Sesame Street, Special facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sesame Street, Special |
|
|---|---|
| Written by | Norman Stiles |
| Directed by | Jon Stone |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Dulcy Singer |
| Running time | 47 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Children's Television Workshop |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS |
| Original release | March 5, 1988 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake |
Sesame Street, Special was a fun television show based on the popular children's series, Sesame Street. It first aired on PBS stations in March 1988. This special was created to help raise money for PBS, which is a public television network.
Later, in 1994, the special was released on VHS home video. For this release, its name was changed to Put Down the Duckie, and a part where they asked for donations was removed.
Contents
About the Special
This special episode of Sesame Street was a lively event featuring many beloved characters and famous guests. It explored what makes Sesame Street such a special place for everyone.
What Happened in the Story?
The show began with Gladys Knight & the Pips singing the famous Sesame Street theme song. The host, Phil Donahue, suggested that Sesame Street is a place where everyone gets along perfectly. However, some characters had different ideas!
Oscar the Grouch and his grouchy friends disagreed, saying there wasn't enough trash or arguing, and too much cooperation. Maria thought the street had just the right mix of everything. Count von Count felt it wasn't perfect because there wasn't enough counting! Ernie even let his Rubber Duckie "speak" (squeak!) to share its thoughts. Other characters like a Dinger, a duck, and a Honker also wanted to share their feelings. Linda used sign language to show that everyone on Sesame Street truly loves kids. After some friendly disagreements, Phil Donahue, the Count, and the grouches left to explore. A funny sketch called "The 39 Stairs" from a past episode was shown again.
Fun Songs and Famous Friends
Oscar wasn't happy when Bob started to sing "The People in Your Neighborhood." But Bob was joined by some amazing guests: tennis star Martina Navratilova, famous reporter Barbara Walters, and consumer helper Ralph Nader. Even Oscar admitted he liked the song after it finished!
Later, Ernie told Hoots the Owl that whenever he tried to play his saxophone, his Rubber Duckie would squeak instead. This led to a super fun song called "Put Down the Duckie," where many celebrities joined in to sing along.
Supporting Public TV
Kermit the Frog, acting as a reporter, tried to find out why Oscar liked public television. Oscar, being a grouch, said he didn't like it and preferred the opposite of everything Kermit mentioned. Kermit then introduced a "pledge break," which is a short time when public television asks viewers to donate money to help keep the shows going. Oscar surprisingly found this interesting and even taped it to watch later!
After this, three more classic sketches from previous episodes were repeated: "Oh, How I Miss My X," "Grover the Singing and Dancing Waiter," and "Sing Your Synonyms." There was also a funny "Sesame Street Special Report" hosted by Robert MacNeil. This report discussed the "cookiegate affair," a silly story where Cookie Monster was accused of eating Susan and Gordon's cookies, with Kermit acting as Cookie Monster's lawyer!
The special also featured a performance by James Taylor singing "Jellyman Kelly" with some kids, which was a repeat from an earlier episode. In a segment called "Pretty Great Performances," Placido Flamingo and the Sesame Street All-Animal Orchestra sang "Italian Street Song," led by the conductor Seiji Ozawa. The show ended with even more celebrities singing "Put Down the Duckie" during the credits. In a final funny moment, Hoots the Owl asked Ernie for help because every time Hoots tried to squeak his Rubber Duckie, his saxophone would play too. Ernie wisely told Hoots, "you gotta put down the saxophone if you wanna squeak your duckie!"
Who Was in the Show?
Many talented people and puppets brought this special to life!
Human Friends
- Alison Bartlett as Gina
- Linda Bove as Linda
- Northern Calloway as David
- Emilio Delgado as Luis
- Loretta Long as Susan
- Kermit Love as Willy
- Sonia Manzano as Maria
- Bill McCutcheon as Uncle Wally
- Bob McGrath as Bob
- Chet O'Brien as Mr. Macintosh
- Roscoe Orman as Gordon
Muppet Performers
These are the amazing people who bring the Muppet characters to life!
- Caroll Spinney as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and Bruno the Trashman
- Frank Oz as Bert, Cookie Monster and Grover
- Jerry Nelson as Count von Count, Mr. Johnson and Announcer
- Richard Hunt as Placido Flamingo, and other Muppets
- Martin P. Robinson as Telly, Snuffy, Manolo, and other Muppets
- Kevin Clash as Elmo and Hoots the Owl
- Pam Arciero as Grundgetta, and other Muppets
- Camille Bonora as Female Drummer, and other Muppets
- David Rudman as Male Drummer, and other Muppets
- Noel MacNeal as other Muppets (uncredited)
- Fred Garbo Garver as Barkley, and other Muppets
- Bryant Young as other Muppets
- Jim Henson as Ernie and Kermit the Frog
Special Guest Stars
Many famous people joined the Sesame Street friends for this special!
- Carl Banks
- John Candy
- Celia Cruz
- Jane Curtin
- Danny DeVito
- Phil Donahue
- Keith Hernandez
- Mark Ingram II
- Jeremy Irons
- Gordon Jackson
- Madeline Kahn
- Gladys Knight
- Patti LaBelle (from older recordings)
- Ladysmith Black Mambazo
- Sean Landeta
- Robert MacNeil
- Wynton Marsalis
- Jean Marsh
- Andrea Martin
- Ralph Nader (a person who helps protect consumers)
- Martina Navratilova
- Karl Nelson
- Seiji Ozawa
- Itzhak Perlman
- Rhea Perlman
- Paul Reubens
- Pete Seeger
- Paul Simon
- James Taylor (from older recordings)
- Barbara Walters
- Joe Williams
- Mookie Wilson
