He was first named in the game-show sketch "Say the Word" (where Guy Smiley introduces him as "Mr. Maurice Monster") and the name was used again in the 1980s "First and Last" sketch. The puppet debuted in Season 6 and was used frequently as a background monster from 1975 through 1984. He continued to make appearances in productions as recently as 2003. He is one of the longest running background c
haracters; few other Sesame Muppets have been around that long without becoming a significant character. He made his debut (played by Jim Henson) in a sketch where Grover finds an empty telephone booth (EKA: Episode 0675). For this first appearance, the puppet was Green Anything Muppet draped entirely in blue fur (and the blue fur pattern would later be converted into an AM monster). Like all the other monsters in the skit, his last name turns out to be Monderporg (specifically, he's Elmo Monderporg, and they all receive a call from their mother.) Maurice appeared as one of the Frazzletones in 1975, singing "Frazzle" with the title monster himself. He had a major role in a 1975 episode, where he and Herry Monster were afraid of the dark out on the street and decide to sleep near Big Bird. In Season 11, he was featured in Monsterpiece Theater's "Me, Claudius" (along with Harvey, Bruce, and Elmo). The puppet was used as Kermit the Gorf in The Wonderful World of T-Shirts sketch where Kermit the Frog tries to buy a customized T-shirt with his name on it. Like most Anything Monsters, Maurice's puppeteer varied according to the sketch. In addition to Henson, performers included Richard Hunt (in "Say the Word, "Me Claudius," the "First and Last" sketch, and the song "Beginning, Middle, End,") Jerry Nelson (in "Frazzle" and "The Wonderful World of T-shirts" sketch), and others on various occasions.
