Honkers
| |
| PERFORMER | various |
| DEBUT | 1980 |
| DESIGN | Caroly Wilcox designer and builder |
The Honkers are fuzzy creatures from Sesame Street who communicate by honking their bulbous noses. Conceptualized by Tony Geiss,[1] the Honkers made their debut in Season 12,[2] first appearing in Episode 1458.
Honkers come in a variety of colors, and baby Honkers are hatched from eggs. It is not known how closely related (if at all) the Honker species is to that of The Dingers, although there are similarities between the two. According to Episode 1674, Honkers are native to the Land of Honk, which the script suggests has a flag of a bulb-horn. The Land of Honk would be referenced again when introducing the Honker contestant on "Name That Sound!"
As the Honkers never speak, their performers vary, depending on puppeteer availability. In the feature film Follow That Bird, Tim Gosley performed the Honker who served as Oscar's car horn. That specific Honker puppet has been given different names several times. Another Honker whose name has been mentioned is Henrietta Honker, the small pink Honker. The four Honkers who appear on "The Sound of H" are named Herb, Helen, Harold, and Hanna. Hillary Honker is mentioned on "Good Day Sesame Street," receiving a half-birthday shout-out from weatherman Millard Hog. Izzy Honker is heard but not seen in Episode 2189 and is implied to be much smaller than most Honkers.
Most of the Honker puppets were constructed with only one arm, built for the puppeteer's left hand. This arm is directly connected to the front of the body, but on the television screen, it is barely noticeable due to the amount of fur and fabric on a Honker's body, and the framing of the puppet on-screen.
A few songs have focused on the Honkers and their unique talent, including "Honk Around the Clock" and "The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree." A list of Honker puppets and variants used on the show:
Notes[]
The Honkers make music with a Dinger, Ernie, and Rubber Duckie.
A mother, a father, a baby and a grandfather Honker as seen in "Elmo's World: Families."
Two Honkers made for Sesame Street: The Musical
Target billboard in Times Square.
A baby Honker hatches out of its egg in Episode 3402.
An early illustration of the Honkers (with Granny Fanny Nesselrode and Rodeo Rosie) in The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites.
- Performers of the Honkers have included Brian Muehl, Kathryn Mullen, and Cheryl Blaylock, all of whom did them in "The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree," and Pam Arciero and Jim Martin, who operated them in "Conga."
- Despite being depicted on Sesame Street as non-vocal, in A Muppet Family Christmas, they are seen singing along with the rest of the crew during the musical numbers.
- New Honker puppets, boasting unique color schemes compared to the puppets used on the show, are featured throughout Sesame Street: The Musical and are present for special photo ops following each performance. During the 2022 run, only two Honkers were seen. An additional four Honkers were made for the 2023 run.
All six Honkers from the musical.
Appearances[]
- Sesame Street (1980 - present)
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
- Follow That Bird (1985)
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986)
- Learning About Letters (1986)
- Learning About Numbers (1986)
- Bedtime Stories & Songs (1986)
- Getting Ready to Read (1986)
- Sing Along (1987)
- A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
- Big Bird's Favorite Party Games (1988)
- Free to Be... a Family (1988)
- Sing Yourself Silly (1990)
- Basil Hears a Noise (1990)
- Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years (1993)
- Sesame Street Stays Up Late (1993)
- The Best of Elmo (1994)
- Do the Alphabet (1996)
- Fiesta! (1998)
- Elmopalooza (1998)
- Big Bird Gets Lost (1998)
- The Rosie O'Donnell Show on Sesame Street (1998)
- Kids' Favorite Songs (1999)
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)
- CinderElmo (1999)
- Let's Make Music (2000)
- Kids' Favorite Songs 2 (2001)
- Sesame Street 4D (2003)
- Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2007)
- One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure (2008)
- Families Stand Together (2009)
- Bedtime with Elmo (2009)
- The Cookie Thief (2015)
- The Magical Wand Chase (2017)
- When You Wish Upon a Pickle (2018)
- Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2019)
- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo (2020)
- My Sesame Street Friends "My Elmo: Family" (2021)
- See Us Coming Together (2021)
Book appearances[]
- The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites (1981)
- More Who's Who on Sesame Street (1982)
- Bert's Big Band Paint-with-Water Book (1983 reprint)
- Big Bird Can Share (1985)
- Big Bird Says... A Game to Read and Play (1985)
- Christmas on Sesame Street (1985)
- Follow That Bird Activity Book (1985)
- Follow That Bird coloring book (1985)
- Welcome Home, Big Bird (1985)
- ABC (1986)
- Baby Animals on the Farm (1986)
- Honk If You Like Honkers (1986)
- Sesame Street ABC (1986)
- Grover's Just So-So Stories (1987)
- A Day in the Country (1988)
- Going Places (1988)
- Great Monsterpieces (1989)
- Splish-Splashy Day (1989)
- Who's Who on Sesame Street (1989)
- Cookie Soup and Other Good-Night Stories (1990)
- ABC's (1989)
- Numbers (1989)
- Things That Go (1989)
- Museum of Monster Art (1990)
- Big Bird Presents the Nutcracker (1990)
- 1-2-3 (1991)
- Sesame Street 123 (1991)
- We're Different, We're the Same (1992)
- Baby-Sitting with Big Bird (1993)
- Elmo's Lift-and-Peek Around the Corner Book (1996)
- Elmo Saves Christmas (1997)
- Tickles for Elmo (1997)
- Baby Play (1998)
- Sesame Street Lift-and-Peek Party! (1998)
- Elmo's New Laugh (1999)
- Where Is Elmo's Blanket? (1999)
- Clap Your Hands! (2002)
- Elmo & Friends (2004)
- Elmo's Night Before Christmas (2005)
- Elmo's Favorite Places (2007)
- What Makes You Giggle? (2007)
- Elmo's ABC Lift-the-Flap (2014)
- Elmo's 123 Lift-the-Flap (2015)
- Elmo's Colors (2016)
- Celebrate You! Celebrate Me! (2017)
- What is Family on Sesame Street? (2020)
- Home for the Holidays (2021)
- Sesame Street 2024 comic book
Sources[]
- ↑ Susan Dominus, "A Girly-Girl Joins the 'Sesame' Boys," The New York Times, 6 August 2006.
- ↑ Season 12 Press Kit, CTW Archives