Snuffleupagus finally appeared as a character for all cast members to see in 1985.
'The fear was that if we represented adults not believing what kids said, they might not be motivated to tell the truth.' 'All this was really stemming from a specific set of incidences in the news, claims of sexual abuse going on in some daycare centers, and kids being questioned about what was going on,' Carol-Lynn Parente, executive producer for Sesame Street, told Mental Floss in 2015. With numerous cases of childhood sexual assault making headlines around that time, show executives did not want to convey to their young audiences that adults may not believe what they say. This continued for 14 years until adult viewers complained that a failure to accept Big Bird's reality, despite his firm belief that Snuffleupagus was real, could send the wrong message to young audiences. While Big Bird discussed his large furry friend with other characters on the show and even insisted he was real, none of them believed Snuffleupagus was anything beyond a figment of Big Bird's imagination.
Aloysius Snuffleupagus was introduced to 'Sesame Street' in 1971 as an imaginary companion to Big Bird.