Slimey the Worm
Encyclopedia
Slimey the Worm is a light and dark orange striped worm
that is the pet and friend of Oscar the Grouch
on Jim Henson
's Muppet
show Sesame Street
. Introduced in Season 13 (1981-1982), he is played by Martin P. Robinson
and is the smallest of all characters on Sesame Street, being only 7 cm (2¾in). His small size does not affect his attitude of being one not to wince at the sight of extreme activities. As Lou Berger
, head writer for Sesame Street, put it, "Slimey shows viewers that even the smallest creature can be the most heroic, and that's an important thing for kids to see." Slimey has done many extreme things, including winning a gold medal in the Worm Olympics, parachuted from a plane, been shot out of a cannon whilst kissing girlfriend Glo and become the first worm in space. At first Slimey and his family did not talk, communicating by squeaking and wriggling, Slimey would be held up to Oscar's ear to talk to him. He and his family now, however, have digitally enhanced squeaky voices. Slimey's voice is currently provided by Dick Maitland. His birthday is on February 18.
, Sesame Street changed directions from teaching children about basic literacy
and numeracy
, adding basic science
. Slimey was accepted by WASA, or the Worm's Air and Space Agency (a parody of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA), as part of the lunar program. He then trained rigorously to become an astroworm and was finally chosen as part of the mission's international crew, showing viewers that practice makes perfect. The rocket
was launched using Snuffleupagus' trunk. The journey went through many troubles including the international crew's crisis but eventually landed on the moon, which was televised live by Kermit the Frog
. The rocket ship landed in dramatic fashion, splashing into the water. Fortunately nobody was hurt. Slimey was the first to get out of the rocket ship and therefore became the first worm on the moon. The separation of Slimey and Oscar showed the rarely-seen soft side to Oscar. The journey explored concepts such as the distance to the moon and the difference between heavy and light, as well as how scientific exploration occurs, with Slimey and the crew performing experiments and collecting samples. The mission included the song "Slimey to the Moon" sung by the famous Jazz singer Tony Bennett
to the tune of "Fly Me to the Moon
" by Bart Howard
.
, but also the only character with whom Oscar admits being friends and liking. Slimey is said to bring out the best in Oscar. The friendship between the two is understood, where they do not express their feelings for each other but act in a manner which shows their strong relationship. Oscar likes Slimey because they share common interests like the love of rain, mud, and soil, and the fact that Slimey doesn't talk to him when he is trying to sleep. The two do many things together, including taking mud baths and just hanging out. In Season 36, Oscar sang the "Worm Workout Song," a parody of the song "YMCA
", while Slimey and his worm friends stretched and wiggled. Each night, or at the end of each episode (from season 35 onward) Oscar reads to Slimey chapters from the book Trash Gordon
, a parody of the Flash Gordon
comic strip. The book involves Gordon fighting many creatures and ends with a review of the letter and number of the day. When Slimey went into space, Oscar was distraught and could not mask missing Slimey, showing a side of Oscar not seen before. Oscar's friendship with Slimey demonstrates the difficulties some children find in making friends.
, Glo Worm, a volunteer fire fighter, entered Sesame Street and became the larva love of Slimey. They both announce their affection for each other but Glo is called away to fight a fire and Baby Bear is put in charge of distracting Slimey as he waits anxiously for his beloved to return. The pair hit it off so well due to their shared fondness of extreme activities, which is illustrated in a scene where they get shot out of a cannon while kissing. Another moment that featured the duo showed the couple dancing to salsa music.
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
that is the pet and friend of Oscar the Grouch
Oscar the Grouch
Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. He has a green body , has no nose , and lives in a trash can. His favorite thing in life is trash; evidence for this is the song "I Love Trash". A running theme is his compulsive hoarding of seemingly useless items...
on Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
's Muppet
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
show 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...
