Espinete
Encyclopedia
Espinete is a fictional
large pink hedgehog
. He was the main character of Barrio Sésamo
, the Spanish
version of Sesame Street
. Espinete appeared on the show from 1983 to 1987. He was played by Spanish actress Chelo Vivares.
or spine
).
Espinete's gender has been open to debate for some time, specially after the end of his/her appearance in the series. Although Espinete is played by an actress, apparently Espinete is portrayed as a male. Another character, Don Pimpón
, said once that Espinete is "just a (small) boy" (In Spanish
sólo un niño, which could also be arguably translated as "just a child.")
Espinete does not wear clothes during the day. However, he wears pajamas when going to sleep (including a nightcap
), and he also has used disguises (including a wizard, Dracula and a superhero called Súper Espi).
Initially, Espinete lived in a forest with other hedgehogs. He then moved to Barrio Sésamo, where he wanted to live "under a tree". Human adults in Barrio Sésamo tried to convince him to live in a normal house, but the children disagreed. Finally, it was decided that Espinete would live in a garage, owned by one of the adults but not used, which was adapted into a room.
From his behavior, it must be understood that Espinete is a child. He is friends with most, if not all, of the characters in the Barrio, including references to "his friends Epi and Blas" (Ernie and Bert), although Espinete does not appear with them in any sketches. He does not have a single "father figure", but many of them in the form of all of the adults in the Barrio (particularly Chema the baker, who has no children of his own; and monster Don Pimpón).
Espinete does not have a regular source of income. However, he does eat and drink. This has not been justified, but is similar to other muppets living with humans, such as Big Bird
.
Sometimes, Espinete seems to be just as childlike as other children in the Barrio. Sometimes, however, he does show a greater degree of knowledge: for example, he is familiar with the concept of a password while other children, and even adults, are not.
One of Espinete's most popular songs was Un erizo como yo ("A hedgehog like me").
(who played Chema the baker in the show). They were married until Sánchez's death in 2008.
Espinete was bigger than a human, and his mouth must be operated using Chelo Vivares's hand, as a hand puppet, similar to Big Bird. Thus, Vivares had only one arm available. Using a string, Vivares' movements with one arm were followed by a similar but opposite movement of Espinete's other arm (If Vivares moved her left arm towards the front, the right arm moved towards the back). Don Pimpón was operated similarly. In some of the episodes Espinete had closed his eyes while thinking, playing and sleeping. He has also movable eyebrows.
Espinete with closed eyes
Espinete is clearly similar to his counterpart from Israel
i Rechov Sumsum, Kippi Ben Kippod. Kippi Ben Kippod was another human-sized, pink porcupine who first appeared in 1982 and returned for 1987. The main difference between them was that Kippi Ben Kippod favored clothing while Espinete did not.
Espinete (Vivares) has appeared in theatre versions of Barrio Sésamo that were performed after 1987 alongside Sánchez as Chema and another actor from the series, José Riesgo as Julián.
One of Espinete's songs, Espinete, Espinete, el amigo de los niños ("Espinete, Espinete, the friend of children") was performed by a beggar boy in drunken stupor in the Spanish movie Makinavaja, el último choriso (1992).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
large pink hedgehog
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
. He was the main character of Barrio Sésamo
Barrio Sésamo
Barrio Sésamo was the Spanish version of the popular U.S. children's program Sesame Street. The show premièred in 1979...
, the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
version of Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. Espinete appeared on the show from 1983 to 1987. He was played by Spanish actress Chelo Vivares.
Character
A big, human-sized muppet, Espinete is a pink hedgehog (in Spanish, erizo is the word for hedgehog, and espina is the word for quillQuill
A quill pen is a writing implement made from a flight feather of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, metal-nibbed pens, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen...
or spine
Spine (zoology)
A spine is a hard, thorny or needle-like structure which occurs on various animals. Animals such as porcupines and sea urchins grow spines as a self-defense mechanism. Spines are often formed of keratin...
).
Espinete's gender has been open to debate for some time, specially after the end of his/her appearance in the series. Although Espinete is played by an actress, apparently Espinete is portrayed as a male. Another character, Don Pimpón
Don Pimpón
Don Pimpón was a friend of Espinete, the main character of Barrio Sésamo, the Spanish version of Sesame Street. He used to travel around the world, bringing presents for everybody when he returned....
, said once that Espinete is "just a (small) boy" (In Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
sólo un niño, which could also be arguably translated as "just a child.")
Espinete does not wear clothes during the day. However, he wears pajamas when going to sleep (including a nightcap
Nightcap (garment)
A nightcap is a warm cloth cap worn while sleeping, often with pajamas or a nightgown. They are similar to winter 'beanies' worn in cold climates. They were common in northern Europe before central heating was available, when homes were cold at night....
), and he also has used disguises (including a wizard, Dracula and a superhero called Súper Espi).
Initially, Espinete lived in a forest with other hedgehogs. He then moved to Barrio Sésamo, where he wanted to live "under a tree". Human adults in Barrio Sésamo tried to convince him to live in a normal house, but the children disagreed. Finally, it was decided that Espinete would live in a garage, owned by one of the adults but not used, which was adapted into a room.
From his behavior, it must be understood that Espinete is a child. He is friends with most, if not all, of the characters in the Barrio, including references to "his friends Epi and Blas" (Ernie and Bert), although Espinete does not appear with them in any sketches. He does not have a single "father figure", but many of them in the form of all of the adults in the Barrio (particularly Chema the baker, who has no children of his own; and monster Don Pimpón).
Espinete does not have a regular source of income. However, he does eat and drink. This has not been justified, but is similar to other muppets living with humans, such as Big Bird
Big Bird
Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
.
Sometimes, Espinete seems to be just as childlike as other children in the Barrio. Sometimes, however, he does show a greater degree of knowledge: for example, he is familiar with the concept of a password while other children, and even adults, are not.
One of Espinete's most popular songs was Un erizo como yo ("A hedgehog like me").
Behind the Scenes
Espinete was performed by actress Chelo Vivares, who was married to actor Juan SánchezJuan Ramón Sánchez
Juan Ramón Sánchez Paredes is a Salvadoran football coach.He has worked as the coach of Juventud Independiente and other teams.He is the father of current capitan of the El Salvador national teamRamón Alfredo Sánchez.-References:...
(who played Chema the baker in the show). They were married until Sánchez's death in 2008.
Espinete was bigger than a human, and his mouth must be operated using Chelo Vivares's hand, as a hand puppet, similar to Big Bird. Thus, Vivares had only one arm available. Using a string, Vivares' movements with one arm were followed by a similar but opposite movement of Espinete's other arm (If Vivares moved her left arm towards the front, the right arm moved towards the back). Don Pimpón was operated similarly. In some of the episodes Espinete had closed his eyes while thinking, playing and sleeping. He has also movable eyebrows.
Espinete with closed eyes
Espinete is clearly similar to his counterpart from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Rechov Sumsum, Kippi Ben Kippod. Kippi Ben Kippod was another human-sized, pink porcupine who first appeared in 1982 and returned for 1987. The main difference between them was that Kippi Ben Kippod favored clothing while Espinete did not.
Espinete (Vivares) has appeared in theatre versions of Barrio Sésamo that were performed after 1987 alongside Sánchez as Chema and another actor from the series, José Riesgo as Julián.
One of Espinete's songs, Espinete, Espinete, el amigo de los niños ("Espinete, Espinete, the friend of children") was performed by a beggar boy in drunken stupor in the Spanish movie Makinavaja, el último choriso (1992).