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70 Sesame Street Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Sesame Street? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Sesame Street (Television). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 What floor do Bert and Ernie live on in 123 Sesame Street?
Answer: sub-basement

They have a sub-basement apartment in the 123 Sesame Street building. You can see their criss-cross windows at ground level.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street" - Bert and Ernie
2 Though later made a significant hit by The Carpenters, this song was composed by Joe Raposo, one of the songwriters hired by "Sesame Street" and originally performed on the show by the adult cast members (such as Bob) and the Muppets (such as Big Bird). What is the name of this song that encouraged its listeners with these words: "Don't worry that it's not good enough / For anyone else to hear"?
Answer: Sing

The song "Sing" was performed several times on "Sesame Street" and its anniversary specials, famously in 1975 with Lily Tomlin singing and signing the song to deaf children. Lena Horne also sang the song in 1976 on the eleventh episode of "The Muppet Show".

The Carpenters took the song to number three on the United States Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. Karen Carpenter and Richard Carpenter were appearing on the ABC television special "Robert Young with the Young" when they heard the song for the first time and immediately fell in love with it.
  From Quiz: Sing a Song of Sesame Street!
3 Almost all the Muppets are very sweet, and most can be described as "cute". However, there is only one way to complete a certain classic phrase: "lovable, furry, old ________".
Answer: Grover

All the others may be lovable (or not--up to you), but this was one of Grover's tag-lines. Elmo did not even join the show until much later. I have not seen Herry in a long time, except in old clips. According to Wikipedia, he appeared as late as 2003.
    Your options: [ Cookie Monster ] [ Grover ] [ Elmo ] [ Herry ]
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"--40 Years and Counting
4 What is the letter we love, according to Bert?
Answer: W

Bert is President of the National Association of W Lovers. "It's not any trouble, you know it's a double-u when you hear w-w-w-w!"
  From Quiz: Bert Rocks
5 Elmo has a goldfish for a pet. What is her name?
Answer: Dorothy

Elmo's goldfish is named Dorothy and she lives with him in "Elmo's World" on "Sesame Street".
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"
6 Which muppet on "Sesame Street" was originally designed with a fruit bat in mind?
Answer: Rosita

Rosita is the good-natured turquoise muppet who speaks both English and her native Spanish. Her full name is Rosita, La Monstrua de las Cuevas (the Monster of the Caves). If you look at her closely, you can see that she has wings!
    Your options: [ Natasha ] [ Bruno ] [ Ingrid ] [ Rosita ]
  From Quiz: More Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
7 What year did "Sesame Street" first appear on the air?
Answer: 1969

The first episode of "Sesame Street" aired on November 10, 1969, making it one of the longest-running tv shows in history!
  From Quiz: Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
8 What are Bert and Ernie's sleeping arrangements?
Answer: same bedroom, two beds

Bert and Ernie share the same bedroom, but each have their own beds with their first initials carved into the headboards. They have a night stand between them, often with a lamp on it.

There are skits out there where Ernie is in his own room, but the backstory there is it's so messy that he sleeps in Bert's room.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street" - Bert and Ernie
9 What "Sesame Street" Muppet with a huge grin that stretches from ear to ear sits in a bathtub of suds and bubbles and sings these words to his favorite squeaky toy: "Rubber Duckie, you're the one. / You make bath time lots of fun / Rubber Duckie, I'm awfully fond of you"?
Answer: Ernie

Interestingly, "Rubber Duckie" climbed to number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart in 1970 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children. Quite oddly, it lost (in a manner of speaking) to itself, for it was on the recording "Sesame Street Song and Book", which won the Grammy.

Ernie (formerly performed by Jim Henson himself) is the roommate of Bert, and they both live in a basement apartment at 123 Sesame Street. They hold the distinction of being the very first Muppets to air on "Sesame Street" and were on the pilot episode. Despite rumors to the contrary, Sesame Workshop insists Bert and Ernie (or Ernie and Bert) are not gay and they were not named after the Bert and Ernie from the movie "It's a Wonderful Life".
  From Quiz: Sing a Song of Sesame Street!
10 When they are not actually in them, how can you tell which bed belongs to Ernie, and which to his roommate Bert?
Answer: Ernie's is marked with 'E' and Bert's with 'B'.

