Last updated: March 31, 2024
Additional info about Applause Sesame Street toys!
This is just a small sample of the Applause Sesame figures that are available to collect!
Applause Sesame Street PVC figures are my favourite!
Out of all the companies that produced Sesame Street PVC figures, the Applause toy company has produced the most extensive collection. There are at least 210 Applause Sesame figures, including the various themed figure sets, pencil toppers, drinking straws, clip-ons, magnets, and figures on wheeled vehicles. I've tried to compile a complete list of all of them here on this page. If you are aware of any figures that I'm missing from this list, which you know for certain are made by Applause, please post a message on the Comments and Discussion Page, I would appreciate very much to hear about them!
History of Applause
Although Applause made most of their Sesame Street figures in the 1990's, they first began making them in the mid 1980's. It has always been my understanding that the two Shell gas station collections from the mid to late 1980's were the first sets of Sesame figures to be made by Applause. The most recent set of Applause Sesame figures that I am aware of was released in 2000 as a boxed set of ten figures.
According to Wikipedia Applause began as a division of the Knickerbocker toy company. In 1979 "The Wallace Berrie Company" purchased the "Applause division" from Knickerbocker, and in 1986 changed the name of their company to Applause. However, this website states that "Knickerbocker was purchased by Warner Brothers Television in 1978 and, with it's parent company citing loses, closed in April 1, 1983." This matches with this CNN article, which states that "Wallace Berrie & Co" purchased Applause from Warner Bros. in 1983.
The CNN article continues, stating that in 1988 there was a "...leveraged buyout of Applause by the Thompson family of Dallas (which also owned Southland Corp, parent company of 7-11)...". Regardless of the specific order of events, this brings us back to the Shell series of Sesame PVC figures, as they were sold at 7-11 stores which operated Shell gas stations. As such, it's a very likely possibility that the Sesame PVC figures played a key role during the mid to late 1980's in bringing the Applause and Southland Corp. companies together for this eventual leveraged buyout, or perhaps were the first toys that resulted from it!
In any case, I am assuming that the box set released in 2000 was the last series of Sesame PVC figures that Applause made as the company almost went bankrupt in 2001, and eventually did go bankrupt in 2004. Sadly, the CEO of Applause, Robert Solomon (also known as Bob Solomon), committed suicide that same year, he was 50 years old. This is such a sad end for someone who brought so much joy to so many people all over the world with his company's toys. I'm including this information here because Mr. Solomon deserves to be remembered alongside of the exceptional toys that his company produced. The CNN article explains how he became president of Applause in 1983, and later became the CEO until 1995 when he sold the company "to Roy Disney's investment firm". He returned in 2001 to save the company from bankruptcy, which he did, but was unable to do the same a few years later in 2004. In any case, the vast majority of the Applause line of Sesame Street toys, at least 12 years worth from '83 to '94 and '01 to '04, was created under Mr. Solomon's watch.
According to Wikipedia, following the 2004 bankruptcy the Russ Berry company acquired the Applause brand name in an auction, and then itself went bankrupt in 2011. At some point prior to this the Kid Brands company seems to have attainted the rights to the Applause Brand name and licensed it out to The Russ Companies in 2008. To date it is "unclear" what has become of the Applause brand name.
Markings
Both of the Shell sets are marked "Muppets Inc. Applause China" which tells us that any other figures marked this way were likely to have been made in the 1980's as well, but could have been made up until 1993.
Figures from at least 1993 onward are marked two different ways, either "Jim Henson Productions, Applause, China" or "JHP Applause China". Some of the figures from the '90's are also marked with the date, either '93 or '98. Those that are marked '93 give us a definite date for when the "Muppets Inc." markings would have ended. Of course, the "Muppets Inc." markings could have ended at any point before 1993 so it's still unclear exactly when that happened, but we at least know for certain that the marking had been used in the 80's and was no longer being used by at least 1993.
Sesame figure sets that were marked "Muppets Inc" include:
Themes
Shell gas station series 1 and 2
Bedtime
Camp Sesame
Marching Band
Christmas series 1 and 2
Wheeled vehicles (not including Roller Coaster cars which I have yet to confirm)
Individual figures not part of a theme
Bert with small number 3, holding up 3 fingers
Bert with grey telescope and one bird at end
Big Bird sitting with Little Bird
Cookie Monster with yellow cookie jar
Ernie sitting with a bucket and Rubber Duckie
Ernie holding an apple and a book
Sesame figure sets that were marked "Jim Henson Productions" or "JHP" include:
Themes
Numbers series (large numbers)
County Fair
Box set from 2000
Beach series 2
Beach bendy figures
Jobs / People in Your Neighbourhood (figures and pencils)
Western
Twiddle Bugs
Coiled straws
Individual figures not part of a theme
Big Bird with number 25 / 25th anniversary
Cookie Monster with silver tray of cookies
Elmo with a frog in his hand
Ernie with Frisbee
Ernie with Rubber Duckie on a wagon, wearing one shoe
Markings for all other Applause Sesame figures are still unknown but I will be updating this list as I add more figures to my collection.
Assortments
The original eight Applause Sesame PVC figurers from the first Shell promotion of the mid 80's were very popular toys in their time, so much so that Applause continued to produce new Sesame PVC figures for well over a decade until 2000. With only a few rare exceptions, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Cookie Monster were included in every single new series of PVC figures that Applause made. The remaining characters in a set were randomly selected. The most common ones are Grover, Oscar, Snuffy, Alice Snuffleupagus, Zoe, and the Count. Less common characters include Betty Lou, Rosita, Barkley, Baby Natasha, Prairie Dawn, Honkers, and Two-Headed Monster. A few figures of the Twiddle Bugs were also made.
Applause was one of the first companies to market toys based on Elmo in the late 1980's. By the late 90's Elmo's popularity was such that he replaced Bert as as one of the four main characters to be marketed. When the new female Muppet characters, Rosita and Zoe, were added to the Sesame cast in the early 1990s, Applause was quick to be the first company to market them as well.
