The evolution of Telly Monster.
Image | As seen in / Year | Notes |
---|---|---|
Sesame Street Season 10 (1979) |
Telly debuts in Episode 1257 as the "Television Monster." Though very much resembling his present day self design-wise, Telly has swirling red spirals for pupils and antennae sprouting from his head. He also has a more triangular shaped head, a more bulbous nose, longer eyelashes, and no tongue. | |
Sesame Street Season 11 (1980) |
After his initial appearances, Telly adopts his more recognizable persona, becoming an obsessive worrier. The puppet is refurbished; removing all aspects of his original incarnation. He has a wider pear shaped head and a larger nose which becomes a solid tear drop shape. | |
Sesame Street Season 15 (1981 - 1987) |
By the end of Season 12 (starting in Episode 1532), Telly is modified to add a tongue in the mouth. The puppet is soon modified with a new head, face and less hair on the top of his head. | |
Sesame Street Season 20 (1987 - 1992) |
Telly's eyelids, which now have ridges, can be raised and lowered through a mechanism inside the puppet. His pupils slightly shrink in size. Telly also loses some of his hair. | |
Sesame Street Season 24 (1992 - 1993) |
The color of Telly's tongue fades into a pale light orange-pink. | |
Sesame Street Season 25 (1993 - 1994) |
Telly is reconstructed with new fur, a thicker nose and larger pupils. | |
Sesame Street Season 27 (1994 - 1998) |
Telly's nose is more rounded, and his hair is longer. | |
Sesame Street Season 30 (1998 - 2001) |
The last revision of the original Telly puppet, with a bulkier nose and even longer hair. Although the puppet was retired from the show after Season 31, performer Marty Robinson continues to use it for his short films on the Sesame Family Robinson blog and for live appearances. | |
Sesame Street Season 32 (2001 - 2004) |
Telly is completely rebuilt using pieces from a preexisting Telly puppet.[1] His fur has become longer and deeper purple in color. His nose is smaller and more separated from his eyes. Also, Telly's eyelids can now be fully lowered to express sadness or sleepiness. | |
Sesame Street web video (2005 - 2015) |
Telly's face is adjusted, giving him a different nose and moving it further down from his eyes. | |
#ShareTheLaughter video (2016 - present) |
Telly's head is reshaped, appearing much rounder. His eyes are placed slightly further apart and lower on his head; the pupils are refocused as well. | |
Alternate Telly Monster Puppets | Version / Year | |
Full-Body (1984 - present) |
This version of the Telly puppet is used for full body shots and has also occasionally been used as a spare Telly puppet for costuming. While the regular puppet is built with a sack-body, similar to Cookie Monster, this version has live-hand arms like Baby Bear. | |
2002 | A unique Telly puppet used only in Elmo's World: Happy Holidays! The main difference between other puppets is the much larger nose. | |
Blue-Screen (2004) |
As seen in A Magical Halloween Adventure and Happy, Healthy, Ready for School, this Telly puppet features light green eyelids for blue-screen use. |