An Oscar Obsession

There are several stories circulating on the Internet about Oscar's origins. Some say he was inspired by a New York city cab driver; others say he was inspired by a rude waited at Oscar's Tavern in Manhattan. My travels recently took me to Philadelphia, where I got caught in the rain and tried to shortcut my way back to a familiar street, when I came face to face with a place that I felt was calling me ... a familiar "Street" indeed.

To my sister and Oscar co-contributor/alter-ego, Happy Birthday!


















Here are some fun facts about Oscar's birthday: He was born on June 1, 1969, when he was introduced as the trash-dwelling grouch on Sesame Street. That actually makes him not that much older than you. In fact, you could have almost gone to high school together. :) Legend has it that his character was inspired by a rude, grumpy waiter at New York City's Oscar's Tavern. Oscar has been voiced by Caroll Spinney from Day 1.

Oscar has his own way of wishing you a ... well ... not exactly "happy" birthday. I'll just let him sing it himself:

It seems like people around the world can love a grouch. Oscar is a main character in Sesame Street programs all over the globe, though he often goes by a different name. In Germany, he is "Rumpel" and lives in his trash can with his caterpillar, Gustav.

That's right, that grouchy little green thing in the trash can wasn't always green. Maybe the producers of Sesame Street felt that orange was too sunny of a color?