Awesome Facts About “Sesame Street” that Maybe You Forgot or Didn’t Know

"Sesame Street" has kicked off its 43rd season.  In honor of that, mental Floss magazine has offered some amazing "Sesame Street" facts you may have known or forgotten: 

1. Oscar the Grouch used to be orange. Jim Henson decided to make him green before season two.

2. During a 2004 episode, Cookie Monster said that before he started eating cookies, his name was Sid.

3. In 1980, C-3PO and R2-D2 visited Sesame Street. They played games, sang songs, and R2-D2 fell in love with a fire hydrant.

4. Mr. Snuffleupagus has a first name – Aloysius

5. Ralph Nader stopped by in 1988 and sang “a consumer advocate is a person in your neighborhood.”

6. Caroll Spinney said he based Oscar’s voice on a cab driver from the Bronx who brought him to the audition.

7. One of Count von Count’s lady friends is Countess von Backwards, who’s also obsessed with counting but likes to do it backwards.

8. Before Giancarlo Esposito was “Breaking Bad’s” super intense Gus Fring, he played Big Bird’s camp counselor Mickey in 1982.

9, How big is Big Bird? 8-foot, 2-inches!

10. “Sesame Street’s” resident game show host Guy Smiley was using a pseudonym. His real name was Bernie Liederkrantz.

11. According to Sesame Workshop, Elmo is the only non-human to testify before Congress. He lobbied for more funding for music education, so that “when Elmo goes to school, there will be the instruments to play.”

12. According to Sesame Workshop, all “Sesame Street’s” main Muppets have four fingers except Cookie Monster, who has five.

Who's your favorite character on "Sesame Street"?