. Introduced in Season 13 (1981-1982), he is played by Martin P. Robinson
Martin P. Robinson
Martin P. Robinson is a puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company. He originally built, designed, and performed the puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. He is perhaps best known for his work on Sesame Street. He has performed the characters of Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Tony...
and is the smallest of all characters on Sesame Street, being only 7 cm (2¾in). His small size does not affect his attitude of being one not to wince at the sight of extreme activities. As Lou Berger
Lou Berger
Lou Berger is a former head writer for Sesame Street. Berger was one of two writers that helped launch Reading Rainbow in the early 1980s and he co-wrote, with Judy Freudberg, the primetime special The Street We Live On, which was nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Children's Program...
, head writer for Sesame Street, put it, "Slimey shows viewers that even the smallest creature can be the most heroic, and that's an important thing for kids to see." Slimey has done many extreme things, including winning a gold medal in the Worm Olympics, parachuted from a plane, been shot out of a cannon whilst kissing girlfriend Glo and become the first worm in space. At first Slimey and his family did not talk, communicating by squeaking and wriggling, Slimey would be held up to Oscar's ear to talk to him. He and his family now, however, have digitally enhanced squeaky voices. Slimey's voice is currently provided by Dick Maitland. His birthday is on February 18.
Slimey in space
In season 29 (1997-1998), Slimey undertook a 6-week journey into space. With his landing on the moonMoon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, Sesame Street changed directions from teaching children about basic literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and numeracy
Numeracy
Numeracy is the ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life...
, adding basic science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. Slimey was accepted by WASA, or the Worm's Air and Space Agency (a parody of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA), as part of the lunar program. He then trained rigorously to become an astroworm and was finally chosen as part of the mission's international crew, showing viewers that practice makes perfect. The rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
was launched using Snuffleupagus' trunk. The journey went through many troubles including the international crew's crisis but eventually landed on the moon, which was televised live by Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
. The rocket ship landed in dramatic fashion, splashing into the water. Fortunately nobody was hurt. Slimey was the first to get out of the rocket ship and therefore became the first worm on the moon. The separation of Slimey and Oscar showed the rarely-seen soft side to Oscar. The journey explored concepts such as the distance to the moon and the difference between heavy and light, as well as how scientific exploration occurs, with Slimey and the crew performing experiments and collecting samples. The mission included the song "Slimey to the Moon" sung by the famous Jazz singer Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
to the tune of "Fly Me to the Moon
Fly Me to the Moon
"Fly Me to the Moon" is a popular standard song written by Bart Howard in 1954. It was originally titled "In Other Words", and was introduced by Felicia Sanders in cabarets...
" by Bart Howard
Bart Howard
Bart Howard was the composer and writer of the famous jazz standard "Fly Me To The Moon", which has been performed by singers Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Della Reese, Diana Krall, June Christy and Astrud Gilberto...
.
Friends and family
Slimey has many friends, both worm and non-worm, and also a worm family. Listed here are Slimey's main friends and his family.Oscar the Grouch
Slimey is not only the pet of Oscar the GrouchOscar the Grouch
Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. He has a green body , has no nose , and lives in a trash can. His favorite thing in life is trash; evidence for this is the song "I Love Trash". A running theme is his compulsive hoarding of seemingly useless items...
, but also the only character with whom Oscar admits being friends and liking. Slimey is said to bring out the best in Oscar. The friendship between the two is understood, where they do not express their feelings for each other but act in a manner which shows their strong relationship. Oscar likes Slimey because they share common interests like the love of rain, mud, and soil, and the fact that Slimey doesn't talk to him when he is trying to sleep. The two do many things together, including taking mud baths and just hanging out. In Season 36, Oscar sang the "Worm Workout Song," a parody of the song "YMCA
YMCA (song)
"Y.M.C.A." is a song recorded by American disco group Village People. It was released in 1978 as the only single from the album Cruisin. The song reached No. 2 on the U.S. charts in early 1979 and reached No.1 in the UK around the same time, becoming the group's biggest hit...
", while Slimey and his worm friends stretched and wiggled. Each night, or at the end of each episode (from season 35 onward) Oscar reads to Slimey chapters from the book Trash Gordon
Trash Gordon
Trash Gordon is the name of a fictitious character on the long-running PBS children's television show Sesame Street. Played by Roscoe Orman, who also plays the character of Gordon on the show, Trash Gordon is a parody version of the science fiction hero Flash Gordon...
