Sherlock Hemlock
| Sherlock Hemlock | |
|---|---|
| Sesame Street character | |
 Sherlock Hemlock | |
| Portrayed by | Jerry Nelson (circa 1970–2012) Martin P. Robinson (2018) Matt Vogel (2019) |
| Voiced by | Jerry Nelson |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
Sherlock Hemlock (who calls himself "the world's greatest detective") is a Muppet character on the PBS series Sesame Street. His catchphrase is "Egad!" which he exclaims whenever he makes a discovery. Sherlock Hemlock was performed by Jerry Nelson.
Prevalence on the show
While Sherlock Hemlock made frequent appearances on the show in the 1970s and 1980s, in recent years he has been phased out in favor of newer characters. However, like Lefty the Salesman,
Name and appearance
Sherlock Hemlock is an obvious parody of
He appears to have been originally made from a green
Famous skits
Sherlock Hemlock is known for his humorous skits in which he tries to solve a mystery, only to discover that he is the culprit. A well-known example of this is the "Chicken Salad Sandwich" skit, originally aired in 1970, which was Sherlock's first appearance. In this skit,
Sherlock Hemlock starred in all of the episodes of a former recurring Sesame Street segment, "Mysterious Theater" (hosted by Vincent Twice Vincent Twice), which is spoof of the TV series Mystery! (once hosted by Vincent Price). In these sketches, he is aided by a trusted companion, Watson (a dog performed by Kevin Clash), a spoof of Sherlock Holmes's companion, Dr. Watson. Watson frequently solved the case long before Hemlock, but is unable to communicate this to his master, who wouldn't find what Watson discovered until the end of each segment (very similar to Inspector Gadget).
Sesame Street books featuring Sherlock Hemlock
The following Sesame Street books feature Sherlock Hemlock as a main character:
- Sherlock Hemlock and the Great Twiddlebug Mystery: or The Mystery of the Terrible Mess in My Friend's Front Yard (by Betty Lou as Told to Sir Arthur Conan Rubberducque) (The Together Book)
- Ernie the Cave King and Sherlock the Smart Person in The Invention of Paper (Whitman Publishing, 1975) by Daniel Wilcox
- The Case of the Missing Duckie (ISBN 0-307-11609-3
- Sherlock Hemlock and the Creatures from Outer Space (Western Publishing, 1981) written by Ray Sipherd and illustrated by Sammis McLean. ISBN 0-307-23132-1
