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The inimitable Fay Ray
Fay, Battina, and Chundo
Fay Ray (1984 - June 7, 1995) was the Weimeraner dog most often used by photographer/filmmaker William Wegman in segments on Sesame Street.
Wegman, who had had success with his dog Man Ray from the 1970s until Man Ray's death in 1982, bought Fay, then known as "Cinnamon Girl", as a puppy in 1985. Wegman first began photographing Fay in 1986, and she made her screen debut in Wegman's 1986 short Dog Baseball.
In November of 1987, Wegman was contacted by Sesame Street producer Arlene Sherman, who invited him to supply short films for the series. Fay was the natural choice to star. Wegman, in voice-over, would narrate and give instructions, and Fay would demonstrate everything from math skills to letter concepts. Beginning in 1993, Fay was joined by her three pups, all born in 1989: Batty (aka Battina), Crooky, and Chundo. This year introduced a number of sketches based on fairy tales and rhymes, and the "Farmer McFay" series (amongst the first in which the dogs' heads were posed over a man's arms and body, usually assistants Jason Burch or Andrea Beeman). Other segments, such as "ABC," let the dogs be dogs.
The dogs also starred in a series of Sesame Street sponsored videos, both compiling earlier sketches and new material, notably Alphabet Soup (1995) and Fay's Twelve Days of Christmas (1995). In the latter, Fay, in a wig and posed over an apron clad model, poses as a loving mother preparing Christmas meals and presents for her family.
In late summer 1995, Fay suddenly contracted leukemia, and passed away at the age of 11 on June 7. Her children, however, have continued to appear on Sesame Street. Fay's grandson Chip is a more recent addition to the menagerie.
Sketch Segments
- Subtraction (1988)
- Fay demonstrates subtraction by removing blue balls from a table.
- Frog (1988)
- Fay disguises herself as a frog, aping an early Wegman photograph with Man Ray. Two girls, in voice-over, refer to Fay as "Kermit the Dog."
- Ladybug (1988)
- Similar to the above, Fay now plays an insect.
- Moose (1988)
- Fay as a moose.
- Green Elephant (1988)
- Fay as a green elephant.
- Farmer McFay (1993)
- A series of shorts in which Fay, posed in overalls over Jason Burch's arms, demonstrated numbers using fruits and vegetables from her crop. Chundo played her son.
- The McDoubles (1993)
- A subset of the "Farmer McFay" series, Fay's female pups Batty and Crooky, dressed in overalls joined at the waist, demonstrate the number 2.
- Goldilocks (1993)
- The dogs re-enact the classic tale, with Crooky in a wig as goldilocks, and the other three as the bears.
- Dog Alphabet (1993)
- All four dogs form various letters, from A-Z. Later used, with new footage, in the video Alphabet Soup.
- Dog Numbers (1993)
- Similar to the above, the dogs form the numbers 1-9.
- ABC (1994)
- Fay demonstrates the first three letters of the alphabet by balancing letter blocks.
- Little Jack Horner (1996)
- The nursery rhyme is recited with some help from the dogs.
- Little Miss Muffet (1996)
- Crooky, in a wig as Miss Muffet, deals with a spider.
- Little Bo Peep (1996)
- Batty as Little Bo Peep, seeking her sheep.
- Old King Cole (1996)
- Chundo as Old King Cole.
- Peanut Butter (date unknown)-
- The dogs make a peanut butter sandwich.
- Clay (EKA: Episode 3979)
- The dogs make things out of clay.
Credits
- Director: William Wegman
- Assistant Director: Andrea Beeman
- Cameraman: Alan Cohen
- Lights: Edgar Gil
- Arm Models: Jason Burch, Andrea Beeman
Videos
References
Wegman, William. Fay. New York: Hyperion Books, 1999.