Children’s & Family Emmys Honors Late ‘Sesame Street’ Actors Bob McGrath and Emilio Delgado

As the Children’s & Family Emmys took a second to recollect expertise within the style who had handed away this 12 months, the ceremony paid particular tribute to 2 “Sesame Street” icons who’ve lately died: Emilio Delgado and Bob McGrath.

“Sesame Street” star Alan Muraoka, who has been with the present since 1998, and “Sesame Street” puppeteer Martin P. Robinson (Mr. Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm), shared the stage on the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Sunday to share their reminiscences of Delgado and McGrath.

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“The human characters on Sesame Street were created to represent many things for a child, a parent, a problem solver, an empathetic listener, and most importantly, a trusted friend,” Muraoka mentioned. “I had the honor and privilege of working with Bob McGrath and Emilio Delgado, since I arrived at ‘Sesame Street’ 25 years ago. From day one, I saw how they used kindness as their superpower. We the humans of ‘Sesame Street,’ as we had come to affectionately call ourselves are the public face of the show. And I learned from both Emilio and Bob, that our jobs didn’t end when we left our fictional Street. I witnessed their care, their empathy, their tenderness, whenever we were out in public and ran into a parent, child, or an enthusiastic adult who had grown up watching them on their TV. They would talk take selfies, sign autographs, and most importantly, take the time to listen to what each person had to say. I became their student and I will continue to pass on the lessons that they have taught me.”

Added Robinson: “I was the new guy 41 years ago. And Emilio and Bob welcomed me in. So nice. And Emilio you couldn’t believe how kind and how wonderful this guy was. And I thought how is he going to maintain this? And it had nothing to do with maintaining anything. He was the man that you saw on ‘Sesame Street.’ He was that kind, that effusive, that positive. He used to joke about before ‘Sesame Street’ he would be cast as heavies, criminals, addicts, even the occasional Indigenous American. And finally he got cast on ‘Sesame Street’ and he could be himself. And he was himself — that wonderful, wonderful man.

“Bob McGrath, on the other hand, nothing but trouble,” he quipped. “He was the best straight man we could ever work with. Surrounded by Muppet crazies pulling on him, jerking him around. We just never gave any of the humans a moment of peace. And they would dress them up in the most, Bob triangle pants. When you’re later on YouTube. It’s there. Look at that. It’s just a little gem and then they would dress them up as the teensy weensy spider and he had to claim the waterspout and a tugboat. And my dear wife wrote a bit with him as a broccoli. And he came out on set dressed head to toe as a broccoli and went to her and said, ‘thank you, this is gonna be so much fun.’ We will miss these two gentlemen. It was wonderful to work with them. But know that they were as you saw them. And they were loved at home by their families. They were loved on the street where they worked. And they were loved by the community and the world at large. So here’s to them.”

McGrath, one of many authentic human actors on the youngsters’s present, died on Dec. 4 at his residence in New Jersey. He was 90 years previous.

He first starred within the collection pilot in 1969 as “Sesame Street’s” pleasant neighbor Bob Johnson. He remained on the present for 5 many years and 47 seasons. He concluded his tenure in 2017, however remained related to the present and continued to make appearances at “Sesame Street” occasions.

Delgado died earlier this 12 months in March on the age of 81. For 44 years, the actor appeared on the comedy collection because the neighborhood’s good-natured store proprietor Luis Rodriguez. He is credited in 428 episodes. Delgado regularly led Spanish-language studying and Hispanic cultural classes, and typically sang and carried out guitar throughout musical segments.

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