Garibaldo

Performer:

Laerte Morrone • (1972-1977)

Hugo Picci • (2007)

Performer:

Fernando Gomes

Garibaldo was the resident Big Bird counterpart on Vila Sésamo, the Brazilian co-production of Sesame Street. Garibaldo was blue, but since the original program was broadcast only in black and white, this fact was made clear only in merchandise and promotional images. The puppet, as with the show's other characters, was constructed by Brazilian puppet builder Naum Alves de Sousa and not the Muppet Workshop. A comic book, Garibaldo, was published based on the character.

For the 2008 version of Vila Sésamo, producers were aware of the impact of the original Garibaldo. They brought the name and personality back, "as the link between the old and the new" according to Sesame Workshop producer Mary Tai. The team decided the original blue came across as drab on color sets and so revived Garibaldo as identical to Big Bird.^[1] The production team uses vodka to clean the costume's feathers.^[1]