| Sesame Street | |||||||
| Big Bird tries to get everyone to stop littering | |||||||
| Air date | December 9, 1971 | ||||||
| Season | Season 3 (1971-1972) | ||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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SCENE 1 | Gordon, Maria, Bob, and some kids are busy cleaning up the litter strewn all over Sesame Street. Big Bird arrives and learns how much of a nuisance litter can be, and Bob offhandedly comments that anyone who can prevent people from littering would be a hero. This inspires Big Bird to take up such a task. |
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Cartoon | C is for clipper... and captain, crew, cargo, cookies, cantaloupe, cabbage, candy, cake, and corks that the crew eats (some by mistake). (First: Episode 0203) |
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SCENE 2 | Big Bird has a loudspeaker set up, with a looping tape-recorded message of himself loudly telling people not to litter. Everyone asks him to shut it off, as it's too noisy to be effective. Undeterred, Big Bird begins thinking of another idea. |
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Cartoon | C - Cake (First: Episode 0153) |
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SCENE 3 | Big Bird now hangs a number of signs reading "Don't Litter" all over the block: on the kids' tricycles, on the tire swing, on every building, in the trees, and even on the back of Mr. Macintosh. The grown-ups agree this is a quiet idea, but don't think it's effective either as it makes just as big of a mess. Big Bird throws a sign on the ground in frustration and wonders what he can do to combat litter. Maria says the best solution is to just pick it up, starting with the sign he just threw down. Everyone starts gathering the signs around as Big Bird proposes the idea of one great, big sign. |
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Cartoon | Speech Balloon: C - Cap (First: Episode 0154) |
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Muppets | Waiter Grover: Grover brings Mr. Johnson a bowl of alphabet soup. Mr. Johnson complains that some of the letters are missing, and makes Grover run back and forth to the kitchen to bring the missing letters. When all the letters are there, Johnson complains that the soup is cold, and makes Grover take it back. (First: Episode 0276) |
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Cast | Part 1: Tom has blocks and Gordon has a truck. How can they play on the same table without getting in each other's way? |
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Film | New Bridge #1 - Panel Drop (First: Episode 0105) |
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Cast | Part 2: Tom and Gordon figure out how to get the truck through the blocks. |
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SCENE 4 | Oscar quietly invites the viewer to join his secret Grouch Club. He teaches them the secret knock, which Gordon overhears and copies by banging on a nearby trunk. Oscar changes the knock, but now Bob picks up on it. Oscar comes up with one more knock, but calls it quits when Maria (oblivious to the whole thing) arrives. |
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Muppets | Ernie & Bert — Ernie brings an umbrella, a flashlight, and Bert's bowling ball to the bathtub, just in case the electricity goes out, the roof leaks, and somebody shows up asking to borrow a bowling ball. Bert thinks that Ernie is being ridiculous -- but everything happens, just as Ernie predicted. (First: Episode 0269) |
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Cartoon | Batman and Robin catch the Penguin's gang who has dirty windows, teaching the opposite pairings of clean and dirty. (First: Episode 0099) |
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Celebrity | The stars of Bonanza -- Michael Landon, Lorne Greene, and Dan Blocker -- count up to 20. (First: Episode 0131) |
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SCENE 5 | The kids tell Bob to blow up a balloon, which becomes bigger and bigger until it bursts (smaller). |
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Muppets | Muppet & Kid Moment — Grover asks Brian to explain which of them is "you" and which is "me." |
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Film | A man writes the word ME in the snow. Music: Joe Raposo |
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SCENE 6 | Gordon and the kids clap out a rhythm, leading to the next segment... |
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Muppets | Grover, Big Jeffie, and a Lavender girl have fun scatting to handclapping. |
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Film | Kids narrate a visit to an automobile factory, and watch a taxi being made. (First: Episode 0186) |
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Cartoon | A man gets a letter C in the mail. |
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Cartoon | Checkerboard transition cartoon (First: Episode 0105) |
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Cartoon | A story about an ape and a bird, using the letter A. (First: Episode 0158) |
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Muppets | Grover sees the word "me" and shouts the word. (First: Episode 0205) |
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SCENE 7 | Big Bird sets a clock next to the construction doors, telling Maria that he's going to be a "Big Bird clock," akin to a cuckoo clock; every hour, he'll run in and out of the door and tweet based on what time it is. After doing this nine times to signal 9 o'clock as an example, Big Bird becomes exhausted. Maria asks what happens when she points both hands at the 12; Big Bird declares it's time for a nap. |
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Muppets | Ernie & Bert — Ernie and Bert have pizza and grape juice. Bert complains that Ernie has more of each, so Ernie tries to make it even by eating some of his pizza and drinking some of his grape juice, but then Bert has more. And so on. (First: Episode 0256) |
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Cartoon | A man tries to get to sleep, but is woken up by a fly, a chicken and a drum-playing rabbit, all of whom call him on the phone after he throws them out. Artists: The Hubleys (First: Episode 0257) |
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Cartoon | More and more moths appear, and devour a man's clothes. Artist: Bob Kurtz |
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Muppets | Simon Soundman has the viewers guess what sound he is making. He makes the sound of a train, car, and a horse. When Simon makes the sound of the horse, a cowboy uses his lasso to capture Simon, mistaking him for a real horse. |
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Cartoon | The uses of water (First: Episode 0139) |
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Transition | A circle appears on screen, expanding like a balloon until it pops. (First: Episode 0105) |
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Cartoon | The uses of water (Spanish version) (First: Episode 0278) |
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Muppets | Cookie Monster and Herry sing "Circles." (First: Episode 0131) |
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SCENE 8 | Tom sees Oscar playing with a rattle. He comments that it makes Oscar seem cute like a baby, but Oscar insists it makes him seem like a rattlesnake... |
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Film | Footage of a rattlesnake |
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Muppets | Harvey Kneeslapper looks inside a paper bag and laughs and asks his next victim, "Wanna see?" The man says yes, so Harvey puts a letter C on him. |
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SCENE 9 | Tom plays a game of "One of These Things" using different glasses. Maria then sings "One of These Things" in Spanish with another set of glasses. |
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Muppets | Farley explains things one can do with their mind - he plans on going to the door, he imagines who's knocking at it, he remembers it's not his mother and he hopes there's not a scary monster at the door. Herry Monster surprises him by bursting through the door, frightening Farley away. Herry's sorry Farley ran away; he wanted to play. (First: Episode 0180) |
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Cartoon | The more a man inflates a balloon with a tire pump, the less room he has. |
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SCENE 10 | Maria uses a camera to take a picture of Bob and Gordon; a kid bites into a carrot; Tom blows out a candle. |
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Film | Baby turtles swim around. Music: Joe Raposo |
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Cartoon | An ape escapes from the A train and heads over to a birthday party. (First: Episode 0293) |
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SCENE 11 | Tom and the kids play a game to see what they can do with their mouths. Oscar refuses to participate, but the kids and Tom catch him playing along anyway. Oscar gives in and continues playing, only to retreat back in his can when Tom suggests that they pucker their lips and make kissing sounds. |
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Transition | The screen fills up with fluid. (First: Episode 0105) |
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Cartoon | A man gets a letter C in the mail. (repeat) |
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Film | New Bridge #5 - Bounce (First: Episode 0105) |
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Cartoon | A is for ape. (First: Episode 0006) |
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SCENE 12 | Mr. Macintosh pushes his cart along the street as the kids play in the yard. Maria announces the sponsors. |
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CLOSING SIGNS | Bob and Gordon hold the Sesame Street sign, and Ernie and Bert hold the Children's Television Workshop sign. |
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