, poorly made toys after establishing their brand as being of a certain quality, though it's certainly possible.
There were variations for Cookie Monster in both of these sets. The Cookie Monster with the cane has three variations. He was made with a very thin cane, slightly thinker cane, and a very thick cane. His Irises are also different for each of these figures, being large or small and looking up or forwards. The Cookie Monster holding the toy boat can also be found with large or small irises, shown below.
"Sesamstraat" PVC figures
Pino with white hat and cane
Pino playing tennis
Pino playing a red acoustic guitar
Top row: Telly, Cookie Monster, Bert
Bottom row: Grover, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Ernie, Honker, and Count
Series 4: Figures with playsets (Some info found on Muppet Wiki)
This series of PVC figures were sold individually on bubble cards and came with a small rectangular playset that was illustrated to look like the section of a wall from a building. Each playset had a working door. Nine characters were included in this set, made in 1987. All 9 figures were also released together in a boxed set without the houses (shown below). The figures in this set were made with a nicer quality than previous Tara Toys Sesame PVC sets.
I believe this was the first time that Telly Monster and Honker were made as PVC figures. The Applause toy company also made a Honker PVC figure in the 1980's, so I'm not sure which was first, but to my knowledge Applause didn't make a figure of Telly.
Bert wearing a blue police hat, holing both arms out to sides with whistle in left hand, dark green pants, white and black shoes. Came with Police station playset.
Big Bird as a mailman, standing holding a letter in his right hand, wearing a blue mailman hat (no jacket), his arms and the letter are sculpted to be flat against his body. Came with Post Office playset.
Cookie Monster, dressed as a baker in light blue hat and apron, holding a cookie in his right hand. Came with Bake Shop playset.
Count with grey pants, solid green cape, holding up an ice cream cone with a black cone and white ice cream, both arms raise upwards, wearing a small white hat. Came with Ice Cream store playset.
Ernie wearing a red fire fighter's hat, holding a black hose that is wrapped around his left leg. Comes with Fire Department playset.
Grover dressed as a farmer with red overalls, straw hat, holding a rake in his left hand, right arm bent with hand on his hip. Came with barn wall playset.
Honker dressed as a crossing guard, pink fur, white belt, arms held up out to sides, legs separate. Comes with School playset.
Oscar in a silver trash can sweeping with a beige broom on left side using both hands, wearing a small grey hat. Comes with junkyard playset (illustrated wooden wall with door).
Telly Monster as a construction worker, pink fur, wide beige tool belt, holding up a hammer in his left hand, a saw in his right hand next to his leg. Comes with a construction zone playset (illustrated wooden beams as frame of building with blue sky)
Bullyland / Bully, 1984 and 1990 (most of this info is from Muppet Wiki)
First series, 1984
Betty Lou sliming with mouth open, red mouth, pink face, yellow hair with long pony tails on both sides, light blue bow in top of head, light blue dress with white lace trim and belt, darker blue shoes, feet touching with space between legs, right hand holding up a white pinwheel toy on a stick (which looks like a flower) with green, red, and yellow stripes
Big Bird This is actually the sculpt for Pino in yellow plastic to be Big Bird [same pose as Pino figure] (shown above)
Cookie Monster wearing a baker hat eating cookies [holding a yellow cookie pot in his right arm, lifting a cookie to his mouth with his left hand]
Ernie wearing a solid red shirt with yellow trim, blue pants, red shows with a white base, and a yellow shoulder bag that looks like a purse... "the man-bag"! :)
Ernie in a car
Pino (Same as the Big Bird figure shown above but made with light blue plastic instead of yellow)
Bert with a frown, standing with right leg slightly bent, holding up his right arm pointing, wearing V-neck green shirt with orange and blue stripes, white collar, light brown pants, solid white shoes
Bert leaning on a red "shultute" [a cone shape] with blue at the top of it and a green letter "B" inside, and his right arm wrapped around it, right leg crossed over left, green shirt with orange and blue stripes, light brown pants, orange and white shoes, wearing red back pack
Big Bird standing with head tilted to the left, waiving with left hand, holding right hand out in front of him, legs and feet apart
Cookie Monster standing with legs apart, holding up a cookie in his right hand with his other arm flat across his very round tummy
Count standing on his right leg holding his left leg up to the side, holding his arms open out to the side, wearing a solid green cape
Elmo standing with legs apart holding his left hand up waiving, with his right hand out to the side and fingers spread apart
Ernie with Rubber Duckie attached to his left foot (shown above)
Ernie very similar to above Ernie figure, with a soccer ball attached to his left foot, holding his left arm up and out to the side, and his right arm out and down to the side, red shirt with yellow trim and three blue stripes, light blue pants, red and white shoes
Grover standing in a very strange pose, possibly doing an "I'm a Little Teapot" song gesture, with his right hand on his hip (or his butt?), leaning forward with his butt sticking out, left hand held up near his head (therefore using his right arm to form the teapot handle and his left as the spout)
Oscar in his trash can with the lid on his head, holding out his left hand, with his right hand on the edge of the can next to a yellow banana peel
Pino This is the same sculpt for Big Bird but in blue plastic to be Pino [same pose as Big Bird], with orange beak, legs and feet
"Sesamstrasse" PVC figures
Samson is a bear and Tiffy is a bird. Tiffy also looks very much like a Fraggle.
