List of Sesame Street recurring segments

This is a list of miscellaneous recurring segments on the children's daytime program, Sesame Street.

Former/New segments

Elmo the Musical

Elmo the Musical is a new segment that debuted in season 43. In this segment, Elmo goes on a different musical adventure with help from the curtain Velvet.

Cookie's Crumby Pictures

Cookie's Crumby Pictures (AKA Crumby Pictures Presents) is a new segment that first aired in the 44th season in 2013.

Each 5-minute segment is done in the style of a coming attractions trailer showing footage of Cookie Monster in various film parodies where he uses executive functioning skills (such as patience, focusing, and memorization) to solve problems.

The segment is replaced by Smart Cookies in 2016.

What's the Word on the Street

What's the Word on the Street? first appeared in 2007. Murray Monster hosts the segment which precedes the corporate sponsor spots before each episode. He speaks with people about what the word of the day means, and instructs the audience to listen for its usage in the following episode. Starting in Season 46, the segment stopped airing and characters say what is going on Sesame Street instead.

Letter of the Day

The "Letter of the Day" is a segment introduced in 2002. Cookie Monster hosted the segment with cameo appearances by guests for the first two years. Frank Oz performed Cookie Monster in 10 of these segments.

The original segments involved a letter written in icing on a cookie, which Cookie Monster tried not to eat, but invariably ate it anyways.

In 2004, Prairie Dawn joined Cookie Monster in the segments and the letter presented was a wooden letter which Cookie Monster often wanted to eat. Prairie Dawn kept trying to get Cookie not to eat the letter, but Cookie Monster eats it anyway.

Segments produced in 2005 involved "The Letter of the Day Games": a game show introduced by an energetic off-camera announcer (voiced by Matt Vogel).

In 2007, the Letter of the Day sketches became less common.

Starting in 2009, Murray Monster hosts both the Letter and Number of the day segments.

In Season 45, there is the Letter of the Day song that Elmo does where he is backed up by Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Murray Monster, Rosita, Abby Cadabby, Grover, and Cookie Monster.

Number of the Day

The "Number of the Day" segment is hosted by Count von Count. The numbers range from zero to twenty. Initially, the segment was presented with the Count playing his pipe organ; and when he reached the number of the day, balloons, confetti and the number appeared (or the organ disappears in a puff of smoke for the number 0). In 2005 and 2006, the number of the day was revealed at a restaurant, with the Count and his girlfriend Countess Dahling von Dahling present. The Count sang a song, asking whether the number of the day was one, two, etc. When he reached the number of the day, the Countess shouted "Stop!" causing the building to shake and the man with the bowls to fall and break the bowls. Also in 2005 and 2006, the number of the day was found by using a jack-in-the-box, with a remake of the Falling Baker series.

In "The Street We Live On," 10 furry monsters appear in the monster parade.

Starting in season 40, Murray Monster hosts both the Letter and Number of the day segments.

In Season 45, Count von Count does the Number of the Day song where he is backed up by Elmo, Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, Murray Monster, Rosita, Abby Cadabby, Grover, and Cookie Monster.

Abby's Flying Fairy School

Abby's Flying Fairy School is a CGI segments feature fairy-in-training Abby Cadabby. Abby goes to Fairy School, learning from the fairy teacher Mrs. Sparklenose. Her class features all new characters: classmates Blögg (a troll/fairy hybrid who likes gross stuff), Gonnigan (a fairy with a habit of turning invisible when panicked), Peck (a fairy chicken), and a part-gerbil part-unicorn called Niblet. Episodes of the preschool series are eight to nine minutes long and debuted during Season 40. 26 shorts were made. It stopped being produced in 2012, but it continued airing until Season 46. Scott Stewart's SpeakEasy FX produced.

Bert & Ernie's Great Adventures (2008–2013)

Bert & Ernie's Great Adventures is a claymation segment where Ernie and Bert go around the world dressed differently. For example, they go to Scotland where they wear traditional kilts. Each episode begins with Bert and Ernie climbing into their beds for a night's sleep. Suddenly, Bert's bed starts shaking and tapping, and Ernie hops aboard as the bed flies out of their apartment and into their next great adventure. The segment ran from 2008–2013 and the animation for the series was produced by Italy's Misseri Studio.

