"The Skin I'm In" by Roosevelt Franklin

If you don't know who beloved Sesame Street character Roosevelt Franklin is, don't be ashamed. The odds are this character was forgotten by more people than Mr. Hooper. Roosevelt was the ringleader for the Muppet classroom of children, a friend to Gordon, and a favorite of mine because his questions always seemed smarter than some of the other "kids" and I just felt like I could relate better to him and his demeanor. Franklin was actually created and voiced by the original Gordon, Matt Robinson who only remained on the show from '69 to '71. The character itself continued to have original content until about 1975 and luckily for us was recycled in clips through the early 80s until he was dropped altogether (due to controversies over him being an instigator as well as both coming across as "too black" and "not black enough", unbelievably enough).

In 1971 the CTW released a Roosevelt Franklin album entitled "The Year of Roosevelt Franklin" (which was reissued in 1974 as "My Name is Roosevelt Franklin"). The following track, "The Skin I'm In", relays Roosevelt's awareness of him being different than some other people and the pride he takes in his own individuality. The album also features another favorite of mine "Roosevelt Franklin's Alphabet" in which he sings his own flavorful alphabet song at the bequest of his mother.
***You can actually stream the entire album here for your listening pleasure.***

Roosevelt Franklin was later parodied on the TV series Arrested Development when Will Arnett's character, Gob, began working with a foul-mouthed, racist puppet named Franklin Delano Bluth, an obvious variation of the name based on FDR.

On a related note, it may interest some to know that Roosevelt Franklin was not Matt Robinson's only notable creation. He also had a hand in the conception of his daughter, one Mrs. Holly Robinson (Peete).

Posted in: MUSIC