Count Von Count

Count Von Count is a friendly vampire muppet who appears regularly on the children's television program Sesame Street. As his name suggests, he loves counting things, and his character is used to explain simple math concepts to children.

History

"When I'm alone, I count myself. One count!"

The Count was created by Sesame Street writer Norman Stiles. His first appearance on the show was on November 27, 1972, in the season 4 premiere^[1]. The Count bears a strong resemblance to Bela Lugosi's 1931 Dracula in appearance, speech and mannerisms. Jerry Nelson has voiced The Count since 1972, giving him a strong Eastern European accent.^[1] In Season 33 a daily segment called "The Number of the Day" was created, starring the Count.^[2]

Is The Count a Real Vampire?

Count Von Count is a far more innocent version of the traditional vampire. He has pointy eyebrows and ears like a bat, as well as fangs. He wears a monacle and a cape with a turned up collar, which he sometimes holds over his face like Lugosi. He lives in a dark castle with his pet bats, and like the vampires of legend, does not have a reflection in mirrors.^[1] Sesame Street's online character profile states that The Count is a distant cousin of Dracula.^[3]

Unlike other vampires however, The Count does not drink blood. Nor does he sleep in a coffin^[2] or turn into a bat. Although his castle is dark, he enjoys sunlight and is not harmed by it.^[1] Unlike his notorious cousin, The Count has no interest in hurting people. According to the Sesame Workshop, he would rather count them.^[3]

Evolution

Count Von Count has changed significantly since his introduction. The character was initially more sinister, but aspects have been changed over time to make him more child-friendly. For example, when the character was created, he had the power to mesmerize people. This was ended by the mid-seventies, as it was thought that this ability might frighten some children.^[2] His counting was always accompanied by cackling and a crack of thunder, but this too has been mitigated over time. His laugh has become more silly and less maniacal, and the thunder and lightning were removed from the daily segment in the early 2000s.^[2]

Related Characters

A number of characters have been introduced in relation to The Count. His mother, brother, grandparents and Uncle Uno have all appeared on the show. He has also had romantic attachments to Lady Two, Countess Dahling Von Dahling, and most recently Countess Von Backwards. He also has a number of pets, including his bats, a cat and an octopus named Octavia.^[1]

Count Trivia

• The Count's obsession with counting can be viewed as a medical disorder. Sufferers of arithmomania feel the compulsive need to count things.^[1]

• The Count's vehicle is called the Countmobile. His New York license plate number is 12345678910.^[1]

• His birthday is October 9, and he is 1,832,652 years old.^[4]

• For the first decade of his life on Sesame Street, he only counted up to 20. In 1986 he counted the pages of a cookbook up to 40 while searching for the recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.^[5].

• His favorite tv show is 24.^[1]

Theme Song

The Song of the Count^[6]

You know that I am called the Count

Because I really love to count

I could sit and count all day

Sometimes I get carried away

I count slowly, slowly, slowly getting faster

Once I've started counting it's really hard to stop

Faster, faster. It is so exciting!

I could count forever, count until I drop

1! 2! 3! 4! 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4

I count the spiders on the wall...

I count the cobwebs in the hall...

I count the candles on the shelf...

When I'm alone, I count myself!

I count slowly, slowly, slowly getting faster

Once I've started counting it's really hard to stop

Faster, faster. It is so exciting!

I could count forever, count until I drop

1! 2! 3! 4! 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, I love counting!

That's the song of the Count!

The Number of the Day

Filed Under

• Category:Television
• Category:Fictional Characters
• Category:Children

Notes

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Count Von Count. Muppet Wiki. 2009. Wikia. 19 Feb. 2009 http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Count_Von_Count.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Count Von Count. Wikipedia. 2009. Wikipedia. 19 Feb. 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_von_count.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Count Von Count. Sesame Street. 2008. Sesame Workshop. 19 Feb. 2009 http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/count_von_count.
4. ↑ Fun Facts about Count Von Count. Sesame Street. 2008. Sesame Workshop. 19 Feb. 2009 http://www.sesamestreet.org/.
5. ↑ Vampires. TV Acres. 2006. TV Acres. 19 Feb. 2009 http://www.tvacres.com/horror_vampires_countvon.htm.
6. ↑ The Song of the Count. Sesame Street Lyrics Archive. 2009. TinyDancer. 22 Feb. 2009 http://members.tripod.com/Tiny_dancer/counting.html.