Donald Trump Has Long Been a Monster on ‘Sesame Street’
The various creatures of Sesame Street may not know all their letters and numbers, but they’re still savvy New Yorkers. With that, they’re imbued with the same knowledge most city residents have about their most notorious native son: Donald Trump isn’t to be trusted.
Decades before Trump entered politics and threatened to cut funding to public television like Sesame Street to cause trouble, only to be scared away faster than Count Von Count could count to three.
Ronald Grump (1988)
Sesame Street on January 14, 1988. He introduces himself to Oscar the Grouch as a developer with a bold idea called “Grump Tower,” an apartment building consisting of six trash cans for grouches to live in. Grump wants Oscar to give up his spot on Sesame Street and provides him with three bags of trash. In return, Oscar can live in the development with plenty of space for other grouches, to which Oscar agrees.
Once the complex is built, Oscar seems happy (or unhappy, as it can get a little confusing with him). The new structure has space for him, a few other grouches and Oscar’s two pets (Slimy the worm and Fluffy the elephant). However, much like the real Trump, who is one of just two presidents in U.S. history to own zero pets, Ronald Grump doesn’t like animals. And according to the contract Oscar signed, he needs to either get rid of his pets or buy back the space for 40 bags of trash (which is a lot for Oscar, who doesn’t appear to have a steady source of income).
Fortunately, the residents of Sesame Street come to Oscar’s rescue by donating their own bags of trash to the cause in a gesture of wealth redistribution some might view as downright socialist. For his part, Ronald Grump takes his trash and leaves Sesame Street, never to be seen again — at least, not in the same form.
Ronald Grump (1994)
Six years after the puppet version of Ronald Grump was booted off Sesame Street, an entirely separate Trump parody with the same name would become the central villain on the primetime ABC special, Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! This new Ronald Grump, played by Joe Pesci in a Trumpian wig, wants to tear down the whole block of Sesame Street and erect a much bigger Grump Tower. Unlike the last Grump Tower, which was just six trash cans, this Grump Tower is a skyscraper that much more closely resembles the real-life Trump Tower. All the residents of Sesame Street — humans and puppets alike — are powerless to stop him. All except one, that is.
While Oscar the Grouch is the central victim of the first Ronald Grump’s greed, he’s the hero in this story. Since his trash can sits on a city-owned sidewalk, Oscar is the only resident of Sesame Street that Grump can’t force out, and Oscar, being Oscar, vows to spread misery and ill-will to anyone who moves into Grump Tower. Oscar successfully scares off some potential Grump Tower residents, convincing Ronald Grump that no one will want to live in his monstrosity so long as Oscar is hanging out in front of it.
In the end, Grump relents, and the residents of Sesame Street celebrate with a rendition of the trademark Sesame Street song “Sing.” In a surprising twist, even Ronald Grump is moved by the song and s in, revealing that there’s at least an ounce of humanity in the greedy tycoon (making it the least believable of the three parodies).
Donald Grump (2005)
Oscar the Grouch can’t catch a break. The trash-loving neighbor is once again at the center of the action as Donald Trump’s third stand-in arrives on Sesame Street. This time, Donald Grump is a celebrity businessman known for having more trash than anyone else, and he’s come to town to find a new apprentice. Oscar, an irer of the trash-collecting Donald Grump, competes with three other grouches for the spot, but he’s ultimately bested by Elmo.
And yet, Grump still fires Elmo. Obviously, he can’t have a cute, lovable, helpful monster as his apprentice because it would hurt his surly, grouchy image. This leaves Oscar and Grundgetta, a female grouch, as the final two contestants, but even they get sick of Grump’s insatiable greed and eventually tell him to “Scram!” Donald Grump then slinks away, the third such Trump parody to be thwarted by Oscar’s signature surliness.
Maybe there’s another lesson for all of us here. Forget special prosecutors or impeachment proceedings, just put Oscar the Grouch’s can in front of the White House and let our trash-loving neighbor take out the garbage in the Oval Office once and for all.
