PERFORMER | various |
DEBUT | 1966 |
An unnamed purple monster with one horn and one tooth debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show, as the son of Fred.
He later appeared in several sketches during the first season of Sesame Street, in one of which he was finally identified by the name Billy.
The monster's eyes were yellow in his first appearance; in subsequent appearances, they swapped between yellow and white. He is also sometimes seen with a dark, heavy unibrow; an exchangeable feature not present in his debut.
His performers included Jerry Juhl (in the Sullivan sketch), Jim Henson (in various Sesame sketches), Daniel Seagren (in "Here and There"), and Caroll Spinney (in "First and Last").
Sesame Street sketches[]
Picture | First appearance | Description | |
---|---|---|---|
Episode 0060 | Up and Down
Billy sings the song in-between cutaways with proto-Grover. | ||
Episode 0061 | "Some" and "All"
Billy appears among the group of Muppets demonstrating "none," "some" and "all". | ||
Episode 0072 | Seven Days
Billy (with a tutu) presents Saturday in "Seven Days". | ||
Episode 0075 | Letter "O"
A group of Muppets (including Taminella Grinderfall and Sour Bird) repeat saying "Oh!" when they see a letter O. | ||
Episode 0083 | Monsters look at "A"
A group of monsters look at a giant letter "A." (YouTube) | ||
Episode 0084 | Counting to 10
Some Anything Muppets and monsters (including Cookie Monster, (proto)-Grover, Beautiful Day Monster, Scudge, and Billy) pile up and count to 10. | ||
Episode 0085 | Monsters and the letter "G"
A group of monsters enter the frame, look upward, and exclaim "Gee!" The camera pulls back and reveals they're admiring a letter G. | ||
Episode 0089 | Monsters and the letter "C"
A group of monsters whisper the letter "C." (YouTube) | ||
Episode 0091 | Monsters and the letter "Y"
A group of monsters repeatedly exclaim, "Y?" The camera pans up to reveal a Y floating above them. | ||
Episode 0106 | Professor Hastings' Feelings Lecture
Professor Hastings conducts a lecture about the ways people feel, but keeps drifting off. Meanwhile, two groups of Muppets behind him pass by; one cheering for their winning team, and the others crying for the losing team. Billy is among those in the happy team. | ||
Episode 0111 | Here and There
The little monster (named Billy for the first time in the sketch) wants to learn about "here" and "there," so Louie and Cookie Monster (referred to as Harry) show him by spreading apart, each calling the little monster over to their side. However, whenever he gets to "there," he always finds himself "here." | ||
Episode 0116 | First and Last
A group of Monsters, led by a hippie, play a game where they march in a line and then switch directions. "Grover" wants to be first and not last, but can't keep up with the ever-switching directions.
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