Zoe

From Muppet Wiki

Zoe is a three-year-old^[2] orange monster who first appeared on Sesame Street in Season 25. She was designed in her color to complement Elmo,^[3] who was gaining popularity at the time of her introduction. Zoe was created to help balance what was then a predominately male cast of Muppets on the series.^[4]

Zoe was originally unclothed, apart from jewelry and barrettes (which she is never seen without).^[5] Starting in season 33, however, Zoe has often been seen wearing a tutu, because, like many girls of her age, she is obsessed with ballet. Her love of dance, in general, resulted in the video Zoe's Dance Moves.

She occasionally rides a soapbox-style car around Sesame Street, called the Zoemobile. She has a pet rock, Rocco, much to Elmo's constant dismay. Her birthday is September 30,^[6] and she owns a doll named Mimi.

Her Aunt Chloe has been seen on the show, and her daddy has appeared in a few storybooks. Her Aunt Giselle, who lives in Swan Lake, sent her a tutu in season 34.

Contents 1 Development 2 Filmography 3 See also 4 Sources

Development

From the book Sesame Street Unpaved: "From several possible designs of the character, 'I picked the one that had a face like Carol Channing,' says Fran Brill. 'I wanted her to be obviously female with jewelry and barrettes in her hair. Someone suggested we call her Frannie, since that's my nickname. But I didn't want a Muppet with my name, so I thought of the J.D. Salinger book Franny and Zooey, and suggested Zoe, which seemed to be just right."

To prepare for the character, Brill went to Manhattan preschools and watched 3-year-old girls play. One of the girls said to Brill the phrase which became an early catchphrase for Zoe, "Don't joke me." ^[7]

Beginning with the 2005 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, more hair was added to Zoe, including pink and glittery hairs. Starting with season 40 in 2009, a smaller puppet will be used, based on the one created specifically for her role as Mousey the Hatter Helper in Abby in Wonderland.^[8]

Filmography

• Sesame Street (1993-present)
• Imagine That! (1997)
• Learning to Share (1997)
• The Alphabet Jungle Game (1998)
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)
• Kids' Favorite Songs (1999)
• CinderElmo (1999)
• Peter and the Wolf (2001)
• Kids' Favorite Songs 2 (2001)
• A Magical Halloween Adventure (2004)
• A Celebration of Me, Grover (2004)
• Zoe's Dance Moves (2005)
• Happy Healthy Monsters (2005)
• Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2007)
• Love the Earth! (2008)
• Abby in Wonderland (2008)

Appearances

• The Oprah Winfrey Show (1997)
• Martha Stewart Living (2004)
• Muppets, Music & Magic (2007, 2009)
• CNN.com Live (2008)
• The Creative Coalition (2008)
• Sesame Street at 40 (2009)
• Today (2009)

Songs

• "Girl of the World"
• "Little Miss Count Along"
• "My Name Is Zoe"
• "Because We're Friends"
• "Read Me a Story" (remake)
• "Moonshine"
• "Two Princes"
• "That's the Way I Read"
• "Fur" (remake)
• "Share" (remake)

See also

• Zoe books
• Zoe walk-arounds
• Zoe (animated)
• Sesame Street Monsters

Sources

1. ↑ Fran Brill, Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration with the Legendary Cast
2. ↑ Sesame Street profile
3. ↑ Sesame Family Newsletter July 10, 2008
4. ↑ Street Gang, page 322. Michael Davis
5. ↑ Sesame Street 35 Years Anniversary Game
6. ↑ Sesamestreet.org profile
7. ↑ "On the Set With: Zoe; This Monster is a Girl", The New York Times, Erik Eckholm. August 19, 1993.
8. ↑ Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration with the Legendary Cast, info written at Tough Pigs