Is the Count from Sesame Street supposed to be a Jew?

Many years ago when I was a kid, I didn't really think anything of it at all, but recently I saw a clip from Sesame Street featuring the Count, and I realized that he's actually a Jewish stereotype. I realized his accent is does not actually resemble Dracula's "Translvanian accent" made infamous by Bela Lugosi, but has a lot more in common with a stereotypical yiddish accent. Also, when you look at his facial features, he looks very much like a racist character of a Jewish man, especially with his nose (and arguably, his beard). There's also his obsession with counting, but I guess the Jim Henson's writers had the self control to never show him counting pennies or money. And lastly, there's the "song of the count," which is clearly styled after traditional Jewish music.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=3FL99ESjnZ

So, what do you think? Do you think that the Count was merely a Jewish muppeteer expressing his heritage in an amusing way, or was he an anti-semetic manifestation of someone's personal bias? Or am I just crazy, and no-one else thinks he's supposed to be Jewish? Please try to keep this conversation mature (read: no Jew-bashing, or else).

I think he's just supposed to be an Eastern European.Cherokee_Jack

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]I think he's just supposed to be an Eastern European.Timstuff

Interesting theory. Right up there with Bert and Ernie being gay and the Snuffulufugus(sp) being high as a kite all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if any of these were the case. That's just what makes Sesame Street so awesome.Sajedene

He's a vampire turned jew. CleanPlayer

Or is he a Jew turned vampire? Whichever it is, I'm pretty sure that he's violating at least one Levitical law:

Leviticus 3:17: 'This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.'

But hey, it's not really his fault. He's a Jewish vampire with friggin' OCD! He's got enough to worry about as it is. :P

I think you're projecting.

Projection: Projection is one of the defense mechanisms identified by Freud and still acknowledged today. According to Freud, projection is when someone is threatened by or afraid of their own impulses so they attribute these impulses to someone else. 

I think you're projecting.

Projection: Projection is one of the defense mechanisms identified by Freud and still acknowledged today. According to Freud, projection is when someone is threatened by or afraid of their own impulses so they attribute these impulses to someone else. 

jasperrussell

So, would that mean that I'm Jewish, or that I'm antisemetic? :|

Psychology students... I was there once. :roll:

[QUOTE="jasperrussell"]

I think you're projecting.

Projection: Projection is one of the defense mechanisms identified by Freud and still acknowledged today. According to Freud, projection is when someone is threatened by or afraid of their own impulses so they attribute these impulses to someone else. 

Timstuff

So, would that mean that I'm Jewish, or that I'm antisemetic? :|

Psychology students... I was there once. :roll:

[QUOTE="Timstuff"][QUOTE="jasperrussell"]

I think you're projecting.

Projection: Projection is one of the defense mechanisms identified by Freud and still acknowledged today. According to Freud, projection is when someone is threatened by or afraid of their own impulses so they attribute these impulses to someone else. 

jasperrussell

So, would that mean that I'm Jewish, or that I'm antisemetic? :|

Psychology students... I was there once. :roll:

It's not just a matter of his nose being big, though. All muppets have big noses, but I can't think of any other muppets who have a "hook" shaped nose, which is commonly associated with racial caricatures of Jews. The Count is most certainly a caricature of a vampire, on the surface at least, but I think there's enough evidence to suggest that it's actually a disguise for him being a Jewish caricature.

I don't think that it's really a question about whether or not the Count is meant to be a caricature of Jewish culture, because I've seen all the evidence I need. What I am curious about, is whether he was made that way by Jewish muppeteers as self-satire (which Jewish people are well known for), or if it was racist muppeteers discretely venting their views.

He's supposed to be a vampire.

[QUOTE="jasperrussell"][QUOTE="Timstuff"]

So, would that mean that I'm Jewish, or that I'm antisemetic? :|

Psychology students... I was there once. :roll:

Timstuff

It's not just a matter of his nose being big, though. All muppets have big noses, but I can't think of any other muppets who have a "hook" shaped nose, which is commonly associated with racial caricatures of Jews. The Count is most certainly a caricature of a vampire, on the surface at least, but I think there's enough evidence to suggest that it's actually a disguise for him being a Jewish caricature.

I don't think that it's really a question about whether or not the Count is meant to be a caricature of Jewish culture, because I've seen all the evidence I need. What I am curious about, is whether he was made that way by Jewish muppeteers as self-satire (which Jewish people are well known for), or if it was racist muppeteers discretely venting their views.

I think you are over analyzing, count as a jewish reference? Come on, he is Count Dracula.

Also I think he sounds like a Dracula stereotype, the kind of stereotype from Romania Transylvania. Just my 2 cents

I think you are over analyzing, count as a jewish reference? Come on, he is Count Dracula.

Also I think he sounds like a Dracula stereotype, the kind of stereotype from Romania Transylvania. Just my 2 cents

Dark-Sithious

[QUOTE="Dark-Sithious"]

I think you are over analyzing, count as a jewish reference? Come on, he is Count Dracula.

Also I think he sounds like a Dracula stereotype, the kind of stereotype from Romania Transylvania. Just my 2 cents

Timstuff

Well, either way, my point still stands.

Still, the music sounds Jewish

Nah, just horny

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Wd-Q3F8KM

Nah, just horny

 

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Wd-Q3F8KM

 

 

 

bean-with-bacon

That actually made me laugh. XD

Muppets was better.

I think some people are trying to read into these characters too much. They're just characters.Scott_Malkinson

Is it just me or was that video really scary....TheBeast789

doesn't sound like Watto to me.Hewkii