Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch was originally orange. When he debuted in the show’s first season in 1969, his fur looked more like a pumpkin than a pile of garbage.
So why the switch? Behind the scenes, the green makeover was partly practical.
Early color cameras struggled with bright oranges, while green provided better contrast.
Plus, green connected more naturally to mold, dirt, and swampy sludge, the perfect palette for a character who lives in a trash can. It also helped with emerging green screen technology in television production.
To kids, though, the change needed an in-world story. The show explained that Oscar took a vacation to “Swamp Mushy Muddy,” where he became covered in green moss. When he returned, the swampy tint stuck and the green Oscar we know today was born.
Oscar isn’t the only Muppet to evolve.
Big Bird’s feathers were once scruffier, and Cookie Monster actually started out in commercials as a snack-loving, googly-eyed puppet.
These changes remind us that even the most beloved characters sometimes need adjustments before they truly click.
id: