April Fools: Sesame Street 55th Anniversary Happenings

[minor muppetz]

I'd been wondering if Sesame Street's 55th anniversary will get celebrated this year, and Sesame Workshop just confirmed on social media that the anniversary will indeed be celebrated. And revealed some of what to expect:

• A line of Sesame Street "classic beanbag toys", which will include Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Herry Monster, The Count, Roosevelt Franklin, Mr. Johnson, Biff, Sully, Prairie Dawn, and Gladys the Cow.
• A three-disc DVD (which will also be available on Blu-ray). Disc 1 will include a variety of insert segments, including such oft-released classics as Rubber Duckie and Elmo's Ducks, but also a lot that has not been released on home video, including Jazz #5, "The Earmuff Salesman" with Kermit and Grover, Monsterpiece Theater: Inside/Outside Story, and "Ernie Breaks the Cookie Jar", and guest appearances by the likes of James Earl Jones, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Loretta Lynn, REM, Billie Eilish, and Maggie Rogers. Disc 2 will include various Sesame "short-form series" such as Elmo's World, Cookie's Crumby Pictures, and Abby and Rudy's Amazing Adventures. And disc 3 will feature a variety of street stories, including the Earth Day episode of season 1, Big Bird's Number 4 Show, Gordon waits to meet Snuffleupagus, and the debut of Rocko, along with "video scrapbook" showing select street scenes from some of the shows arcs, including some snow arcs, the Hawaii trip, the hurricane, MIles' adoption, and Slimey's trip to the moon. Each disc will also contain "From the Vault" bonus features, including the This Way to Sesame Street preview special, interviews, vintage behind the scenes footage, "segments we wouldn't release otherwise", and a selection of recently-found street scenes from lost episodes.
• A 5-disc CD collection, "Sesame Street 101", featuring 101 Sesame songs. While disc 1 will be dedicated to "the really often-released songs that everybody has heard too often" like Rubber Duckie and C is for Cookie, the majority of musical content will have never been available in an official audio form, including many unreleased mainstays as "Imagine That", "Bert's Blanket", "Do Op Hop", and "Danger's No Stranger", to formerly obscure songs as "Cookie" and "Working Together", to songs that have come since the common days of Sesame Street albums, such as "Elmo's Ducks", "Me Am What Me Am", and "Because We're Friends", plus appearances by such celebrities as James Taylor, Lena Horne, Nora Jones, Maggie Rogers, Josh Grobane, Sara Berellis, and Alessa Cara.
• A variety of t-shirts. Some will feature characters, such as Big Bird, Elmo, Guy Smiley, and Sherlock Hemlock, but there will also be t-shirts representing classic moments, like "Ernie and Bert in Egypt", "Grover serves a big burger", and "The Count and Cookie Monster co-operate".

In addition to merchandise, MAX will be streaming a six-part documentary series on the show, more classic episodes will be added this May, a couple of classic Sesame Street Live shows (Big Bird and the Case of the Missing Rara Avias and Save Our Street) will come back to the stage, there will be a traveling art exhibet dedicated to Sesame Street, and perhaps the most surprising of all....

Season 55, expected to be the last in the shows magazine format (and may or may not be the last on Max), will include classic segments. Each episode will have one or two classic segments, and each episode will actually last five minutes longer (though will be edited on PBS). Segments not seen on the show since at least 1974 will be included. And the season finale will involve a Sesame Street parade, with special appearances by every recurring Muppet on the past (no word on if they will actually rebuild characters like Bruno or Sam the Robot, or if Kermit will show up).

Oh yeah, and perhaps not a surprise at all: APRIL FOOLS!