Super Grover 2.0

Super Grover 2.0 is an upgraded version of Super Grover, a superheroic Muppet who saves the world helping the others. His slogan is "He shows up!" One of the segments has a talking Chicken in the Great Wall of China.

Other

Baker Number Songs

Also known as the "Baker Films", this series of ten segments were filmed by Jim Henson in 1969 to teach children to count.^[1] Originally named Numerosity or the Henson 10,^[1] each segment would begin with an animated sequence where a voice-over chorus of kids counted up to 10 and back to 1. The chorus would then count to a specific number, followed by a series of live-action scenes of various kids and adults counting different objects to demonstrate that number.^[2] Finally, a baker carrying the appropriate number of desserts would announce his creation (sung by Henson himself) and then fall down a flight of stairs, spilling the desserts all over himself and the floor. Although Sesame Street creator Joan Ganz Cooney objected to the baker's pratfall scenes, feeling that this "banana peel humor" was inappropriate for two-year-old children, they were played for several years into the 90's.^[1]

Pinball Number Count

Pinball Number Count (or Pinball Countdown) is a collective title referring to 11 one-minute animated segments that teach children to count to 12 by following the journey of a pinball through a rather fanciful pinball machine. It made its debut on Sesame Street in 1977.

Great Moments at the Sink

This is a sketch that began in 1996, in which children perform healthy acts near a sink.

Sesame Street Pageants (1974–2006)

The Sesame Street Pageants are a series of short plays on Sesame Street that are produced and directed by Prairie Dawn. The plays were performed by her friends, with Prairie Dawn often accompanying them on piano. Beginning in 1974.

Sesame Street News Flash

The Sesame Street News Flash is a recurring Sesame Street segment that features Kermit the Frog as a roving reporter for "Sesame Street News." Reporter Kermit, wearing a trench coat and hat and holding a microphone, interviews characters from fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and other popular stories, even appearing at key moments in history. As with most such parodies, the stories often diverge from tradition.

A prototype version of the series (entitled "Sesame Street Sports") first appeared in 1971, and a few regular News Flash skits debuted that year. The skits were no longer produced after the 1980s, but appeared in reruns regularly on the show up until c.1998. Since 2001, the sketches became increasingly rare on Sesame Street, but remain regular features on certain international co-productions. Recently, many of the skits have appeared online on Sesamestreet.org.

Starting in Season 45, Murray Monster started doing the Sesame Street News Flash as part of the season's wraparounds.

The Adventure of Trash Gordon (2004–2006)

The Adventures of Trash Gordon was written as a parody of Flash Gordon. At the end of some episodes from 2004–2007, Oscar the Grouch read Slimey the Worm a chapter of Trash Gordon, a book with over 900 chapters. It's about a man named Trash Gordon (Gordon) who visits distant planets. At the end Trash would announce what the letter and number of the day was.

The Adventures of Gina the Veterinarian (2007)

The Adventures of Gina the Veterinarian served as the closing Sesame Street segment in two Season 38 episodes. Similar to the Trash Gordon segments, Gina tells adopted son Marco bedtime stories in which she journeys far and wide to help animals in distress.

In episode 4139, Gina tells Marco about her adventure to the jungle to remove a splinter from the paw of a ferocious lion (Little Murray Sparkles). In episode 4146, Gina tells about her adventure bringing water to a camel in the desert. The camel announces the sponsors.

Global Grover (2003–2008)

Global Grover is an award-winning Sesame Street segment hosted by Grover, in which the blue monster travels all over the world to explore the traditions of peoples from many diverse cultures. Grover speaks directly to the viewer, usually having just returned from a trip to somewhere around the globe. After a brief film shot on location, Grover may receive a helping hand from a Muppet assistant before signing off. Says Grover, "I come back and I always bring something from my travels and teach everyone on Sesame Street about the places I went to." He continues, "I had not even gone around the corner before. This was something extra special.

The segment made its debut in Season 34, using "the power of television to demonstrate the diversity of the world we live in."Melissa Dino serves as the segment's producer, choosing the filming locations and educational value of each segment, which have been designed to teach children to respect the diversity of people from all over the world. Grover reinforced these ideas during a presentation at the Common Ground Awards, where, by learning about different languages, different cultures and different religions, he surmised that people are different everywhere, and yet we are all very much the same.

