Simon Soundman
From Muppet Wiki
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. 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.
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| | Sound Man Buys a Trumpet | Episode 0681 | Simon tries to buy a trumpet from Marvin at Marvin's Music City.
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 | Sound Man Buys a Saw | Episode 0701 | Simon tries to buy a saw from Sam at Sam's General Store.
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 | Tuba or not tuba | Episode 2404 | While in the park, Simon teaches Bert to make the sound of a tuba.
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 | Ernie meets Simon Soundman | - | Simon Soundman comes to Ernie's apartment to use the phone, because his car has broken down. However, Ernie has trouble figuring out what he wants.
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| | Pig in a China Shop | - | While shopping in a china store, Simon helps Old McDonald find his lost animal - however his animal sounds attract animals to barge into the fragile store.
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| | 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.
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Appearance
The first Simon Soundman had brown hair, a bigger moustache, orange nose, and no eyebrows. He would later be given a smaller moustache, pink nose, eyebrows, and black hair.
 The original brown-haired Simon Soundman. |