Oddly enough, Applause marketed plush toys of Telly and Grundgetta but unfortunately did not make any PVC figures of those characters. They also produced several western themed sets of Sesame toys including PVC figures, finger puppets and bendy figures, yet Sesame Street's resident cowboy Forgetful Jones was not included in any of those collections. There are also no Applause toys based on Guy Smiley, Sherlock Hemlock, Magic Mumford, or Herry Monster despite that they had a significant presence on the TV show throughout the 80's and early 90's.
By 1997 Applause had limited it's Sesame toy lines to just four characters, Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo, and rarely made toys based on other characters which is odd considering how vast their Sesame lines had been previously. I find it interesting to note that despite Elmo's rise to fame in the early 90's, Applause made more figures of Ernie than of any other Sesame character. Ernie gains that distinction ahead of Big Bird by only one figure.
If I counted correctly, among the assortment (including figures, pencil toppers, straws etc.) there are at least 36 different Ernie figures, 35 of Big Bird, 29 of Cookie Monster, 23 of Elmo, 22 of Bert, 15 of Grover, 10 of Snuffleupagus, 9 of Oscar the Grouch, 6 Twiddlebugs, 5 of Alice Snuffleupagus, 4 of the Count, 4 of Zoe, 4 with Little Bird attached, 3 of Baby Natasha, 2 of Rosita, 2 of Betty Lou, 2 of Barkley, 1 with Slimey the Worm attached, 1 Prairie Dawn, 1 Honker, and 1 Two-Headed Monster (he doesn't count as two! LOL).
For the most part this page only includes pictures of figures that I have in my collection, though I have added a few interesting images that were found online. Please feel free to leave a comment if you see that I'm missing anything from the list or have an update to add. Thanks for visiting my blog! Enjoy!
- Mikey :)
Shell gas station promotion, series 1
Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster by Applause
Super Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Count and Mr. Snuffleupagus by Applause
To my knowledge, these Shell figures from the mid 1980's were the very first series of Sesame PVC figures that Applause produced. The set was sold as special collector's items through Shell gas stations and convenience stores in Canada, the same way that McDonald's restaurants sell toys. This was the first of two Shell figure sets, and both sets had 8 figures each for a total of 16 figures to collect. These are the most common and easiest of the Sesame PVC figures to find and as such they are worth the least. If you come across any Sesame PVC figures out in the wild (at garage sales, thrift stores or flea markets) they will most likely be the Shell figures. In fact, if you start collecting Sesame PVC figures you will get sick of finding the Shell figures, despite how well made they are, because they are so extremely common. After a while you will end up with duplicates of your duplicates!
I don't typically talk about pricing on this blog but I'm making an exception in this case. I've seen sellers on e-bay asking for $15 and up for individual Shell figures, plus $20 or more in shipping. That is a completely unrealistic price!!! Despite how cool these Shell figures are, they are absolutely NOT worth that much, and frankly never will be! Muppet fans, PLEASE don't buy them at those prices!!! Considering how extremely common these are, $5 each is the maximum you should pay for any of the Shell figures which is being more than generous, and that's only if there are zero paint rubs or any other damage. Realistically, they aren't really worth more than $2 each as there's so many of them. This text was updated in March 2024 so it's not out of date, a full set of 8 figures for $16 to $20 total is a reasonable deal. Just because something is vintage doesn't mean it has to be expensive. They're cool figures and all, but they are sooooooo commonly found! Please don't over pay for them, save your money for the harder-to-find figures!
YouTube has the original TV commercial for these Sesame figures. The small print says "Plus Provincial sales tax" which indicates that this was shown in Canada. I'm not certain if it was also shown in the United States.
Variations
At first glance these figures appear to be the same as the ones shown in the set above, however a closer look reveals that they are actually completely different, re-sculpted versions of the above figures. I don't know for sure which version of the figure was made first, but it's my suspicion that these variations were made later on as the original figures in the set above are all two-piece figures made with a section that was glued on. The variation figures are all sculpted to be one complete piece which, I assume, would be easier and cheaper to manufacture. So, my theory is that the more complex two-piece figures were replaced with the easier to make figures at some point in the manufacturing process.
Shown above left is the original Ernie figure that I bought from the shell station in the 80's, which is a two-piece figure. The head is molded separately and then glued on. On the right is the variation which is a one-piece figure made with the head looking in a different direction. The one-piece variation figure is slightly smaller than the two-piece figure and the blue stripes are a different shade of blue.
Another view shows how different the figures are, with the heads and gloves in different positions.
This view shows how the fingers are much shorter on the variation one-piece figure (above right).
The two-piece Bert figure on the left is made with arms (holding the bat) as a separate piece that was glued on. The one-piece figure has the arms as part of the figure mold and is slightly smaller in size.
Another view showing the different angle of the arms on the two figures.
Another view to show how the two-piece Bert on the left has a space between the arms and the body, while the one-piece figure on the right doesn't
The two-piece Oscar figure on the left has the hand with the apple attached as a separate piece. The one-piece figure on the right has the hand with the apple as part of the figure mold and is slightly smaller in size. Notice the trash can grooves are perfectly straight on the one-piece figure, and the handles on the can are sculpted differently.
Side view
The two-piece figure on the left is marked on the base, while the one-piece figure is marked on the side at the back.
The Cookie Monster from this set is a one-piece figure so it likely was not re-sculpted the way the above three figures were, but I have noticed a variation none the less. The original figure on the left has small irises while the variation figure on the right has larger irises. It's a small difference, but I find it's still a noteworthy variation.
Mikey's Muppet Memories!
