Roosevelt Franklin is an African-American

Muppet The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, slapstick, burlesque, and self-referential style of musical variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, the eponymous media franchise encompasse ...

who was featured on the children's television series ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' during the early 1970s.

Fictional character biography

He is purple with shaggy black hair that stands on end. His name is a play on the name of U.S. President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, with the first and last names reversed. ''Sesame Street'' cast member Matt Robinson, who also played

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Gordon Heuck ...

on the series for the first three seasons (1969–1972), created the character and provided his voice. Roosevelt is an intelligent boy who often speaks in rhyme or scat. Roosevelt began to appear less frequently in episodes created after the mid-1970s until he no longer was on the series. He then made a cameo nearly 5 decades later in ''

Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration ''Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration'' is a 2019 musical television special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ''Sesame Street''. Hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the special aired on November 9, 2019, on HBO, followed by a November ...

''.

Conception and racial element

Robert W. Morrow, author of ''"Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television'', wrote that "Franklin's sudden arrival may have been in response to early criticism of the show as too white." Roosevelt Franklin usually appears in scenes with his mother, voiced by

Loretta Long Loretta Mae Long ( Moore; born October 4, 1938) is an American actress. She played the character of Susan Robinson on ''Sesame Street'' from 1969 to 2016. Long is also a consultant and public speaker on issues of multiculturalism and education ...

, who plays

Susan Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and severa ...

on the series, and Roosevelt frequently recites poetry. Later scenes were set in a classroom at Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School, in which Roosevelt appears to fill in for an absent teacher while teaching lessons about up and down, high and low, loud and soft, here and there, good and bad luck, poison, Africa, rhyming words, trying and trying again, leaving other people's belongings alone, and street-crossing safety. Jane O'Connor, the sole African-American woman in early ''Sesame Street'' planning discussions, said that Roosevelt Franklin was giving white children a stereotypical view of African-Americans. Teachers and staffers were also concerned that his rowdy behavior in class was setting a bad example for the pre-school audience. Eventually, the character was phased out of the show. Franklin is featured on a 1971 record album titled ''The Year of Roosevelt Franklin, Gordon's Friend from Sesame Street'', reissued in 1974 as ''My Name Is Roosevelt Franklin''.Sesame Street - My Name Is Roosevelt Franklin (Full Album), YouTube
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References

External links

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Roosevelt Franklin chosen as the Most Underrated Muppet

9 Muppets Kicked Off ''Sesame Street''
{{Sesame Street Characters African-American characters in television Sesame Street Muppet characters Television characters introduced in 1970