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We've all seen Sesame Street during our childhood, and we’re all familiar with Oscar the Grouch. He's that grumpy, green, fuzzy character who resides in a trash can, constantly singing about his love for all things garbage. A perpetual complainer, Oscar is always ready to bring things down a notch with his blunt demeanor. Whether you find him endearing or exasperating, he was definitely a memorable figure on Sesame Street. Who doesn’t recall belting out Oscar’s iconic tune, 'I Love Trash'? However, there’s a lot more to this beloved grouch than we realize. We’ve rounded up some bizarre and fun facts about Oscar that we think you’ll love discovering.
10. Always Green?
Originally, Jim Henson envisioned Oscar as being purple. But, during the first season in 1969, the character was actually orange. It wasn’t until the following year that Oscar finally embraced his signature green look.
To account for his shift from orange to green, Oscar has explained in a few memorable interviews that he took a trip to Swamp Mushy Muddy for a vacation. The damp conditions, he claims, led to his body becoming covered in mold, which, naturally, caused the color transformation overnight.
9. The political commentators
The most recent visit Oscar had with a political commentator was his April 2019 visit to Stephen Colbert’s The Tonight Show during which they performed a duet together and discuss the state of the world as it pertains to politics. Then Colbert tricks Oscar into admitting it will all get better.
In 2012 on the Daytime Emmy Awards, Oscar got together with Anderson Cooper to help officiate the awards. Anderson clearly has a blast talking with Oscar and Oscar sang a song about how much he hates the daytime. Naturally we all recognize what’s going to happen next, Anderson reminds Oscar that his show is in the daytime which appears to bum Oscar out even more.
8. The Pets
Over the years Oscar has had a menagerie of pets, with his most favorite being Slimey the Worm. We all remember Slimey the Worm and his impressive feats. He was the first worm on the Moon and he often helped Oscar when no one else could. For example, Oscar locked himself in his can on one episode and Slimey pushed a key through the top of the lid for him.
In fact, Sesame Place Theme Park loved Slimey so much that they created a plush version of him in 2017.
Oscar has had an eclectic collection of pets over the years, including ants, elephants, goats, skunks, donkeys, pigs, and even a hippo and rhino, just to name a few.
7. Getting Around
As many of us remember from watching Sesame Street, Oscar isn’t confined to his trash can all the time. While he could have chosen to stay in his Olympic-sized swimming pool inside his can, Oscar found creative ways to move around. He made two holes in his trash can to allow his legs to stick out, enabling him to walk with his trash can wherever he wanted. Of course, the actor Hervé Villechaize helped by becoming the legs of the puppet.
But that’s not the only way Oscar moves around. Oscar has a few other methods of transportation. One of them is Bruno the Trash Man, a mostly silent character who carries Oscar in his trash can to any destination Oscar desires.
While these are the primary ways Oscar travels, they’re far from the only methods he has. In The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Oscar even has a portal hidden in his trash can that leads directly to Grouchland.
In one memorable Sesame Street episode, Oscar dug a tunnel between his trash can and the one at Mr. Hooper’s store. The lesson? When Oscar has a goal in mind, he’ll do whatever it takes to get there, whether it’s digging a tunnel, opening a portal, or getting a ride from a sanitation engineer.
6. Oscar’s Family
Oscar may be the epitome of grumpiness, but surprisingly, he does have a family. His mother, Mrs. Grouch, often drops by to check on him and make sure he’s staying true to his grouchy nature. She’s always worried that the cheerful folks on Sesame Street might change him into a nicer version of himself. When she visits, Oscar sometimes mocks her with a ‘please,’ but much to his annoyance, she responds by washing his mouth out with vanilla ice cream.
Granny Grouch is Oscar’s grandmother, though we never find out from which side of his family she comes. Her favorite activity? Giving Oscar big, wet kisses, which, as we all know, he absolutely despises.
Not much is known about Grandpa Grouch, and we’re unsure if he’s married to Granny Grouch or someone else. When he first appeared on Sesame Street, his puppet was created from an old Oscar puppet. On his next appearance, his puppet was made from an old background character of a grouch.
