Mr. Noodle was played by Broadway actor Bill Irwin, who had previously worked with Arlene Sherman, executive producer of Sesame Street and co-creator of "Elmo's World", in short films for the program.

[1] When Irwin became unavailable due to him being busy with filming for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Sherman asked Michael Jeter, who was his friend, to replace Irwin as Mr. Noodle's brother Mister Noodle, which he accepted enthusiastically,[2] calling it his favorite role in twenty years.

[5] Writer Louise A. Gikow calls the Noodles "a dynasty of mimes,...in the tradition of great silent film comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd".

[4][6] According to writer and "Elmo's World" co-creator Judy Freudberg, "Mr. Noodle, who never speaks, is all about trial and error.

[7] According to Sesame Street researcher Lewis Bernstein, the characters, whom he called "bungling", gave young viewers "the opportunity to figure it out" before the adults did.