Wednesday 6 February 2008

Mr Snuffleupagus

Do you remember Mr Snuffleupagus? Everyone of a certain generation seems to know who Snuffy is, but some are less clear about the actual details. What colour was he? [brown] Could any of the other Sesame Street characters (not adults) see him? [Yes] When was he eventually seen by the adults? [1985] Did he have a first name? [Aloysius - how do you pronounce that?] If he is a woolly mammoth, why doesn't he have tusks or ears? [Who knows?]

For everyone who ever had an imaginary friend, Snuffy was as much a source of pleasure for Big Bird as he was frustrating, in that no-one else could see him. I'm told that no-one else could see my own imaginary friends, Shalagessy, Shack and Catha. (Note: 3 friends, not 1 = typical.) I don't know why; to me, they were clear as day as we played together up path in the backyard. Shalagessy was a little Chinese girl with long plaits and wore a red tartan skirt. (Go figure.) Shack drove a pale blue truck, and Catha was a bit vague but we still had fun. They could all see each other, and we had a great time hanging out together. I'll bet they would have seen Snuffy, too, if he had found his way to my place.

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