 | |
| PERFORMER | Richard Hunt 1972-1992 |
| Jennifer Barnhart 2003-present | |
| DEBUT | 1972 |
Gladys as a blooming flower in a Sesame Street pageant.
Richard Hunt performing Gladys.
Gladys as she looked in the late '70s and '80s.
Gladys as she looked in the '90s.
The (fleeced) Gladys puppet during the show's 49th season.
An illustration by Tom Brannon of Gladys from the book The Day Snuffy Had the Sniffles.
In only one of her early appearances (Episode 0912), a black and white cow is used before permanently switching to the beige and brown-spotted puppet.
Gladys the Cow is the most famous of Sesame Street’s many cows. She is a rather self-obsessed bovine, aspiring to be a big star in acting, dancing, or singing, and has frequently been known to imitate or pretend to be other animals. However, her figure tends to clue people of not being the real thing. In spite of this, Gladys has appeared in local plays and productions, performing such roles as Sleeping Beauty, a seed-turned-to-flower, and (occasionally) a cow. In Episode 1071, she reveals that she used to live the same life as most regular cows, but is now an actress.
The puppet first appeared as a generic cow in season four. In the hands of Richard Hunt, the puppet began to take on an identity of its own, often appearing at random in sketches and street scenes to do various animal impressions and to demonstrate her singing chops. Hunt performed her as early as Episode 0419 (1972), as well as Episode 0497 (1973) where she's still a fairly generic cow who helps out a fellow bovine named Lola. By the time she appeared in a Sesame Street News Flash segment for the "Hickory Dickory Dock" nursery rhyme in Episode 0710 (1975), her personality was mostly formed with the characteristics she would become known for. An alternate cow puppet was used in the plotline of Episode 0912 (1976), while still performed by Hunt and retaining her budding personality. As late as Episode 1056 (1977), she was christened the name Gladys. Hunt based her voice in part on Kermit Love's theatrical way of speaking.[1]
Her signature song is "I'm Proud to Be a Cow." She was featured in some Sesame Street pageants, occasionally appeared with Buster the Horse, and had a cameo in Follow That Bird and the Monsterpiece Theater production of "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" as one of the thieves. Gladys was initially retired from the show in 1992, after performer Richard Hunt's death.
Gladys returned to the ensemble supporting cast in Season 34, performed now by Jennifer Barnhart. In the season premiere, Episode 4031, Gladys tried to steal the show at the Hooper's Store karaoke night. Under Barnhart's tenure, Gladys has made minor recurring appearances since, including episodes 4085, 4157, and 4904.
A dramatically updated version of the puppet has been employed since 2016: The classic Sesame Street cow look defined by exposed, airbrushed foam, has been changed to the puppet being entirely covered by fleece, now contrasting her body with more pronounced dark brown spots over her light brown body.
Notes[]
- On The Muppet Show, whenever Richard Hunt performed a cow, he would use the same voice as Gladys.
- Aside from Episode 0912, Hunt lent a similar Gladys voice to the Natalie cow used in Sesame Street News Flash: Jack Be Nimble and Kathleen the Cow in A Muppet Family Christmas with the Sesame Street gang.
- Even after Gladys the Cow became an established character, the puppet would appear occasionally as a generic cow played by various performers. The puppet has also been used for different named cows as late as Season 48. In the "Here Is Your Life" sketch which focuses on a loaf of bread, she is called Cora Cow. In a Sesame Street News Flash segment in which Old MacDonald spots a flying saucer, the farmer refers to her as Bessie. In Episode 4835, the puppet is used for Mrs. Moody (performed by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph).
Songs[]
- "Milk"
- "I'm Proud to Be a Cow"
- "I Love Moo"
- "Baby Say It Loud"
- "Different Yet the Same"
- "Here Are Some Things" (Episode 0926)
Filmography[]
- Sesame Street
- Follow That Bird
- The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
- Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting
- Sing Yourself Silly!
- Sing, Hoot & Howl with the Sesame Street Animals
- Sesame Street Stays Up Late
- 123 Count with Me
- What's the Name of That Song?
- Sesamestreet.org "C is for Cowboy Day" welcome video (week of September 18, 2009)
- Kinect Sesame Street TV
- Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas
- When You Wish Upon a Pickle
- Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration
- The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo episode 111
Episodic appearances[]
- AM cow
- unnamed, but with Gladys' personality
- named Gladys
- Season 9: 1056, 1071, 1074, 1147 (voice only), 1150
- Season 10: 1277, 1291, 1310
- Season 12: 1548
- Season 13: 1581, 1610, 1611, 1649, 1650, 1677, 1678, 1679, 1693
- Season 14: 1722, 1750, 1783, 1792, 1814, 1824, 1829
- Season 15: 1850, 1853, 1872, 1910, 1915
- Season 16: 2004, 2015, 2054, 2065
- Season 17: 2129, 2135, 2153, 2166, 2174, 2176, 2210, 2219
- Season 18: 2277, 2281, 2285, 2292, 2298, 2307, 2326, 2330, 2335, 2341, 2352
- Season 19: 2422, 2424, 2425, 2441, 2476
- Season 20: 2486, 2540, 2550, 2555, 2560, 2568, 2572
- Season 21: 2659, 2700, 2740
- Season 22: 2754, 2799, 2837
- Season 23: 2984
- Season 25: 3136
- Season 29: 3664
- Season 34: 4031, 4032, 4039
- Season 35: 4062, 4063
- Season 36: 4085
- Season 38: 4157
- Season 48: 4807
- Season 49: 4901, 4904
- Season 50: 5015, 5025
- Season 51: 5112
- Season 52: 5227
- Season 53: 5317, 5320
Book appearances[]
- Down on the Farm with Grover (1980)
- Put & Play Magic Show (1981)
- Big Bird Says... A Game to Read and Play (1985)
- The Day Snuffy Had the Sniffles (1988)
- Sesame Street's Mother Goose Rhymes (1993)
- Storybook ABCs (2008)
Sources[]
- ↑ Funny Boy: The Richard Hunt Biography, page 82