Guy Smiley was a character on
Sesame StreetSesame Street is an American educational children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. Sesame Street is well known for its Muppets characters created by Jim Henson. It premiered on November 10, 1969, and...
who was dubbed "America's Favorite
Game ShowA game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems usually for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while...
Host." His skits are among those on the show that parody commercial media. This nattily attired character is easily excitable and is perpetually shouting, and resembles host Jim Perry. Apparently Guy Smiley is not his real name - in one Sesame Street skit, he stated: "Well, my name's Guy Smiley, and
they call me thatA stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
because I changed it from Bernie Liederkrantz".
Guy Smiley was a character on
Sesame StreetSesame Street is an American educational children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. Sesame Street is well known for its Muppets characters created by Jim Henson. It premiered on November 10, 1969, and...
who was dubbed "America's Favorite
Game ShowA game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems usually for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while...
Host." His skits are among those on the show that parody commercial media. This nattily attired character is easily excitable and is perpetually shouting, and resembles host Jim Perry. Apparently Guy Smiley is not his real name - in one Sesame Street skit, he stated: "Well, my name's Guy Smiley, and
they call me thatA stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
because I changed it from Bernie Liederkrantz". Guy has also hosted parodies of
This is Your LifeThis Is Your Life is a television documentary series hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards. It originally aired in the United States from 1952 to 1961, and again in 1972 on NBC. It originated as a radio show airing from 1948 to 1952 on NBC Radio. A version of it continues a very long run in the...
called "Here Is Your Life." Guests who were profiled included a loaf of bread, a tooth and a tree (all aimed at teaching children how things are made). He has also hosted pageants for numbers and letters.
Performed by
Jim HensonJames Maury "Jim" Henson , was one of the most widely known puppeteers in American history. He was the creator of The Muppets...
, the character was mostly discontinued upon Henson's death in 1990. He appeared as a background character in a street scene in 1998, and was performed by
Steve WhitmireSteve Whitmire is a puppeteer with The Jim Henson Company and Sesame Workshop. He has been the performer of two signature Muppets - Kermit the Frog and Sesame Street's Ernie - since the passing of their creator, Jim Henson, in 1990. Characters original to Whitmire include Rizzo the Rat, Lips...
. He also appeared in the CD-ROMs, "Let's Make a Word" (a spoof of
Let's Make a DealLet's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show was based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The contestants usually had to weigh the possibility of an offer...
) and "Get Set to Learn", where his voice was credited to Don Reardon. More recently the character has been played by
Eric JacobsonEric Jacobson is a puppeteer and Muppet performer, who has been the primary replacement puppeteer for Frank Oz's characters since 2001....
, starting with video inserts in the touring exhibit "Sesame Street Presents: The Body". As seen in the preview for the 39th Season, Guy Smiley would make an official return to the show.
Game shows
Guy Smiley has hosted many of the following game show skits, such as:
- The Remembering Game — A spoof of Concentration
Concentration was a TV game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. It aired on and off from 1958-1991, hosted by various hosts and played in various ways...
, two contestants try to match prizes on a four-space board. In its one appearance, Cookie MonsterCookie Monster is a fictional Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Awwwwn Nom nom nom"...
and an Anything MuppetAnything Muppets are 'empty' Muppet heads. Facial features, bodies and clothes can be added to make any kind of character. A group of Anything Muppets known as whatnots appeared on The Muppet Show....
named Bill Smith didn't like the prizes they had "won," so they traded prizes. Cookie had won an airplane and Bill had won a cookie.
- What's My Part? — A spoof of What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a weekly panel game show, which ran from 1950 to 1967, whose objective was to guess the unusual occupations of contestants. It is the longest-running game show in the history of prime time network television...
— Three blindfolded celebrities had to identify a body part before all three of them were disqualified (by asking a question that had a "no" answer). The first segment, featuring a nose, starred panelists Cookie Monster, Bennett Snerf and Arlene Frantic (the latter two Muppet parodies of longtime What's My Line? panelists Bennett CerfBennett Alfred Cerf was a publisher and co-founder of Random House, also known for his own compilations of jokes and puns, for regular personal appearances lecturing across the United States, and for his television appearances in the panel game show What's My Line?.-Biography:Bennett Cerf was born...
and Arlene FrancisArlene Francis was an American actress, radio talk show host, and game show panelist...
). It ran for 4 segments.
- Get Wordy - A spoof of Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! is an American quiz show featuring trivia in topics such as history, literature, the arts, pop culture, and science. The show has a unique answer-and-question format in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.The...
, Guy reads a meaning of a phrase and contestants have to guess what the phrase is.
- Mystery Guest — A spoof of a term used on What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a weekly panel game show, which ran from 1950 to 1967, whose objective was to guess the unusual occupations of contestants. It is the longest-running game show in the history of prime time network television...
— The contestants, (Cookie MonsterCookie Monster is a fictional Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Awwwwn Nom nom nom"...
