PERFORMER | Jerry Nelson 1970-2003 |
Peter Linz 2015-present | |
DEBUT | 1970 |
Herry Monster is a Sesame Street monster who doesn't know his own strength. Herry first appeared in season 2, effectively replacing the Beautiful Day Monster in the Sesame monster troupe.
In his earliest appearances, Herry's nose was covered with light blue fur as well. Eventually, he gained a non-furry blue nose, which was replaced by his signature purple nose in season 3. The Herry puppet was also used for the original Big Bad Wolf.
Although Herry had been performed by Jerry Nelson from the beginning, Jim Henson performed his voice in the song "Up and Down" with Cookie Monster (using a recycled soundtrack from The Sesame Street Book & Record, where the song was credited to "Two Monsters"), Caroll Spinney performed him in Episode 0142, and Richard Hunt performed him in the "Dialing for Prizes Movie" sketch. (First: Episode 0629)
Herry was often seen in Muppet & Kid Moments, relating to real children, and in later seasons appeared in the recurring sketch Monsters in Day Care. Herry has also participated in many of Prairie Dawn's pageants, as well as appearing in such Monsterpiece Theater segments as "Chariots of Fur," "Guys and Dolls," and "ABCD Blue."
His family consists of a mother, a father, a grandmother, a niece in Episode 1033, a sister named Herriet in Episode 1073, and a young sister named Flossie seen in several storybooks. (See: Herry's family). Herry also has an affinity for dolls, having taken custody of several over the years, the most prominent of which is his doll named Hercules.
Herry hosted the Fuzzy Awards in the video Monster Hits! and he was an anchorman in We All Sing Together.
Herry is known for appearing in illustrations (and some merchandise and on the Sesame Street Live productions) with pants on. Usually they would be white with pink stripes, but the costume used in Sesame Street Live would give Herry light blue pants, and illustrator Tom Cooke usually drew Herry in purple pants with orange spots. He hasn't been seen wearing pants elsewhere, and the few times he has been shown below the waist, he is unclothed, like most monsters.
Another attribute of the character from illustrated merchandise is that Herry was sometimes depicted as the proprietor of a barber shop on Sesame Street. Usually wearing a short-sleeved barber's shirt and his customary (for illustrations) striped pants, Herry could be seen working at Herry's Barber Shop in The Sesame Street Dictionary, the 1983 book People in Your Neighborhood, a puzzle from Sony, the 1986 Rub n' Play transfer set, and the Busy Builders Playtown.
Like Cookie Monster, in rare instances Herry has taken to eating traditionally inedible objects, such as a bicycle, a cookie box, a restaurant table and the letter in M-M-M Monster Meal, but usually in the company of his googly-eyed friend.
Though Herry still makes occasional appearances in new episodes, he seldom plays a prominent role. He can be seen in The Street We Live On and made a cameo in Episode 4206 (puppeteered by Marty Robinson),[1] in line at Hooper's Store.
In 2013, Herry made his first speaking appearance in a decade at the From Broadway With Love benefit concert, where he was performed by Tyler Bunch. Since 2015, Peter Linz has been cast in the role.[2] Linz's first public performance as Herry was for a 2017 #ShareTheLaughter video. (YouTube) Herry has since made minor speaking appearances in episodes and specials, most notably Episode 4905 and The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, serving as the bass player for the house band Mama Bear and the Monsters in season one.
Herry's birthday is August 31.
Notes[]
- Herry has a mechanism in his head which allows the puppeteer to move his eyebrows up and down.
- Jerry Nelson modeled Herry's voice after Jimmy Durante.[3]
- On The Furchester Hotel, an altered version of the Herry puppet was used as "Berry" for The Tea Time Monsters.
- As shown in Episode 3791, Herry owns a pet bird named Trilby.
Filmography[]
- Sesame Street
- Out to Lunch
- The Muppet Movie (the "Rainbow Connection" finale)
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (Wedding Finale)
- Follow That Bird
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
- A Muppet Family Christmas
- Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting
- Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake
- Sesame Street Stays Up Late
- Monster Hits!
- We All Sing Together
- Stars and Street Forever
- Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration
- Don't Forget to Watch the Movie
- Elmo Saves Christmas
- A Brief History of Motion Pictures
- Sesame Street Beans commercial
- Elmopalooza
- CinderElmo
- Talk, Read, Write
- Elmo's World: Happy Holidays!
- Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic
- The Street We Live On
- Elmo's Christmas Countdown
- When You Wish Upon a Pickle
- Tiny Desk Concerts
- Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration
- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo
Episodic appearances[]
- Season 2 - Season 10
- 0132, 0142, 0149, 0160, 0173, 0178, 0181, 0189, 0210, 0226, 0309, 0358, 0365, 0510, 0666, 0681, 0709, 0720, 0736, 0739, 0760, 0765, 0796, 0799, 0800, 0805, 0806, 0808, 0817, 0820, 0821, 0842, 0843, 0846, 0867, 0911, 0922, 0925, 1027, 1033, 1038, 1045, 1052, 1066, 1073, 1074, 1127, 1129, 1137, 1142, 1143, 1186, 1190, 1196, 1199, 1209, 1225, 1261, 1267, 1270, 1295, 1310
- Season 37 - present
Album appearances[]
- The Official Sesame Street 2 Book-and-Record Album
- The Muppet Alphabet Album
- Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert
- Bert & Ernie Sing-Along
- The Sesame Street Monsters!
- Merry Christmas from Sesame Street
- The Sesame Street Fairy Tale Album
- Signs!
- Sesame Disco!
- Dinah! I've Got a Song
- Sesame Country
- Elmo Saves Christmas: Holiday Favorites
Book appearances[]
- Sesame Street Finger Puppets (1971)
- The Sesame Street Storybook (1971)
- The Together Book (1971)
- Cookie Monster's Circle Book (1972)
- More Sesame Street Finger Puppets (1972)
- Sherlock Hemlock and the Great Twiddlebug Mystery (1972)
- The Sesame Street 1, 2, 3 Storybook (1973)
- The Sesame Street ABC Storybook (1974)
- Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum (1974)
- Big Bird's Busy Book (1975)
- See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Smell No Evil (1975)
- Bert's Big Band Paint-with-Water Book (1976)
- The Count's Coloring Book (1976)
- I am a Monster (1976)
- The Sesame Street Postcard Book (1976)
- The Sesame Street A to Z Coloring Book (1976)
- The Sesame Street Neighborhood Coloring Book (1976)
- Una Sorpresa (1976)
- Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree (1977)
- The Day the Count Stopped Counting (1977)
- Grover's Favorite Color (1977)
- The Monsters' Alphabet (1977)
- The Sesame Street Block Party (1977)
- The Sesame Street Mystery Coloring Book (1977)
- Who's Who on Sesame Street (1977)
- The Exciting Adventures of Super Grover (1978)
- Grover's Super Surprise Book (1978)
- The Sesame Street Bedtime Storybook (1978)
- The Sesame Street Cookbook (1978)
- The Sesame Street Library series (1978)
- A Day on Sesame Street (1979)
- Sesame Stories (1979)
- Sesame Street in Space (1979)
- My Favorite Things (1979)
- The Count Counts a Party (1980)
- Down on the Farm with Grover (1980)
- Going Up! (1980)
- I Like School (1980)
- Monsters Come in Many Colors! (1980)
- The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
- The Sesame Street Pet Show (1980)
- Show and Tell (1980)
- The Tool Box Book (1980)
- What Did You Bring? (1980)
- ABC Toy Chest (1981)
- Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1981)
- Oscar's Rotten Birthday (1981)
- Prairie Dawn's Upside-Down Poem (1981)
- Put & Play Inside Outside (1981)
- Put & Play Magic Show (1981)
- Put & Play Yucchy Book (1981)
- The Sesame Street Circus of Opposites (1981)
- The Sesame Street Sun (1981)
- What Do You Do? (1981)
- Which One Doesn't Belong? (1981)
- Big and Little Stories (1982)
- City (1982)
- A Day at School (1982)
- First Day of School (1982)
- Seasons of the Year (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 1: The A Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 2: The B Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 4: The D Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 6: The GH Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 8: The M Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 9: The NO Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 11: The R Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 12: The S Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 14: The UV Book (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 15: The WXYZ Book (1982)
- Monster (1982)
- A Sesame Street Christmas (1982)
- Bert and the Missing Mop Mix-Up (1983)
- People in Your Neighborhood (1983)
- The Sesame Street Treasury series (1983)
- I Think That It Is Wonderful (1984)
- A Baby Sister for Herry (1984)
- Lovable, Furry Old Grover in Please Don't Push the Red Button (1984)
