Abby Cadabby is an inquisitive 3-year-old fairy-in-training who has just moved to Sesame Street from Fairyside, Queens. The daughter of a Fairy Godmother, she is learning magic but is not quite proficient yet and has a propensity for turning things into pumpkins with her "training wand." She has come from a storybook world and is well-versed in fairytales, as they are a part of her family history. Abby loves to practice her magic and rhyming, but what she finds truly amazing and magical is what she discovers on Sesame Street; such as learning to count and drawing a letter with a crayon. These new things are utterly enchanting to her and she will often say "That's so magic!" She is shy yet curious when she first meets the inhabitants of Sesame Street. She wonders if Snuffy is a "mountain" and if Big Bird is a "giant." Despite her initial shyness, she makes many new friends, including Elmo, Zoe, and Rosita. They in turn are delighted and fascinated with Abby; that she can "pop" in and out, that she floats when she is happy, and that she has beautiful wings. In Season 37 Abby attends school for the first time at the Storybook Community School and is very excited about going.
Aloysius Snuffleupagus (a.k.a. Snuffy) and Big Bird are best friends who love to play together. The two share many adventures and help each other make sense of their world. Like most 4-year-olds, Snuffy is still learning how to cope with simple things, and his first impulse is often to give up. But with encouragement from his feathered friend and the other Sesame Street characters, he usually finds a solution to his problems.
Baby Bear, borrowed from the enduring "Three Bears" story, continues to engage young viewers through his adventurous spirit and by his role as a wonderful older brother to his baby sister, Curly Bear. Like a young child, Baby Bear is territorial about his things. Children relate to his difficulty in sharing. However, he is open to new experiences and is also learning to cooperate and share with others. Telly Monster is a close buddy. This season, Baby Bear takes Abby Cadabby to her first day of school at the Storybook Community School with fellow classmates Peter Piper, Goldilocks, Jack and Jill, Mary and her lamb, and many more as they learn letters and numbers from Mother Goose.
Curly Bear, a toddler, has a very special relationship with her big brother, Baby Bear. Her brother, whom she calls, "Bebo" (pronounced bee-bo), is always helping her to learn and explore new things (like healthy foods). She also has a very special gift- a very LOUD GROWL that is even louder than Baby Bear or Papa Bear's growl!
Bert is the long-suffering sidekick of Ernie. He is more mature, analytical, and considers himself the voice of reason in their relationship. Though seemingly older and wiser, Bert can be rather eccentric. He collects bottle caps and paper clips, plays the tuba, and loves Bernice, his pet pigeon. Bert is not always a willing participant in Ernie's escapades; he correctly senses that the tables are destined to be turned on him, or that he will end up on the short end of the stick. In the end, however, Bert always forgives Ernie, forever remaining his "old buddy."
Big Bird is an 8'2" tall 6-year-old yellow bird who is "every kid." Children understand and identify with Big Bird's excitement over new things as well as his disappointment when things don't work out or when he makes mistakes. They also see his willingness to try again, to correct his mistakes and just by being persistent, find solutions to problems. In Season 37 Big Bird and his Birdketeers discover a dinosaur on Sesame Street!
Cookie Monster is a frenzied-but-cuddly character who preschoolers can identify with, specifically with his efforts to master words and phrases, and learn basic problem-solving skills from his eternal quest to find more food. In Season 37, Cookie Monster is interviewed by Today Show host Matt Lauer about whether or not he has given up cookies for healthy food. Cookie Monster explains that he likes healthy food as well as cookies, and in typical Cookie Monster fashion, he gobbles a cookie from Matt at the end of the interview!
Count Von Count bears a comical resemblance to Count Dracula, but that is where the similarity ends. The Count thirsts for numbers, not necks. He will count anything and everything, and his totals are usually punctuated by a bone-jarring thunder clap. In Season 37, The Count continues to present the "Number of the Day."
