The Martians

The Martians, sometimes called "the Yip-Yips" or "the Yip-Yip Martians", are interplanetary visitors, presumed to be from the planet Mars, who are terrified by things like clocks, telephones and computers on Sesame Street. They rarely come face-to-face with other characters on the show. In their skits, these creatures, with squid-like tentacles, large eyes, and antennae, materialize into a room and converse with each other in their native tongue: "Yip-yip-yip-yip... Uh-huh. Uh-huh," done in monotone voices. They often come across common objects and, curious as to their names and functions, the Martians will consult a book presumably containing information about things on Earth. In one skit, for example, the Martians call a computer a television and a typewriter before deciding what it actually is. Multiple performers have taken on the characters, including Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Martin P. Robinson, Kevin Clash, David Rudman, Julianne Buescher, John Tartaglia, Eric Jacobson, Matt Vogel and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph. The first puppets were originally chenille hats, adapted by Caroly Wilcox.