Last updated: Nov 2, 2024
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!
Although Applause made most of their Sesame Street figures in the 1990's, they first began making them in the 1980's. It has always been my understanding that the two Shell gas station figurine 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.
History of Applause
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 losses, 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. I found the CNN article in question to be somewhat sensationalistic which is unfortunate, yet it explains how Mr. Solomon 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 accomplished, 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, 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.
Knickerbocker PVC figures
As the Knickerbocker toy company was the original company that later became the Applause toy company, one could argue that the three Sesame Street PVC figures that were made by Knickerbocker are in fact the very first Applause PVC figures. However, these toys were never reissued under the Applause name.
In 1978 Knickerbocker produced a tub toy playset that came with three PVC figures, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch. Oddly enough, these figures are smaller versions of the Educational Toys finger puppets from 1971, which were later reissued by Child Guidance in 1973. Additionally, with the exception of Oscar, the figures are almost identical to the boxed set of three PVC figures made by Child Guidance in 1974. A photo of the tub toy with figures is shown on Muppet Wiki.
Big Bird, standing with hands flat against tummy, space between legs, feet attached together
Cookie Monster, standing with hand flat on tummy, his lips do not stick out as seen on the Child Guidance figure.
Oscar the Grouch, standing as a full-body figure without his trash can, which is also how Knickerbocker designed their plush toys of Oscar. This is the only PVC figure of Oscar without his trash can that I know of.
Markings
Both of the Applause 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, '94 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 1993.
China / Hong Kong
So far I've only noticed four figures that can be found marked either Hong Kong or China, making for two variations of each figure. All four are also marked Muppets Inc. Two of them happen to be figures of Grover while the other two are Ernie. One of the Grover figures is the Super Grover figure, the other is Grover with the bouquet of flowers. Curiously, both of these figures are from the Shell collections. For Ernie, the first one is the figure of him holding a book and an apple, the second one is the figure of him sitting with a bucket of water and Rubber Ducky. Unlike the two Grover figures, the two Ernie figures were not from the Shell promotion. There's also a third version of the sitting Ernie figure in which he is on a green base that is sculpted to look like grass, though I have not yet seen the markings on that figure.
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, with the most common ones being Elmo, Grover, Oscar, Snuffy, Alice Snuffleupagus, and the Count. Less common characters include Zoe, Betty Lou, Rosita, Barkley, Baby Natasha, Prairie Dawn, Honker, 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. However, it's worth noting that the Knickerbocker toy company had previously marketed two different sized plush toys of Herry Monster along with their assortment of Sesame Street plush toys in the mid to late 70's before the company was rebranded to become Applause.
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, 5 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, 1980's, marked Muppets Inc.
These were sold at 7-11 convenience stores which operated Shell gas stations.
Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster by Applause
Super Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Count and Mr. Snuffleupagus (or Snuffy) by Applause
Shown above is the complete series of eight Sesame Street figures from the Shell gas station promotion. 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 7-11 convenience stores in Canada, the same way that McDonald's restaurants sell toys.
What is the value of the 16 Shell figures today?
The above set was the first of two Shell figure sets, and both sets had 8 figures each for a total of 16 figures to collect. The second set is shown further below on this page. These 16 figures 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, and I do absolutely love these figures, but they are NOT in any way worth that much money 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 they are in the original baggie with zero paint rubs or any other damage. Realistically, loose figures (those without the original baggie) from the Shell series aren't really worth more than $2 each as there's so many of them.
This text was updated in Sept 2024 so it's not out of date, a full set of 8 loose figures for $16 to $20 total is a reasonable deal. So $40 for the complete set of 16 Shell figures is a very fair price for the entire collection considering how common these figures are. Just because something is vintage doesn't mean it has to be expensive. They're cool figures and all, and I love them to pieces, but they are sooooooo commonly found! Please don't get tricked into over paying 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.
Mikey's Muppet Memories: The Shell promotion at 7-11!
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 Sesame PVC 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! I was soooooo disappointed! That was a real bummer! It would have been a rare poster to own as I've never seen another one of those posters since then! However, 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 Sesame PVC 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! I was soooooo disappointed! That was a real bummer! It would have been a rare poster to own as I've never seen another one of those posters since then! However, I was still thankful that I now had eight brand new, awesome little Sesame dudes to play with! :)
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 with a longer worm sticking out of the apple. The one-piece figure on the right has the hand with the apple and a shorter worm as part of the figure mold, and the figure itself 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.