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I'd been wondering if Sesame Street's 55th anniversary will get celebrated this year, and Sesame Workshop just confirmed on social media that the anniversary will indeed be celebrated. And revealed some of what to expect:

• A line of Sesame Street "classic beanbag toys", which will include Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Herry Monster, The Count, Roosevelt Franklin, Mr. Johnson, Biff, Sully, Prairie Dawn, and Gladys the Cow.
• A three-disc DVD (which will also be available on Blu-ray). Disc 1 will include a variety of insert segments, including such oft-released classics as Rubber Duckie and Elmo's Ducks, but also a lot that has not been released on home video, including Jazz #5, "The Earmuff Salesman" with Kermit and Grover, Monsterpiece Theater: Inside/Outside Story, and "Ernie Breaks the Cookie Jar", and guest appearances by the likes of James Earl Jones, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Loretta Lynn, REM, Billie Eilish, and Maggie Rogers. Disc 2 will include various Sesame "short-form series" such as Elmo's World, Cookie's Crumby Pictures, and Abby and Rudy's Amazing Adventures. And disc 3 will feature a variety of street stories, including the Earth Day episode of season 1, Big Bird's Number 4 Show, Gordon waits to meet Snuffleupagus, and the debut of Rocko, along with "video scrapbook" showing select street scenes from some of the shows arcs, including some snow arcs, the Hawaii trip, the hurricane, MIles' adoption, and Slimey's trip to the moon. Each disc will also contain "From the Vault" bonus features, including the This Way to Sesame Street preview special, interviews, vintage behind the scenes footage, "segments we wouldn't release otherwise", and a selection of recently-found street scenes from lost episodes.
• A 5-disc CD collection, "Sesame Street 101", featuring 101 Sesame songs. While disc 1 will be dedicated to "the really often-released songs that everybody has heard too often" like Rubber Duckie and C is for Cookie, the majority of musical content will have never been available in an official audio form, including many unreleased mainstays as "Imagine That", "Bert's Blanket", "Do Op Hop", and "Danger's No Stranger", to formerly obscure songs as "Cookie" and "Working Together", to songs that have come since the common days of Sesame Street albums, such as "Elmo's Ducks", "Me Am What Me Am", and "Because We're Friends", plus appearances by such celebrities as James Taylor, Lena Horne, Nora Jones, Maggie Rogers, Josh Grobane, Sara Berellis, and Alessa Cara.
• A variety of t-shirts. Some will feature characters, such as Big Bird, Elmo, Guy Smiley, and Sherlock Hemlock, but there will also be t-shirts representing classic moments, like "Ernie and Bert in Egypt", "Grover serves a big burger", and "The Count and Cookie Monster co-operate".

In addition to merchandise, MAX will be streaming a six-part documentary series on the show, more classic episodes will be added this May, a couple of classic Sesame Street Live shows (Big Bird and the Case of the Missing Rara Avias and Save Our Street) will come back to the stage, there will be a traveling art exhibet dedicated to Sesame Street, and perhaps the most surprising of all....

Season 55, expected to be the last in the shows magazine format (and may or may not be the last on Max), will include classic segments. Each episode will have one or two classic segments, and each episode will actually last five minutes longer (though will be edited on PBS). Segments not seen on the show since at least 1974 will be included. And the season finale will involve a Sesame Street parade, with special appearances by every recurring Muppet on the past (no word on if they will actually rebuild characters like Bruno or Sam the Robot, or if Kermit will show up).

Oh yeah, and perhaps not a surprise at all: APRIL FOOLS!

Sometimes I think we should send our April Fool's to Sesame Workshop. They could definitely use some of these ideas.

 

[minor muppetz]

My wishlist for a potential multi-disc "Sesame Street 101", with 101 songs from the show.

Disc 1: The Songs We've All Heard Many Times (maybe more times than The Count likes to count)
Though it might not be all the same versions that have been released on albums.
1. Sesame Street Theme (the kids)
2. Rubber Duckie (Ernie)
3. C is for Cookie (Cookie Monster)
4. ABC-DEF-GHI (Big Bird)
5. Bein' Green (Lena Horne and Kermit)
6. The Song of the Count (The Count)
7. Elmo's Song (Elmo, Big Bird, and Snuffy)
8. Doin' the Pigeon (Bert)
9. Count It Higher (Chrissy and the Alphabeats)
10. I Love Trash (Oscar the Grouch)
11. What's the Name of That Song? (Bert and Ernie)
12. Born to Add (Bruce Stringbean and the S. Street Band)
13. African Alphabet (Kermit and Ladysmith Black Mambazo)
14. Monster in the Mirror (Grover)
15. Happy Tapping (Elmo)
16. Sing After Me (Madeline Kahn and Grover)
17. The Batty Bat (The Count)
18. Somebody Come and Play (Ernie)
19. Sing (Bob, Luis, and Susan)
20. Fuzzy and Blue (and Orange) (Grover, Herry, Cookie, and Frazzle)
21. I Just Adore Four (Big Bird)
22. Dance Myself to Sleep (Ernie and Bert)