Elmo is a 3 ½-year-old red monster with a high pitched voice and a contagious giggle. Enthusiastic, friendly, and cheerful, he always wants to be part of everything that goes on. However, like most preschoolers, he sometimes doesn't have the skills or knowledge to do what he wants. But that never stops him because he has a very positive, optimistic view of himself and life. In Season 37, Elmo returns for an eighth season of "Elmo's World." This year, Elmo, Dorothy (his pet fish) and Mr. Noodle cover topics such as Friends, Penguins, Doctors, Building Things, Horses, and Fast & Slow. In a street story, Elmo plays "pretend school" with Alan where they sing the alphabet, read stories, and draw all while Alan is working at a very busy Mr. Hooper's Store!
Ernie, the outgoing foil to the more serious and responsible Bert, is great at explaining things, but can sometimes be a bit too smart for his own good. Ernie talks himself into some tight corners, and often falls prey to his own jokes, yet his free-spirited approach to his successes and failures makes him one of Sesame Street's most enduring and likeable characters.
Grover, Sesame Street's gregarious blue monster, continues his new role as "Global Grover" in Season 37. In this segment, Grover introduces children to the world around them, and teaches them to be sensitive and respectful of our differences. He brings back, in the form of short films, something he has learned about cultures from around the world. In Season 37, Grover travels to such places as Germany where he learns about thatched roofs, he learns how to make imprint paintings in Bangladesh, and he learns about Puffins from Iceland. Needless to say, Grover accomplishes this with the childlike exuberance that has been making young viewers laugh (and occasionally cringe) for more than three decades. He is excitable, caring and compulsive—a combination that proves particularly volatile when he rushes into situations without analyzing the consequences. Children connect with Grover when he is confounded by adult logic, and share his fantasy of competence and control when he becomes "Super Grover," a problem-solving super hero who can do no wrong.
Super Grover is Grover's furry, blue, and enormously cute alter ego. A superhero more exuberant and well meaning than actually helpful, he is known for his cape and medieval knight's helmet (which always seems to close at all the wrong moments) and his accident-prone tendencies. More often than not, Super Grover lands right in the middle of problems, and as he makes ridiculous suggestions and offers help that is in no way helpful, the problems get solved without his contributions. Convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that he's the one who's saved the day (and the world in general); he contentedly flies off in search of new, exciting, heroic adventures (undoubtedly messing things up once again).
Oscar, the resident Grouch on Sesame Street, despises all things nice and sweet. He loves collecting junk, standing in line, arguing, rainy days, and anchovy milk shakes. One thing Oscar does not like is children playing in front of his garbage can. In Season 37, Oscar continues to read to his pet worm, Slimey, adventures from his favorite bed time story, "The Adventures of Trash Gordon," starring our own Superhero- Gordon. Through Oscar, children learn about respect and tolerance, and discover that people whose views and lifestyles are different can still be great friends.
Rosita is an exuberant, playful girl whose full name, Rosita la Monstrua de las Cuevas, means "The Monster of the Caves." She hails from Mexico, and speaks both Spanish and English, often mixing words from both languages when she speaks. Rosita uses her hands when she communicates with others, conveying her warmth with lots of touching and hugging. She continues her role on the show with the "Spanish Moment of the Day," teaching children new words and phrases in the Spanish language.
Telly Monster is an intense and earnest monster who worries about disasters that could never happen. He has tremendous compassion and empathy for everything and everyone. He is Baby Bear's best friend, and the two boys are very protective of each other. Through this relationship, young viewers gain an understanding that friendships have ups and downs, and can sometimes take a lot of work. Telly is also the "Monster on the Spot" correspondent and in Season 37, Telly is the reporter for "National Try a New Food Day" and meets some resistance from his fellow Sesame Street neighbors.
Zoe, a furry, 3-year-old girl monster, gets so excited sometimes that her words cannot get out fast enough. When she is excited and wants to tell someone something, often times she'll forget for a second what that something is. She LOVES Big Bird, he is her favorite person in the world! Zoe can also get jealous if she doesn't get enough attention. After more than ten seasons on Sesame Street, she has become one of the show's most popular characters. In Season 37, Zoe wishes she had long hair like Rapunzel and chaos ensues when her wish is granted by a fairy godperson!