# Snuffalufugus is OUTED **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 8, 2001, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169 "2001-11-08T12:09:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/1 "2001-11-08T12:09:34Z")
FYI Not that this is new news or anything but if you are/were a Sesame Street fan, in the 70’s, you’ll remember Snuffy, Big Birds imaginary friend? You remember, the big brown hairy guy (no, not my ex) who used to always disappear right before BB could get Maria or Mr Hooper to confirm his existence. Anyway, he’s out now. Everyone can see him, even Oscar. Even Grover. _sigh_ Cutting edge news, straight from the source. There is no cite for this, as on the SS website, there is no reference to Snuffy at all. Maybe they are in denial? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/2 "2001-11-08T12:15:11Z")
I thought this happened quite awhile ago? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/3 "2001-11-08T12:15:37Z")
I didn’t watch Sesame Street, so I have this second-hand (maybe it’s in the new Sesame Street book). They started getting concerbned about “invisible friends” and kids’ reactions, and even more so about Big Bird’s honesty – everyone _knows_ Big Bird only tells the truth. So they had a special episode in which everyone learns about Snuffleupagus. This happened _ages_ ago. You must’ve been on a SS hiatus. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/4 "2001-11-08T12:28:03Z")
According to [this site](http://www.tvacres.com/elephants.htm) it happened in 1985. That was Aloysius Snuffleupagus, who now has a sister named Alice. ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/5 "2001-11-08T12:41:55Z")
Yes, you are right, this is OLD news, and thanks for updating it. Only found this out when I had a child and started to watch SS again… People here are so smart. Wow. Clever. Gee! ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/6 "2001-11-08T16:28:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CalMeacham \* > They started getting concerbned about “invisible friends” and kids’ reactions, and even more so about Big Bird’s honesty – everyone _knows_ Big Bird only tells the truth. So they had a special episode in which everyone learns about Snuffleupagus. This happened _ages_ ago. You must’ve been on a SS hiatus. Yeah. I remember my Child Psych teacher telling us that they “outed” Snuffleupagus because of similarities to, like, kids who were being molested (in the sense of kids not being believed or osmething). I don’t remember exactly how she explained it, it was just very scary and such at the time. But I remember Snuffleupagus being a real live creature, so to speak, when I was a kid watching Sesame Street, and I was a 3 and 4-year-old in '85. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/7 "2001-11-08T16:40:45Z")
George Snuffleupagus? That guy who used to be Clinton’s press secretary? Damn, that explains why he never got maried . . . ---
**Author:** ![Tygr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@Tygr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tygr)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/8 "2001-11-08T18:50:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Osiris \* > \*\*That was Aloysius Snuffleupagus, who now has a sister named Alice. \*\* …And a cousin named Debbie, who used to be on _The View_, until Barbara Walters had her killed. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/9 "2001-11-08T19:02:57Z")
Yeah, I remember that…I was 7 at the time, and my younger siblings were still watching it regularly (although I’d always pause to watch the spiffy-trippy pinball segments…onetwothree-four-five-sixseveneight-nine-ten, eleven-twelve!, but I digress…) and was shocked to see the grown-ups discover Snuffy! 'course, I thought of some other OUTing when I saw the thread title… Did anyone else read the gay sesame street character story in the Onion? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuffalufugus-is-outed/92169/10 "2001-11-08T21:23:30Z")
Here’s a no-punches-pulled behind-the-scenes in-your-face unauthorized [exposé](http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/bigbird/default.asp) of Big Bird’s drama with Snuffalupagus. Poor Snuffy. As if he didn’t have enough trouble with [poachers](http://members.dingoblue.net.au/~dantheman1/issue7/export.htm).