Disc 2 (most of it from specials and audio-recorded tracks)
23. I Refuse to Sing Along (Bert and Ernie)
24. Don't Eat the Pictures (Cookie Monster and Fairy God Mothers)
25. To China (Big Bird and cast)
26. Welcome to the Party (Nora Jones and the cast)
27. Let's Make a Dream (Joe Raposo)
28. Very Very Special Letter (Big Bird)
29. Trash (Robin Gibbs)
30. The Happiest Street in the World (Big Bird)
31. Think of Your Fingers (Biff)
32. Brothers and Sisters (Olivia)
33. The Street We Live On (Elmo and cast)
34. Count Me In (Megan Trainer)
35. Keep Christmas with You (Bob and the kids)
36. That closing song from When You Wish Upon a Pickle (don't recall the title at the moment)
37. Faces That I Love (Big Bird and the cast)
38. Carribean Amphibian (Jimmy Buffet and Kermit)
39. Do Something (Oliver Pratt and Elmo)
40. Sesame Street Jambouree (Big Bird and cast)
41. Let's Sing a Song That Everybody Knows (Bert and Ernie)
42. With Every Beat of My Heart (Little Jerry and the Monotones)

Disc 3
43. In Your Imagination (Elmo)
44. Rock and Roll Star (Little Jerry and the Monotones)
45. It's Alive (Kermit)
46. You're Alive (Chrissy and the Alphabeats) '
47. So Much Alike (Alessa Cara and the cast)
48. Just Like Magic (Sara Beres and Abby Cadabby)
49. Alone in a Swamp with You (Oscar and Grudngetta)
50. Put a Lid on It (Squirrell Nut Zippers and Mr. Johnson)
51. Don't Throw That Trash on the Ground (Ernie)
52. Write It Down (Forgetful Jones with Luis, Gordon, and Maria)
53. Hola (Maria and Luis)
54. Isn't She/He Wonderful? (Luis and Maria with the cast)
55. Working Together (Biff and Susan)
56. I'll Love You in the Springtime (deep-voiced Guy Smiley)
57. Spring is Here (the cast)
58. How Deep is Your Bath Tub? (Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates with The Count)
59. If I Was a Cloud in the Sky (Snuffy)
60. Cookie (Cookie Monster)
61. What I Am (Will.I.Am and cast)
62. Imagine That (Ernie)

Disc 4
63. That Grouchy Face (James Taylor and Oscar)
64. Trash Outta Heaven (Oscar)
65. Different People Different Ways (Buffy and Big Bird)
66. I Believe in Snuffleupagus (season 12 song) (Buffy and Snuffy)
67. My Rock (Bert)
68. Little Miss Count-Along (The Count and Zoe)
69. A Song from Kermit (Kermit)
70. ABCs of the Swamp (Kermit)
71. I Love My Elbows (Kermit)
72. Because We're Friends (Abby, Zoe, and Rosita)
73. Shapes in My Room (Telly)
74. Share (Ernie and Elmo)
75. Grover Can Do It (Grover)
76. Hop This Way (Elmo)
77. Danger's No Stranger (How Now Brown and the Moo Wave)
78. That's Cooperation (Big Bird)
79. We Worked It Out (Big Bird and Snuffy)
80. Things That I Remember (Bert and Ernie)
81. Earthworm (Slimey)
82. We Can Still Be Friends (Big Bird, Alan, Elmo, Abby, and Julia)
83. 1234 (Feist and cast)
84. It's Nighttime (Maggie Rogers)