Super Grover Variations
I saved the Super Grover variations for last because out of all the Sesame PVC figures that Applause made, this particular figure has the most 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 further below).
The first unique variation is that unlike the other seven figures in the Shell series, Super Grover was made in both China and Hong Kong and can be found with either of those locations marked on the base of the figure. In addition, both locations made the figure with a paint colour variation for the string that ties Grover's cape on around his neck, painted either orange or yellow. All four of these variations are marked Muppets Inc.
Super Grover, China, orange string (shown above)
Super Grover, China, yellow string
Super Grover, Hong Kong, orange string
Super Grover, Hong Kong, yellow string
Why so many variations??? Well, the answer likely has something to do with the box set shown below....
"Character Playset" Box set of 10 figures, 2000, marked JHP with the exception of Super Grover which is likely marked Muppets Inc.
This special boxed collectors edition of ten Sesame Street PVC figures seems to have been the last set of Sesame figures that Applause produced. It has the copyright year listed as 2000 on the back of the box. This is the most recent date that I have ever seen for any of the Applause Sesame figures.
The Super Grover figure that was included was a reissue of the figure from the Shell series. 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 in order 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 were always so far off scale with the other figures. However in my view the Count really should have been included, even as an 11th figure, as he's a classic Sesame character that was around long before Baby Natasha and Barkley, as well as Elmo and Zoe.
Here are the Applause figures of Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster from the above boxed set by Applause.
Super Grover, Oscar the Grouch with Slimey, Zoe and Baby Natasha from the above boxed set by Applause. I'm still missing Barkley and Elmo from my collection.
The Super Grover shown here is from the mid 80's Shell promotion but it is identical to the figure that was reissued for the 2000 box set. However, the Shell figure is marked Muppet's Inc. but I don't know if the markings on the Grover figure from the 2000 box set were changed to JHP to match the rest of the figures in the box set or if that figure is also marked Muppets Inc. I have confirmed that all of the other figures in the box set are marked JHP.
So those are the Applause variations for the Super Grover figure, but there are even more than that... keep reading below!
Sesame Street Live Box set by Vee Corporation
Unfortunately the Applause toy company went bankrupt in 2004, four years after the above boxed set was produced, which meant that the copyrights to all of the toys that Applause ever made entered into a grey zone of copyright ownership. The same year that this happened, the Vee Corporation - which produces the Sesame Street Live touring shows - began selling Sesame Street PVC figures as souvenirs at their events.
Although the Sesame Live figures were not made by Applause, it was likely no coincidence that these new figures were essentially a clone set of the Applause box set of figures from 2000, with the exception that Baby Natasha and Barkley the Dog were not included.
The 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 is listed on the box for the Sesame Street Live set, though I don't know if this is the company that manufactured the box set or simply distributed it, or both. The box shown below is marked 2008 on the back.
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, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Therefor the Vee Corporation box set was likely reissued each of those years with the new date on the box and on all of the figures. As such, the Vee corporation figures are more common to find than the original Applause figures that they are based on.
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
I will add photo comparisons of the remaining Vee Corporation Sesame figures with the Applause versions when I find them all for my collection.
Shell gas station promotion, series 2, 1980's, marked Muppets Inc.
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 (or Snuffy) 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 but they were all made in the mid to late 1980's. I also do not know where in North America this second series of figures were sold as I don't recall these ones being sold at the gas station where I collected the first series. That being said, I was only a kid at the time so it's possible that I just wasn't aware that a second set was being sold. 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. However, they were likely sold at 7-11 stores that sold Shell gas, the same way that the first series was sold.
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
Shell series 1 and 2 figures of the Count by Applause
Oddly enough, all of the characters in the second series except for Grover, Count and Oscar are based on a beach theme. It's extra odd that the Count is the only Halloween themed figure as he's holding a pumpkin. It's also bizarre that he's holding his left arm up to show three fingers as he only has one pumpkin. His left arm is exactly the same as the series 1 Count figure which makes it seem like Applause was in a rush to make the series 2 Count figure so they just retooled the series 1 figure and added the pumpkin. Plus, the first Shell series looks to have been planned as a set of eight figures as they all appear to match. However it seems like Applause didn't actually plan on releasing a second series of Shell figures, and instead just used the five beach themed figures that they had ready and added three randomly themed figures to make up a series of eight figures. It would have been awesome if Applause had made the Count in his striped beach outfit to match with the other beach themed figures!