Earnest, Oscar’s brother, resides in Chicago and even knows Mr. Hooper’s brother. During one of his visits, Oscar tried to impress Earnest by decorating his trash can, cleaning up, and acting all nice. But Oscar’s plan backfired—Earnest was equally nice in return. Neither of them could keep up the pleasantries for long, and they soon started bickering.
Though it may not be obvious, Oscar also has a sister named Bunny. Mrs. Grouch deliberately gave her the name to annoy Oscar, and she succeeded. Bunny only appeared on Sesame Street once, during Grouchy Mother’s Day, as a surprise for Mrs. Grouch. According to Oscar, the reason she doesn’t visit often is because their visits end in arguments.
Oscar even has a niece, though, like many others in his family, her parents remain a mystery. Irvine (pictured) appeared in several episodes of Sesame Street, with Oscar acting as her babysitter. On occasions when Oscar needed to run errands, Maria would watch Irvine for him. It was during these moments that we discovered the secret to getting Irvine back to sleep—start a loud argument. If you want her to eat, just place the food within her reach and then tell her she’s not allowed to eat it.
5. Oscar’s Girlfriend
Though it’s hard to imagine Oscar in any kind of romantic relationship, he does have a girlfriend named Grundgetta. In fact, they are not only partners but also the best of friends. Like Oscar, Grundgetta has a variety of pets, including Sylvia, her worm, a rottendoodle named Itchy, and a muddy piglet she proudly claims won the title of Yuckiest Pet.
There’s some debate over the correct spelling of Grundgetta’s name, with it fluctuating between Grundgetta and Grungetta over time.
In 1993, Applause released a plush doll version of Grundgetta.
4. Oscar’s Anthem
Oscar’s signature song, “I Love Trash,” features a story about a worn-out sneaker his mother gave him when he was just a baby. While it might seem like he’s simply trying to please Mrs. Grouch, it’s clear that this song is an expression of his true love for all things garbage. In the earlier Sesame Street episodes, we can see Oscar singing this tune while pulling out the trash mentioned in the lyrics, including a fish wrapped in a dirty newspaper, one of his all-time favorite treasures. This unforgettable song was written by Jeff Moss specifically for Oscar.
3. A Day for Grouches
It turns out that Oscar has inspired a national holiday for all the grouchy folks out there, called National Grouch Day. Every October 15th, grouches everywhere can fully embrace their grumpy sides. Did you also know that in 2013, Oscar and Big Bird performed a duet on The Stephen Colbert Show to honor Oscar and National Grouch Day? That’s right!
We all have a soft spot for Oscar the Grouch. Whether you love him or can’t stand him, there’s no denying the impact he’s had on generations of children. Oscar showed them that it’s perfectly fine to feel a little grumpy sometimes. He taught us that negative emotions are not only normal but also acceptable, a valuable lesson that we all could use as a reminder.
2. Oscar’s Romance
We never thought it possible, but after some deep digging, we learned that Oscar has indeed fallen in love—and it wasn’t with Grundgetta. Yes, you heard that right. Oscar once had a crush on none other than the Wicked Witch of the West. It’s even been suggested that his heartbreak from her rejection led to his transformation from orange to green, as well as his famously grouchy personality. Unfortunately, the episode in which this love story unfolded was banned, so we may never know the full truth behind it.
1. Inspiration
The character of Oscar the Grouch was inspired by a waiter at Oscar's Tavern in Manhattan. During a visit to the restaurant, this particularly rude and grumpy waiter interacted with Jim Henson and Jon Stone. Instead of feeling insulted, they found his surly behavior amusing, which led to them frequenting the restaurant just to observe his entertaining antics.
Oscar's iconic voice was drawn from a cab driver in the Bronx that Caroll Spinney encountered while commuting to work. The driver had a harsh, gravelly tone, speaking with a New York accent and often mumbling through the side of his mouth. Spinney felt that this was the perfect voice for Oscar and adopted it, continuing to use it for decades as the voice of the character.