Disc 5
85. Me Am What Me Am (Cookie Monster)
86. Counting Makes Me Happy (Billie Eilish and The Count)
87. Bert's Blanket (Bert and the sheep)
88. Come Join Us (The Anything Muppets)
89. Drive Your Car (Don Music with Chrissy and the Alphabeats)
90. A Baby's Life (A baby and two other babies)
91. Sad, Sad, Sad (Herry Monster and a girl)
92. All By Myself (Prairie Dawn and the Oinker Sisters)
93. Do Op Hop (Kermit and the cows)
94. Up and Down Opera (Placedo Flamingo and Ernie)
95. Disco Toothbrush (a monster) '
96. Hey Friend (Josh Grobane with Elmo, Rosita, and Abby)
97. Song About Songs (Sia and cast)
98. Elmo's Ducks (Elmo and ducks)
99. Best Friends Blues (Ernie and Snuffy)
100. A Cookie is a Sometimes Food (Hoots and Cookie Monster)
101. Current closing theme (cast)

 

[datman24]

Quite frankly, I don't expect them to do that much for 55th Anniversary, since it's not that special of a number.

 

[minor muppetz]

My idea for a DVD like the one described in this April Fools post:

Disc 1: Moments
The Muppets Sing:

• Rubber Duckie (season 1... though my report did refer to the song as an "often-released segment" which would imply the second season version)
• Elmo's Ducks
• Cookie
• Wonderful Me
• Alone in the Swamp with You
• But I Like You
• Proud of Me
• Count on Me (with Loretta Lynn)
• Girls of the World
• I Wonder About the World Above Up There

All-Star Muppets:

• Ernie breaks the cookie jar
• Kermit and Grover - earmuff salesman
• I Can Sing High (Herry and Louisey)
• Big Bird - horseback riding
• The Count and Cookie Monster co-operate
• Kal Penn - O is for opposite
• Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby play checkers
• Kermit - necks
• Snuffy takes off
• Grover and Katie - hugging/scratching tummy
• Itzhak Perlman - Grouch Symphony
• Bert and Ernie - Ernie catches fish
• Super Grover: Crossing the street
• Sneak Peek Previews: Thumbs up/down (with Siskel and Ebert)
• Drawing with Baby Bear
• Grover - near and far (season 7)
• Prairie Dawn pageant - Food We Eat
• Sing the Sesame Street Alphabet

An All-Star Cast:

• Luis - Agua
• Gordon and Susan - 5 to 8
• Bob - A Boy from Indiana
• Speedy Maria subtracts chairs
• Write It Down (rap song)
• Bob and Kermit - frogs
• Gordon and Olivia - I'm a Big Girl Now
• Savion rhymes and taps
• David's Street Fever
• Gordon visits a day care
• Can't Say the Alphabet Enough
• Gordon accuses Oscar of lying (episode 2183)
• The Word is No

Animation:

• Jazz #5
• Number destruction 1-20
• Eleven Cheer
• Typewriter: L-lion
• Teeny Little Super Guy: Spoon
• Suzie Kabloozie in space
• Alphabet with construction workers and little piano player
• Arnold rides a chair
• The IT - how a vacuum works
• Billy Jo Jive - Wrong-Way Willy
• Candy Man
• Letter U visits P
• Three neon balls
• Willie Wimple - chops a tree
• I - Ice Cream
• Sometimes a Cookie
• Subtracting gum
• EN words (HEN/PEN/TEN/MEN)

Secondary Muppets:

• Imagine That (episode 2043)
• Mystery Guest
• Ernie and the ME Salesman
• Waiter Grover - big burger
• We Coulda
• Prairie Dawn invites monsters
• Gonna Rock You to Sleep
• Roosevelt Franklin - great people
• Simon Soundman buys a saw
• Grover the baker (customer #39 ending)
• Twiddlebugs: Rain
• Forgetful Jones - mirror
• Two Owls and One Pink Flamingo Blues (2466)
• Yip Yip Family Song
• Two-Headed Monster: HONK

Films:

• Beginnings
• There Once Was a Hand
• Drink of Water
• Fay Ray - animal costumes
• Everybody Eats (original)
• Froggy Kicking
• I Like Alaska
• Blind kids in school
• I'm an Aaardvark (original)
• Beautiful Baby (remake)
• Seven interrogation

More of the Cast: (human cast in roles)

