Natasha (''Sesame Street'')
Natasha (also known as Baby Natasha) is a character on the children's television show Sesame Street played by Kevin Clash who also voices Sesame Street character Elmo. The magazine publication Sesame Street Parents took a poll of adults and kids favorite characters and it was found that Natasha ranked 4th in popularity overall. The character was the first baby introduced into the series to represent younger children who may view the show. Her character's behaviors and growth also was beneficial in giving children with siblings a better understanding of their behaviors.
Natasha is the daughter of Humphrey and Ingrid Monster. Natasha should not be confused with Ernie's niece, Ernestine, who was also performed by Kevin Clash. As Telly Monster's sister Mona was exactly identical in appearance to Natasha's mother Ingrid, some mistakenly believe the characters are related; this is strictly conjecture.
History
Natasha made her first appearance on Sesame Street during season 18 as the child of monsters Humphrey and Ingrid. One of Natasha's primary character traits is her fast crawling. Throughout the series other characters such as Oscar the Grouch and Snuffy have been shown babysitting her. An episode of the series found Fran Drescher (The Nanny) being a candidate to babysit Natasha. The characters are most often shown having difficulty taking care of her due to her speed and doing the opposite of what she is told.
Although she is unable to understand the adult characters she is shown being able to understand Frazzle and vice versa.
Growth through the series
Natasha has experienced growth and development throughout the series as she ages. Upon her first appearances she has been characterized to enjoy blowing raspberries and speaking in baby babbles. Later in the series, Snuffy babysat her and taught her her first words being "Oh, dear." She is shown growing her first baby monster horns which then fall out to leave space for her adult horns (the equivalent of a child's teeth). Eventually she is able to take her first steps with the assistance of her parents Humphrey and Ingrid.
Baby Talk and Super Baby
As Natasha's popularity grew, so did her role in the show. Eventually she became the star of her own sketches. In "Super Baby" she was portrayed as a superhero and solved baby related problems, such as her parents having a bottle of milk but no baby to drink it. "Baby Talk" was a parody of the popular television series The X Files and featured Natasha interviewing the letter X.
Appearances in Other Media
Book Appearances
- Feeling Fit: Postcards to Color and Send (1992)
- Friends & Family Lace-Ups (1992)
- Grover's 10 Terrific Ways to Help Our Wonderful World (1992)
- Mini-Boxes to Color & Share (1992)
- What Do You Do? (1992 edition)
- Baby Natasha's Busy Day (1993)
- Natasha's Daddy (1993)
- Around the Corner on Sesame Street (1994)
- Baby Natasha In "Say Cheese!" (1994)
- Ready, Set, Go! A Counting Book (1995)
- B is for Books! (1996)
- Elmo's Lift-and-Peek Around the Corner Book (1996)
- I Am a Baby (1996)
- Monster Faces (1996)
- No Nap for Natasha (1996)
- Rise and Shine! (1996; reworked as Up, Up, Up! in 2011)
- Where Is Baby Natasha? (1996)
- Zoe and the Runaway Ball (1996)
- Elmo's Valentine (1997)
- Elmo Loves You! (1997)
- Elmo Says, "Don't Wake the Baby!" (1997)
- Elmo's Christmas Colors (1997)
- Pumpkin Patch Party (1997)
- Baby Party (1998)
- It's Not Easy Being Big! (1998)
- Brought to You by the Number 2 (1999)
- Elmo's ABC Book (2000)
- Watch Out for Banana Peels (2000)
- The Furry Arms Hotel (2001)
- The Monsters on the Bus (2001)
- Fun with Friends (2004)
- Abby Cadabby's Rhyme Time (2007)
- Rosita's Easter on Sesame Street (2007)
Television Special Appearances
External links
She saids like Chicken gurgles and more? So much better