I remember when I was a kid in the 80's, the 7-11 corner store near my house had a large cardboard sign in front of their store advertising the figures. It had a giant picture of the Big Bird figure on it against a solid black background. I asked at the store if I could have the sign when they were done with it and the fellow smiled cheerfully at me and said "Yes" which really made my day. As I waited for the poster I visited the store several times as I collected the entire set, all the while envisioning what that awesome advertisement would look like on the wall in my room. Then one day when I went to the store the poster was gone, they had thrown it out! Darn it! That was a real bummer! Though I was still thankful that I now had eight brand new, awesome little Sesame dudes to play with! :)
I remember when I was a kid in the 80's, the 7-11 corner store near my house had a large cardboard sign in front of their store advertising the figures. It had a giant picture of the Big Bird figure on it against a solid black background. I asked at the store if I could have the sign when they were done with it and the fellow smiled cheerfully at me and said "Yes" which really made my day. As I waited for the poster I visited the store several times as I collected the entire set, all the while envisioning what that awesome advertisement would look like on the wall in my room. Then one day when I went to the store the poster was gone, they had thrown it out! Darn it! That was a real bummer! Though I was still thankful that I now had eight brand new, awesome little Sesame dudes to play with! :)
"Character Playset" Box set of 10 figures, 2000
The Applause Super Grover PVC Figure has a very unique production history. It was initially introduced by Applause as part of the first Shell collection of figures (shown above) during the mid 1980's. About 15 years later Applause reissued the figure for a special boxed collectors edition of ten PVC figures (shown below), which is marked with the year 2000 on the back of the box. To my knowledge the other nine figures that were included are all brand new figures original to this boxed set.
A boxed set of ten Sesame Street PVC figures made by Applause in 2000. Top row, L to R: Baby Natasha, Barkly the Dog, Oscar the Grouch with Slimey the Worm, Big Bird, and Super Grover. Bottom row, L to R: Elmo, Zoe, Ernie, Bert, and Cookie Monster. Unfortunately the Count and Snuffleupagus weren't included in this set to make room for Baby Natasha and Barkley. I can understand not including Snuffy due to the size of the character as his PVC figures are so far off scale with the others, but in my view the Count really should have been included, even as an 11th figure, as he's a classic Sesame character. In that regard, the Count is certainly more important than Barkley or Baby Natasha.
Here are the Applause figures of Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Super Grover from the above boxed set by Applause. The Super Grover shown here is from the mid 80's Shell promotion but it is this same figure that was reissued for the box set. The only difference I can see between the original Shell figure and the reissued one is that the strings tied at his neck look like they are yellow in the boxed set instead of orange, otherwise the figures are identical. However, I am curious to know if the markings on the base of the figures are the same or not.
Oscar the Grouch with Slimey, Zoe and Baby Natasha from the above boxed set by Applause.
Sesame Street Live Box set by Vee Corporation
In 2004 the Vee Corporation, which produces the Sesame Street Live touring shows, began selling Sesame Street PVC figures as souvenirs at their events. These figures were essentially a clone set of the Applause box set of figures from 2000, however Baby Natasha and Barkley the Dog were not included. The Sesame Live figures were not made by Applause as by 2004 the Applause company had gone out of business. I don't know if the Sesame Live figures were sold in a box set in 2004 or if they were just sold individually.
In 2008 Vee Corporation released their figures in a boxed set that was similar to the Applause boxed set. The name and address of the Colin Company was listed on the box for the Sesame Street Live set, though it is unclear if this company manufactured the box set, or simply distributed it, or both. The box is also marked 2008 on the back and is shown below.
Above is the set of Sesame Street PVC figures from 2008 that were sold at Sesame Street Live shows. This set is not made by Applause yet it's practically a clone of the Applause set from 2000. For this set, the figure of Oscar does not have Slimy on his trash can lid which is different from the Applause figure.
Left: Super Grover made by Applause, released as part of the Shell series No.1, mid 80's,
as well as in the 10 piece boxed gift set released in 2000
Right: Super Grover released by Vee Corporation from 2004 -2016,
the specific figure shown here is marked 2010
At first glance, the Sesame Street Live figures appear to be the same figures as the original by Applause, but a closer look reveals that they are in fact entirely new sculpts. I have seen copies of the Vee Corporation Super Grover PVC figure (shown above, right) that have different years marked on the bottom including 2004, 2008 (shown below), 2010 (shown below), 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Vee Corporation Super Grover figures marked 2008 and 2010.
Left: Big Bird figure made by Applause, from 10 piece boxed gift set released in 2000
Right: Big Bird figure released by Vee Corporation, marked 2004
Left: Ernie figure made by Applause, from 10 piece boxed gift set released in 2000
Right: Ernie figure released by Vee Corporation, marked 2008
Shell gas station promotion, series 2
Above is the button that Shell gas station staff wore to promote the second PVC figure series. I was really happy to find this image online as prior to this I did not have any way to confirm that the beach themed set was the second series to be offered. The button says "Brand New Set" which confirms two things. First, that there was a PVC figure set that came before this one, and second, that the two sets were sold consecutively around the same time as the purpose of the button is to make sure people know that the figures are not the same ones as before. As such the initial promotion would have had to be fresh in people's minds for the message on this button to be relevant. So now we know for sure, this was series two!
These Sesame figures came in a box set shown below. An illustration of Elmo's face is on the front of the box while Big Bird's face is on the side of the box. The illustrations of Big Bird and Elmo are also both shown on the back of the box.
Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster by Applause
Grover, Count and Mr. Snuffleupagus by Applause
Missing from this set (not shown): Oscar the Grouch holding a paper airplane
This is the second series of figures that were sold in baggies at Shell gas stations as a special promotion. None of these figures have dates with their markings so I don't yet know when they were made but it was likely in the late 1980's. I also do not know where in North America the figures were sold as I don't recall these ones being sold at the gas station where I collected the first series. I only know that these Sesame figures were also available through Shell as I've seen images online of these figures in the clear plastic Shell baggies.
I must say, it is odd that all of the characters except for Grover, Count and Oscar are based on a beach theme.
