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in: Muppet Characters, Sesame Street Muppet Characters, Sesame Street Characters

Benny Rabbit

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Benny Luggage
PERFORMER Kevin Clash
DEBUT 1990
BennyRabbitwaving
Benny in his civilian outfit (no clothes).

Benny in his civilian outfit (no clothes).

Benny, hopping mad as a bellhop at The Furry Arms.

Benny, hopping mad as a bellhop at The Furry Arms.

Benny Rabbit beanbag toy

A in Japan.

A Benny Rabbit doll released by Sony in Japan.

illustration of Benny (with , , and ) from

Joe Ewers' illustration of Benny (with Elmo, Baby Natasha, and Humphrey) from Baby Natasha in "Say Cheese!"

Benny Rabbit is a cranky rabbit character on Sesame Street. His visage and demeanor as a scraggly misanthrope is a direct contrast to the usual image of cute bunny rabbits that frequently appear in children's media. His personality is in some ways akin to Oscar the Grouch, who shares similar character traits.

Easily irritated and frequently yelling at others, his outbursts are preceded by a variation of the comedic "slow-burn," as he grits his two front teeth until a small squeak is emitted. Benny seldom does anything nice for anyone at first, and whenever someone asks him for a favor, he says he has to go downtown. In most cases, though, he gives in and helps out, usually overdoing it until he catches himself and goes back to his irritable behavior. He hates being touched and hugged, but his biggest pet peeve is when people address him as "Bunny" rather than Benny.

Benny first appeared in Sesame Street Episode 2730, originally as a Grouch rabbit in a magic act. He received a proper introduction in Episode 2815, and continued making sporadic appearances through season 24. In season 25, he was given a bigger role as the bellhop to the Furry Arms Hotel; rather than always trying to leave for downtown, he takes frequent breaks (likely to go downtown as well). After season 29, he made brief speaking appearances in Episode 3820, the Elmo's World episodes "Hats" and "Teeth," working at a car rental place with Grover in one skit, a Global Grover segment about Australia, and a Trash Gordon skit (portraying the multiplying Space Bunnies). He was also featured prominently in Bert & Ernie's Word Play as Prairie Dawn's assistant. He occasionally performed songs such as "Do the Benny Hop," "14 Carrot Love," and "Don't Touch Me."

Notes[]

  • In Episode 3773, it is revealed that Benny has upwards of fourteen brothers and sisters, whose names include Cottontail, Mugsy, Curly, Moe, and Zeppo. Benny also keeps a collection of photos of his other relatives in his wallet; including his uncle Harvey (who's partially visible in the photo, referencing the Jimmy Stewart film Harvey), and his uncle Bobby who runs a hair salon. Most of his family have a striking resemblance to Benny himself.
  • When Benny had stopped making frequent appearances the puppet's design was altered with more friendly eyes and a pink nose, and became a utility player. Most notably, this version was used as Angsthaas for Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street.

Filmography[]

Episodic appearances[]

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