Espinete

Template:Performer

Espinete (center) with friends Don Pimpón (monster, left) and Chema (human baker, right)

Espinete is the main Muppet from the Spanish version of Sesame Street, having appeared from 1983 to 1987.

A big, human-sized muppet, Espinete is a pink hedgehog (in Spanish, "puercoespín" is the word for hedgehog, and "espina" is the word for thorn).

Espinete's sex has been open to debate for some time, specially after the end of his (her?) appearance in the series. Although Espinete is played by an actress, apparently Espinete is portrayed as a male. Another character, Don Pimpón, said once that Espinete is "just a (small) boy" (In Spanish "sólo un niño", which could also be arguably translated as "just a child.")

Espinete does not use clothes while on day. However, he wears a pajamas when going to sleep (including a hat), and he also has used disguises (including wizard and Dracula).

Initially, Espinete was living in a forest with other hedgehogs (It seems to be intended that Espinete is a "normal" hedgehog). He then moved to Barrio Sésamo, where he would like to live "under a tree" or something like that. Human adults in Barrio Sésamo tried to convince him to live in a normal house, but the children disagreed. Finally, it was decided that Espinete would live in a garage, owned by one of the adults but not used, which was adapted and became a normal "children room".

From his behavior, it must be understood that Espinete is a child. He is friends with most, if not all, the characters in the Barrio, including references to "his friends Epi and Blas" (Ernie and Bert), although Espinete does not coincide with them in any sketch. He does not have a single "father figure", but many of them in the form of all of the adults in the Barrio (particularly Chema the baker, who has no children of his own; and monster Don Pimpón).

Espinete does not have a regular source of income, nor a need of. However, he does eat and drink. This has not been justified, but is similar to other muppets living with humans, such as Big Bird.

Sometimes, Espinete seems to be just as childlike as other children in the Barrio. Sometimes, however, he does show a greater degree of knowledge: He is familiar with the concept of password while other children, and even adults, are not.

Of course, Espinete also sings, usually accompanied by other characters in the Barrio (children, adults or monster Don Pimpón). One of his most popular songs was Un erizo como yo ("A hedgehog like me").

Behind the Scenes

Espinete is performed by actress Chelo Vivares, who was married to actor Juan Sánchez (Chema the baker). They are still married today.

Espinete was bigger than a human, and his mouth must be operated using Chelo Vivares's hand, as a hand puppet, similar to Big Bird. Thus, Vivares had only one arm available. Using a string, Vivares' movements with one arm were followed by a similar but opposite movement of Espinete's other arm (If Vivares moved her left arm towards the front, the right arm moved towards the back). Don Pimpón was operated similarly.

Espinete is clearly similar to his counterpart from Israeli Rechov Sumsum, Kippi Ben Kippod. Kippi Ben Kippod was another human-sized, pink porcupine who first appeared in 1982 and returned for 1987. The main difference between them was that Kippi Ben Kippod favored clothing whileas Espinete did not.

Espinete (Vivares) has appeared in theatre versions of Barrio Sésamo that were performed after 1987 alongside with Sánchez as Chema and other actor from the series, José Riesgo as Julián.

Character Espinete was retired from TV on 1987, when Televisión Española replaced Barrio Sésamo with a fully Spanish program, Los mundos de Yupi ("Yupi's worlds"), officially unrelated to the Henson factory. However, titular character Yupi (an alien) was clearly inspired in Espinete.

One of Espinete's songs, Espinete, Espinete, el amigo de los niños ("Espinete, Espinete, the friend of children") was performed by a beggar boy in drunken stupor in the movie Makinavaja, el último choriso (1992).