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| PERFORMER | Richard Hunt 1973-1992 |
| Jennifer Barnhart 2003-present | |
| DEBUT | 1973 |
Gladys the Cow is the most famous of Sesame Street's many cows. One of her most notable early appearances was with Prince Charming in a Sesame Street News Flash sketch, where Cinderella's slipper fit her hoof.
Gladys gradually emerged as a character in her own right, a vain bovine with aspirations as an actress and singer. She loves to sing, and occasionally wears a wig. Her signature song is "I'm Proud to Be a Cow." She was featured in several Sesame Street Pageants, occasionally appeared with Buster the Horse, and had a cameo in Follow That Bird and the Monsterpiece Theater production of "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" as one of the thieves. Gladys retired from the show in 1992, after performer Richard Hunt's death.
Gladys returned to the ensemble supporting cast in Season 34, performed by Jennifer Barnhart. In the season premiere, episode 4031, Gladys tried to steal the show at the Hooper's Store karaoke night. This episode was released on video as Sesame Sings Karaoke.
In Season 36, which focused on "Healthy Habits for Life", Gladys appeared to help Zoe and Elmo in the Healthy Foods Game show in episode 4085.
Notes
- On The Muppet Show, whenever Richard Hunt performed a cow, he would use the same voice as Gladys.
- Occasionally, the Gladys puppet would be used for cows with different names. In the "Here is Your Life" sketch which focuses on a loaf of bread, she is called Cora Cow. In a Sesame Street News Flash segment in which Old MacDonald spots a flying saucer, the farmer refers to her as Bessie. Other performers for the Gladys puppet include Stephanie D'Abruzzo ("Smell Like a Monster") and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph ("The Coffee Pot" sketch).
Filmography
- Sesame Street
- The Muppet Movie
- Follow That Bird
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
- Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting
- Sing, Hoot & Howl with the Sesame Street Animals
- What's the Name of That Song?
- Sesamestreet.org "C is for Cowboy Day" welcome video (week of September 18, 2009)
- Kinect Sesame Street TV
Book appearances
- Down on the Farm with Grover (1980)
- Put & Play Magic Show (1981)
- Big Bird Says... A Game to Read and Play (1985)
- The Day Snuffy Had the Sniffles (1988)
- Elmo's Mother Goose (1993)
- Storybook ABCs (2008)