She is a girl and the youngest off the club. The Dutch team requested the original makers in the US, if it was possible to create a new muppet for the younger vieuwers. 5 December 2003 was her premier. The makers of the program wanted to add something that most of the kids experience. A new born in the enviroment.
Purk is played by Judith Broersen. Before this she was Tommies right hand. And although every muppet in the street likes her, she is messy and does unexpected things. Like draw on a painting one of the kids just had finished....
After he run away, got lost in the forest and was found again, he desided to give Happie to Purk. With this he was formaly crowned to be Purk�s personal knight.
The Workshop became more flexible when they found out that the American Sesame Street wasn�t going too strong and that the international co-productions are bestselling products right now.
If it wasn�t for the US Sesame�s weakness, Purk wouldn�t have been here.
Henson and the Dutch designers have had quit some discussions about Purk�s looks. Henson designed her as a piglet with hands; the Dutch wanted her to have hooves that made her a little more clumsy. Henson then came up with a rather skinny pig. The Dutch wanted her to be fat, but that was difficult due to the issue of heavy weight childeren in the US.
Nevertheless she ended up as a fat little piggy.
There where made several sketches of Purk. two made by the Henson Workshop and the thirt by Hakim Traida ( an actor/ mime artist from Sesamstraat).
She looked a bit like Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, but then in the shape of a very messy baby pig. That sketch gave Henson enough ideas about her personality and looks, and they based their next sketches on this scribble.
No one in the street, but Pino, can�t understand a word she say... He is the only one!