Prairie Dawn: Why the Best Man for the Job is a Little Girl

A recent online article caused a big stir when it proposed the theory that each Muppet can be classified as either "Chaos" or "Order."  While I have a few issues with the simplistic view of these nuanced and complex characters, the most glaring flaw was the omission of the most "Orderly" Muppet in existence. You cannot talk about Order in the Muppet universe without mentioning Prairie Dawn.

So innocent and sweet.  And she can crush you like a bug.

Prairie Dawn (not to be confused with that other small pink Sesame Street Muppet) is a force to be reckoned with.  Kermit is often the go to example of an "Order Muppet," but even he lets loose, has fun, and, most alarmingly, employs a cast of characters who cause destruction as soon as they step on stage.  The loose, anything-can happen atmosphere of The Muppet Show would not fly under Prairie Dawn's watch.  If things are out of Order, she sees to it that they are fixed immediately.

Hell hath no fury like a little girl scorned.

The seeds of desire for power were planted very early on when Prairie Dawn was placed in charge of the "Sesame Street Pageants."  These 5 minute educational skits were directed by Prairie and performed by her fellow castmates.  While she stayed on stage playing the piano and narrating, her friends would appear to portray the necessary items in the play.  However, Prairie often found herself reprimanding the cast for missed cues, forgotten lines, and breaking character.  She would trudge ahead, but her fellow performers could never stick to the scripts.

For years, Prairie suffered through these pageants, and she found herself always being the responsible one.  Being 7, she was older than most of the "child" Muppets, and her maturity allowed her to take charge in many situations.  Eventually, she worked her way up to directing movies, and it's clear she had picked up some techniques for handling morons, namely "assertive force."

Her quest for order became her driving passion, so, for comedy's sake, she was often paired with Cookie Monster, the most "Chaotic" Muppet on Sesame Street.  They began with simple tasks in which  cookies were often used as props, and she would try her best to keep Cookie from rushing ahead and spoiling the lesson.

Eventually, the two would cohost the "Letter of the Day" segments, and the lack of cookies caused Cookie's behavior to become even more erratic, constantly keeping Prairie on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Fran Brill (Prairie's puppeteer) said she most enjoyed the segments in which Prairie would get frustrated.  She began her stint at Sesame Street playing background roles and right arms to two-person puppets, and one day she was handed the tiniest puppet in the shop.  She began playing Prairie as a sweet, innocent girl, but soon realized she had dreams of grandeur.  But, unlike the other Muppet dreamers, Prairie wanted control.  She wanted to direct and manage.  According to her, if Prairie were given enough time, she would run the television network.

And she would rule it with an iron fist!

When given the choice between Scooter and Prairie Dawn as a stage manager, Brill picked Prairie without hesitation, because she knew Prairie would get the job done.  There is a reason that Prairie has lasted as long as she had, becoming one of Brill's two signature characters.  Prairie has the gall and determination that all people long to have.  She knows what she wants, and she gets it, even if she has to deal with all of the other regular folk in the world.  She is a natural born leader.

Don't let her looks deceive you.  She can be scarier than the monsters.

One last thing: Prairie Dawn has "Days of the Week" underwear.

There is no more argument.  Compared to Prairie, everyone is a Chaos Muppet.

Betty Lou Who?

Despite Sesame Street's devotion to equality, the male-female ratio of the puppets (like in most Muppet works) was heavily skewed towards the former.  Partially this was because the male puppeteers had more residency, and many female characters had to be played by men anyway.  But it took Sesame Street twenty years to address their serious feminine deficiency.  Prior to 1990, there were only two major female recurring characters.

And they were virtually identical.

Women:  Always picking apples off trees.

Prairie Dawn and Betty Lou were the girls and for a long time, they lacked individual characteristics.  Visually, their only clue was the hair.  Prairie's was fine and realistic while Betty Lou's was clearly yarn.  It was as if no effort went into the Betty Lou puppet.

Let's just grab one of Kermit's old Sam and Friends wigs.

Personality-wise, there were clearer differences.  In keeping with her appearance, Betty Lou had an affinity for "girly" things like dolls and tea parties and public transportation.

Woo!  The subway is awesome!

Prairie Dawn, however, was more mature and creative.  She was put in charge of the Sesame Street Pageants where her abilities as a leader shone brightly.  She was Lisa Simpson before Lisa Simpson was even thought of.  She was the girl to look up to.  Betty Lou just got stuck with being a stock character for sketches and songs where they just needed a "normal little girl" to appear, like the controversial "I Want a Monster to Be My Friend," which sounds like a creepy ode to stranger danger when taken out-of-context.

She didn't have a consistent voice performer until late in the series.  It was as if no one knew what to do with her.  Eventually, they tried to make Betty Lou more like her counterpart to be a better influence.  She promoted healthy habits like exercising...

and befriending people of different ethnicities.

This only strengthened the confusion the audience felt over the two girl characters.  Instead of highlighting their differences, the lesson being taught was that girls shouldn't all be alike, unless they are all like Prairie Dawn.

So put on some overalls and blend in!

Finally, in the '90s, with the surge of new characters, it was decided that the girls needed much needed support.  Characters like Zoe Monster and Rosita Monster joined the fray, each providing vastly different personality types and actually being...characters.  Betty Lou was given more emphasis, but, as you can see in this next clip, she was overshadowed by the dominant personalities of Prairie, Zoe, and Rosita.

Eventually, Prairie won in the "little pink, blond girl puppet" category, becoming one of the most recognizable characters on the show.  And with good reason.  A character can't depend solely on one defining characteristic.  They need a personality and, more importantly, distinction from the other characters.  This is why we never talk about Shermy from Peanuts anymore.  Bland characters void of substance do not make for thrilling entertainment.  While I'm sure there may be some Betty Lou fans out there somewhere, there is no denying that she was just redundant.

Cheer up.  At least you weren't a bizarre robot from space.