Roosevelt Franklin: Difference between revisions
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| data1 = [[Matt Robinson (actor)|Matt Robinson]], [[Chris Knowings]] |
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| voice = Matt Robinson, Chris |
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'''Roosevelt Franklin''' is a [[The Muppets|Muppet]] who was featured on the children's television series ''[[Sesame Street]]'' during the early 1970s. |
'''Roosevelt Franklin''' is a [[The Muppets|Muppet]] who was featured on the children's television series ''[[Sesame Street]]'' during the early 1970s. |
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==Fictional character biography== |
==Fictional character biography== |
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He is [[purple]] with shaggy black hair that stands on end. His name is a [[word play]] on the name of U.S. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]], with the first and last names reversed. ''Sesame Street'' cast member [[Matt Robinson (actor)|Matt Robinson]], who also played [[Gordon Robinson (Sesame Street)|Gordon]] on the series for the first three seasons (1969–1972), created the character and provided his voice.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Michael |title=Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street |date=2009 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0143116639 |page=247-249}}</ref> Roosevelt is an intelligent boy who often speaks in rhyme or [[scat singing|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 many years later in ''[[Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration]]''. |
He is [[purple]] with shaggy black hair that stands on end. His name is a [[word play]] on the name of U.S. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]], with the first and last names reversed. ''Sesame Street'' cast member [[Matt Robinson (actor)|Matt Robinson]], who also played [[Gordon Robinson (Sesame Street)|Gordon]] on the series for the first three seasons (1969–1972), created the character and provided his voice.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Michael |title=Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street |date=2009 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0143116639 |page=247-249}}</ref> Roosevelt is an intelligent boy who often speaks in rhyme or [[scat singing|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 many years later in ''[[Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration]]''. |
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Revision as of 05:17, 20 September 2022
| Roosevelt Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Sesame Street character | |
 The cover of Roosevelt Franklin's 1971 LP The Year of Roosevelt Franklin | |
| First appearance | 1970 |
| Last appearance | 1975 |
| Voiced by | Matt Robinson, Chris Knowings |
| Performed by | Matt Robinson, Chris Knowings |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
Roosevelt Franklin is a Muppet who was featured on the children's television series Sesame Street during the early 1970s.
Fictional character biography
He is purple with shaggy black hair that stands on end. His name is a word play on the name of U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, with the first and last names reversed. Sesame Street cast member Matt Robinson, who also played Gordon on the series for the first three seasons (1969–1972), created the character and provided his voice.[1] 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 many years later in Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration.
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."[2]
Roosevelt Franklin usually appears in scenes with his mother, voiced by Loretta Long, who plays Susan on the series,[3] 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,[4] perceived Roosevelt Franklin was giving white children a stereotypical view of African Americans.[2] Teachers and staffers were also concerned that his rowdy behavior in class was setting a bad example for the pre-school audience.[5] 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.[6]
References
- ^ Davis, Michael (2009). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. Penguin Books. p. 247-249. ISBN 978-0143116639.
- ^ a b Morrow, Robert W. (2006). "Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television. JHU Press. p. 154. ISBN 9780801882302.
- ^ Borgenicht, David (1998). Sesame Street Unpaved: Scripts, Stories, Secrets and Songs. Hyperion Books. p. 135. ISBN 978-0786864607.
- ^ Morrow, Robert W. (2006). "Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television. JHU Press. p. 153. ISBN 9780801882302.
- ^ Gikow, Louise A. (2009). Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street. Black Dog & Leventhal. p. 161. ISBN 978-1579126384.
- ^ Sesame Street - My Name Is Roosevelt Franklin (Full Album), YouTube
External links
 | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (December 2019) |
