Sweep (puppet)

{{Short description|Puppet}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}

Image:Sweep and Sooty.png

Sweep is a British puppet and television character popular in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and other countries.

Sweep is a grey glove puppet dog with long black ears who joined The Sooty Show in 1957, as a friend to fellow puppet Sooty.{{cite news |author1=The Newsroom |title=Half-term fun for fans of Sooty at Blackpool's Grand Theatre |url=https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/arts-and-culture/half-term-fun-fans-sooty-blackpools-grand-theatre-668953 |access-date=5 September 2021 |work=Blackpool Gazette |publisher=JPIMedia |date=11 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905190548/https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/arts-and-culture/half-term-fun-fans-sooty-blackpools-grand-theatre-668953 |archive-date=5 September 2021 |location=Blackpool, England |language=en |quote=It features the glove puppet characters Sooty, Sweep (who first appeared in 1957)}} He is a dim-witted dog with a penchant for bones and sausages.{{cite book |last1=Croft |first1=Malcolm |title=Super Dogs: Heart-warming Adventures of the World's Greatest Dogs |date=14 August 2014 |publisher=Summersdale Publishers |isbn=978-1849536226 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=purzCQAAQBAJ |access-date=5 September 2021 |format=Paperback |chapter=Sweep |quote=Sweep, Sooty's silly sidekick and lover of bones and sausages}}{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Matthew |title=What's that, Sooty? You're back on TV for a new generation of children? |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/what-s-that-sooty-you-re-back-on-tv-for-a-new-generation-of-children-fqdphllsc |access-date=5 September 2021 |work=The Times {{subscription required}} |publisher=Times Newspapers |date=30 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830031439/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/what-s-that-sooty-you-re-back-on-tv-for-a-new-generation-of-children-fqdphllsc |archive-date=30 August 2018 |language=en |url-status=live |quote=Sooty first appeared on television in 1952 and was soon joined by his companions Sweep, a squeaky dog who loves bones and sausages, and Soo, Sooty’s panda girlfriend.}} Sweep is notable for his method of communication{{cite news |last1=Tryhorn |first1=Chris |title=Sooty sale heralds new series |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/jun/26/television.mediabusiness |access-date=7 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media |date=26 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916043356/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/jun/26/television.mediabusiness |archive-date=16 September 2015 |language=en |quote=He would get into scrapes with Sweep, who spoke only in squeaks, the sensible Soo, and - in more recent series - his schoolboy cousin Scampi.}} which consists of a loud high-pitched squeak that gains its inflection from normal speech and its rhythm from the syllables in each word.

The rest of the cast, namely Soo and the presenter, could understand Sweep perfectly, and would (albeit indirectly) translate for the viewer.{{cite web |last1=Goldman |first1=Laurence |title=What's that you said Sooty? Puppets, parlance and pretence |url=https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/46878354/0271-5309_2895_2900011-920160629-12249-a6t2hl-with-cover-page-v2.pdf?Expires=1630932856&Signature=Nw5dwpa~4akMJ5kDIR7~yh8hwjLfzQe3~ZapRXxQ88Vx2TUJhtH9JoXaxlulwkyvGGg8m7h9xJ7avSjn8bA1Gb9M7bEJcn~AQ8Xy18WLEPIt4qIv2TO-r-9mDdhvE3iliU8oiuPJPjXMAgnMXyOi1g45-wLHo578UwhVJo5NovjXJNOxjhiW4FhK1QygbsrBhbC-4FhEiO847rOU40ANEtHaK6XbmIpHF4l-EWtln3iEjbsl08tluts9jMar3zIESx-8dtl485k4AOGhpgIXvXIytJX3WENNIaJG8eJCrUvT~ffhXsNwBUuvANwX5MAmECQha9yI76TdL1BMmfdZRA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA |website=Academia.edu |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906115720/https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/46878354/0271-5309_2895_2900011-920160629-12249-a6t2hl-with-cover-page-v2.pdf?Expires=1630932856&Signature=Nw5dwpa~4akMJ5kDIR7~yh8hwjLfzQe3~ZapRXxQ88Vx2TUJhtH9JoXaxlulwkyvGGg8m7h9xJ7avSjn8bA1Gb9M7bEJcn~AQ8Xy18WLEPIt4qIv2TO-r-9mDdhvE3iliU8oiuPJPjXMAgnMXyOi1g45-wLHo578UwhVJo5NovjXJNOxjhiW4FhK1QygbsrBhbC-4FhEiO847rOU40ANEtHaK6XbmIpHF4l-EWtln3iEjbsl08tluts9jMar3zIESx-8dtl485k4AOGhpgIXvXIytJX3WENNIaJG8eJCrUvT~ffhXsNwBUuvANwX5MAmECQha9yI76TdL1BMmfdZRA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA |archive-date=6 September 2021 |pages=3 |language=en |format=PDF |date=1996 |quote=However the majority, but interestingly not all, of Sweep's squeaks are subject to a similar 'translation' on the part of Corbett and Soo.}}{{cite news |last1=Tims |first1=Anna |title=How we made: Brenda Longman and Matthew Corbett on The Sooty Show |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/06/how-we-made-sooty-show |access-date=5 September 2021 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News and Media |date=6 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913224337/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/06/how-we-made-sooty-show |archive-date=13 September 2016 |language=en |quote=Soo, who translates Sooty and Sweep's noises, didn't say much until I came along.}} The sound of Sweep's voice was achieved using "something similar to a saxophone reed".{{cite news |author1=The Newsroom |title=Wigan man Phil swaps Hacker for Sweep to realise his dreams |url=https://www.wigantoday.net/news/wigan-man-phil-swaps-hacker-sweep-realise-his-dreams-700822 |access-date=5 September 2021 |work=Wigan Post |publisher=JPIMedia |date=5 September 2018 |location=Wigan, England |language=en |quote=Phil revealed that Sweep gets a proper script and that he uses something similar to a saxophone reed to speak the part, making sure listeners can get a gist of all the syllables.}} Versions of the puppet later sold as toys had an integral squeaker connected to an air bulb that was squeezed by hand.

Sweep's family first appeared on the Sooty Show in an episode called "Sweep's Family". He has a mother and father; a twin brother, Swoop; two cousins, Swipe and Swap{{cite news |last1=MacKenzie |first1=Steven |title=Izzy-wizzy, let's get busy! 70 facts about Sooty as he celebrates 70 years! |url=https://www.bigissue.com/latest/izzy-wizzy-lets-get-busy-70-facts-about-sooty-as-he-celebrates-70-years/ |access-date=5 September 2021 |work=The Big Issue |publisher=The Big Issue Company |date=26 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726140052/https://www.bigissue.com/latest/izzy-wizzy-lets-get-busy-70-facts-about-sooty-as-he-celebrates-70-years/ |archive-date=26 July 2018 |location=London, England |language=en |quote=Sweep has three brothers – Swoop, Swipe and Swap}} and another seven brothers in the litter (all of whom look exactly like him, and wear different coloured collars to tell each other apart).

Swipe and Swap are described as Sweep's brothers in the Sooty & Co. episode "Sweep's Family" and the Sooty Heights episode "The Hounds of Music".