If you grew up with Sesame Street, it’s hard to forget the monocled purple vampire “The Count.” This, among other characters, was Jerry Nelson, an accomplished muppeteer with nearly 60 years of work. Sadly he passed away last night, leaving behind a legacy of work on The Muppet Show (Pigs in Space!), Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock. Thanks, Jerry.
Below, one of our favorite videos involving The Count.
[News via Tough Pigs]
The count was one of my favorites as a kid. “You can count on me!” Amazing, the people that effect your life without ever knowing who they are.
Sad stuff…I used to love hearing him say “peanut butter sandwiches” when I was a kid. It still makes me smile all these years later.
Count von Count has always been one of my favorites, too…and he had some seriously catchy songs. If you take a few minutes to read Jerry Herman’s credits page on the Muppet Wiki, it’s kind of mind-boggling how many characters he played over the years, from Floyd Pepper to Sherlock Hemlock. Muppeteers are amazing.