People-pleasing puppets or An enduring love

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

Oscar the Grouch

"Oscar prepared me for some of the characters I have to deal with in Washington, D.C."

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.

Bert and Ernie

"I'm giving you two because you can't have one without the other. They were my son Lucas' favorite growing up, and they're by far one of the best and most beloved comic duos of our time."

Actor Regina Williams, star of "Ruined" at Mixed Blood Theatre

The Count and the Two-Headed Monster

"I moved to Minnesota because I played the Count in a puppet costume for six years for a 'Sesame Street Live.' We toured the nation, but the show was produced by Vee Corporation, which is headquartered in Minneapolis. I love the Count, because I got to know him so well over six years. And I love Ernie, too, because of his jokester self. But there were other characters who weren't always on the show who made me laugh. I loved the Two-Headed Monster, whose heads were always going in two different directions. Isn't that kind of like life?"

Actor Reed Sigmund, who recently co-starred in "Bert & Ernie, Goodnight!"

Ernie

"I was always torn between Ernie and Grover. Grover had a way of making me feel sorry for him. In the end, I would go with Ernie, and not just because I played him onstage. He has an innocence about him. He's a troublemaker, sometimes intentionally so, but he's never purposely too loud or shrill. He's a guy who likes to have fun and doesn't need to surround himself with someone who always agrees."

WCCO-TV news anchor Angela Davis

Big Bird

"I was born in '68, so it's not Elmo; he didn't exist when I started watching it. I wasn't a big fan of Cookie Monster, either, because he didn't enunciate very well. I liked Big Bird the best because he was tall and bright but gentle -- a gentle giant. He was always reaching out and inquiring about how everyone was doing. I remember the people, too, as much as the Muppets. I also liked Maria and the big, bald black guy named Gordon. That was the first time I saw people of color on there."

• Staff writer Kevin Diaz contributed to this article.

Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390