Sketches and Songs on Sesame Street videos

[minor muppetz]

(That would be Slimey. I assume at least one of the elephants would be Fluffy. I can't remember if Oscar ever referred to any other elephant by name.)

In Learning About Letters, Telly refers to the elephants as Fluffy, Sophie, Souphenhaur, and Blitzen (though that's four and not two).

I've seen that video and Sesame Street Home Video Visits The Hospital. The Hospital is better than The Firehouse. Theres not really anyhting dated in Sesame Street Home Video Visits the Firehouse. I wish that more characters were involved.

 

[minor muppetz]

SS visits the hospital

Here is my review for Sesame Street Home Video Visits The Hospital, from 1990.

Big Bird is sick one day, so Maria takes him to the hospital. Big Bird isscared to go to the hospital (He acts like he hadn't been to a hospital before; He was at a hospital a year earlier when Gabbi was born). The doctor checks up on Big Bird. A group of anything muppet nurses sing an original song, You've Got To Be Patient To Be A Patient. Big Bird has to stay at the hospital for a few days. Maria stays with Big Bird on the first night, but Big Bird is mad at Maria for taking him there (when she tells him to think about what he will do when he get's out, Big Bird says that he will visit Snuffy, play with Elmo, and "Get a new friend. Someone who isn't maria.") Big Bird feels a little bit better about being in the hospital, but then he get's visited by Susan, Mr. macintosh, Mike, Cookie Monster, and Oscar. Later that night, Big Bird is alone because maria had to take care of Gabbi, but Hoots The Owl comes to visit. Big Bird eventually becomes well enough to play in a special play room. Some of the kids (both human and muppet) in the play room sing a song, We're Busy Getting Better All The Time. Eventually, Big Bird is well again, but he had so much fun that Maria has trouble getting him to leave. When he comes home, Elmo asks Big Bird what it was like at the hospital, and then Big Bird, Elmo, and Snuffy all play hospital, with Snuffy using his snuffle as an x-ray machine, Elmo as the patient, and Big Bird as the doctor.

This was a really good special. It featured some humans who arent on the show anymore (Mike and Mr. Macintosh), and it also featured more muppets then Sesame Street Home Video Visits The Hospital.

 

[minor muppetz]

Here is a review of Learning To Add And Subtract.

release year: 1987.

plot: Big Bird is behind a crate at the arbor area, with some crackers (note: they could be cookies, I don't remember for sure) and says that he needs to learn how to add and has a good reason. When he can't figure out how to add, he asks maria for soem help, explaining that he needs to learn how to add "just in time". Maria asks "in time for what?" but Big Bird doesn't hear her and just asks how to add. She teahces him. After adding crackers, she has Big Bird add spoons. At first Big Bird thinks it is too soon to learn to add spoons because he just learned how to add crackers, but maria says that adding spoons is the same as adding crackers. They also add crayons (and yes, Big Bird does panic again and maria once again explaisn that adding crayons is no different from adding crackers or spoons). Maria leaves when Big Bird has figured out how to add, but then he remembers that he has to learn how to subtract "just in time" as well and Maria teaches him how to subtract. After Big Bird has learned how to both add and subtract, he says that he has learned "just in time". Maria asks "just in time for what?" and Big Bird finally answers. he explained that he promised Elmo that he would teach Elmo how to add. Maria leaves as Elmo arrives (coming up from behind the crate) and Big Bird shows Elmo how to add. Elmo doesn't understand at first, but Big Bird says that it takes awhile to learn how to add and subtract, and says that there once was a time whenhe didn't even know how to add or subtract.

segments: (might be incomplete, but the list of muppet segments is complete)
Ernie and Bert teach Shala how to add using fingers
cartoon: a cowboy adds groups of cows
cartoon: a mother counts birds that hatch from eggs
Born To Add (with Bruce Stringbean)
cartoon: gum ball machine
Ernie tries to take a picture of a stack of cupcakes (while Cookie Monster keeps taking cupcakes)
cartoon: King Minus
cartoon: five bears in a bed
They Can't Take That Away From Me (with Cookie Monster, Guy Smiley, and two anything muppet kids)

nitpicks:
*although The Count appeared on the original video cover (does he appear on the current/ upcoming DVD cover?), The Count does not appear at all in this video.
*It seems like the viewers were not supposed to know untill the end that Big Bird was supposed to teach Elmo how to add and subtract, but the video description on the back cover mentions that Big Bird promised to teach Elmo to add and subtract.
*some segments that I would have included: The Addition Game, One And One Make Two, Adding, and Kermits Subtraction Lecture.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

You think they might have included The Count on the "Learning How to Add and Subtract" video. I mean, it certainly helps to know how to count before you try to add and subtract. And The Count could have certainly helped with that. I've got that video and The Count does show up on the original video cover. I'm not sure if there have been any newer releases for this video.