Today all of the Shell figures, both series 1 and 2, are still extremely common figures to find at flea markets and thrift shops. Funny thing is, the figure of Oscar from series 2 just keeps alluding me which is why I still don't have one despite that it is an extremely common figure!!! It's driving me nuts! LOL
Another variation for Grover!
Grover seems to have been given a lot of attention by Applause. Shown above is yet another Grover figure with a unique production history.
The figure of Grover with flowers was made in two very different ways. One version is a three piece figure that has been assembled, while the other is a one piece figure that did not require assembly. The figure shown above on the right is the three piece figure, while the figure on the left is the one piece figure. The three piece figure has Grover's left arm and hand sculpted separately from his face, and the arm is glued in place at the shoulder, while the one piece figure has his arm and hand sculpted to be flat to his face with no space in between. The bouquet of flowers was also made as a separate piece that was attached to the three piece figure, while the one piece figure on the left is all one piece. Below are the side views to show the differences in figures.
The version of the figure that is all one piece (above left in each image) is the one that came in a baggie as part of the 2nd Shell promotion. This same version was also included in the "Five Piece Figurine Set", shown directly below. The three piece version of the figure may have been sold separately in stores (gift shops or toy stores) along with a different assortment of Sesame figures.
In my experience the three piece version is less commonly found than the one piece version. There are no dates marked on these figures, however the one piece figure was made in China, while the three piece figure was made in Hong Kong. The one piece figure was made in the late 1980's or early 90's, it's unknown when the three piece figure was made. I suspect that the three-piece figure was reissued at some point in the late 1990's though that's just an assumption.
Five Piece Figurine Boxed Set
Ernie, Grover and Cookie Monster by Applause, from the five piece boxed set.
The 5 piece boxed set includes:
Big Bird holding a puppy
Cookie Monster (shown above)
Elmo on roller skates with a brown bag on a strap over his shoulder
Ernie (shown above)
Grover (shown above)
Big Bird holding a puppy
Cookie Monster (shown above)
Elmo on roller skates with a brown bag on a strap over his shoulder
Ernie (shown above)
Grover (shown above)
Five piece Sesame Street PVC figure boxed set by Applause
This set is likely from the early 1990's as the Big Bird, Elmo and Cookie Monster figures are each marked "Jim Henson Productions Inc." while the Ernie and Grover figures are each marked "Muppets Inc." This suggests that the set was released around the time that Applause switched from using "Muppets Inc." to mark the figures, as was done in the 80's, and began marking them with "Jim Henson Productions Inc.", as was done in the 90's beginning at least by 1993.
It's also highly likely that the Grover figure was extra stock left over from the Shell promotion of the late 80's. A clever way to get rid of the old stock is to package the figure in a box set with newer figures, therefore forcing people to buy the figure again if they wanted the new figures.
The Elmo figure from this set was also sold in a two pack set with the figure of Ernie dressed as a firefighter, which is shown further below in the "People in Your Neighbourhood" themed series. The Elmo and Ernie two pack has a copyright date of 1993, which adds to the likelihood that this five pack set was released around 1993 as well. As with Elmo, the Cookie Monster figure from this five pack was also originally created as part of the "People in Your Neighbourhood" series. So it seems likely that, along with Grover, the Elmo and Cookie Monster figures may have been extra stock as well. The Ernie figure is also commonly found and therefore may have also been extra stock, however the Big Bird figure from this set is not very common, so I suspect that it was only available in this box set.
More Beach Theme Figures
Elmo on Water Skis
Elmo on water skis by Applause
The 2nd series of Shell Sesame figures (shown directly above on this page) were not the only beach themed Sesame figures to be made by Applause. Three additional sets of beach themed figures were sold individually in gift shop stores. However, confirming which Sesame Street PVC figure series the above figure of Elmo on water skis belongs with is a mystery to me! It's possible that this figure may have been released as part of the 2nd Shell series but I haven't been able to confirm this, so I've kept it separate from the others.
The way things are now, both of the Shell sets have eight figures and feature all the same characters. So if this Elmo figure was included in the 2nd set it would be a ninth misfit figure, which is why I'm not certain that Elmo belongs as part of the set. It's also not as commonly found as the Shell figures. However, it's also curious that there are only five of the 8 figures from the 2nd Shell series that have a beach themed design, so Elmo would be a sixth figure in that regard to complete the set. All the figures in the 2nd Shell series were marked "Muppets Inc" without a date on the bottom, and the above figure of Elmo is marked the same way so it does match with the Shell series in that way. Whereas, the figures in the beach set shown directly below are each marked "93 JHP". Also the style of sculpting for Elmo in the set below is quite different than the water skis Elmo figure, so it's clear that the above figure was made in the late 80's around the same time that the 2nd Shell set was made.
Elmo was just emerging as a character in the late 80's, so it's possible that the water skis figure was a late addition to the 2nd Shell series for that reason, which could be why there are fewer of them. I have never seen this Elmo figure packaged in a Shell baggie, however I have seen the other 8 from the 2nd series in baggies. So it's still a mystery to me if this figure was sold with Shell series 2 or through greeting card gift shops as part of a completely different series of Sesame figures.
1993 Beach Series
Applause Sesame Street beach themed PVC figures from 1993
Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo and Rosita
The above six figures are each marked "93 JHP". I specifically remember buying Rosita at a gift card store in a shopping mall because I had never seen a figure of her before. This is likely the first PVC figure of Rosita ever to have been made. You can see the wings on her arms which the character no longer has. (Update: Apparently Rosita now has her wings back again! That's kinda weird!)
The Big Bird figure holding a turtle is marked the same as the other five beach figures, and as such it's possible that this figure is also part of this "93" beach series. The addition of this Big Bird figure to this set would make sense as otherwise there wouldn't be a Big Bird figure in the set which would be quite odd, plus it makes for an even number of six figures in the set rather than five. All of the characters in this set are holding an item related to the ocean, so this Big Bird figure matches in that way as well. However, he's not wearing sandals or shorts, so it's hard to say for certain if this figure actually does belong in this set or not, though it looks like the hat he's wearing could be a summer hat.