Ernie and Bert were like the "Odd Couple" of Sesame Street. Ernie liked active games, childlike fun, telling jokes and teasing Bert. Bert preferred board games, pigeon taming and collecting things.
    Your options: [ Ernie's has horizontal stripes and Bert's has vertical stripes (like their shirts). ] [ Ernie's is marked with 'E' and Bert's with 'B'. ] [ Ernie's is red and Bert's is blue. ] [ Ernie's has a baseball cap hanging from it, and Bert's has toy pigeons. ]
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"--40 Years and Counting
11 What does Bert like to eat for breakfast (and probably all other meals)?
Answer: Oatmeal

It's the perfect way to start the day, according to Bert, who even likes to paint pictures of oatmeal.
  From Quiz: Bert Rocks
12 Big Bird has a teddy bear. What is his name?
Answer: Radar

Radar is the name of Big Bird's teddy bear. Snuffy is his friend.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"
13 What is the name of the tiny insect family that lives in Ernie's window box?
Answer: twiddlebugs

The Twiddlebug family live in Ernie's flower box, and make all of their belongings out of tiny everyday objects that they find.
  From Quiz: More Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
14 In 1974, Maria, (played by Sonia Manzano) joined the cast of "Sesame Street." Which street resident did she wind up marrying?
Answer: Luis

Maria and Luis (Sonia Manzano and Emilio Delgado), are not married in real life, as many people think.
    Your options: [ Luis ] [ David ] [ Gordon ] [ Alan ]
  From Quiz: Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
15 What is Bert's favorite type of bird?
Answer: pigeon

Bert loves pigeons and has a few of them as pets. His favorite one is Bernice, which he often talks about and is often seen in skits.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street" - Bert and Ernie
16 What furry green monster, who lives on Sesame Street, rises from his classic tin garbage can to sing "I Love Trash", which according to the song's lyrics includes one old worn and tattered shoe full of holes, smelly fish wrapped in newspaper over a year old, a broken clock, a rusted trombone, a broken umbrella, and an old telephone?
Answer: Oscar the Grouch

"I Love Trash", written by Jeff Moss, was first performed during 1970 of the first season. It has later been performed by k. d. lang and Steven Tyler.

On the first few episodes, Oscar the Grouch is orange instead of green. He is peformed by Caroll Spinney, who also peforms Big Bird. Oscar lives in his garbage can, which defies scientific explanation. The inside of the trash can is infinitely larger than the outside, for it contains multiple rooms, a swimming pool, a bowling alley, an ice rink, a farm, a piano, a pet elephant, and every piece of junk imaginable.
    Your options: [ Kermit the Frog ] [ Clementine ] [ Irvine ] [ Oscar the Grouch ]
  From Quiz: Sing a Song of Sesame Street!
17 Every neighborhood has a certain amount of noise and bustle--and someone who complains when he or she finds the noise level too high. Who was the resident grouch on Sesame Street?
Answer: Oscar

Oscar lived in what looked like an ordinary-sized trash can, but must have been a passage to an enormous underground lair. Besides his enormous collection of trash, Oscar had a pet worm, and even a pet elephant!
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"--40 Years and Counting
18 What did Bert do to the sandbox, after Ernie tricked him?
Answer: Ate it

"I one the sandbox," begins Ernie. After prompting from Ernie, Bert continues with, "I two the sandbox." They continue counting this way, until eventually, Bert is obliged to say, "I eight the sandbox." "How'd it taste?" giggles Ernie.
  From Quiz: Bert Rocks
19 This one might be a little tough: What is the name of the muppet trash man who carries Oscar's can around when Oscar needs to go somewhere?
Answer: Bruno

Bruno, the silent trash man, is played by Caroll Spinney, who also plays Oscar. Caroll invented Bruno as a way to make Oscar mobile.
  From Quiz: More Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
20 In the animated short "The Alligator King", how many sons does the Alligator King have?
Answer: seven

"Said the Alligator King to his seven sons, 'I'm feeling mighy down. Whichever one of you can cheer me up will get to wear my crown'." This was always one of my favorite spots on "Sesame Street."
  From Quiz: Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
21 What is Bert's favorite breakfast food?
Answer: oatmeal

Plain oatmeal is his all time favorite. In fact it's the only thing he loves as much or more than pigeons.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street" - Bert and Ernie
22 This googly-eyed, furry blue monster from "Sesame Street" stands behind a giant letter "C" to sing "C is for Cookie", and apparently that's "good enough" for him. He holds a chocolate chip cookie while he sings and later takes a bite out of it to remark how much like the letter "C" the cookie now looks. To which monster Muppet am I referring?
Answer: Cookie Monster

While Cookie Monster sings his trademark song against a black background, this eventually lightens to reveal a chorus of singing monsters behind him, to include Grover, Herry, Fenwick, Oscar the Grouch, and Billy.

