Question about Snuffy...

[Al Hempker]

When and how did the rest of the SS gang find out that Snuffy is real. I stopped watching SS for several years, and I watched it with my niece a few years ago and saw that Snuffy was just one of the gang. Was there an episode where Snuffy was discovered? Just curious.

 

[Dantecat]

Yes! He was first seen from the phil donahue talk show on sesame street back in 1985 and at the end all the humans met before elmo!

 

[Al Hempker]

I'll have to say that Snuffy's coming out and Elmo's first appearance was the beginning of the end of the SS that I once loved, and still love for that matter. It was just much funnier to hear Big Bird whine and complain that Snuffy was real. And now the whole show revolves around Elmo.

 

[GelflingWaldo]

Check out this thread: http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=2222


On November 18, 1985, everyone on Sesame Street finally saw Aloysius Snuffleupagus (AKA Snuff).

For many years, Big Bird was the only character on the show who saw him (he only came along when Big Bird was alone, and always left before anyone else came back). The other characters teased Big Bird when he said he had seen the Snuffleupagus, because they didn't believe there was such an animal. Yet Big Bird and Snuff became best friends.

The adults on the show were sick and tired of Big Bird blaming “Snuffy” for anything that went wrong when they were away. They urged Big Bird to say his "good-byes" to Snuffy his imaginary friend once and for all, as they were driven to the brink with all the nonsense. Even the Sesame Street newspapers had front page headlines saying that Snuffy had to go. So, Big Bird and Snuffy sadly said their good-byes in Big Bird's nest area. They cried in remorse for their forced separation. Snuffy's tear fell onto Big Bird while they hugged, leading Big Bird to the conclusion that if he could even feel the water from the tears, Snuffy must be real.

For years, Snuffy was considered by the humans on the street to be merely an imaginary friend of Big Bird. But after America became plagued by multiple child rapings in the mid-80s, the Children's Television Workshop's producers of the show feared kids that watch the show might think if nobody believed what Big Bird says happens when he's alone, no one would believe them either. The producers felt that children need to be able to feel adults trusted and believed what children say (especially about things that happened when they were alone).. Therefore, Snuffy was finally revealed to the rest of the street to be real, causing an array of disbelief and apologies to Big Bird from the others on the street.

 

[Motown Mike]

The problem with having Snuffy "come out" to the grown-ups is that the show no longer dealt with the issue that inspired the character in the first place: many young children do, in fact, have imaginary friends.

 

[Teankun]

One of my favorite episodes in "Seseme Street" was were some adults actually believed Snuffy was real before they actually met him.
In this episode, as many times before, Snuffy and Big Bird were going to set up a meeting with everyone, but as expected Snuffy was a no show.

At the end of the day, the adults commented on Snuffy being imaginary. Then Big Bird boldly like never before says something like: "No he's not. He's real! If there was just one thing in my six years of life I wanted you to belive is that he is real."

Then Maria says, "I believe you, Big Bird."

Susan was still sceptical and scoffed, but Maria still believed.

In their own way, SS taught about trust and faith. Maria had noting to go on but Big Bird's word, but apparently he was so bold about it, she believed.

 

[mikebennidict]

The problem with having Snuffy "come out" to the grown-ups is that the show no longer dealt with the issue that inspired the character in the first place: many young children do, in fact, have imaginary friends.

he wasn't imaginary in the 1st place. and actually the kids saw him long before the adults did.

 

[Al Hempker]

Wow, never thought of the whole child abuse angle but it does make sense. I was always mad that no one saw Snuffy when I was a kid, but then seeing SS Unpaved on Noggin a couple years back, I realized how funny it was back then. Especially the Hawaii episodes.

 

[Mickey Moose]

he wasn't imaginary in the 1st place. and actually the kids saw him long before the adults did.

I remember that too. It was only the grown-ups that never saw Snuffy before. Of course, they were just as unlikely to believe the kids as they were Big Bird, so it didn't matter.

What I missed after he "came out" was that music that always played whenever he was coming into a scene.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I remember that music. I believe it was still played even after he was revealed to the adults. A few scenes I remember with Snuffy interacting with the adults were when he did the Snuffle Shuffle with Susan and the kids and when he told Gordon and Linda about the Snuffleupa-bus.

But here's something I'm wondering about. Can someone give me more information about the episode where Big Bird had to say goodbye to Snuffy, because the adults urged him to do so? I know the tear that Big Bird felt convinced Big Bird that Snuffy must be real. But what happened at the end of that one? How did Big Bird convince the adults that he should have Snuffy back. I've read that description several times, but they never said how it ended. If anyone has more info on that, I'd really appreaciate it.