| Character | Actor/Muppet performer | Description |
| Abby Cadabby | Leslie Carrara-Rudolph | Abby is a 4-year-old fairy-in-training with tiny wings, a magic wand and sparkles in her hair. She was created to increase the number of the female Sesame Street Muppets. Daughter of the fairy godmother, she "has her own point of view and is comfortable with the fact that she likes wearing a dress". |
| mw- } }Alice Snuffleupagus | Judy Sladky | Alice is the baby sister of Aloysius Snuffleupagus ("Snuffy"). She was one of the first Muppets controlled by remote control. |
| Alistair Cookie | Frank Oz | Played by Cookie Monster, he is a parody of British broadcaster Alistair Cooke and appears in the "Monsterpiece Theater" sketch (a parody of Masterpiece Theater). At first, he used a tobacco pipe that he would eat in each segment. The pipe was eventually removed because according to executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente, it "modeled... wrong behavior". |
| The Amazing Mumford | Jerry Nelson, John Kennedy | The Amazing Mumford is a "W.C. Fields-esque" magician whose magic tricks often go awry. His catchphrase, used to produce his tricks, is "À la peanut butter sandwiches". |
| Anything Muppets | Various | Writer Christopher Finch called Anything Muppets "unadorned puppet torsos and heads" used for a single role or purpose. This ever-expanding troupe of Muppets comes in all shapes, sizes and appearances. The Anything Muppets portray humans, specific animals and occasional aliens. |
| AM Monsters | Various | Short for "Anything Muppet Monsters", the AM Monsters are customizable Muppet Monsters like the Anything Muppets and the Whatnots from The Muppet Show. Like the Anything Muppets, the AM Muppets come in all shapes, sizes and appearances. According to writer Louise Gikow, Elmo started out as an AM Monster. |
| Aristotle | Richard Hunt | Aristotle is a blind monster created to increase inclusiveness of people and puppets with disabilities on the show. He was designed by Michael K. Frith and built by Ed Christie. |
| Arlene Frantic | Fran Brill | Arlene appeared in the Sesame Street sketch "What's My Part". She was a parody of actress Arlene Francis. |
| Baby Bear | David Rudman | Baby Bear, "borrowed from the enduring 'The Three Bears' story", is Curly Bear's big brother and Telly Monster's best friend. |
| Barkley | Toby Towson (1978), Fred Garbo, Brian Muehl, Bruce Connelly | Barkley was originally named "Woof-Woof", he is a "large, friendly, shaggy dog" owned by Linda and knows a few words in American Sign Language. Barkley appeared in the 1983 TV special Big Bird in China. |
| Beautiful Day Monster | Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney | Beautiful Day Monster originally appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. This puppet was used interchangeably with Cookie Monster on the first season of Sesame Street. He was portrayed as the main antagonist of Sesame Street as he loved to steal things and had sharp teeth. The character was axed from the show because of how he made a terrifying B sound "BAAAAAH!", and how he loved scaring people. |
| Bennett Snerf | Jerry Nelson (AM Monster version), Caroll Spinney (Anything Muppet version) | Bennett Snerf appeared in the Sesame Street sketches "What's My Part". He was a parody of American publisher Bennett Cerf. |
| Benny | Kevin Clash | Benny is a cynical and cantankerous rabbit who worked as a bellhop at the Furry Arms Hotel (which was part of the Around-the-Corner set expansion of the 1990s). |
| Bert | Frank Oz (1969–2006), Eric Jacobson (1997–present) | Bert is Ernie's best friend. He collects paperclips and bottle caps, is fond of oatmeal and is fascinated by pigeons. His sketches were made by Henson and he was built by Don Sahlin. |
| Betty Lou | Lisa Buckley | Borgenicht says about her: "With her blonde braided hair, [she] is friendly and unassuming". |
| Biff | Jerry Nelson, Matt Vogel (2020–present) | Biff is an "Archie Bunker-style blue-collar loudmouth". He and his partner Sully made for a "classic comedy team". Whenever they encounter a problem, Biff often asks for Sully's opinion, but interrupts him before Sully can answer; however, it is Sully who inevitably comes up with the solution. |
| Big Bird | Caroll Spinney (1969–2018), Matt Vogel (1997–present) | Standing at eight feet two inches, Big Bird was designed by Don Sahlin from Jim Henson's sketches and built by Kermit Love. It was Spinney's idea to make Big Bird a child, with "his trademark curiosity and innocence". |
| Bip Bippadotta | Jim Henson, John Kennedy | Bip is the wild-haired puppet featured in the Muppet segment "Mah Nà Mah Nà". |
| Bruno | Caroll Spinney | Bruno is a trashman who sometimes carries Oscar's trash can around the Street. Spinney designed Bruno as a way to allow Oscar to move around and talk at the same time. Spinney also had roller skates made so he could skate around the stage while performing Bruno and Oscar. |
| Buster | Martin P. Robinson | Buster is Forgetful Jones' horse, who often helps Forgetful get out of difficulties and remember things. |
| Captain Vegetable | Jim Henson (1982), Richard Hunt (1983–1984), Peter Linz (2019–present) | Captain Vegetable is a superhero who fought for healthy vegetables. His insignia was a carrot. |
| Clementine | Brian Muehl (1980–1984), Kevin Clash, Camille Bonora (voice) | Forgetful Jones' girlfriend |