These six figures are not as commonly found as the two Shell sets of Applause Sesame PVC figures, though they are also not "rare", they are simply harder to find than the others. In my experience Bert, Ernie and Big Bird are the easiest figures from this set to find as they come up on e-bay often enough, while the other three are more challenging to find. For me Cookie Monster was the hardest one to find from this set but that may be because I had already bought Rosita new from the store years ago. I don't see the Rosita figure on e-bay very often.
Beach Theme Mini-Bendy Figures
Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and Elmo small bendy figures by Applause, early 1990's
I always thought this was an interesting set and picked all four of them up together, brand new from the store when I was in my teens! They were sold loose in a bin through greeting card gift shops. I still remember buying these like it was yesterday because I was so happy to find them! I got them at a store at Westgate Mall in Ottawa, however the store is long gone now. It's the same store where I had also bought the beach themed Rosita figure (shown directly above) along with Big Bird, Bert and Cookie Monster from the Country Fair series and Bert in the go-cart (all shown further below).
Beach Theme Tub Toys: Floating Tire Tube Squeeze Toy Figures
These toys were made by Applause in 1997
Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo bath toys by Applause, 1997
These are not PVC figures but I'm including them here to clarify that they are in fact larger sized squeeze toys. The Muppet Wiki page for Applause Sesame PVC figures mistakenly lists the Big Bird and Elmo figures from this set as being PVC figures, however they are not.
This is a series of larger sized tub toys (also known as bath toys or squeeze toys) that are made of soft rubber-like plastic and are hollow so they can be squeezed and will float. Below I've shown them next to standard sized Applause PVC figures for size comparison. As you can see the squeeze toys are about twice the size of a PVC figure.
I had never seen the Cookie Monster figure before until I saw it on eBay in Sept 2023 so I had to have it for my collection! I really like the design and sculpting of this figure series. Applause made so many cool Sesame toys! I found the other three figures together as a lot on eBay in October 2023. These four figures are harder to find so it was quite uncanny that I was able to complete the set so quickly within a month of finding Cookie Monster.
These squeeze toys are freakin' huge compared to regular sized PVC figure, shown here for size comparison!
A better view of the Cookie Monster tub toy by Applause
The Cookie Monster figure from this set has no markings and instead has a barcode sticker with the manufacturing and copyright info dated 1997. The other three figures are marked JHP (for Jim Henson Productions) Applause, China.
Here's the back view of Elmo to show that the tire tube is shaped like a sea monster creature.
Boats theme
The same boat is reused with each figure in this set but it is painted different colours.
Cookie Monster sitting in a white boat with red trim, holding a cookie wearing a purple pirate hat
Ernie sitting in a white boat with yellow trim, holding a parrot on his arm
Big Bird sitting in a green boat with a white base, wearing a red hat or bandana, waving with his right hand
I suspect there is also a figure of Elmo in a boat for this set to make it an even set of four, but I've never seen a picture of one so I can't yet confirm this.
Christmas Theme
Christmas Boxed Figurine Set
I suspect there is also a figure of Elmo in a boat for this set to make it an even set of four, but I've never seen a picture of one so I can't yet confirm this.
Christmas Theme
Christmas themed Snuffleupagus and Cookie Monster figures from the early 1990's, by Applause. In my experience these two Christmas figures are not as common to find, though they are not "rare".
Additional figures in this set that are not shown:
Alice Snuffleupagus with a wreath around her neck holding a candy cane with her trunk
Bert holding a pile of presents while on ice skates
Big Bird wearing a Santa hat and red nightgown holding his teddy bear Radar in his left hand and a plate of cookies in his right hand
Ernie carrying a pine tree while wearing snowshoes
Ernie wearing a Santa hat by Applause
Applause sold a boxed set of three Sesame Street figures each wearing Santa hats. Figures included:
Big Bird wearing a Santa hat and green scarf sitting in his nest which has sleigh blades on the bottom
Cookie Monster wearing a Santa hat holding a cookie to his chin, with a large red bag over his shoulder
Ernie (shown above)
Ernie (shown above)
Halloween Theme
Cookie Monster dressed as a clown holding and orange bag in his right hand that says "Trick or Cookie Treat", black mask in left hand held next to his head
Ernie dressed as a cowboy (red bandana, green jacket, blue pants, black boots and gloves) holding a bag that says "Trick or Treat"
Easter Theme
Big Bird sitting in an Easter basket with several eggs and a blue bow on his back
Ernie wearing a blue painters hat, painting an Easter egg that has hatched, paint cans at his feet
Snuffleupagus holding two eggs with his front right foot and trunk, wearing a yellow ribbon around his neck
Western Theme
Cowboy Ernie with guitar and Cowboy Elmo PVC figure by Applause
Additional figures in this set:
Bert wearing a brown cowboy hat and boots, green vest, tied up in his own rope
Betty Lou mining for gold, wearing a brown cowboy hat and boots, beige jacket, moss green skirt, holding a silver tray with pebbles in left hand, holding up a gold nugget with her right
Cookie Monster wearing cowboy hat, apron, vest, red bandana, holding yellow spoon and black cast iron cooking pot
Betty Lou mining for gold, wearing a brown cowboy hat and boots, beige jacket, moss green skirt, holding a silver tray with pebbles in left hand, holding up a gold nugget with her right
Cookie Monster wearing cowboy hat, apron, vest, red bandana, holding yellow spoon and black cast iron cooking pot
In the 1980's Illco produced a Sesame Street Farm playset that came with a Big Bird Cowboy figure (above left). The set was reissued by Tyco in the 1990's. The Illco/Tyco figure is dressed almost identically to the Applause figure, missing only the belt and the Sherriff star.