Samson furry dark brown chubby figure with red shoes, lifting up his toes on his left foot, with his left hand behind his back, holding his right hand out in front of him
Tiffy pink figure wearing green handkerchief with white dots around neck, orange eyelids, with right hand molded across tummy, holding his left arm out to the side, with head turned to the left, standing with legs apart
Beach Series
Bert wearing a snorkeling mask, with a navy blue tire tube around his waist, red floaties on his upper arms, a white shirt, striped shorts, and royal blue swimming flippers
Elmo standing on his right leg, with a beach ball between his legs, wearing a yellow t-shirt, with yellow sunglasses resting above his eyes, waiving with his right hand
Ernie standing with legs apart, wearing white shorts with red, purple and blue stripes, blue sunglasses on his forehead, with a light blue towel draped over his right arm while waiving, holding Rubber Duckie in his left hand, Duckie is wearing sunglasses
Grover wearing red and white striped shorts, holding sunglasses above his eyes with his right hand and an ice cream cone in his left hand,
Rock N' Roll Series
Bert playing a silver electric guitar, wearing a dark purple jacket, brown pants, black biker boots
Cookie Monster playing a yellow drum with red trim, wearing a green vest, large letters "CM" on back of vest in white
Elmo playing a white and black electric keyboard, wearing a silver jacket, large black letter "E" on back of jacket
Ernie playing a white electric guitar, wearing a black "leather" jacket, red pants, black boots
See Sesame Street Figurines Part 3, Fisher-Price / Illco / Tyco / Mattel
Figures with Large Solid Numbers, I have the Elmo he's holding up a toy boat
ReplyDeleteHi Leon
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I thought it might be a boat! Okay, I've updated the text! -Mike
Hello Mike,
ReplyDeleteI can confirm that the Baby Natasha PVC figure crawling on books and holding a red book is, indeed made by applause... as I'm holding that exact figure right now.
Awesome, thanks for the info! :)
DeleteHi Mike,
ReplyDeleteCan I call you sometime this week for some information about the Sesame Street products sold in the 1970's? I'm writing a research paper on Sesame Street and Fat Albert's marketing tactics that were used for children and the like. I just want to know some of the sources that you used and any additional information that you can provide me with for this research paper.
I hope to hear from you soon!
-Ivanie
Hi Ivanie
DeleteThanks for your interest in my Muppet blog. Regarding the phone interview, I would be happy to correspond with you via e-mail... info"at"artellepuppets.ca ....and help you out if I can, though I'd rather not do a phone interview. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail whenever you need to with questions as often as you'd like, I'm happy to do that.
As for my sources, most of what I post is my own info that I've collected directly from the toys themselves or from being obsessed about Muppets during my childhood and teens and 20s and 30s! :) So I just basically absorbed any and all info about Jim Henson and the Muppets that I ever came across. Despite that, there's tons of stuff I don't know about Muppets and collectables, as they were marketed world wide. Any specific sources that I used for this blog are generally online sites such as Muppet Wiki or Muppet Central, both of which have extensive info about Muppet collectables in addition to the many different Muppet productions over the years. There is a menu list on the right hand side of this blog titled "Muppet Collecting Sites" with the links to all of the external sources of info that I've ever found online. As for publications, there is an awesome giant book "Sesame Street: A celebration of 40 years of life on the street" which has a section about collectables (pages 268 to 275). Other publications are "Jim Henson the Works", with chapter 6 (p141) about the marketing of the Muppets and various collectables, and "Tomart's Action Figure Digest Magazine", No. 128, Dec 2004, which features a detailed section about the Palisades Muppet Show/Muppets action figure line. The only other source I can think of is the 1984 documentary "Henson's Place" which has a lengthy interview with Jim Henson, during which he discusses the marketing of the Muppets at one point and there is a peek into the Muppet Stuff store franchise which lasted from the 1970's to the 1990's.
So ya shoot me an e-mail, or several, if you wish and I'll help out if I can. (As a side note, a friend of mine used to have the Fat Albert board game! I loved that show! Hey hey hey! LOL).
FYI, if you are interested in marketing to kids in the 70's you might also be interested in researching Sid and Marty Krofft, producers of several kids puppet TV shows in the 1970s. Their TV show HR Pufnstuf has an unfortunate connection to McDonald's restaurants as the inspiration for "McDonaldland" characters. This resulted in a very lengthy legal battle between the two companies.
Best of luck with your project. It sounds quite interesting! -Mikey
Hey I own the Barkley with red frisbee and can confirm that it was made by applause.
ReplyDeleteIs it the one standing?
Deleteyes, I forgot to mention that!
DeleteAwesome, thanks!
DeleteI have an Applause Country Fair theme Ernie with prize pig in wheel barrow. I do not see a picture of it anywhere online. I am not sure if you want pictures of things you do not have but I am happy take a picture of it for you to add to your page or do with as you wish. Thanks for all of the great info!
ReplyDeleteCoooooool! :) Sure, feel free to send it along and I'll post it. My email is: info "at" artellepuppets.ca Thanks!
Delete