Bruno the Trashman

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Bruno the Trashman is a sanitation engineer on Sesame Street who acts as personal chauffeur to Oscar the Grouch. He appeared on the series from Season 9 through Season 24.

During the 1970s, the Sesame Street cast made live performances across the country, but there was no effective way to get Oscar to enter the stage. Caroll Spinney, inspired by a puppet character on The Gong Show, conceived of a full-body garbage man who could physicially carry Oscar. Since his arms are usually just holding onto Oscar's trash can, Caroll Spinney was able to perform Oscar as well as Oscar's right hand. The trash can was connected to an opening in Bruno's stomach.

Though generally a silent character, one of the few times that Bruno spoke was in a song that he sang with some Anything Muppet garbage men.[cite] He had a brief line at the end of Follow That Bird, saying "Sure, Boss!" when Oscar asked him to take a walk around the block. Similarly, when Oscar asks him a question in Here Come the Puppets!, Bruno gets out a "Well, uh..." before Oscar cust him off and says that's enough.

Bruno was briefly featured in the movie Follow That Bird (Bruno's greatest moment, according to Spinney, "as he slowly walks into the sunset carrying Oscar"), as well as in the television specials Sesame Street, Special and Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake. The character was dropped when the foam plastic broke down, and Bruno was never rebuilt.

Appearances

• Sesame Street
• Here Come the Puppets!
• Follow That Bird
• The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
• Sesame Street, Special
• Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake

Book appearances

• Ernie's Neighborhood (1987)
• Oscar's Grouchy Sounds (1990)