List of Sesame Street recurring segments

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

Current segments[]

Elmo & Tango's Mysterious Mysteries[]

First aired in Season 52, this animated segment shows Elmo and his new puppy Tango solving mysteries around Sesame Street. Season 1 premiered November 11, 2021.

Elmo's World[]

Smart Cookies[]

Aired in season 46. The segments star Cookie Monster as the rookie agent of a team of crime-fighting cookies called "Smart Cookies." His teammates include leader Chipowski, tech-guy Figby and clue-diviner Miss Fortune. In each episode, Cookie Monster learns about self-control and regulation as the team thwarts the dastardly attacks of a villainous baker known simply as "The Crumb." 11 segments were aired from January 16, 2016 to March 18, 2017.

Cookie's Crumby Pictures[]

Aired in season 44. A new segment about Cookie Monster in movie preview parodies. 15 segments aired over 2 seasons from September 16, 2013 to June 8, 2015. Season 1 was aired from September 16, 2013 to January 9, 2014. Season 2 was aired from September 18, 2014 to June 8, 2015.

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. It was used through season 45. This segment consisted of 8 seasons that aired from August 13, 2007 to June 8, 2015.

Letter of the Day[]

The "Letter of the Day", or "Cookie's Letter Time", is a segment introduced in 2002. Cookie Monster hosted the segment with cameo appearances by guests for the first two years. The original segments involved a letter written in icing on a cookie, which Cookie Monster tried to stop himself from eating, but invariably ate it anyway. In 2004, Prairie Dawn joined "Letter of the Day;" these segments involved a foam letter, which Prairie Dawn kept trying to stop Cookie Monster from eating, but Cookie Monster ate 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. A brief clip of this was seen in Sesame Street's 2002-2006 opening sequence.

Starting with season 45, Elmo takes the lead of this hip-hop song (along with Big Bird, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Rosita and Murray Monster), encouraging viewers to clap as they introduce the letter of the day.

A new version of the song was recorded for Season 50, notably featuring a same lead vocal by Elmo and with Zoe and replacing Murray Monster in the character lineup.

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. If the number of the day was zero, the organ disappeared in a puff of smoke. 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!" Also in 2005 and 2006, the number of the day was found by using a jack-in-the-box, and starting in season 40 Murray Monster hosts both the Letter and the Number of the Day segments. A brief clip of this was seen in Sesame Street's 2002-2006 opening sequence.

Abby's Flying Fairy School[]

These CGI segments feature fairy-in-training Abby Cadabby. Abby goes to Fairy School, learning from Mrs. Sparklenose. Her class features all new characters: classmates Blögg and Gonnigan, fairies, trolls, 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 over four seasons. Scott Stewart's SpeakEasyFX produced. Season 1 aired 10 shorts from November 10, 2009 to January 21, 2010. Season 2 aired 3 shorts from September 27, 2010 to September 29, 2010. Season 3 aired 8 shorts from September 26, 2011 to December 30, 2011. Season 4 aired 5 shorts from September 24, 2012 to November 6, 2012.

Super Grover 2.0[]

This title is an upgraded version of Super Grover, a superheroic Muppet who saves the world helping the others. One of the segments has a talking Chicken in the Great Wall of China. 18 episodes were aired over four seasons. Season 1 had 6 episodes from September 27, 2010 to December 14, 2010. Season 2 had 6 episodes from September 26, 2011 to December 30, 2011. Season 3 had 2 episodes from February 4, 2013 to April 4, 2013. Season 4 had 4 episodes from September 15, 2014 to February 19, 2015.

Cookie Monster's Foodie Truck[]

The segments star Cookie Monster and Gonger (from The Furchester Hotel), working in their own food truck and fielding orders from live children via video message. To complete their recipe, the monsters drive the truck to a specific location and learn about where certain foods originally come from. The segment premiered on HBO on November 18, 2017 and has aired 44 episodes so far. Season 1 was aired from November 18, 2017 to May 26, 2018. Season 2 was aired from December 1, 2018 to June 29, 2019. Season 4 was aired from February 25, 2021 to July 8, 2021. Season 5 is ongoing and first aired November 18, 2021.

Abby's Amazing Adventures[]

The series stars Abby Cadabby and her stepbrother Rudy in animated form. The segment premiered on HBO on November 17, 2018 and has aired 13 episodes so far. Season 1 was aired from November 17, 2018 to July 13, 2019. Season 2 was aired from November 23, 2019 to June 27, 2020. Season 3 was premiered on HBO Max and has aired on November 12, 2020 to present.

