What is the name of Big Bird's best friend, a large elephant-like Muppet?

Big Bird’s best friend, the large elephant-like Muppet on Sesame Street, is Snuffleupagus, usually called Snuffy. His full name is Aloysius Snuffleupagus, and he is a gentle, shaggy creature with a long trunk-like “snuffle.”

Snuffy first appeared in 1971, when Big Bird met him. For many years, Snuffy was treated as Big Bird’s imaginary friend because he always disappeared before the other residents of Sesame Street could see him. This created a running storyline in which adults doubted Big Bird’s claims, even though Big Bird was telling the truth.

In 1985, Sesame Street revealed that Snuffy was real. The change was designed to teach children that their perceptions and statements could be trusted, rather than always assuming that adults were right. Snuffy resembles an elephant or mammoth, but he has no visible tusks or ears and also has a distinctive tail. He has a younger sister named Alice.