| Elmo's World | |
| Written by | Cathi Rosenberg-Turow |
| Book | Opposites! |
| Video | Elmo's World: Opposites |
| First Appearance Episode 4041 | |
| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Guess what Elmo's thinking about today? | Elmo has a hard time trying to open and close his unruly door, which demonstrates the opposites by itself. A montage follows of various other examples of opening and closing. |
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Dorothy's Question | Elmo notes that Dorothy's mouth opens and closes quite a bit as she breathes. She has a closed backpack figurine in her bowl and wants to know how you open a real one. |
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The Noodle Family | Mr. Noodle demonstrates open and close with a big yawn before answering Dorothy's question. He struggles to get the pack off his back before figuring out how to open the top flap. When he does, toy snakes spring out of the pack and into Mr. Noodle's face! |
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Kids and Baby | A couple of kids show Dorothy how they open a bookbag using a zipper and a buckle. Elmo tries asking a baby, but they are more interested in chewing on the pack than opening it. |
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Elmo's Question | Elmo sees the pack in Dorothy's fishbowl has somehow become opened before counting the three cartoon hamsters it takes to open a door, though it only takes one Elmo to close it. |
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Video E-Mail | Super Grover attempts to illustrate "open" when his helmet's visor closes over his eyes. He struggles with opening it again until Herry comes along and easily lifts it with one finger. |
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Quiz | Elmo wants to know what else opens and closes. Birthday cakes don't, but you can open and close your mouth when you eat a birthday cake. Crayons don't, but a crayon box does. A trash can can open and close, but Oscar prefers it closed. |
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Film | Elmo's friend Tyler opens and closes many jars, markers, scissors, and other objects when he makes a picture of a bird in school; Elmo later reveals that Tyler gave him the finished product. |
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TV Cartoon | On the Open and Close Channel, the Tulip Lady presents a study of how tulips open and close based on the appearance of the sun. Coming up next: Closed Encounters of the Third Kind starring Glenn Closed. |
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Interview | Elmo talks to a book (who opens and closes himself) that reveals a pop-up image of a construction vehicle called a crane with jaws that open and close. |
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Tickle Me Land | Dorothy imagines Elmo as a construction worker using a crane's jaws to attempt to pick up a teddy bear, then as himself opening an Elmo-faced jack-in-the-box. |
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The Open and Close Song | Elmo and Book sing "The Open and Close Song." |
Notes[]
- This was Jerry Nelson's last performance as Herry in a prominent role.
- A shot of a yawning alligator from the remake of "Everybody Sleeps" is used as part of the opening montage.
- John Williams' famous two-note motif from Jaws is referenced in the underscore for the first scene Dorothy imagines, connecting to the use of the jaws of the vehicle.
Gallery[]
construction worker Elmo being assembled in the Muppet Workshop
Elmo as a jack-in-the-box being built