Big Bird's Road Trip[]

In the series, Big Bird interviews a child from cities across the United States of America (as well as the occasional international locale). The interviews are presented as video chats back home to Elmo on Sesame Street. Following Big Bird's arrival in California, the segment's format changed to having pre-recorded interviews with children as Big Bird and Elmo watch them back on Sesame Street. This segment aired from November 23, 2019 to July 11, 2020.

Other[]

Great Moments at the Sink[]

This is a sketch that began in 1996 in which children perform healthy acts (e.g. brushing your teeth, washing your hands, washing your face) near a sink.

The Adventures of Trash Gordon[]

At the end of some episodes from 2004–2007, Oscar the Grouch reads Slimey the Worm a chapter of Trash Gordon, a book with over 900 chapters, before going to sleep. It is 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 were. 41 episodes were aired over three seasons. Season 1 aired 19 episodes from April 6, 2004 to May 7, 2004. Season 2 aired 11 episodes from April 4, 2005 to December 30, 2005. Season 3 aired 11 episodes from August 14, 2006 to November 7, 2006.

Hero Guy[]

Hero Guy was a sketch from 2001–2002. 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. A brief clip of this was seen in Sesame Street's 2002 opening sequence.

Spanish Word of the Day[]

The "Spanish Word of the Day" aired in 2002 and remained until 2006. In the segments, a character teaches a Spanish word and its English translation. Usually, the segment features Grover, Rosita, Maria or Gabi. A brief clip of this was seen in Sesame Street's 2002 opening sequence.

Journey to Ernie[]

"Journey to Ernie" is a game of hide-and-seek. Big Bird 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, Bert decides to hide instead of Ernie or Big Bird hides and Ernie seeks. At the end, when Big Bird finally discovers Ernie, they sing, and the game 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.

Despite this segment being very popular among the younger viewers, it appeared less frequently in Season 36 and was dropped from the show in Season 37 because the writers and producers felt that it was not 'Sesame' enough, that the look and feel of the animation was too similar to other shows on the television schedule and it did not mesh with the whole show.^[1]

Monster Clubhouse[]

Monster Clubhouse is a recurring Sesame Street segment featuring energetic young monster friends Mooba, Mel, Narf, and Groogle. For season 33, Mooba was renamed Googel and Groogle was renamed Phoebe. In season 33, the segments were shortened considerably, and the monsters would only do three or four of the activities. They are snack time, furry feeling/shape/animal sound of the day, dance time, nap time, mail time, and getting chased by an elephant. Despite being shown in only two episodes in Season 34 and dropped from the show in Season 35, Monster Clubhouse still appeared in Sesame Street's 2002-2006 intro.

According to Sesame Street: A Celebration - 40 Years of Life on the Street the segment was discontinued because, "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 Groogle literally bounced off the walls, so we discontinued it after two seasons."

Dinner Theatre[]

Dinner Theatre is a food-themed successor to Monsterpiece Theater, introduced in 2006. The segment remained on the show up until the 2010s. The series parodies plays and films to stress the importance of mealtime and healthy eating habits.

Murray Has a Little Lamb[]

In this segment, Murray and his lamb friend Ovejita visit different kinds of schools to learn what they do at the school and speak with teachers and students. A song will play before the segment, allowing Murray to wait for his lamb. The lamb will give clues in Spanish; examples include soccer, music, baseball and gymnastics. The title is a play on words of the Mother Goose nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Monsters in Day Care[]

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

Worms in Space[]

Worms in Space first aired in 1997, in which Slimey and his fellow WASA astronauts form letters or numbers aboard the Wiggleprise.

Super Morphin Mega Monsters[]

Super Morphin Mega Monsters was a recurring segment in the 1990s written as a parody of Power Rangers. The characters Elmo-saurus, Zoe-ceratops, Telly-dactyl, and Rosita-raptor would "morph" into caped and helmeted outfits when trouble arose. In contrast to the fight scenes on the real Power Rangers, the Mega Monsters would run around and wave their arms in vaguely martial arts-style motions, but would only reason with others instead of attacking.

Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures[]

Hosted by Bert and Ernie in clay animation where they go on various adventures.

Ernie's Show and Tell[]

Hosted by Ernie where he has kids show him items.

Cecile[]

These stop-motion musical segments feature a female orange clay ball with a Jamaican accent who sings about the segment's theme, from brushing teeth in western style to about herself.

