Big Bird Get Ready is a series of three Sesame Street family kits prepared and distributed by CTW (in conjunction with FEMA) between 1987 and 1990, intended to educate children on what to do when the place they live experiences various national disasters. The kits include print materials, games, and specially-made audio recordings.
For Hurricanes (1987)[]
The kit included an informational booklet, a "Hurricane Force" game, and a record with an original song, "The Hurricane Blues."
For Earthquakes (1989)[]
The kit included an instructional booklet, a "Quake" game, and a cassette with an original story, Elmo and the Earthquake (written by Norman Stiles, Luis Santeiro, and Paula-Drew Flemming). The story features Big Bird, Elmo, Susan, and Luis, as well as the original song "Beatin' the Quake" by Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats.
In promotion of the kit, Big Bird and Loretta Long made a special live appearance at a FEMA press conference on Capitol Hill on April 5, 1989.[1]
For Floods (1990)[]
The kit included an informational booklet, a "You're All Wet!" card-matching game, and an approximately 8-minute audio cassette story titled The Great Flood on Sesame Street (written by Norman Stiles and Paula Drew-Felming). The story stars Elmo as he learns about flood safety from Hoots the Owl, with appearances by Big Bird (as the storyteller), Oscar the Grouch, and Willard Scott as the weatherman. The cassette also includes an original song by Hoots, "Get Away from the Water."[2][3]
Sources[]
- ↑ Earthquakes and Earthquake Insurance: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Policy Research and Insurance of the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred First Congress, Second Session, February 7, 1990, Volume 4
- ↑ National Weather Service: Warming Coordination and Hazard Awareness Report, January 1990
- ↑ National Weather Service: Warming Coordination and Hazard Awareness Report, Summer/Fall 1991