- My Doll Is Lost! (1984)
- A Silly Sesame Street Story: The Three Little Pigs (1984)
- Trace & Color Alphabet (1984)
- Big Bird Can Share (1985)
- Big Bird's Book About the Earth and Sky (1985)
- Big Bird Says... A Game to Read and Play (1985)
- Big Bird's Book of Rhymes (1985)
- Ernie's Finish the Picture (1985)
- Grover's Book of Cute Little Words (1985)
- Look What I Can Do (1985)
- Sign Language ABC (1985)
- A Bird's Best Friend (1986)
- Big Bird Goes to the Doctor (1986)
- A My Name Is Annabel (1986)
- Baby Animals on the Farm (1986)
- Count to Ten (1986)
- Find the Shapes (1986)
- Sesame Street ABC (1986)
- Through the Year (1986)
- Colors (1987)
- Ernie's Neighborhood (1987)
- I Want a Hat Like That (1987)
- Monsters, Monsters! (1987)
- The Runaway Soup and Other Stories (1987)
- A New Baby on Sesame Street (1987)
- Shape Up! (1987)
- A Sitter for Baby Monster (1987)
- Bert's New Collection (1988)
- Going Places (1988)
- A New Playground on Sesame Street (1988)
- The Sesame Street ABC Book of Words (1988)
- A My Name Is Alice (1989)
- Come As You Are (1989)
- Great Monsterpieces (1989)
- Herry's New Shoes (1989)
- It's No Fun to Be Sick! (1989)
- On My Way with Sesame Street series (1989)
- Ernie Follows His Nose (1990)
- Grover's Bad Dream (1990)
- I Want to Go to School Too (1990)
- Museum of Monster Art (1990)
- Be My Friend (1991)
- Grover, Grover, Come on Over (1991)
- Halloween Party (1991)
- The Monsters' Picnic (1991)
- Scheherryzade and the Arabian Nights (1991)
- Sesame Street 123 (1991)
- Sleep Tight! (1991)
- We're Counting on You, Grover! (1991)
- Betty Lou's Bad Mood Blues (1992)
- Bounce Along with Big Bird (1992)
- Ernie and His Merry Monsters (1992)
- Feeling Fit (1992)
- Grover's 10 Terrific Ways to Help Our Wonderful World (1992)
- Grover's Guide to Good Manners (1992)
- Happy and Sad, Grouchy and Glad (1992)
- I Want to Be a Cowboy (1992)
- My Name Is Big Bird (1992)
- A New Way to Get to Sesame Street (1992)
- The Sesame Street Book of Poetry (1992)
- Shapes: Stand-ups to Color & Share (1992)
- Too Little! (1992)
- We're Different, We're the Same (1992)
- Elmo's Little Playhouse (1993)
- I Want to Be a Ballet Dancer (1993)
- I Spy: A Game to Read and Play (1993)
- Imagine... Big Bird Meets Santa Claus (1993)
- Merry Christmas, Everybody! (1993)
- Sesame Street's Mother Goose Rhymes (1993)
- Around the Corner on Sesame Street (1994)
- Baby Natasha in "Say Cheese!" (1994)
- Elmo's Big Lift-and-Look Book (1994)
- I Want to Be a Police Officer (1994)
- Elmo and the Baby Animals (1995)
- Elmo's Christmas (1995)
- Sesame Street Stays Up Late (1995)
- Just Joking (1995)
- Ready, Set, Go! A Counting Book (1995)
- Ten Scary Monsters (1995)
- B is for Books! (1996)
- Elmo's Lift-and-Peek Around the Corner Book (1996)
- Elmo's Night Before Christmas (1996)
- Rise and Shine! (1996, reworked as Up, Up, Up! in 2011)
- The Bunny Hop (1997)
- Pumpkin Patch Party (1997)
- Elmo's Christmas Colors (1997)
- Elmo Saves Christmas (1997)
- Elmo's Tricky Tongue Twisters (1998)
- Elmo Says... (1998)
- It's Not Easy Being Big! (1998)
- Sesame Street Lift-and-Peek Party! (1998)
- Elmopalooza (1998)
- Elmo Says Achoo! (2000)
- Elmo's ABC Book (2000)
- Watch Out for Banana Peels (2000)
- Elmo's Apartment (2001)
- The Fix-It Shop (2001)
- Hooper's Store (2001)
- Sesame Street Community Center (2001)
- Listen to Your Fish (2003)
- Fun with Friends (2004)
- Boo! (2005)
- The City Sings a Song! (2005)
- Elmo's Delicious Christmas (2005)
- Monsters Munch Lunch! (2005)
- Discovering Letter Sounds (2006)
- Let's Share (2006)
- Please and Thank You (2006)
- Abby Cadabby's Rhyme Time (2007)
- Friendly, Frosty Monsters (2007)
- Rosita's Easter on Sesame Street (2007)
- Color Carnival (2008)
- Love, Elmo (2009)
- Elmo and Ernie's Joke Book (2012)
- Sesame Street 2013 comic book
- Issue 2: Another Sunny Day (2015)
- Counta Block (2021)
- Sesame Street 2024 comic book
Character merchandise[]
- Grolier Christmas Ornament
- Herry Monster puppet
- Herry's Gym Mobile
- Knickerbocker doll -- two sizes
- Herry Monster bean
- Tyco Herry Monster PVC figure
- Kellogg's mini bean
- Kubricks Herry Monster figure
- Heimo Herry Monster PVC figure
- Sesame Place "Classic Characters" plush
- Speciality Series Pop! Vinyl Figure
- Sesame Street figurine (Gorham)