Simon Soundman is a Sesame Street character who has the ability to mimic any sound he hears. He often drops pre-recorded sound effects into conversation, using them to represent common words. For example, if he visits a tool store to buy a hammer, he doesn't say to the store clerk "I want to buy a hammer," instead he says "I want to buy a (POUND POUND!)" Other characters, and the viewers, must then figure out what he means by identifying the sounds (though some sketches end with the other characters replacing words with sounds in the same manner).