 | |
| PERFORMER | Lothar Klose 1980 |
| unknown 1986 | |
| Lutz Wiggert 1989-1999 | |
| DEBUT | 1980 |
Simson is a bear character from Sesamstrasse, the German co-production of Sesame Street. Simson is Samson's cousin. They look very much alike, except for Simson's hats, his higher voice and different colored shoes.
Simson also had a two-tone color palette (dark brown from the waist down) which differed from Samson's design at the time (a light brown body with a dark brown stomach). While Samson's design continued to change through the years, Simson's design remained largely the same.
Simson was made from the previous Samson puppet. He first appeared on Sesamstrasse in 1980 and again in 1986, before making more appearances as a supporting character during the 1990s around the same time that Rumpel and Buh were introduced as new characters on the show.
For his debut in 1980, Simson was called Sumson and made a few appearances visiting his cousin in the studio set. The name "Simson" was mentioned in a 1981 episode where Samson plans to visit his "Opa Simson" ("Grandpa Simson"). Samson's cousin was finally named Simson in his sole appearance of the 1986 season where the other characters initially doubted his existence, in a similar way to how Sesame Street residents only thought Snuffy to be a mere figment of Big Bird's imagination for a little over Sesame Street’s first decade.
Beginning in 1989, the character began wearing a variety of hats through the years. He started out wearing a bow-tie and top hat (which then changed to a French beret in 1991) before transitioning to a more contemporary look with a blue baseball cap and no bow-tie in 1993. Simson also developed a slightly mischievous personality in contrast to the more well-behaved Samson. He often played pranks on his friends, but was still well-meaning. Simson was eventually retired beginning with the 2000 season, although his cap (discovered by Feli Filu) was seen in a 2002 episode (with no mention of the character).