The Count in his beach outfit, as seen on a Sesame Street puzzle. This would have been a cool figure for Series 2 in order to match with the beach theme.
Another geeky fact about the above promo button is that the photo of Ernie is actually reversed, or flipped horizontally, because it shows Ernie's head tilting to the right while the actual figure has the head tilting to the left. The pattern of the spots is also reversed.
A variation for Ernie!
Here's a weird thing that I discovered recently (in Sept 2024). There are two versions of the Ernie figure from series two! Both of these figures are marked the same way on the bottom of the feet and were made in China. The first one shown above on the left is a one piece figure, while the figure on the right is a two piece figure with the head of the tire tube character added as a separate piece with a longer neck. The side view is shown below. So okay, I'm just going to address the elephant in the room and say how ironic it is that the two piece figure mimics the male anatomy! I have no idea if that's why Applause made two different versions, or perhaps that had nothing to do with it? In any case, I suspect that the two piece figure was an earlier version which Applause later simplified for production, as the two piece figure is somewhat less common than the one piece figure. Though in my experience it's not rare or hard to find, it's just an interesting curiosity! Then again, perhaps this is just what happens when Ernie sees Bert in his swimsuit? 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 as marked on the bottom of the foot. 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 mid to late 1990's though that's just an assumption.
Five Piece Figurine Boxed Set
Ernie, Cookie Monster and Grover 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 a commonly found figure 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.
Both Grover and Ernie from this set are marked "China" however I have also seen copies of both that are marked "Hong Kong". The Hong Kong version of this Ernie figure has darker blue stripes on his shirt.
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 which suggests that it was produced in more limited quantities that the Shell 2 series and sold through gift shops. 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 as well. 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 makes sense that this figure is part of this beach series. This is also the only Applause Big Bird figure marked "93" that would match with this series. (The other two are the 25th anniversary Big Bird figure and the Country Fair Big Bird, which clearly do not belong in this set. Both are shown further below on this page) 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.
These six figures are much less commonly found than the two Shell sets of Applause Sesame PVC figures making them more challenging to find, but they are also not "rare".
Beach Theme Mini-Bendy Figures
Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and Elmo small bendy figures by Applause, made in the 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
I'm not certain when these were made or how they are marked. For this set, the same boat is reused with each character but it is painted different colours. The boats have a loop on the front and a hook on the back so that they can be hooked together in a row. As they are PVC figures I suspect that these would not actually float on water.
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
There is likely 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.
There is likely 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, marked Muppets Inc.
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, marked Muppets Inc.
This is one of two rare occasions in which Big Bird was not included in a series (the other one is the series of five glitter numbers noted further below).
Cookie Monster dressed as a clown holding an 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"
Count (shown above) holding a pumpkin, oddly enough this figure was released as part of the 2nd Shell series, shown further above on this page
Easter Theme, marked Muppets Inc.
This is one of three rare occasions in which Cookie Monster was not included in a set (the others are the Beach themed set of four Mini-Bendy figures, and the wheeled vehicles series).
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
Camp Sesame Theme, marked Muppets Inc.
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, marked Muppets Inc
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
Figures marked Muppets Inc. likely made in the 1980's
These figures may have been sold individually, as they don't look to have been a part of any themed sets. They're all marked Muppets Inc.
Sitting figures: Big Bird holding Little Bird, and Ernie with Rubber Duckie in a bucket of water. Both are marked Muppets Inc. / China. There's also a variation of this Ernie figure that has a green base attached, which is sculpted to look like grass. I've also seen a version of Ernie, without the grass, that is marked Hong Kong rather than China. As such there are three variations of this Ernie figure.
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"
Bert with a silver telescope, Bert holding the number three, and Cookie Monster with a yellow cookie jar by Applause. All are marked Muppets Inc.
Additional figures:
Cookie Monster dressed as a baker in apron and hat, red bandana, walking while holding a large brown cake, marked Muppets Inc.
Applause made two very different versions of Bert with a telescope. The first one on the left is marked Muppets Inc. and is from the 80's, the second one on the right is marked JHP and is from the late 90's. I've shown the second figure further below with the rest of the figures in that set.
Figures marked Muppets Inc that were made in the early 1990's
I know for certain that the figures of Alice Snuffleupagus with the mirror and Bert in the go-cart (both shown below) were made in the early 1990's because I recall buying them at a gift shop in the early 1990's when I was in my late teens.