Country Fair Theme
Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Cookie Monster by Applause
Grover and Elmo by Applause
Camp Sesame Theme
Oscar with a skunk, made by Applause.
Curiously, a figure of Ernie does not seem to have been made for this Camp Sesame series which is extremely bizarre! It's the only set that does not have an Ernie figure. I've certainly never seen an Applause Camp Sesame Ernie figure listed anywhere online. As such, the set has only five figures which is also odd for an Applause PVC series as most of their Sesame figures were released in even sets of 4, 6, 8 or 10.
Note: Tara Toys also made a Camp Sesame series of figures, as larger sized bendy figures, and that set has an Ernie figure. Although both the Applause and Tara Toys series of figures used the title "Camp Sesame", these are two completely different and unrelated sets of figures.
Other figures in the Applause series:
Bert in park ranger outfit and hat holding clipboard and megaphone/bullhorn
Big Bird in a park ranger hat and red bandana, holding several logs
Cookie Monster hiking with a walking stick, wearing a back pack and yellow t-shirt with "Camp Sesame" on it in stylized text that is not in a circle
Snuffleupagus wearing a park ranger hat and red bandana, holding a light blue telescope with his trunk, and Little Bird sitting on his back
Snuffleupagus wearing a park ranger hat and red bandana, holding a light blue telescope with his trunk, and Little Bird sitting on his back
Bedtime Theme
Bert, Cookie Monster, Elmo, and Mr. Snuffleupagus by Applause
Additional figures in this set:
Big Bird sitting in his nest holding a book and his teddy Radar, wearing a light blue nightcap
Ernie in pink and light blue striped pajamas holding a candle
Ernie in pink and light blue striped pajamas holding a candle
Wheeled Vehicles Theme
Made in the early 1990's. All of the figures in this set are on something that has working wheels that roll like a toy car. This is one of two rare occasions in which Cookie Monster was not include in a themed set. (The other one is the beach themed mini-bendy figures series which only has 4 figures.)
Bert in a go-kart by Applause
Alice Snuffleupagus on a blue skateboard with red wheels, holding a red flower with her trunk
Big Bird sitting in a red wagon with light blue wheels
Elmo on a yellow scooter with orange wheels
Ernie in a light blue bathtub holding Rubber Ducky and a pink sponge
Snuffleupagus on a blue skateboard with pink wheels
Roller Coaster Cars
Sesame characters in identical red roller coaster cars detailed in white with a different number on the side of the car. Cars are separate and can be connected together, and have working wheels that roll.
#1 Big Bird
#2 Ernie
#3 Cookie Monster
#4 Grover
#5 Bert
#6 Elmo
Twiddle Bugs Series
Applause made a series of four Twiddle Bugs figures which reused the molds for the same two figures, with each one produced in two different colours. There are also two Twiddle Bug drinking straws listed below in that section. To my knowledge these are the only Twiddle Bugs PVC figures ever to have been made (as of 2023).
Twiddle Bug PVC figure by Applause
Additional figures in this set:
Twiddle Bug, pink, holding a guitar made from a bottle cap
Twiddle Bug, green, holding a guitar made from a bottle cap
Twiddle Bug, light blue, holding a thimble with a potted flower inside (same as the one shown above only light blue instead of pink)
Twiddle Bug, green, holding a guitar made from a bottle cap
Twiddle Bug, light blue, holding a thimble with a potted flower inside (same as the one shown above only light blue instead of pink)
Marching Band Theme
These figures were sold in sets of two on bubble cards and came with a folded scenery board to be used as a playset. These were likely made in 1993 as similar packaging was used for the Fireman Ernie (shown directly below) and Paperboy Elmo two pack set, which has a copyright date of 1993.
Big Bird and Elmo on a bubble card with fold-out scenery playset.
Here is a closer view of the card showing the folded scenery playset.
Elmo, Ernie and Betty Lou PVC figures by Applause
Big Bird
Bert with an accordion
Bert with an accordion
"People in your Neighbourhood" theme
In the early 1990's Applause made a series of PVC figures, pencil topper figures, and finger puppets all based on the same designs which presented the Sesame characters in the roles of various professions. I don't know what title, if any, Applause may have used for this collection, however it seems fitting to use the title of the popular Sesame Street song for this series.
Bert as a Traffic Policeman, Ernie as a Firefighter, Big Bird as a Postal Carrier, and Cookie Monster as a Milk Man by Applause
Grover as a waiter, and Prairie Dawn as a Doctor by Applause
There's one more figure in this set that is not shown:
Elmo on roller skates with a brown bag on a strap over his shoulder
These figures were sold in two pack sets similar to the one shown above with the Marching Band series. Ernie and Elmo were sold together in a package dated 1993.
In 1987, Tara Toys had produced a similar themed set of nine Sesame PVC figures with the characters all dressed for different jobs. In 1993, Applause designed their figures of Bert as a Policeman, Ernie as a Fireman and Big Bird as a Postman to have the same jobs that were seen on the Tara Toys figures for those same characters. Previously in the early 1970's Child Guidance released a PVC figure of Bert as a Policeman. I still don't have any of those figures in my collection.
A figure of Ernie as a Fireman was also made by Tyco (shown above left) in the early 1990's and sold with their Sesame Street Firehouse playset. It's marked "JHP" on the back of his hat. It's interesting how similar the two figures are, as both have a grey hose coiled around the right arm.
"People in your Neighbourhood" PVC Figures (shown above)
These were sold in two pack sets using the same packaging as the Marching Band series two packs shown above. They also came with a fold out street scenery playset. The Ernie and Elmo PVC figures came packaged together. I have yet to see how the other characters were paired up. The package has a copyright date of 1993. The Cookie Monster and Elmo figures were also sold as part of the five figure boxed set shown further above. There are seven figures in this set which is unusual for Applause as most of their PVC sets have an even number of figures, typically four, six or eight.