Murray's Science Experiments[]

Hosted by Murray where he performs experiments to help kids learn all about science.

Global Grover[]

Hosted by Grover by going around the world. He would tell the viewers where he went, followed by a film segment regarding that place. A brief clip from Global Grover appears in the 2003-2006 intro.

Global Grover was also made into a separate 5-minute, 30-episode series in the fall of 2005. It premiered on Playhouse Disney in Asia in 2006.

Elmo: The Musical[]

A segment where Elmo goes on a different musical adventure with help from Velvet. Ended in 2017 to be replaced by a reboot of Elmo's World in season 47.

Monsterpiece Theatre[]

Mysterious Theatre[]

Mysterious Theatre was a recurring segment that was introduced in Season 20 (1988-1989) as a parody of Masterpiece Mystery. It is hosted by Vincent Twice Vincent Twice (a parody of Vincent Price). He introduces an episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Hemlock: The World's Greatest Detective, where Sherlock Hemlock and his dog Watson solve crimes and mysteries.

Sesame Street News Flash[]

Postcards from Big Bird[]

Hosted by Big Bird who goes to different places from around the world, starting in the late 90s.

Spaceship Surprise[]

Spaceship Surprise was a recurring segment that was introduced in Season 20 (1988-1989) as a parody of Star Trek. It features the captain and his friend going to strange planets (such as CH, TR, and SH). There was also the one based on Star Trek: The Next Generation, where the new crew went to the planet H.

Global Thingy[]

Animated segment about various creatures and their everyday situations, produced by Cartoon Pizza. The main character, Global Thingy, is a large globe who helps the creatures with their situations.

Here is Your Life[]

Here is Your Life was a recurring segment that was a parody of This is Your Life. It was hosted by Guy Smiley (and later Sonny Friendly). It shows an object about their life.

Big Bird's Art Gallery[]

A segment that appears on Season 32 of Sesame Street where Big Bird, mostly accompanied by some of his friends, go to a museum and look at a famous painting.

Camp Wannagohoma[]

Camp Wannagohoma was a recurring segment where Camp Counselor Grover and the camp kids explored Nature. Anytime Grover gave something the wrong name, the kids would say in unison "NO, IT'S NOT!" and explain what it really was.

Miami Mice[]

Miami Mice was a recurring segment that was introduced in Season 18 (1986-1987) as a parody of Miami Vice. The segment involves J.P. Mouse and Tito Mouse as they solve crimes and mysteries.

Blue Bird[]

Blue Bird was a sketch from Season 20 (1988-1989). In a series of two sketches, Big Bird creates a comic book of Blue Bird for his everyday problems. The first sketch was Maria cannot take Big Bird to the Around the Corner playground because she is busy fixing toasters. The other sketch had Bob missing a pair of socks.

Colambo the Detective Sheep[]

Colambo the Detective Sheep was a recurring segment that features a detective sheep named Inspector Colambo (a parody of Inspector Columbo) on the crimes of Mother Goose and Fairy Tale stories. Segments included The Great Plum Plunder, The Case of the Lost Mittens, The Lost Slipper Caper, and so on...

The American Revolution[]

The American Revolution was a recurring segment on Sesame Street that was introduced in Season 20 (1988-1989). It stars the characters of Sesame Street as people from 1776 when the United States of America was born.

Lifestyles of the Big and Little[]

Lifestyles of the Big and Little was a recurring segment that was introduced in Season 18 (1986-1987) as a parody of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. It is hosted by Dicky Tick (a parody of Robin Leech) as he shows the world about the very very big, and the very very little. Only two skits were made.

What's My Part?[]

What's My Part? was a recurring segment on Sesame Street that was introduced in Season 1 (1969-1970). It was a spoof of What's My Line? and was hosted by Guy Smiley. Only two skits were made: the Nose and the Foot. However, Guy Smiley continued to appear in other recurring game show segments for many future seasons, such as Name That Sound and Beat the Time.

Sneak Peek Previews[]

Sneak Peek Previews was a recurring segment on Sesame Street that was introduced in Season 15 (1983-1984). It was a spoof of At the Movies with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. It is hosted by Telly Monster and Oscar the Grouch. Telly gives the movies the "WOW!"s and Oscar gives the movies the "PHOOEY!"s. In one sketch, Ebert and Siskel appeared and showed Telly and Oscar what thumbs up and thumbs down means (thumbs up means that they like the movie and thumbs down means that they do not like the movie).

References[]