, a parody of the Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
comic strip. The book involves Gordon fighting many creatures and ends with a review of the letter and number of the day. When Slimey went into space, Oscar was distraught and could not mask missing Slimey, showing a side of Oscar not seen before. Oscar's friendship with Slimey demonstrates the difficulties some children find in making friends.
Glo
On February 14, 2000 (episode #3882), Valentine's DayValentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
, Glo Worm, a volunteer fire fighter, entered Sesame Street and became the larva love of Slimey. They both announce their affection for each other but Glo is called away to fight a fire and Baby Bear is put in charge of distracting Slimey as he waits anxiously for his beloved to return. The pair hit it off so well due to their shared fondness of extreme activities, which is illustrated in a scene where they get shot out of a cannon while kissing. Another moment that featured the duo showed the couple dancing to salsa music.
Dusty and Eartha
Dusty and Eartha are the parents of Slimey and Sloppy. Dusty, the father, is a dark and light striped worm that is personified by the circular black glasses and brown overcoat that he wears. Eartha, the mother, has the same light and dark orange skin as her son, Slimey. She is personified by the long curled eyelashes and country hairstyle commonly sported by women of the 1960s.Sloppy
Sloppy, which is short for "Sloppy Jalopy", Oscar's car on which she was born, is the yellow and brown striped baby sister of Slimey. She was born in Season 26 (1994-1995) to Dusty and Eartha to demonstrate the pressures that come with becoming an elder sibling and how to cope with it through Slimey's actions to his new younger sister. This action by Jim Henson has periodically dealt with the theme of becoming an elder sibling as many of the young viewers watching Sesame Street would be going through that change. The most recent version of this is the birth of Curly Bear, the younger sister of Baby Bear in 2003.Squirmy
Squirmy is a light blue and dark blue striped worm who personifies a person from the country and is cousin to Slimey. She has only ever been introduced in the book The City Worm and the Country Worm by Linda Hayward, in which Slimey and Squirmy exchange visits, with Slimey going to the country and Squirmy going to the city, or more specifically Sesame Street. In the end both decide that their own environment is best for themselves.Episode Appearances
Here are listed all episodes which revolved around Slimey:- Season 18 (1986-1987), Episode 2243 - Slimey Plays A Song On The Computer.
- Season 23 (1991-1992), Episode 2912 - Slimey's First Day Of School.
- Season 23 (1991-1992), Episode 2962 - Telly Sings "Picture In Your Head Song" Song To Slimey.
- Season 24 (1992-1993), Episode 3024 - Slimey And The Worm Scouts.
- Season 24 (1992-1993), Episode 3106 - Slimey And His Worm Friends Build A Subway.
- Season 24 (1992-1993), Episode 3123 - Adventures Of SuperWorm And Slimey.
- Season 25 (1993-1994), Episode 3164 - Slimey's Errends.
- Season 25 (1993-1994), Episode 3181 - Slimey Jumps From The Seesaw.
- Season 25 (1993-1994), Episode 3200 - Slimey's Birthday.
- Season 26 (1994-1995), Episode 3307 - Slimey's New Sister Sloppy.
- Season 28 (1996-1997), Episode 3600 - Slimey's World Games-.
- Season 29 (1997-1998), Episode 3696 - Slimey Gets A Letter From WASA.
- Season 29 (1997-1998), Episode 3698 - Sloppy Misses Slimey.
- Season 29 (1997-1998), Episode 3739 - Slimey's Moon Landing Part 1.
- Season 29 (1997-1998), Episode 3740 - Slimey's Moon Landing Part 2.
- Season 29 (1997-1998), Episode 3785 - Slimey Returns To Sesame Street From The Moon.
- Season 31 (2002), Episode 3882 - Slimey Falls In Love With Glo Worm.
- Season 37 (2006), Episode 4124 - Slimey Wants To Be A Hero Just Like Trash Gordon.
Book Appearances
- The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
- A Day in the Life of Oscar the Grouch (1981)
- The City Worm and the Country Worm (1983)
- Big Bird Goes to the Doctor (1986)
- No Cookies 'Til Dinner (1987)
- Oscar's Grouch Jamboree (1994)
- Zip! Pop! Hop! (1996)