The song was composed by Joe Raposo and was later, in a 1990's episode, lip-synched by Candice Bergen, who was testing out her radio after she took it to the Fix-It-Shop. Also, in the 1990's Marilyn Horne performed a new operatic version of the song. She played Cleopatra with an Egyptian background that included a pyramid made out of cookies. At the end of the song, Cookie Monster takes a a cookie from the pyramid, causing it to crumble.
    Your options: [ Grover ] [ Fenwick ] [ Herry ] [ Cookie Monster ]
  From Quiz: Sing a Song of Sesame Street!
23 Which of these "Sesame Street" characters was a science teacher?
Answer: Gordon

These characters were all played by live actors, as were Mr. Hooper, Maria and Luis. Bob was a music teacher, though I think he was a private instructor, not a schoolteacher. Linda was the deaf cast member who appeared somewhat frequently, and introduced us to American Sign Language. The "Fred" I am thinking of is Mr. Rogers from "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood"; right era, wrong show.
    Your options: [ Bob ] [ Gordon ] [ Linda ] [ Fred ]
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"--40 Years and Counting
24 What is Bert's favourite television program?
Answer: Pigeons in the News

Bert is always missing Pigeons in the News because of Ernie's misadventures. He does love bottle caps and paper clips as well, but there are no TV shows about them that we know of.
  From Quiz: Bert Rocks
25 What is the name of the elephant that lives with Oscar in his trash can?
Answer: Fluffy

Slimy lives with Oscar too, but he is a worm. Fluffy often wears a tutu and likes to dance.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"
26 What was the name of the first person to own the store on "Sesame Street"?
Answer: Mr. Hooper

Harold Hooper (played by Will Lee), owned Hooper's Store. Big Bird could never get his name quite right, and all of the wrong answers above are some of Big Birds attempts. Will Lee died in 1982, but the store is still known as Hooper's as a tribute to him.
  From Quiz: More Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
27 Who hosts "Monsterpiece Theater"?
Answer: Cookie Monster

Cookie Monster hosts "Monsterpiece Theater", in the guise of Alistair Cookie.
  From Quiz: Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
28 When Ernie and Bert are having the same snack or meal and the portions are not even, how does Ernie try to solve it?
Answer: eats the excessive amount

There are two famous skits showing this:

The time they are to have a lunch of, specifically, "cheese, sausage, anchovy, and pepperoni pizza" and a glass of grape juice, but Ernie clearly had more of each than Bert, so he solved it by eating and drinking his portion until he had less, then he started eating and drinking Bert's portion until Bert walked away disgusted.

The other time was similar. Ernie and Bert were to have an afternoon snack of cherries, of which Ernie had each portion on either end of a balance scale. But rather than move the excess cherries over to the other side, he kept eating the cherries until they were down to just one each, at this point Bert screamed and fainted, so Ernie just assumed he wasn't hungry and ate the last two.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street" - Bert and Ernie
29 On "Sesame Street" in 1982, a superhero debuted appearing to be a purple rabbit wearing a cape and carrying a carrot and a bunch of celery. While he sings a song, he converts Andy, who is addicted to candy, and Eddie, who eats spaghetti, to lovers of vegetables. What is this Muppet's name, which also is the title of the song?
Answer: Captain Vegetable

Jim Henson was the original performer of Captain Vegetable, and later the role was taken on by Richard Hunt. However, John Leguizamo later played a human version of the hero with the same name.

The song was written by Jeff Moss. During its original performance, the rabbit superhero has one huge black eyebrow for eyes, two very tall pink and purple ears, a mop of shaggy fire-red hair, and long, thick, curly white whiskers. As he approaches Andy and Eddie, each one respectively asks, "Who are you? Some kind of bad dream?" and "What are you? Are you some kind of weirdo?" Captain Vegetable, completely oblivious to how odd he appears, responds each time with "Do I look like a bad dream?" and "Do I look like a weirdo?" While Andy and Eddie roll their eyes, Captain Vegetable explains, "It is I, Captain Vegetable / With my carrot and my celery. / Eating crunchy vegetables is good for me, / And they're good for you, so eat them too . . . "
    Your options: [ Super Grover ] [ Cauliflower Hare ] [ The Purple Pumpernickel ] [ Captain Vegetable ]
  From Quiz: Sing a Song of Sesame Street!
30 (This was a running joke for a number of years.) Who was the harried storekeeper, whose name Big Bird could never seem to remember?
Answer: Mr. Hooper

Poor Mr. Hooper. Big Bird honestly tried to be polite, but could never get his name right. More often than not, he called the bald, glasses-wearing gentleman "Mr. Looper", but there was some variation.

