# What are the letters and numbers on Sesame Street made of?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 4, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367 "2012-08-04T00:54:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367/1 "2012-08-04T00:54:38Z")

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What are the [letters and numbers](http://youtu.be/Vin6X14kp7s) on sesame Street made of?

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367/2 "2012-08-04T01:29:54Z")

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Looks like Styrofoam.  
Or Muppetonium.

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**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367/3 "2012-08-04T01:57:01Z")

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I would think Styrofoam would squeak all over the set. Also, what would they use to carve perfect letters and numbers from Styrofoam?

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367/4 "2012-08-04T02:00:24Z")

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There’s other solid foams that don’t squeak, I was using Styrofoam in a generic sense. (Here comes the letters) Probably should have used polystyrene but I couldn’t remember the term.

[Hotwire cutters.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot-wire_foam_cutter)

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367/5 "2012-08-04T02:01:15Z")

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> [@Bearflag70](#):
>
> I would think Styrofoam would squeak all over the set. Also, what would they use to carve perfect letters and numbers from Styrofoam?

…Knives?

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**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367/6 "2012-08-04T02:20:51Z")

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Most foams are moldable (is that a real word?). They blow the foam into a mold, set it with air (at least in the plant where I temped once) and unmold it. Depending upon the type of foam, it is either colored when it goes into the mold or a colored coating is applied.

This isn’t necessarily gospel or technical, but it was my observation when I worked for two miserable weeks at a plant that made novelties like foam balls and bats ~15 years ago.

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**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-letters-and-numbers-on-sesame-street-made-of/630367/7 "2012-08-04T11:12:41Z")

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