At the time of its debut, Grover made the rounds on the press circuit. He was interviewed by the Associated Press in an article which was picked up by several publications, and even appeared on talk radio shows such as The Savvy Traveler. In March 2007, Global Grover was still making headlines when he was featured in a cover story for NJN Public Television & Radio's issue of The Guide. The article stresses Global Grover's exploration of "daily life abroad," and extends the segment's goals in an initiative with Kean University that helps early childhood educators incorporate the promotion of global awareness into their curricula.

Internationally, Global Grover has been distributed separately as a 5-minute, 30-episode series, which began in fall 2005. The series tacks on opening and closing credits, plus an existing animated segment from Sesame Street, to round out the program.

Hero Guy (2001–2007)

Hero Guy was a sketch from 2001–2007. In a series of 11 sketches, Baby Bear brings Hero Guy to life by drawing a picture of him and singing his theme song. These sketches first aired in Season 32, and appeared on occasions until Season 38. When Hero Guy, who is also a bear, springs to life as an animated character, he and Baby Bear embark on adventures together. Although they often face unexpected challenges, Hero Guy never fails to save the day.

Spanish Word of the Day (2002–2005)

The "Spanish Word of the Day" aired in 2002–2005, and remained until 2006. is a segment on Sesame Street. In the segments, a character teaches a Spanish word and its English translation. Usually the segment features Grover, Rosita, Maria or Gabi.

Journey to Ernie (2002–2005)

"Journey to Ernie" is a game of hide-and-seek. Big Bird (performed by Matt Vogel) must locate Ernie in a box with Ernie's striped shirt and his rubber duckie, but it may not be the first or even the second boxes that Big Bird finds. If Ernie is not in a box, then a sketch or song is featured. Then the game resumes after that segment is played out. When Ernie is found it is followed up by a sketch or song featuring Ernie with or without Bert. In 2003, the segment changed with Big Bird looking for clues and finds Ernie in a location that is hinted at in the beginning. This is played out in a complete narrative without any diversions as it was in the first format of "Journey to Ernie." One recurring gag in the second format is Big Bird asking The Two-Headed Monster where Ernie is, with the Two Headed Monster pointing both left and right. Occasionally, there are surprises. For example, Telly Monster will hide in a triangle and Bert decides to hide instead of Ernie. At the end, when Big Bird finally discovers Ernie, they sing, and the segment ends. In both formats, Ernie is featured in the sketch which follows "Journey to Ernie." A brief clip from Journey to Ernie appears in the 2003–2006 intro. Sometimes when "Journey to Big Bird" begins, Big Bird hides instead.

Despite this segment being very popular among the younger viewers, it was omitted from the show in Season 37 because the writers and producers felt that it was not 'Sesame' enough and that the look and feel of the animation was too similar to other shows on the television schedule and didn't mesh with the whole show.^[3]

Monster Clubhouse (2001–2003)

Monster Clubhouse is a recurring Sesame Street segment featuring energetic young monster friends Mooba, Mel, Narf and Groogel. In 2002, Mooba was renamed Googel and Groogel was renamed Phoebe. In season 33, the segments were shortened considerably, and the monsters would only do three or four of the activities. A brief clip of Monster Clubhouse can still be seen in Sesame Street's 2002–2006 opening sequence. According to Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street, "It was an inspired idea, but kids didn't know the new Muppets and became confused, and the frentic pace of the segment raised concerns. The puppets Mooba, Mel, Narf, and Groogel literally bounced off the walls."

Dinner Theatre (2006–2007)

Dinner Theatre is a food themed successor to Monsterpiece Theater, introduced in Sesame Street 2006. The segment is currently on the show. The series parodies plays and films to stress the importance of mealtime and healthy eating habits.

Murray Has a Little Lamb (2008, 2013)

A song will play before the Murray Has a Little Lamb segment, allowing Murray to wait for his lamb. The lamb will give clues of which school they will visit in Spanish; examples include soccer, music, baseball and gymnastics. When all three clues are found, Murray and the lamb rush over to the school and yell out the type of the school with a crowd of kids and they all cheer in victory just before we see what kids do in that school and Murray talks to some of them. This title is a play of the Mother Goose nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Starting in Season 44, this segment was made as one of the show's wraparounds.

