Editing Two-Headed Monster

{{Short description|Sesame Street Muppet character}}
{{About||the album by Collide|Two Headed Monster (album)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{more citations needed |date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Two-Headed Monster
| series = [[Sesame Street]]
| image = 
| caption = 
| first = Episode 1121 (February 27, 1978)
| last = 
| creator = [[Jim Henson]]
| lbl1 = Performed by 
| data1 = {{unbulleted list|'''Left Head''':|[[Richard Hunt (puppeteer)|Richard Hunt]] (1978)|[[Jerry Nelson]] (1978–1999)|[[Joey Mazzarino]] (2001–2016)|[[Martin P. Robinson]] (2002)|[[Eric Jacobson]] (2016–present)|[[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]] (2017)|'''Right Head''':|[[Peter Friedman]] (1978)|[[Richard Hunt (puppeteer)|Richard Hunt]] (1978–1991)|Adam Hunt (1995)|[[David Rudman]] (1998–present)|
[[Joey Mazzarino]] (2002)}}
| voice = 
| alias = 
| lbl21 = Fur/skin color
| data21 = Light purple
| species = Sesame Street Muppet Monster
| gender = Male
| nationality = American
}}
The '''Two-Headed Monster''' is a comical, light purple [[List of Sesame Street Muppets|Muppet]] monster on the television show ''[[Sesame Street]]'', first appearing in season 9, 1978.

==History==
The Two-Headed Monster, as the name implies, is an example of [[Polycephaly|bicephaly]]. The right-hand head has purple hair and a black beard, with upturned horns, whereas the left-hand head has black hair and a purple beard, with downturned horns. They have slightly different personalities, with the left-hand head seemingly the more rational and sensible of the two, but also slightly grouchier. Speaking in baby-like gibberish except when emphasizing a word, which is usually enough for them to communicate with others, the monster, in typical sketches, would sound out words in front of a brick wall, then push them together to say the full word, or do something else which involves cooperation. They are physically [[dicephalic parapagus twins]], as their mother made an appearance in one sketch when they sounded the word "mom"; she has a single head and speaks normally. They share a single pair of arms and legs.

==Inspiration==
The creation of this monster was inspired by performers [[Jerry Nelson]] and [[Richard Hunt (puppeteer)|Richard Hunt]] playing around on the set one day, saying that they were a monster with two heads.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interviews: Jerry Nelson |website=Muppet Central |url=http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/nelson4.shtml }}</ref> While right-handed performers use their right hands to perform the heads of characters and their left to perform left hands, whoever performs the left half of the monster performs the head with the left hand, and the right hand with their right hand.

==Performers==
The performers for the Two-Headed Monster are listed in order of the history from the Left Head and the Right Head:

* [[Richard Hunt (puppeteer)|Richard Hunt]] and [[Peter Friedman]] (ca. 1978)
* [[Jerry Nelson]] and Richard Hunt (1978–1991)
* Jerry Nelson and Adam Hunt (''Let's Make a Word!'' PC game, 1995)
* Jerry Nelson and [[David Rudman]] (1998–1999)
* [[Joey Mazzarino]] and David Rudman (2001–2016)
* [[Martin P. Robinson]] and Joey Mazzarino (Episode 4024, 2002)
* [[Matt Vogel (puppeteer)|Matt Vogel]] and David Rudman (Episode 4030, 2002)
* [[Eric Jacobson]] and David Rudman (2016–present)
* [[Stephanie D'Abruzzo]] and David Rudman (Episode 4733, 2017)

==Design team==
The Two-Headed Monster was designed by [[Jim Henson]] and built by [[Caroly Wilcox]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web |title=Two-Headed Monster |website=Sesame Street |url=http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/two_headed_monster |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229162342/http://www.sesamestreet.org/onair/characters/two_headed_monster }}

{{Sesame Street Characters}}

[[Category:Sesame Street Muppet characters]]
[[Category:Fictional monsters]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1978]]