In a sketch first seen in the fifth episode of Sesame Street, Ernie and Bert come face to face with the Mysterious Nose-Snatcher. Ernie isn't positive of what he sees, to which Bert suggests "go nearer." Ernie walks closer to the camera until he blacks out the screen and with a "pop," his nose is swiped off his face.

On page 198 of the 2009 book Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street, a photograph of the taping of this sketch shows puppet builder Don Sahlin framing the shot. Perhaps he was the Mysterious Nose-Snatcher.