• Bob looks for Kermit the Hermit
• Gordon rain talk
• Maria/Chaplin - Top and Botton Drawers
• Triangle Bob Triangle Pants
• Kermit the Smart Person - fear
• Sing Your Synonyms
• Signs for the Hearing: Wind (Linda/David)

Sesame Spoofs:

• Monsterpiece Theater: Inside/Outside Story
• Kids Just Love to Brush
• Counting Makes You Happy (with Billie Eilish)
• Twenty Something
• REM - Furry Happy Monsters
• The Add 'Ems Family
• Mysterious Theater: Dial M for Mother
• Spaceship Surprise: Planet SH
• Birdwalk Empire
• Orange is the New Snack
• Miami Mice - Kermit
• Barn in the USA

Muppet Oddities(one-shots and the most obscure Muppets):

• Come Join Us
• Five People in My Family
• Kermit News: Hoppity Hop
• Five good men and Bad Bart
• The Leslie Mostly Show: Guy Smiley
• The King Who Only Ate Chicken
• Daddy Helps with the Dishes
• Party Line with Leo the Party Monster
• Octopus Blues
• First Grade

A Final Round of Songs:

• Sing (218)
• The Opposite Song
• Carly Simon - Be with Me
• Lena Horne - Bein' Green
• Maggie Rogers - It's Nighttime
• James Taylor - Up on the Roof
• Sia - Song About Songs
• Don't Throw That Trash on the Ground
• B is for Bubble (original)
• Pinball Number Count #12
• Celine Dion - Happy to Meet You
• When You're Smiling (episode 26)
• Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates - How Deep is the Ocean?
• I'm Not an Elephant (episode 3007)
• Surprise (cast)
• I Wonder, What If, Let's Try!

Bonus Features:
From the Vault:

• Sorta-rare segments: Grover near and far (season 1), Up and Down (season 1), Oscar's insulting alphabet (126), Nobody with Snuffleupagus, Cracks, Beautiful Baby (original), Elmo learns the H sound (1439).
• Grover the baker with original ending.
• Unaired Starship Surprise segment.
• Unaired in the USA segments - Carrot Time, Cookie Monster Away From, and That Makes Three.
• Sesame Place segments
• This Way to Sesame Street

Disc 2: Short-Form Series:

Elmo's World (original):

• Balls
• Friendship

Elmo's World (reboot)

• Alphabet
• Measuring
• Spiders

Cookie's Crumby Pictures:

• Star S'mores
• Jurassic Cookie

Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures:

• Cavemen
• Wizards

Abby's Flying Fairy School:

• Pinocchio Challenge
• Troll field trip

Murray Has a Little Lamb:

• Soccer School
• School of Natural History

Super Grover 2.0:

• Pretty Good Wall of China

Elmo the Musical:

• Pizza the Musical

Smart Cookies:

• Don't Rain on My Cookie

Big Bird's Road Trip:

• Washington, DC
• California

Abby's Amazing Adventures:

• Actors and Directors

Elmo and Tango's Mysterious Mysteries:

• Mystery Present

Bonus Features:
From the Web:

• '80s Mash-Up
• Sharing Things multi-parter
• The Pizza Problem

Disc 3: Street Stories

• Cleaning up trash (episode 118)
• The Number Four Show (734)
• Big Bird is jealous of Cody (1037)
• A movie is filmed at Hooper's Store (1262)
• C-3PO and R2D2 meet Big Bird (1364)
• Gordon waits for Snuffy (2042)
• Zoe's pet rock Rocco (3809)
• Cookie's World (4111)
• The Four Sneezons (4734)
• Disappoint-O-Meter (5022)

Video Scrapbook:

• Four scenes from New Mexico
• Four scenes from Hawaii
• Four scenes of Miles' adoption
• Four scenes of Maria and Luis' engagement/wedding
• Four scenes concerning Gabbi's birth
• Four scenes from Slimey's moon adventure
• Four scenes from the hurricane

Bonus Features:

• Option to watch Disappoint-O-Meter with Caroll Spinney's vocals
• From the vault: two found lost street stories (episodes 291 and 401)
• From the vault: Snuffy's parents get a divorce