Alice Snuffleupagus PVC figure holding a mirror with her trunk by Applause, marked Muppets Inc. 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!!!
There is also a figure of Alice Snuffleupagus sitting with a butterfly on her trunk, marked Muppets Inc that was also made in the early 90's.
Wheeled Vehicles Theme, marked Muppets Inc., 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 three rare occasions in which Cookie Monster was not include in a themed set. (The others are the beach themed mini-bendy figures, shown further above, which only has 4 figures, and the Easter set.)
Bert, Ernie with Rubber Duckie, and Big Bird by Applause
Elmo, Mr. Snuffleupagus (Snuffy), and Alice Snuffleupagus
Variations
I've noticed a variation for the Bert figure from this set as it can be found with thick or thin blue stripes on his shirt, and the thin striped version is leaning forwards a little bit more than the thick striped figure. Here are views from all sides for comparison.
Figures made in 1993
The year 1993 appears to have been a transitional year for Applause in regards to their Sesame Street license as it seems that they way the figures are marked changed during that year. We know that figures that were made in the mid to late 1980's, such as the two Shell collections, were marked "Muppets Inc." on the base. This was changed in the 90's to read either "Jim Henson Productions" or "JHP". Some figures made in the 90's also included the year 93, 94 or 98.
Two series of figures, the Marching Band set and the "People in your neighbourhood" set were both sold in similar bubble packaging with green cards (shown below) that was dated 1993, yet the markings on the figures themselves are very different. The Marching Band set is marked Muppets Inc, while the "People in your neighbourhood" set is marked Jim Henson Productions. The figures do not have a year marked on them, we only know they are all from 1993 because they share the same packaging.
None of the figures that were made after this point were marked Muppets Inc, so it seems that the Marching Band set was the last series to be marked that way.
Marching Band Theme, marked Muppets Inc.
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.
Ernie, Cookie Monster, Elmo and Betty Lou PVC figures by Applause
Big Bird
Bert with an accordion
Bert with an accordion
"People in your Neighbourhood" theme, marked Jim Henson Productions
In 1993 Applause released 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. In fact, I've found a picture online of a Sesame Street placemat from 1977 which has an illustration that is based on the same song, and looks like it may have been the source for some of the designs of the figures from the Applause PVC 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
Not shown: Elmo as a paperboy on roller skates with a brown bag on a strap over his shoulder
These were sold in two pack sets using the same bubble packaging as the Marching Band series 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.
Here is the PVC figure, pencil topper, and finger puppet based on the same design of Ernie as a firefighter, all made by Applause.
Applause made a PVC figure and finger Puppet of Big Bird dressed as a postal carrier.
Applause used similar designs for their PVC figure of Prairie Dawn dressed as a doctor and the finger puppet of Betty Lou dressed as a doctor.
A figure of Ernie as a Fireman was also made by Tyco (shown above left) in the early 1990's and sold with a Sesame Street Firehouse playset. The figure is marked "JHP" on the back of his hat. It's interesting that both figures have a grey hose coiled around the right arm.
Previously in 1987, Tara Toys had produced a similar themed set of nine Sesame PVC figures with the characters all dressed for different jobs. The set included Bert as a Policeman, Ernie as a Fireman and Big Bird as a Postman (shown above). In 1993, Applause designed their figures of Bert, Ernie and Big Bird to have the same jobs that were seen in the Tara Toys series for those same characters. I still don't have these three Tara Toys figures in my collection, but I will update the photos if ever I find them.
Additionally, in the early 1970's Child Guidance released a PVC figure of Bert as a Policeman. I don't yet have this figure in my collection.
"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. I've listed all of the other Applause Sesame pencil topper figures in the second section of this list near the bottom of this page.
Ernie dressed as a fire fighter (shown above)
Big Bird dressed as a telephone technician
Elmo dressed as a painter (I don't yet have this one in my collection, however the figure was similar to the design used for the finger puppet)
Big Bird dressed as a telephone technician
Elmo dressed as a painter (I don't yet have this one in my collection, however the figure was similar to the design used for the finger puppet)
Roller Coaster Cars, marked Jim Henson Productions.
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
Western Theme, marked Jim Henson Productions
Ernie, Big Bird and 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 Applause figure is dressed almost identically to the Illco/Tyco figure, with the addition of a belt and the Sherriff star.
