Hoots the Owl is a fictional character on the children's television program, Sesame Street, performed by Kevin Clash. He was an owl that plays a saxophone. Perhaps his most famous song was "Put Down the Duckie" in 1988, a song inspired to help Ernie to play the saxophone properly (without holding his rubber duck). Hoots made a brief appearance in the film Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird as a member of the Feathered Friends group. He was the only one skeptical of Big Bird's supposed sadness.