"People in your Neighbourhood" Pencil Topper Figures
These figures each came attached to a yellow pencil with a green Sesame Street sign logo printed on it.
Ernie dressed as a fire fighter (shown below)
Big Bird dressed as a telephone technician
Elmo dressed as a painter
Big Bird dressed as a telephone technician
Elmo dressed as a painter
Ernie pencil topper PVC figure missing the pencil, made by Applause
"People in your Neighbourhood" Finger Puppets
These are obviously not PVC figures, however I'm listing them here to show the similarity between the above PVC figure set. Each of these puppets matched the designs for either the pencil toppers or the standing PVC figures. For example in all three sets have a similar design for Ernie as a Fireman. Click this link to see all of the Applause finger puppets in my collection.
Ernie dressed as a fire fighter
Big Bird dressed as a mail man
Elmo dressed as a painter
Betty Lou dressed as a doctor
Numbers series figures of Grover, Bert, Honker, and Oscar the Grouch by Applause
#1 Elmo holding up one toy boat
#2 Ernie holding two Rubber Duckies
#3 Cookie Monster with cookies on a plate
#6 Big Bird with apples
#7 Snuffleupagus with cabbages
#8 Count with stars
Numbers series 2: Characters next to hoops with spinning numbers:
#1 Big Bird
#2 Bert
#3 Ernie
#4 Elmo
#5 Oscar
#6 Alice Snuffleupagus
#7 Grover
#8 Snuffleupagus
#9 Count
#10 Cookie Monster
Numbers series 3: Figures with large see-through glitter numbers
#1 Elmo playing a drum with a clear yellow number one
#2 Ernie with saxophone and purple two
#3 Cookie Monster with gold marching band symbols
#4 Bert with accordion and purple four
#5 Grover playing a green electric guitar with five red musical notes on number
Assorted Sesame Applause PVC Figures
These figures may have been sold individually, as they don't look to have been a part of any themed sets.
Big Bird 25th Anniversary figure by Applause, from 1994
Sitting figures: Big Bird holding Little Bird, and Ernie with Rubber Duckie in a bucket of water. There's also a variation of this Ernie figure that has a green base attached, which is sculpted to look like grass.
I've noticed that there are two variations for the figure of Big Bird holding Little Bird. In addition to these two figures having different sized irises they were each constructed quite differently. The figure shown on the left is a four piece figure, meaning that it was made with four pieces that are glued together. The figure on the right is a two piece figure. I don't know which version was made first, but my guess is that the four piece figure was made first and then it was reworked to be made with only two pieces in order to simplify production.
The four piece figure on the left has each of Big Bird's legs as a separate piece made with orange plastic with only the pink stripes painted on, then each leg is glued in place onto the figure. Little Bird is done the same way, in orange plastic, and the yellow is painted, then the figure is glued on to Big Bird's hand (this Little Bird figure has a chipped wing which shows that it's orange plastic underneath). The two piece figure on the right has the legs and a small section of feathers all as one piece in yellow plastic, then the legs and feet are painted orange and the pink stripes are added, then the leg section is glued onto the figure. You can see a wavy outline on Big Bird's body across his tummy feathers where the piece attaches. For this version Little Bird is part of the mold with Big Bird's body, all made with yellow plastic with the orange sections painted onto Little Bird... the opposite of the other figure which has the yellow area painted.
Here's a lovely view of Big Bird's butt! Yes, this is how I spend my time, taking pictures like this! LOL You can see on the four part figure on the left how the leg pieces extend further into the body, as compared to the two piece figure on the right. You can see the line across Big Bird's butt on the right were the piece was glued in place. I just love finding variations like this!!! Both of these figures are from the 80's as they are marked "Muppets Inc. / Applause / China"
Alice Snuffleupagus PVC figure holding a mirror with her trunk. This is a lousy photo because I no longer have this figure in my collection. For some bizarre reason I sold it many years ago and have been kicking myself for doing so ever since. It's not a difficult figure to find though, so I'll get another one eventually and update the photo. Wish I never sold her in the first place though!!!
Ernie pulling Rubber Duckie in a wagon, Elmo with a frog, and Zoe with a butterfly by Applause
I'm not sure why they made this Ernie figure with only one shoe on and one bare foot. Perhaps it's meant to be a toddler version of Ernie rather than the original version of him. I've included the figures of Elmo and Zoe in this picture with Ernie as all three of these figures are marked the same way "JHP Applause China" with no date, however figures marked with "JHP" were made in the 90's. The text of the markings is even done with the same layout on all three. As such it looks like these were issued as a series which makes sense since they are all harder to find. The design style for these figures is similar to the 1993 beach themed figures (shown further above) which is another clue that they are from the 90's. Below is the back view.
Here is the back view to show Rubber Duckie and the frog's face.
Cookie Monster with a tray of cookies by Applause
This figure is much larger than other Applause Cookie Monster figures, as shown below, and was made in 1998 as marked on the base.
Additional figures:
Barkly the Dog standing, holding a red frisbee in his mouth
Big Bird standing, holding Little Bird on right hand with two signs that say "Little" and "Big"
Big Bird sitting cross legged and reading a blue book titled "Birds"Cookie Monster dressed as a baker in apron and hat, red bandana, walking while holding a large brown cake
Ernie in bathtub with Bert attached standing next to tub being splashed
Grover with a small Elmo attached next to him holding a yellow box, which is a "Jack in the box"
Figures that are likely to have been made by Applause which I have yet to confirm
I've never seen the markings on these figures to confirm one way or other if they were made by Applause. Update April 2024: I've managed to reduce this "yet to confirm" list down to one figure!!!
Bert with a black telescope and two pigeons
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The rest of the figures on this list are attached to something, such as a pencil, or they are only half of a figure with a flat back such as a magnet.
Pencil Toppers
These are in addition to the four pencils listed above in the "People in your Neighbourhood" theme.