In 1976, the Mr. Hooper character received his GED (episode #871), and when the lady reading the names got to him, she said, "Mr. Harold Cooper".
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"--40 Years and Counting
31 In Ernie's song 'La La La', he sings about lovely things starting with the letter L. He encourages Bert to join in, but Bert has different ideas about lovely L things. Which of the following does Bert NOT sing about?
Answer: Licorice

Licorice is one of Ernie's words. Linoleum is the wonderful climactic word of the song.
    Your options: [ Linoleum ] [ Light bulb ] [ Lamp post ] [ Licorice ]
  From Quiz: Bert Rocks
32 Zoe, Telly and several other characters share the same last name. What is the common name of Zoe and Telly?
Answer: Monster

Zoe and Telly both have the last name of Monster.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"
33 Finish this lyric to the "Sesame Street" theme song: "Sunny Day, Sweeping the clouds away, on my way to where ______ _____ _____ _____".
Answer: the air is sweet

"Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?"
  From Quiz: More Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
34 I think almost everyone knows Elmo, the little red dynamo with the infectious laugh, but how many of you know which monster was created specifically to compliment Elmo on screen?
Answer: Zoe

If you look closely, the red in Zoe's mouth is the same color as Elmo's fur, and Elmo's nose matches Zoe's fur. I love Zoe's laugh. It is too cute!
  From Quiz: Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
35 In 1973, Bert appeared in a skit by himself, an uncommon one because it was without Ernie. His entire body appears against a black backdrop, and the audience views his profile as Bert performs a dance that is essentially a strange strut. Bert imitates the walk of his favorite bird and sings a song, which ends with Bert's characteristic bleating laugh. What is the title of this song?
Answer: Doin' the Pigeon

The 1973 skit actually begins with Bert asking Ernie to start up a film, and the audience watches black and white home footage of pigeons strutting around various areas. However, we never see or hear Ernie. Eventually, we see Bert again who wears a brown hat with a feather in it, tells his feet to "do their stuff", and kicks one foot backwards while a pigeon's cooing is heard. In a later version of the song, Bert is on stage at a pigeon convention in Peoria. There is no pigeon footage, so there is no reference to Ernie to start any film projector. However, the song and dance remain the same.

Bert has traditionally been performed by Frank Oz, the same individual who does the voice for Yoda in the "Star Wars" films.
    Your options: [ The Turkey Dance ] [ Hootenany Owl ] [ The Hoppin' Canary ] [ Doin' the Pigeon ]
  From Quiz: Sing a Song of Sesame Street!
36 Speaking of running jokes, a famous one was on Big Bird himself. He had a strange friend, like no one else on Sesame Street, whom he called Mr. Snuffleupagus. (Oddly enough, THAT name gave Big Bird no trouble at all!) What problem did this character cause him for a number of years?
Answer: No one else in all of Sesame Street had ever seen him, so they assumed Big Bird's "friend" was imaginary.

It used to provide an interesting tension to the framework story to see if Big Bird would be able to introduce his friend to someone *this* time. Eventually, the rest of the neighbors on Sesame Street got to meet Snuffy. The other, mostly adult, characters had thought that Big Bird was unreliable, i.e. telling fibs, or unable to distinguish reality from fantasy, as is sometimes the case with young children who come to believe their pretend games. After Snuffy was revealed to them, they had to apologize to Big Bird, and promise to believe him in the future.
    Your options: [ He could not resist peeping through people's windows, and everyone assumed that Big Bird, the tallest resident, was spying on them. ] [ No one else in all of Sesame Street had ever seen him, so they assumed Big Bird's "friend" was imaginary. ] [ He kept sneaking down to Sesame Street without permission, and Big Bird didn't want to tell on him. ] [ He was very clumsy, and always broke things, getting himself and his friend into trouble. ]
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"--40 Years and Counting
37 What part of Bert's body does Ernie often remove?
Answer: Nose

Ernie often takes Bert's nose off for obscure reasons. In one sketch, he makes a sculpture of Bert, but runs out of clay for the nose, so borrows Bert's real nose to complete his work of art.
  From Quiz: Bert Rocks
38 Which human cast member owned Barkley?
Answer: Linda

Linda, the deaf cast member, owned Barkley. Linda Bove played Linda from 1971-2003.
    Your options: [ Linda ] [ Miles ] [ Alan ] [ Bob ]
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street"
39 Who was the host for the segment "News Flash"?
Answer: Kermit

Kermit the Frog hosted "News Flash". He was always on the scene of a famous nursery rhyme as it was "about to happen". Unfortunately for poor Kermit, things just never went quite like they should!
  From Quiz: More Sunny Days on "Sesame Street"
40 How many relatives did Bert either speak of or have over at the apartment?
Answer: 3

The three relatives Bert often spoke of or we saw were as follows:
His twin brother Bart, who had a very opposite personality to Bert, as shown when he came to visit Bert and Ernie in one skit.
His nephew Brad (presumably Bart's son) who was over at the house and Bert was about to give a bath to when Ernie chastised him for not having any bath toys, then proceeded to put too many toys in the bathtub.
His Aunt Matilda, whom has never been seen, but Bert is often speaking of for various things, like what to get for her birthday or when Ernie opened a present that was hers thinking it was for him.
  From Quiz: "Sesame Street" - Bert and Ernie
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Sesame Street Quizzes