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Creator of Several ‘Sesame Street’ Muppets, and the ‘Elmo World’ Segment of the Show, Dies. He Also Wrote the Animated Features ‘An American Tail’ and ‘The Land Before Time”

Jan 31, 2011  •  Post A Comment

The creator of several Muppet characters–who also created the ‘Elmo’s World’ segment of ‘Sesame Street,’ has died, reports the New York Times.

His name was Tony Geiss, he was 86 and lived in Manhattan. Geiss’ work helped the program win 22 daytime Emmys for scriptwriting and songwriting, the story notes.

His writing both entertained children and provided humor for adults, such as a sketch called "Omelet: Prince of Dinner," about a man who couldn’t decide whether to eat peas or broccoli for dinner, the article notes. "The peas or not the peas — that is the question," the prince says. Geiss also composed the "Elmo’s World"  theme song, and created the Honkers, puppets who honk their long noses, the story says.

Outside of his work for "Sesame Street," Geiss wrote the stories or screenplays for two movies produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Disney animator Don Bluth, "The Land Before Time" and "An American Tail," the story adds. Geiss’ wife, to whom he was married for more than 60 years, died a year ago and he has no immediate survivors, the article notes.

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