Baby Natasha on a solid yellow pencil holding a light green book
Big Bird on a solid teal coloured pencil wearing a cone party hat, holding a present in left hand (this figure was also issued on a drinking straw, as noted below)
Ernie wearing a baseball glove with a ball inside, attached to a wood coloured pencil detailed with illustrated signs that read "big game today"
Grover dressed as a painter on a red pencil detailed with illustrated signs that reads "wet paint"
Grover on solid light green pencil holding a small chalk board with "A B C" written on it
Cookie Monster holding up a cookie jar on a white pencil with a text pattern that reads "me love cookies"
Cookie Monster reaching into a large yellow cookie jar with his right hand, holding the lid in his left hand, figure is "floating" rather than holding the pencil, base of cookie jar is attached to top of pencil
Cookie Monster holding a red book on a solid purple pencil
Zoe on a pink pencil wearing a cone party hat, holding a photography camera (this figure was also issued on a drinking straw, as noted below)
Pencil Topper Figures with Extensions
These have a long odd shaped post extending from the figures that have a small item at the end
Big Bird in his nest holding a "U" shaped post with Little Bird at the end
Big Bird holding a camera, extension post on his right side with a butterfly at the end
Snuffleupagus holding extension post with his trunk, a red kite is at the end
Ernie in bathtub with Rubber Ducky at the end of an inverted "U" shaped post
Pencil Topper Giant Heads
This is a series of large heads of the Sesame characters as pencil toppers. They're not figures so I don't count them as part of the PVC figurine series, but they are made with PVC plastic so I'm just making note of them for interest sake.
Big Bird
Cookie Monster
Ernie
Elmo
Keepers Keychains
This is a series of large, hollow PVC heads of the Sesame characters which are shaped on the front and flat on the back. There is a slit in the back to put coins into, or whatever else you might feel needs to be stored hidden away inside a large Muppet head. LOL :) Each has a plastic keychain hook attached. As with the "Pencil Topper Giant Heads" listed directly above, these aren't actual figurines so I'm not counting them as part of the PVC figurine series, I'm just documenting them for interest sake. Oddly enough, the same four characters were made in both of these "Giant Head" collections.
Big Bird
Cookie Monster
Ernie
Elmo
Coiled Drinking Straws
These are from the early 1990's.
Ernie coiled drinking straw by Applause
Bert
Big Bird
Cookie Monster
Count
Grover
Elmo waving his right hand
Ernie (shown above)
Rosita
Two Headed Monster This is the very first PVC figure of this character
Twiddle Bug pink, bathing in a thimble
Twiddle Bug blue, bathing in a thimble (same mold as the above pink figure, only in blue)
Regular Drinking Straws (not coiled)
Baby Natasha holding a large sucker in her left hand
Big Bird wearing a cone party hat, holding a present (this figure was also released on a pencil, as noted above)
Elmo wearing a cone party hat, holding a yellow horn in his left hand
Zoe wearing a cone party hat, holding a camera (this figure was also released on a pencil, as noted above)
Bookmarks
Big Bird
Ernie
Elmo
Grover
Zipper Pulls
These figures are shaped on the front like typical PVC figures but are flat on the back and have a plastic clip-on loop attached at the top.
Big Bird with balloons (this figure was also sold by Applause attached to a picture frame)
Cookie Monster behind a giant chocolate chip cookie with a bite out of it
Grover flying a red airplane
Oscar the Grouch in his trash can with a sign that reads "I love yucky trash"
Zipper Pulls: Christmas Theme
Alice Snuffleupagus on a brown toboggan
Big Bird wearing a green scarf, red mittens, and white ice skates
Ernie wearing a Santa hat and jacket, green pants, red boots, holding a large brown bag behind him
Magnets
Similar in style to the zipper pulls, these figures are shaped on the front like a typical PVC figure but are flat on the back with a round magnet attached at the center.
Big Bird standing with legs together holing an apple in his right hand, left hand on tummy
Cookie Monster wearing baker hat, white apron and red bandana, holding a tray of cookies in his right hand, waving with his left hand
Elmo standing holding a green pear in his right hand, left hand on tummy
Oscar the Grouch in his trash can holding up a bandana in his left hand, while holding a banana peel in his right hand against the front of his can
Luggage Tags
I'm not 100 percent certain that this is an Applause item, but it certainly looks that way. It is marked "Muppets Inc," which is the same as some of the earlier Applause Sesame Street items. This is a half figure, similar to the magnets, attached to a luggage tag.
Big Bird on a blue luggage tag
Ernie on a red luggage tag
Picture Frames
This is a half figure, similar to the magnets, attached to a picture frame.
Big Bird with balloons (this figure was also sold by Applause as a zipper pull)
Rolling Circle Figures, 1992
A less common series, Applause made a set of Sesame PVC figures that are each attached to the inside of a circle, which can be rolled to watch the character spin. The Elmo figure is marked 1992.
Big Bird sitting in his nest
Cookie Monster
Elmo
Ernie
Tops
Another less common series. This is a series of PVC figures attached to a base which is the shape of a spinning top. The figure is the handle that you hold when spinning the top. I have yet to confirm that these are by Applause, I'm just assuming that they are. I also have yet to see a Cookie Monster figure for this series, but as Applause had been releasing sets of four in the late 90's it's possible that there is a Cookie Monster.
Big Bird on roller skates
Cookie Monster (to be confirmed if this figure was made)
Ernie dressed as a painter
Elmo in a baseball team outfit with a bat (This figure matches with the design of the baseball themed Sesame finger puppets made by Applause, which are also less common.)
Just for fun: A comparison of Cookie Monster figures
I find it interesting that the shape of most of the Applause Cookie Monster figures are so similar to each other. Only the figure on the skateboard from the first Shell series is in a considerably different pose.
Text copyright Mikey Artelle 1997, 2024
