Unearthing previously "lost" Sesame Street episodes

[hooperfan]

Linda's first appearance: https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_0326

Buffy's first appearance: https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_0802

Actually Linda first appeared during season 2. But this is most likely her second appearance

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

Actually Linda first appeared during season 2. But this is most likely her second appearance

Episode 0243 was her first appearance, but it's not a complete guide at all.

Episode 0243

muppet.fandom.com

 

[scarecroe]

Episode 0243 was her first appearance, but it's not a complete guide at all.

Episode 0243

muppet.fandom.com

We'll have a tabled guide for that one soon, but we're not likely to have screenshots from it for awhile.

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

We'll have a tabled guide for that one soon, but we're not likely to have screenshots from it for awhile.

Thank you, and I'm looking forward to the tabled guide.

 

[scarecroe]

Episode 0524 isn't the first appearance of Oscar's mud man, but it's the first time I've seen him in Muppet form. The episode also has a taped version of "The Sound of the Letter A" which you all know from The Muppet Alphabet Album. It's also got a scene with Oscar and Big Bird on screen together. Finally (my personal favorite), Mr. Hooper and Susan as astronauts.

Episode 0524

muppet.fandom.com

 

[minor muppetz]

I have a bit of things to say now....

It's great to finally see an image for The Mudman in Muppet form. He actually looks less like Biff to me than he does in illustrated form. And it's great to have a performer known for him (I figured it was probably Jerry Nelson).

And great to have an image for a broadcast version of The Sound of the Letter A. While currently I can only look at the image, for years it had been one of my most-wanted clips to see (back in 2014 I wrote a Muppet Mindset article on the top four Sesame Street clips I most wanted to see, including that one... and now the only one that the wiki doesn't have an image for, last I checked, is Snuffy singing "Nobody"). The wiki notes it being sung by Big Bird in three different episodes. Do the scripts note if they're all the same clip or if they're different tapings of Big Bird singing the same song?

Thinking some more about how much episode 1259 changed from script to air, I wonder if maybe they thought the idea of Caroll Spinney performing Bruno and Oscar at once was too gimmicky to be the focus of an episode. Or if maybe they thought it'd be too much work for Spinney to be inside Bruno with Oscar for a whole episodes plot (but then would it be any different/harder to perform Big Bird for a whole episode?).

Actually Linda first appeared during season 2. But this is most likely her second appearance

I forgot about that until after I was away from my computer. But at the very least it's a proper introduction for her.

 

[minor muppetz]

I've noticed that Buffy's debut ends with her leaving for New Mexico and Maria doubting they'll get to visit and meet her, and then episode 1045 has Buffy moving to Hawaii and ending with Maria saying she doubts they'll go to Hawaii in a million years. And both happen shortly before the trips. They probably planned such episodes and these were likely meant as foreshadowing, but it is still interesting. And interesting that in both cases, Maria is the one who doubts the opportunities will come up.

 

[Oscarfan]

I've noticed that Buffy's debut ends with her leaving for New Mexico and Maria doubting they'll get to visit and meet her, and then episode 1045 has Buffy moving to Hawaii and ending with Maria saying she doubts they'll go to Hawaii in a million years. And both happen shortly before the trips. They probably planned such episodes and these were likely meant as foreshadowing, but it is still interesting. And interesting that in both cases, Maria is the one who doubts the opportunities will come up.

Technically, the New Mexico ones were the same season as Buffy's debut, so it was just a nice bit of foreshadowing. #1045 was the season before the Hawaii saga, so it may also have been foreshadowing, but it would be a few months before they probably decided to actually do it.

 

[Blue Frackle]

Episode 0524 isn't the first appearance of Oscar's mud man, but it's the first time I've seen him in Muppet form. The episode also has a taped version of "The Sound of the Letter A" which you all know from The Muppet Alphabet Album. It's also got a scene with Oscar and Big Bird on screen together. Finally (my personal favorite), Mr. Hooper and Susan as astronauts.

Episode 0524

muppet.fandom.com

I would love to see the scenes of Big Bird and Oscar interacting; I was just thinking the other day how rare that is, yet I've never really thought about it.

 

[cjd874]

I would love to see the scenes of Big Bird and Oscar interacting; I was just thinking the other day how rare that is, yet I've never really thought about it.

I remember reading somewhere that back in the 1970s, Caroll Spinney would prerecord the dialogue and then suit up as Big Bird. Another Muppeteer (usually Jerry Nelson or Richard Hunt, and then later Jim Martin) would perform Oscar to the vocal track. I think Noel MacNeal and Matt Vogel also spent time performing Oscar too. Within the past five or so years, Caroll has done only the voices for both Muppets while Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson have done the puppetry.