Applause made a Western series of finger puppets at the same time as this PVC figure series. Both sets of toys were based on similar designs. Above is Big Bird. I'll add Cookie Monster and Betty Lou once I find those figures.
Applause included Oscar the Grouch in the finger puppet series, showing him in a wooden barrel instead of his trash can. It's too bad that Applause didn't make a PVC figure of Oscar in the wooden barrel, that would have been an interesting PVC figure! It's also odd that Applause didn't make a figure of Forgetful Jones as part of this Western series!
Country Fair Theme, marked Jim Henson Productions
Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Cookie Monster by Applause
Grover and Elmo by Applause
Ernie playing with a Frisbee by Applause, marked JHP with no date. Note that this Ernie's shirt is painted with dark blue stripes the same as the Ernie figure from the Country Fair series shown directly above which is marked 93 Jim Henson Production. This suggests that both figures were made in 1993.
Big Bird 25th Anniversary figure by Applause, marked 93 JHP.
Figures made in 1994
Twiddle Bugs Series, 1994
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, marked 94 JHP.
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)
Figures made in the late 1990's
Late 1990's Smaller sized figure set
Bert with a telescope and two birds, Ernie pulling Rubber Duckie in a wagon,
Elmo with a frog, and Zoe with a butterfly by Applause
All four of these figures are marked the same way "JHP Applause China" with no date, however we know that figures marked with "JHP" were made in the 90's. The text of the markings is done with the same layout on the base of all four which matches these figures together. They are also each the same size and are all harder to find, as such it looks like these were issued as a series. 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.
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. Below is the back view.
Here is the back view to show Rubber Duckie and the frog's face.
Figures made in 1998
1998 series
Cookie Monster and Big Bird with Little Bird by Applause, both marked 98 JHP.
These two figures are much larger than other Applause figures, as shown below. They were both made in 1998 as marked on the bottom of their feet which confirms that they are part of the same set.
There are two more figures in this 1998 set, and each figure has two characters attached to make up one figure, including Ernie in a bathtub with Bert attached standing next to the tub being splashed. The other figure is Grover holding a yellow "Jack in the Box" with a small figure of Elmo attached next to him. The markings on all four figures (Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Ernie with Bert, and Grover with Elmo) are identical "98 JHP" which makes these four figures a set as they are the only ones to be marked with the year 98. They are also all larger than typical Applause Sesame Street PVC figures.
The Cookie Monster Figure with the tray of cookies is much larger than other Applause Cookie Monster figures. The same is true for the figure of Big Bird with Little Bird, shown below.
__________________________________________________________________________
Section 2: Figures with numbers
Numbers Series 1: Figures with large solid numbers, marked Muppets Inc.
This series of ten figures was likely made in the mid to late 1980's, though it may have also been made in the early 1990's before 1993.
Shown here are #0 Grover, #4 Bert, #5 Honker, and #9 Oscar the Grouch by Applause.
This set includes the only Honker PVC figure that Applause made (shown above with #5). These are among the more commonly found Sesame figures by Applause. Figures were sold individually on bubble cards as cake toppers or loose through gift shops.
#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, marked Muppets Inc. This series of ten figures was likely made in the mid to late 1980's, though it may have also been made in the early 1990's before 1993. Alice Snuffleupagus replaces the Honker for this number set.
#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
This is one of two rare occasions in which Big Bird was not included in a set of figures (the other one is the Halloween series)
This set was made in the mid to late 1990's
#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
#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
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Section 3: Assorted Weird Stuff!!!
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 / Winter Theme, marked Muppets Inc.
Made in the mid to late 80's or early 90's during or before 1993.
Back view of the zipper pull to show that it is only half of a PVC figure.
Alice Snuffleupagus on a brown toboggan
Big Bird (shown above)
Ernie wearing a Santa hat and jacket, green pants, red boots, holding a large brown bag behind him
Here's a size comparison of the zipper pull with a standard sized Applause PVC figure.
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.)
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Just for fun: A comparison of Applause 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. All of the figures in the above photo are marked "Muppets Inc." and were made in the 1980's with the exception of the Marching Band figure from 1993.
The cookie Monster figures in this photo were made in the in the 1990's. They are marked either "Jim Henson Productions" or "JHP". The tallest figure at the far right is from 1998. I'm still missing another 10 Cookie Monster figures from the Applause collection, not including the weird stuff like pencil toppers, etc.!
Text copyright Mikey Artelle 1997, 2024
