Mr. Hooper memories ('Sesame Street' Wednesday)

"Hooper! The name's Hooper, Big Bird! Hooper!"

You young people today never believe me when I say there used to be an old dude on 'Sesame Street' named Mr. Hooper, who was played by the late Will Lee.

He was a storekeeper whose name was always being mispronounced by Big Bird, who called him Mr. Looper or Mr. Pooper.

Yes, Mr. Hooper was an actual character on the show.

When the actor died in 1982, his character also died. But as late as 1997, he was still being recalled fondly on the show:



See? Now you know ol' Hoops wasn't just a figment of my imagination.

Big Bird's tribute to Mr. Hooper is incorrect on one count though: Mr. Hooper did get angry once. It was because he planned on grinding up Bert to make a banana slurry to throw at shoplifters, and he could never quite catch up with him.

Just joking!