Simon Soundman

Template:Performer

Template:Am Simon Soundman has the ability to mimic any sound he hears. He often drops pre-recorded sound effects into conversation, using them to represent common words. For example, if he visits a tool store to buy a hammer, he doesn't say to the store clerk "I want to buy a hammer", instead he says "I want to buy a, (POUND POUND!)." Other characters, and the viewers, must then figure out what he means by identifying the sounds (though some sketches end with the other characters replacing words with sounds in the same manner). This guesswork is frequently used as the basis for his skits, as the on-screen characters attempt to interact with him. Though he often makes sounds of objects instead of naming them, he is capable of saying the actual words as well, such as in a sketch where he meets Old MacDonald, and in a sketch where he sounds out the word "Call".

Simon debuted on Sesame Street in Season 2 and was mostly active until Season 25. He made cameo appearances in The Muppets Take Manhattan, Follow That Bird and A Muppet Family Christmas.

In one of Simon's notable appearances, he sang "Sound Song", a song about his (RUFF RUFF!) chasing a (MEOW!) up a tree. As he made each sound effect, pictures accompanied them so the viewers could easily tell what the sounds were. (EKA: Episode 0406)

Simon once appeared at Charlie's Restaurant, where he was waited on by Grover. During this sketch, Simon remarks to the camera that he can't believe his brother recommended the place, which implies that he and frequent Charlie's customer Mr. Johnson (another Fat Blue puppet performed by Jerry Nelson) are brothers.

Sketches

Picture	Title	Earliest Known Appearance	Description
	"Sound Song"	Episode 0406	Simon sings about how his "ruff-ruff" chased a "meow-meow" up a tree.
	Grover's Chicken Sandwich	Episode 0678	Simon Soundman wants a chicken sandwich, which he orders as a "cluck-cluck" sandwich. Waiter Grover has trouble figuring out what his customer wants. When Grover finally understands, Simon changes his mind. He now wants a hot dog, but he makes dog's sounds instead of saying "dog", confusing Grover again.
	Sound Man Buys a Trumpet	Episode 0681	Simon tries to buy a trumpet from Marvin at Marvin's Music City.
	Sound Man Buys a Saw	Episode 0701	Simon tries to buy a saw at Sam's General Store.
File:SimonColonel.jpg	Simon and the Colonel	Episode 1781	A colonel tells Simon about his trip around the world in 80 days without any sleep. He keeps ffalling asleep when explaining the weather, and Simon "corrects" him with appropriate weather sounds.
	Tuba or not tuba	Episode 2404	While in the park, Simon teaches Bert to make the sound of a tuba - with surprising results.
	Ernie meets Simon Soundman	-	Simon comes to Ernie's apartment to use the phone because his car has broken down. However, Ernie has trouble figuring out what he wants.
	Call of the Wild	-	Simon sounds out the word "call", and then demonstrates some calls of his own - including a bird call, cow call, pig call, and telephone call.
	Call of the Wild (remake)	-	The remake is almost identical to the original version, with a few changes: Simon reads the word in front of a sky backdrop; three pigs appear during Simon's pig call; and two cows hear Simon's cow call.
	Pig in a China Shop	-	While shopping in a china store, Simon helps Old McDonald find his lost animal. However, Simon's animal sounds attract animals to barge into the fragile store.
	All Those Remind Me of You	-	Simon is having a romantic dinner at Charlie's Restaurant with his beloved, and he sings a song about how some common sounds remind him of her.

Appearance

The first Simon Soundman had brown hair, a bushy mustache, orange nose, and no eyebrows. He was later given a smaller mustache, pink nose, eyebrows, and black hair (though the 1979 style guide refers to his hair color as brown).

Some illustrations (such as the inside covers for The Sesame Street Treasury series and the Big Bird's Super Spectacular Totally Amateur Show program book) depict him without a mustache.

The original brown-haired Simon Soundman.