If you grew up watching PBS in the 1970s or 80s, you probably have a visceral memory of a guy in a green sweater, slumped over a piano, shouting, "I'll never get it! Never, never, never!" He’d then promptly smash his forehead onto the keys with a loud, discordant bang. That was Don Music. He was the resident composer of Sesame Street, a Muppet who struggled with the creative process more than any other character in the show’s history.
Honestly, he was hilarious.
But then, he just... vanished. One day he was trying to finish "Mary Had a Little Lamb" with Kermit the Frog, and the next, he was effectively erased from the curriculum. For years, rumors swirled in the early days of the internet about why Don Music Sesame Street segments were pulled from circulation. People thought maybe the actor died, or perhaps the puppet was too fragile. The truth is actually a lot more interesting—and a little bit frustrating for those of us who loved his chaotic energy.
The Man Behind the Meltdown
Don Music was performed by the legendary Richard Hunt. If you know anything about the Muppets, you know Hunt was the soul of the group. He played Scooter, Janice, Statler, and Beaker. He had this incredible ability to play characters who were perpetually on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Don Music was the pinnacle of that.
The character debuted in Season 5, back in 1974. He wasn't just a guy who was bad at music. He was a guy who was too much of a perfectionist. He’d get 90% of the way through a classic nursery rhyme, hit a mental block, and then descend into total despair. Kermit usually acted as the producer/collaborator, patiently helping Don find a better rhyme. Instead of "Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow," Don might suggest "Mary had a little bicycle," which Kermit would point out didn't rhyme with "go."
It was a brilliant way to teach children about songwriting, rhyming, and the iterative process of art. Art isn't easy. It’s a grind. Don Music showed kids that even "experts" struggle. But the way he handled that struggle—the head-banging—is ultimately what did him in.
Why Sesame Workshop Pulled the Plug
The controversy surrounding Don Music Sesame Street didn't come from a place of malice. It came from the living room floor. Shortly after the segments became popular, Sesame Workshop started receiving letters from concerned parents.
Apparently, kids were mimicking Don.
📖 Related: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
Think about it. A toddler gets frustrated because they can't get their LEGOs to stay together. They’ve seen Don Music. So, instead of asking for help, they slam their forehead onto the floor or the table. Unlike a Muppet made of foam and fleece, a human child tends to get bruised or worse when they do that.
Sesame Workshop has always been hyper-sensitive to the "modeling" behavior of their audience. They employ a massive team of researchers and child psychologists to vet every single sketch. They realized that while the intent of Don Music was to show the frustration of creativity, the visual was a safety hazard. By the late 80s, they stopped producing new segments. By the early 90s, the old clips were largely scrubbed from the rotation.
The Lost Art of the Creative Struggle
It’s a shame, really. There’s something deeply human about Don’s struggle. Most Sesame Street characters represent a specific stage of childhood development or a specific personality trait. Elmo is the perpetual three-year-old. Cookie Monster is pure impulse. Bert is the rigid rule-follower.
Don Music was the Artist.
He represented that specific type of adult anxiety where you feel like a failure because you can't reach perfection. When Kermit would step in and say, "Don, let's try a different word," it was a lesson in collaboration. It taught kids that you don't have to do it alone. The "head-banging" was just a comedic trope from Vaudeville that didn't translate well to a generation of kids who took things literally.
Interestingly, Don wasn't the only one to face the axe. Characters like Roosevelt Franklin were retired because of concerns over racial stereotypes, even though the character was intended to be empowering. The show is a living organism; it evolves based on what we learn about how children's brains work.
Did Don Music ever come back?
Not really. Not in the way we remember.
👉 See also: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
There have been tiny cameos in specials like Sesame Street Stays Up Late or in the background of large group shots in movies like The Muppets Take Manhattan. But the "head-banging composer" persona is officially retired. He exists now mostly in the "Old School" DVD sets, which come with a disclaimer that the content is intended for adults and might not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.
It’s a weirdly high-brow legacy for a puppet who spent most of his time screaming at a piano.
The Psychological Impact of Removing Don
Psychologists have actually looked back at characters like Don Music to discuss "emotional regulation" in media. Today, Sesame Street handles frustration very differently. If a character like Abby Cadabby gets upset, she takes a "belly breath." She talks about her feelings. She uses her words.
Don didn't use his words. He used his skull.
While the removal was likely the right call for physical safety, some critics argue we lost a bit of the "realness" that made early Sesame Street so gritty and relatable. Life is frustrating. Sometimes you do want to hit your head against a wall. Seeing a character feel that level of intensity was validating for kids who felt "big" emotions but didn't know where to put them.
Spotting Don Music in the Wild
If you’re looking to find these clips today, you have to go to YouTube or the "Old School" collections. Look for the "Drive My Car" sketch or the one where he tries to rewrite "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
The puppet itself was a "Live-Hand" Muppet, meaning one of the performer's hands was inside the head while the other hand (or a second performer's hand) went into the glove. This allowed Don to be incredibly expressive with his hands—throwing them up in the air, clutching his hair, or pounding the keys. Richard Hunt’s physical comedy was second to none.
✨ Don't miss: Greatest Rock and Roll Singers of All Time: Why the Legends Still Own the Mic
The Legacy of Richard Hunt
We can't talk about Don Music without talking about Richard Hunt. Hunt passed away in 1992 at the age of 40 due to AIDS-related complications. His death was a massive blow to the Muppet world. He brought a frantic, joyful, slightly dangerous energy to every character he touched.
Don Music was perhaps his most personal character because it tapped into that manic energy of trying to make something great. When Don was retired, a piece of Hunt’s unique comedic voice left the show too. Other performers could do "sweet" or "educational," but nobody could do "hilariously stressed" like Richard.
How to use the "Don Music Method" Today
If you’re a creator, a writer, or just someone trying to get through a workday, you can actually learn something from these old clips. Don’t bang your head on the desk—obviously. But acknowledge the frustration.
The "Kermit" in this scenario is your peer-review or your editor. The lesson of Don Music Sesame Street isn't that he was a failure. It’s that even when you think you’ll "never, never, never" get it, having a second pair of eyes (or a green frog) can help you find the rhyme you were looking for.
Actionable Takeaways for Parents and Fans
If you're revisiting these clips or explaining them to a younger generation, here is how to frame the history of Don Music:
- Contextualize the "Safety" Issue: If you show these clips to kids, explain that it's "pretend." Point out that Don is a puppet made of fluff, and hitting your head in real life hurts. It’s a great opening to talk about safe ways to express anger.
- Focus on the Collaboration: Highlight how Kermit helps Don. The "teaching moment" isn't the meltdown; it's the solution that follows.
- Appreciate the Craft: Watch the clips for the puppetry. Note how the movement matches the music. It’s a masterclass in timing.
- Support Muppet History: Check out the Muppet Guys Talking documentary or the Sesame Street archives to learn more about performers like Richard Hunt who shaped childhoods without ever showing their faces.
Don Music might be "banned" from modern TV, but he remains a cult favorite for a reason. He was the only one on that street who admitted that sometimes, being creative is just plain hard.