Count von Count (born October 9, 1,830,653 BC? [1,832,652 years old according to Sesame Street Unpaved]), often known as simply The Count, is one of the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, performed by Jerry Nelson. The Count is a vampire obviously modeled after Béla Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula.

The Count's main purpose is educating children on simple mathematics concepts, most notably counting. The Count has a compulsive love of counting (arithmomania); he will count anything and everything, regardless of size, amount, or how much annoyance he is causing the other Muppets.

Some traditional vampire myths depict vampires as having a similar obsession with counting small objects, providing a means of distracting them by tossing a handful of seeds or salt on the ground. This is seen as a protection from the vampire, such as the use of garlic. The Count's own arithmomania may simply be a coincidence, however, inspired by the pun on his title of nobility. According to his theme song, The Song of the Count: "When I'm alone, I count myself. One count!"

Originally, following a counting session, the Count would laugh maniacally, "AH! AH! AH!" as thunder roared overhead and lightning flashed. This practice, however, has been discontinued because children watching the show might be frightened by it.

When the Count sings, the background music resembles Roma music, no matter what the song.

The Count bears a noticeable resemblance to Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula, including a similar accent and oversized, pointed eye-teeth, but it would appear that he is different from other vampires. For example, most vampires wither in direct sunlight; the Count does not and in fact enjoys being outside, plus he doesn't suck blood, doesn't sleep in a coffin, usually sleeps at night, and never changes into a bat. In some ways, he's just like a regular human.

The Count lives in an old, cobweb-infested castle which he shares with many bats. Sometimes he counts them. Some of the pet bats are named, including Grisha, Misha, Sasha, and Tattiana. He has a cat, Fatatatita, as well.

The Count's former girlfriend, Countess von Backwards, was known for counting backwards. More recently he has been seen with a new girlfriend, Countess Dahling Von Dahling. His brother and mother have made appearances on the show. His grandparents also made an appearance. When Grandma Count laughs, it rains. When Grandpa Count laughs, it snows.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org