Barkley (Sesame Street)

Barkley is a Muppet dog who appears on Sesame Street. He was originally called Woof-Woof when he first appeared in Season 9. In the 10th season premiere, the cast voted to rename him Barkley.

Barkley is energetic and playful, but is not anthropomorphized in the way that Rowlf the Dog and other characters are. While he may exhibit human-like emotions, he communicates only through barks, yelps, and physical contact. He was Linda's guide dog and understood the American Sign Language signs for "sit" and "stay." However, he also had a close relationship with Big Bird. Indeed, in the 1997 book Big Bird Meets Santa Claus, Big Bird refers to him as his dog. Although Linda has since moved on from Sesame Street, he has remained, presumably becoming a ward of the community as a whole. The book A Bird's Best Friend shows that Granny Bird brought him as a present for Big Bird when he was a puppy.

Barkley is, like many dogs, known for enjoying human food, sometimes more so than dog food. One specific moment of this was when the other Sesame Street humans and Big Bird were enjoying their lunches, but he was in no mood for dog food and eventually went over to their table and ate everybody else's food, leaving his behind, untouched.

Barkley's appearances in television specials include the 1978 A Special Sesame Street Christmas and the 1979 A Walking Tour of Sesame Street. More prominently, he accompanied Big Bird on his trips to China in 1982 and Japan in 1988. He also appeared with the Muppets on Night of 100 Stars. Additionally, from seasons 12-23 (1980-1992), the Sesame Street closing credits depicted him running through a park with the kids.

Barkley was no longer a character in the series after the start of the 21st century, but returned in the 40th season premiere, being walked (or run) by Bob. He also made a cameo in one episode the following season.

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