And Sesame Street visits the Hospital sounds like a good one to see, if I ever come across it. No classic songs or skits, but at least there's a good mix of characters, including ones that aren't there anymore, like Mike! Wow! I remember him! But I guess his time on Sesame Street was short-lived. But I seem to remember him and Gina being a pretty good pair. Maybe they hooked up after David moved away to his grandmother's farm.

 

[minor muppetz]

I'm not sure if there have been any newer releases for this video.

As I mentioned in my review, I have read that this one os coming to DVD soon. I can't remember if it is coming in october or november.

 

[MuppetDude]

Anybody know what's on "Big Bird's Favorite Party Games"?

 

[minor muppetz]

Anybody know what's on "Big Bird's Favorite Party Games"?

It's been a long time since I've seen this, so I can't remember too many details about the plot other than it involving Big Bird and the humans playing games at the arbor area (I think they used sign language to sing In A Cabin In The Woods). But I do remember that it had the following skits:

The Remembering Game (with Guy Smiley, Cookie Monster, and Mr. Bill Smith)
Follow The Arrows (with Ernie and Bert)
Oscar Says (with Oscar and Telly) (note: I;ve never actually seen this skit outside of this video, but I am assuming that this was done on the show and not just in this video)
My Furry Little Shadow (with Grover)

That's it. A rather small number of segments. The first three are shown in a row, with no linking footage shown between them, and early on, then we have a long wait before the last segment is shown. There are several segments that should have been included, like more of Guy Smileys game shows, Somebody Come and Play, the skit where Ernie throws a surprise party for Bert, Kermit's 'what happens next?' machine, and the skit where Kermit counts tweedlebugs.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

I saw "Big Bird's Favorite Party Games" a while ago and I think you've mostly got it. When I get a chance, I'll try to borrow it from the library again and double check on the skits, if you like.

 

[minor muppetz]

Do The Alphabet

Here is my review for Do The Alphabet.

year: 1996

plot: This video begins with Baby Bear looking for Big Bird. After a few near misses, Baby Bear finds Big Bird, and tells him that he needs to learn the alphabet as soon as possible. He explains that he can't go very far in the alphabet, and whenever he gets stuck trying to figure out the next letter, Goldilocks appears and completes the alphabet for him, unintentionally embarrassing him. Big Bird, Zoe, Betty lou, and several kids decide to help him. They sing a song, which I think is called Do The Alphabet. Big Bird has baby bear look at a video screen whenever he struggles to figure out the next letter. At one point, Big Bird decides to have baby bear imagine that he is Billy Joel. Baby Bear later recites the alphabet, and after forgetting the next letter, Big Bird says "piggies", which baby bear mistakenly thinks is a letter (when it is actually a cue for the Boogie Woogie Piggies). Big Bird eventually tells Baby Bear that he can form an alphabet support group, which Big Bird is the leader of. At the meeting, Baby Bear sings an original song, Alphabet Blues. Big Bird soon let's each member take a rest. Baby Bear has a dream (actually the Alphabet Jungle song) and when he wakes up, he describes his dream by going backwards, and Big Bird realizes that he just said the alphabet backwards. Baby Bear figures that if he can say th alphabet backwards, maybe he can say it forwards, too. He goes to find Goldilocks and say the whole alphabet to her. Goldilocks thinks that she helps him whenever she finishes the alphabet for him, but baby Bear explaisn that interrupting him by completing the alphabet is not helping. Baby Bear then succeeds in saying the alphabet.

segments:
Dee Dee Dee (with ernie and Cookie Monster)
J Friends (with The Anything Muppets)
The Alphabet Song (with Billy Joel)
Boogie Woogie Piggies (with the boogie woogie piggies and other barnyard animals)
T dance (with Celina, Elmo, and the kids)
Alphabet Jungle (animated song)

I can't thik of any nitpicks regarding this video. Even though it only has a small number of old skits, this is still a decent video. One of the best from the 1990s.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Another good thing about "Do the Alphabet" is that it's about the only one I can think of that Betty Lou actually shows up in! New material even!