, Don MusicComposer Don Music was a Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He was performed and voiced by Richard Hunt.The typically amusing sketch would have him become frustrated by his inability to think of the final line to well known songs such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"...
,and Sherlock HemlockSherlock Hemlock is a former Muppet character on the children's TV show Sesame Street. His catchphrase is "Egad!" which he exclaims whenever he makes a discovery...
), must guess who the Mystery Guest is. In this clip, it was the letter X, but nobody guessed correctly, and it turned out that the letter X belonged in the exit sign. It ran once.
- Beat the Time — A spoof of Beat the Clock
Not to be confused with a song of the same by Ghostface Killah, from his album The Pretty Toney Album.Beat the Clock is a Goodson-Todman game show which has aired on American television in several versions since 1950....
— The contestant must bring in a number of things that rhyme with the key word or contain something. In the most famous segment, Cookie Monster must find three things that rhyme with "rain", and will win a cookie if successful before the arrow on the clock reaches zero. Cookie manages to find a cane he stole from an old man, a chain holding a monster (FrazzleFrazzle is the only Muppet monster intended to be "scary" in the children's television series Sesame Street. During the late-1980s to early-1990s, his career was limited to that of a background extra, due to his creepy annoying appearance. He was often put on lawns to scare children awayWith the...
) and, at the last second, arrives onto the stage by smashing through the wall with a trainA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway....
(the same train he rode in "The Ballad of Casey McPhee"). It ran for 5 segments. Another "Beat the Time" involved the Count, where the Count has to bring in two things that come from the sky (his thunder and lightning when he counts). This is the one where Guy reveals his real name to be Bernie Liederkrantz.
- To Tell a Face — A spoof of To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired intermittently in various forms since 1956 on both networks and in syndication. Along with The Price Is Right, it is one of two game shows in the United States to...
— A Baby must figure out who is real person out of three panelists. It ran for 7 segments.
- The Triangle is Right — A spoof on the title The Price is Right
The Price Is Right is a U.S. television game show that is currently owned by the FremantleMedia subsidiary of the RTL Group. It was created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman Productions in the United States in 1956, and was significantly revamped by them in 1972...
— Every question is answered with the response, "A triangle" (a possible indirect reference to the real-life quiz show scandalsThe American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were the result of the revelation that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by the producers to arrange the outcome of a supposedly fair competition.-Background:...
of the 50's). It was short lived.
Other appearances
Guy did make some appearances that didn't have anything notable to do with his hosting career. When
Cookie MonsterCookie Monster is a fictional Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Awwwwn Nom nom nom"...
was in a
bakeryA bakery is an establishment which produces or/and sells bread, pies, pastries, cakes & cupcakes, biscuits, cookies, muffins, rolls, pretzels, doughnuts, and other baked goods prepared by bakers. Many retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to enjoy the freshly...
chewing up items that rhymed with the word "
pieA pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough shell that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients...
," Smiley came in announcing he was "Guy Smiley, star of daytime television." At this point, Cookie couldn't remember that it was a pie he was after, and the repeated use of words that did rhyme with "pie" did nothing to jog his memory. The scene ended with him chasing Guy around the bakery, trying to eat him.
He also appeared in a sketch featuring
GroverGrover is a Muppet character on the popular television show Sesame Street. Self-described as lovable and furry, he is a monster who almost never uses contractions when he speaks and sings ....
as an Elevator Operator. It was to teach kids to face the front of an elevator. In this sketch, "Mr Smiley" (as Grover calls him) is also voiced by Jim Henson, but with a different voice to his game show personality.
In one movie theatre skit with Bert and Ernie, using Guy as a one-line extra, the character is puppeted by
Richard HuntRichard Hunt may refer to:* Richard Hunt , Canadian carver and artist* Richard Hunt , one of the founders of Green Anarchist and Alternative Green* Richard Hunt , politician in Nova Scotia, Canada...
.
He also appeared in
On Vacation With Guy Smiley, in which he tried to photograph various animals in the jungle.
International
Sesame Street is localized for some different markets, where Guy Smiley is often renamed. In Portuguese, for example, he's
Carlos Luz, a play on words with the name of Portuguese TV presenter
Carlos CruzCarlos Cruz , GCIH is a Portuguese television presenter. Throughout his career in the Portuguese media he worked for the Emissora Nacional , RTP, Rádio Comercial and SIC...
. In The Netherlands, he is called Henk Glimlach, Glimlach meaning "Smile". In Germany he appears plainly as Robert.
Television
Guy Smiley is used to represent former Massachusetts Governor
Mitt RomneyWillard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and former Governor of Massachusetts. Romney was CEO of Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, and co-founder of Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm...
on
The Daily ShowThe Daily Show, known in its current incarnation as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn...
and
The Colbert ReportThe Colbert Report is an American satirical late night television program that airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States and on both The Comedy Network and CTV in Canada...
.