Pierre Escargot is a recurring character who sits in a bathtub filled with soap suds while wearing a yellow raincoat, matching rain hat, and bright blue swimfins. He "teaches" viewers French phrases that are actually complete nonsense gibberish French, followed by absurd and humorous English "translations" that have nothing to do with what would actually be said. The sketch was commonly used as a transition to introduce musical guests on the show. The character was originally intended to be Hispanic, but was changed to French per a network note. Kenan Thompson suggested speaking fake French instead of real French for comedic effect, which became a signature element of the sketch. The character later inspired Thompson's similar "Jean K. Jean" character on Saturday Night Live.
