Barkley

From Muppet Wiki

Barkley is a full-bodied Muppet dog who appears on Sesame Street. Barkley was originally called Woof-Woof when he first appeared in Season 9. In the 10th season premiere, episode 1186, the cast voted to rename him Barkley.

Barkley is energetic and playful, but is not anthropomorphized in the way that Rowlf and other characters are. While he may exhibit human-like emotions, he communicates only through barks, yelps, and physical contact, just like a real dog. He was Linda's dog and understood the American Sign Language signs for "sit" and "stay." However, Barkley also had a close relationship with Big Bird. Indeed, in the 1997 book Big Bird Meets Santa Claus, the large bird refers to Barkley as his dog. Although Linda has since moved on from Sesame Street, Barkley has remained, presumably becoming a ward of the community as a whole.

Barkley's appearances in television specials include the 1978 A Special Sesame Street Christmas and the 1979 A Walking Tour of Sesame Street. More prominently, he accompanied Big Bird on his trips to China in 1982 and Japan in 1988. He also appeared with the Muppets en masse on Night of 100 Stars. Additionally, for many seasons (until 1992), the Sesame Street closing credits depicted Barkley running through a park with the Kids.

Original performer Toby Towson claimed, in a 2003 Wikipedia edit, that the full-bodied puppet character was initially conceived as an acrobatic ape.

Book appearances

• I Like School (1980)
• The Sesame Street Storybook Alphabet (1980)
• Frazzle's Fantastic Day (1980)
• I Can Do It Myself (1980)
• The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
• What Did You Bring? (1980)
• A Day in the Life of Oscar the Grouch (1981)
• I Have a Friend (1981)
• Put & Play Magic Show (1981)
• The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites (1981)
• What Do You Do? (1981)
• Which One Doesn't Belong? (1981)
• Big and Little Stories (1982)
• City (1982)
• Big Bird in China (1983)
• Puppy Love (1983)
• Big Bird's Copycat Day (1984)
• I Think That It Is Wonderful (1984)
• Big Bird Says... A Game to Read and Play (1985)
• ABC (1986)
• A My Name Is Annabel (1986)
• A Bird's Best Friend (1986)
• Baby Animals on the Farm (1986)
• Sesame Street ABC (1986)
• Through the Year (1986)
• Big Bird's Busy Day (1987)
• A Birthday Surprise (1987)
• Shape Up! (1987)
• Big Bird's Square Meal (1988)
• The Sesame Street ABC Book of Words (1988}
• Alice's First Words (1989)
• Great Monsterpieces (1989)
• Grover's Bad Dream (1990)
• Museum of Monster Art (1990)
• Sesame Street 123 (1991)
• Feeling Fit (1992)
• I Want to Be a Veterinarian (1992)
• Mini-Boxes to Color & Share (1992)
• We're Different, We're the Same (1992)
• Elmo's Mother Goose (1993)
• Big Bird's Animal Game (1993)
• Around the Corner on Sesame Street (1994)
• Elmo's Big Lift-and-Look Book (1994)
• Elmo's Lift-and-Peek Around the Corner Book (1996)
• Zoe and the Runaway Ball (1996)
• Mine! (1997)
• Rise and Shine! (1999)
• Where is Elmo's Blanket? (1999)
• Clap Your Hands! (2002)
• Elmo Look and Find (2002)
• Elmo Pops In! (2003)
• Animal Alphabet (2005)
• Rosita's Easter on Sesame Street (2007)
• Storybook ABCs (2008)
• Count to 10 (2009)
• Love, Elmo (2009)