| Colambo | Joey Mazzarino | A lamb detective who is inspired by Columbo |
| Cookie Monster | Frank Oz (1969–2004), David Rudman (2001–present) | According to Sesame Workshop, "Cookie Monster is a frenzied yet cuddly character on a persistent quest for more food...especially cookies!" |
| Count von Count | Jerry Nelson (1972–2012), Matt Vogel (2013–present) | The Count is a number-obsessed vampire who craves counting with a single-focused passion. Nelson based the Count's character and exaggerated European accent on Bela Lugosi's Count Dracula. |
| Countess Dahling von Dahling | Fran Brill (1980–1984) | The Countess is Count von Count's girlfriend. She has a dog named Masha and is modeled after Marlene Dietrich. |
| Curly Bear | Stephanie D'Abruzzo | Curly is Baby Bear's little sister. Created to address the issue of sibling rivalry, Curly calls her brother "Bebo", has a very loud growl, and unlike the rest of her family, does not like porridge. |
| Deena | Karen Prell | Deena is a young, energetic pinkish-purple monster with red hair and wild rolling eyes, speaks in the third person. Described as "hyperactive", Prell reported that her performance was deemed "over-the-top", so the character did not last long. |
| Dexter | Kevin Clash | A purple tall monster who loves to juggle |
| Dingers | Various | Like the Honkers, the Dingers communicate only with dings. |
| Don Music | Richard Hunt, Ryan Dillon (2019–present) | Don Music is a piano-playing composer who required assistance from Kermit the Frog to complete the lyrics to his songs. Whenever he got frustrated, he would say, "Oh, I'll never get it right! Never, never, never!" and bang his head on the piano. He had a bust of Ludwig van Beethoven on his piano and, as an inside joke, a framed photo of Joe Raposo hanging on the wall. |
| Donald/Ronald Grump | Martin P. Robinson | According to The Washington Post, New York businessman and eventual President of the United States Donald Trump has been parodied by Sesame Street three times, depicted as a grouch like Oscar. The first time was in the late 1980s; Ronald Grump, a Muppet wearing a fedora attempts to con Oscar out of his trash can. Actor Joe Pesci played Ronald Grump in 1994, during the show's 25th anniversary. In 2005, Donald Grump, a Muppet with an orange wig, appeared in a parody of Trump's TV show The Apprentice. |
| Dr. Feel | Steve Whitmire | A spoof of TV personality and author Dr. Phil McGraw |
| Dr. Nobel Price | Brian Muehl (1980–1984), Kevin Clash (1984–1988) | Price's inventions consist solely of things that were either useless (like a flying cupcake) or had already been invented. Author Louise Gikow called Price a "misguided inventor" and the "bane of reporter Kermit's existence." |
| Elizabeth | Stephanie D'Abruzzo | Elizabeth is a pig-tailed Muppet with a Brooklyn accent who loves the number 732 and her cat Little Murray Sparkles. D'Abruzzo said about her: "She was unlike your typical little girl characters". |
| Elmo | Brian Muehl (1980–1984), Richard Hunt (1984–1985), Kevin Clash (1985–2012), Ryan Dillon (2013–present) | Sesame Workshop calls Elmo "a 3½-year-old red monster with a distinctive cheerful voice and a contagious giggle" and "Enthusiastic, friendly, and curious". |
| Elijah | Christopher Hayes | The father of Wes and married to Naomi, Elijah works as a meteorologist, as shown in a 2022 web video "Take Your Child to Work Day." According to press reports, he enjoys outdoor running, watching movies, and cooking with his family. He also played tennis with his friend Mike, who died of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Ernie | Jim Henson (1969–1990), Steve Whitmire (1993–2014), Peter Linz (2017–present) | Ernie is Bert's best friend, who is mischievous and free-spirited. He likes playing practical jokes on Bert, and loves playing musical instruments, singing, and "taking baths with Rubber Ducky". |
| Farley | Jerry Nelson | Farley is a green Muppet boy with short orange spiked hair and a yellow sweater. |
| Fatima | Carmen Osbahr (2002) | A purple bird who is from Paraguay and is Big Bird's special friend |
| Ferlinghetti Donizetti | Richard Hunt (1980–1984), Kevin Clash (1984–1986) | A blue poet and rapper who is named after poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| Flo Bear | David Rudman | A bear writer whose name is a riff on French novelist Gustave Flaubert |
| Forgetful Jones | Michael Earl (1980–1981), Richard Hunt (1981–1992), Matt Vogel (2019–present) | A "simpleton cowboy" who always forgets everything |
| Frazzle | Jerry Nelson | A growling orange monster whose deceptively fierce visage hides a childlike personality and a desperate need to be included |
| Fred | Jerry Nelson | Fred is a wonder horse ridden by Grover and his "trusty companion". His "horse sense" is always better than Grover's and he "usually saves the day". |
| Gabrielle | Megan Piphus Peace (2020–present) | Gabrielle is a 6¾-years-old with a vibrant and curious personality. She enjoys singing, dancing, playing pretend, and going on nature walks with her friends Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Rosita and her cousin Tamir. |
| Gladys the Cow | Richard Hunt, Jennifer Barnhart | With her "piercing operatic voice", she is "a theatrical ham (even though she's a cow)". |
| Granny Bird | Caroll Spinney (1969–2014)Jennifer Barnhart (2018–present) | Big Bird's grandmother |
| Mrs. Grouch | Martin P. Robinson | Oscar's mother |