• The theme song for the segment is performed by Tony Award Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Star and Composer of the Broadway Musicals In the Heights and Hamilton.

Elmo's World (1998–2009)

This is a segment where Elmo will demonstrate a different item related to the topic with an appearance from Mr. Noodle and his family. It temporarily ceased airing in 2009 but repeatlly aired until then got replaced by Elmo the Musical in 2012.

Monsters in Day Care (1998)

Monsters in Day Care was a recurring segment premiering in 1998. Herry Monster visits a real child at a day care center. He engages in conversation with the child before heading back to monster day care to inform the monsters what he learned.

Ernie's Show and Tell (1998–2005)

Ernie's Show and Tell is a recurring Sesame Street segment, which debuted in 1998. In the segment, kids show Ernie an item, such as a drawing they've made or a favorite toy, and tell him all about it.

When these were shown after 2001, as part of Journey to Ernie, the opening introduction was removed.

The segments theme song was written by Luis Santeiro (lyrics) and Robby Merkin (music).

Sesame Street Goes to Day Care (1998–2002)

Sesame Street Goes to Day Care was a recurring segment which premiered in 1998. It features a Muppet character interacting with a child at day care.

Worms in Space (1998–1999)

Worms in Space first aired in 1998, in which Slimey and his fellow WASA astronauts form letters or numbers aboard the Wiggleprise.

Super Morphin Mega Monsters (1996–1998)

Super Morphin Mega Monsters was a recurring segment in the 1990s written as a parody of both Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger & Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The characters have names who are based on dinosaur names. Elmo the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Zoe the Triceratops, Telly the Pterodactyl, and Rosita the Raptor would "morph" into caped and helmeted outfits when trouble arose. In contrast to the fight scenes in Super Sentai or Power Rangers, the Mega Monsters would run around and wave their arms in vaguely martial arts-style motions and carry swords, but would only reason with others instead of attacking.

Fairy Tales Today (1995–1997)

Fairy Tales Today was a news show hosted by Prairie Dawn during the mid-1990s. In a similar format to Kermit's news flashes, Prairie would interview characters from famous fairy tales. She would either interview them from a video feed in her studio or go on location.

Monsterpiece Theater (1981–1999)

Monsterpiece Theater is a parody of Masterpiece Theater. Cookie Monster players Alistair Cookie (a parody of Alistair Cooke) who hosts this sketch. The segment brings a cultural element to the series by presenting stirring dramas based on classic literature, plays, or movies. As befits the title, many of the stars were indeed monsters, most notably Grover (who starred in more than a dozen skits). A few (notably "Me, Claudius" and "Upstairs, Downstairs") spoofed specific Masterpiece Theater series.

Old West Sketches (1971–1991)

Many Sesame Street sketches depict life in the Old West and play with various Western movie tropes often involving seemingly menacing cowboys and often set in stereotypical saloons. Various Sesame songs over the years have also used "Old West" settings or themes. According to books, the name of the town in most of these skits is Sesame Gulch. The Old West settings were also used in the sketches featuring Forgetful Jones and Marshal Grover.

Caveman Days (1971–1991)

Caveman Days' is a sketch that took place in prehistoric times and starred Ernie as a Caveman where he is paired with Bert (who either played as his father or his son) or Sherlock Hemlock (who portrayed "The Royal Smart Person"). Each sketch with Ernie and Bert contained a narrator who would help translate their utterings of "ooga-mooga-mooga" and such.

Sesame Street Gangsters (1971–1975)

Although Sesame Street is meant to represent a child-friendly, and somewhat idyllic, New York City street, the neighborhood has a network of seedy underground criminal organizations as part of the Sesame Street Gangsters sketch. These groups are run by an assortment of suspicious characters most commonly for the purpose of shady and illegal activities such as alphabet trafficking, black marketeering, and robbery. Composed mainly of Anything Muppets, these gangs are typically composed of a crime boss and his lackeys (often named Lefty).

References

1. Jones, Brian Jay (2013). Jim Henson: The Biography. Ballantine Books. p. 144. ISBN 978-0345526113.
2. Sesame Street: Baker Number 3. Sesame Street's Official YouTube channel. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
3. Louise Gikow (2009). Sesame Street: A Celebration 40 Years of Life on the Street. Five Mile Press Pty Limited. p. 167.