Research

I was surprised by the lack of photo references for X the Owl and the other denizens of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe available on the web. So far I've only been able to find about six images of the puppet that aren't just low resolution screen grabs Mr. Roger's Neighborhood episodes. While these are great references for color and overall shapes, there are so many details lost from the 1970s and 80s video quality that I wasn't aware of until I started doing a little research...

1. X May Have Originally had a Lower Jaw

The earliest image of X that I was able to locate was from the late fifties or early sixties. I noticed that X appears to have a lower beak (something that was replaced with a light blue felt feather at some point after this photos was taken). He had a lot more feathers on his wings and sleepier eyelids too. I'm not sure if he always wore the little outfit he has on in this picture, but I did noticed that in the 1968 episodes I've seen that he usually wears a scarf or bow tie, so he may have worn clothes early on in his career.

2. There May Have Only Been One Puppet

I'm almost certain that this is the same puppet that was seen in the Children's Corner some 50 or 60 years earlier. Along with the missing lower beak, it looks like the felt fringe around his eyes fell off and new pieces were glued on. If you watch episodes of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, you can see that the fringe changes from year to year. With what I know about how may times the Muppet characters have been rebuilt over the years, it's amazing to me that this puppet has survived all these years and now resides in the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. 

3. I think X and all the Other Puppets are about 18 inches Tall

In shots featuring human actors like Joe Negri, it appears that his head is roughly the same size as the part of the puppet that peeks out of X's door. Since the average human head is around 9 inches and about half of the puppet is exposed, my guess is that X and all of the other Neighborhood of Make-Believe puppets are about 18 inches tall (except maybe Prince Tuesday). 

Granted, a trip to the Children's Museum in Pittburgh might confirm or deny my suspicions, but for now, the photo references will have to do. Still, a trip to Pittsburgh might be in my future as I profess on this Mr. Rogers puppet obsession of mine...