Robin Williams wore a lot of hats (and one time, for a few hours, a clown nose). He could be manically funny (on Carson or in Good Morning Vietnam), a total creeper (Insomnia, One Hour Photo), and a sage mentor (Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting). One Robin you may not have known was the gentle educator. It was a side of him his kids probably saw a lot of, but the rest of us only glimpsed during his many visits to Sesame Street.
Beginning in 1990, Robin would drop by, hang out with Elmo, and teach us a thing or two. It's fun to watch him try to figure out whether his shoe is alive or tell the Two-Headed Monster about the nature of conflict. But it's also really heart-warming to see him cater to kids while just being himself (albeit a slightly more family friendly version). No Doubtfire prosthetics, no Jumangi visual effects, no Hook flying, just Robin and a few of our favorite friends. It's another reminder that we didn't lose one of our best actors or comedians this week; we lost a national treasure.
1. What's Alive? (1990)
2. What Can You Do With A Stick? (1991)
3. On Being Inclusive With Our National Pastime (1991)
4. Monster In The Mirror (1991)
5. On Being Similar And Different (1993)
6. Demonstrating The Use Of Knees (1998)
7. Conflict (2012)
We mourn the loss of our friend Robin Williams, who always made us laugh and smile. pic.twitter.com/UOY8LTjVRA
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) August 11, 2014
Thanks, Ariel.