Episode 0521

	Sesame Street
	Big Bird's alphabet show
Air date	April 23, 1973
Season	Season 4 (1972-1973)
Production	January 11, 1973
Sponsors	"The entire alphabet"

Picture	Segment	Description
	SCENE 1	Out on the sidewalk, Big Bird has set up his own stage and seating area for a show. He holds out his hat to the crowd (Susan, Maria, Luis, Kate, and the kids) for the two cents admission, but everyone boos him until he makes it free. He then heads backstage to begin what he calls "Big Bird's Fantastic Alphabet Show!" The show promises to feature every letter of the alphabet.
	SCENE 1 cont'd	The audience reminds Big Bird of what the first letter is - A. Big Bird announces a daring feat to go along with the letter - he will act like an ant (which he does by somehow shrinking in size). Next comes the letter B, so Big Bird blows himself up like a balloon. He inhales over and over, growing in size until he starts floating up in the sky. The crowd warns him of something overhead and he "[crashes] like a cuckoo," thus demonstrating the letter C. A woozy Big Bird cues a brief intermission.
	Muppets	Cookie Monster presents to Ernie his new device “The Cookie Counter” which will notify him of the quantity of cookies inside the box. Cookie Monster points “The Cookie Counter” rod to the box of cookies, which rings five times representing the amount of cookies inside the box. Ernie is impressed by Cookie Monster's device and talks about the benefits the device provides to the audience, simultaneously Cookie Monster eats Ernie's box of cookies. Ernie tests the Cookie Counter by pointing the rod at the box of cookies, the box doesn't ring. Cookie Monster asks Ernie to face the Cookie Counter rod to his stomach; it rings five times as proof of the location of the five cookies. (First: Episode 0481)
	Cartoon	The Alligator King Artist: Bud Luckey (First: Episode 0411)
	Film	C is for cars on the highway. (First: Episode 0469)
	Cartoon	A man gets a letter C in the mail. (First: Episode 0294)
	Muppets / Cast	Kermit's Lectures: Bob holds an American bullfrog and asks Kermit to talk about frogs. However, due to living a somewhat different life than normal frogs, what Kermit says about frogs is somewhat incorrect; for example, Kermit believes that frogs eat fried chicken and pizza, and live in apartment houses. (First: Episode 0277)
	Cartoon	A baby cries whenever he gets a beso. (First: Episode 0433)
	SCENE 2	Big Bird's alphabet show resumes (after some curtain trouble courtesy of Brian) with the letter D. Big Bird dances like a duck, which is merely a normal dance routine punctuated by a "quack"; the audience is less than amused. He follows this with the letter E and exiting like an engine. He moves about like a train, picking up speed until he speeds off and has another offscreen accident. He cues up another intermission...
	Cartoon	The letters in the word BESO kiss each other. (First: Episode 0433)
	Film	Grasshopper (harpsichord 50s-style music) (First: Episode 0084)
	Muppets	Grover the Assistant: Grover volunteers to assist the Amazing Mumford in his suspension act. Grover will get on top of a platform, and Mumford will pull the pillar off from underneath, and the platform will not fall. The trick works, so Grover decides to try it himself, with Herry Monster as his assistant. Grover can't pull it off, and Herry falls. (First: Episode 0292)
	Cartoon	The 'b' in 'beso' kisses an apple and a duck. Artist: John and Faith Hubley (First: Episode 0461)
	Film	The Mad Painter #7 (First: Episode 0314)
	SCENE 3	Back at Big Bird's Alphabet Show, he declares he will now celebrate the letter F by flying like a frankfurter. He sails up into the sky (offscreen), when Susan cries out that frankfurters cannot fly. He immediately lands with a crash and sighs, "Now you tell me..."
	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)
	Muppets	Ernie and Bert: Divide Licorice — Ernie has a licorice whip that he offers to share with Bert. (First: Episode 0461)
	Song	Joe Raposo sings "Everybody Sleeps." (First: Episode 0406)
	Cartoon	Two lines intersect at the middle of the screen and have an argument; they cooperate by making a cross. (First: Episode 0276)
	Muppets	Kermit's Lectures: Kermit asks Grover to use ladders to demonstrate the difference between short and long. Kermit's amazed that Grover can carry the long ladder by himself, but then sees that Grover is on both ends. (First: Episode 0276)
	SCENE 4	Big Bird presents further feats of daring do on the Alphabet Show. First, for the letter G, he will gobble like a goose. Maria points out that turkeys gobble, not geese; Big Bird asserts he will run his show his own way. He then honors the letter H by honking like a horn (an old jalopy horn).
	SCENE 4 cont'd	For the letter I, he does an "impersonation of an impressionist," doing impersonations of Ernie and Kermit the Frog (but shifts gears before trying out his Franklin Delano Roosevelt impersonation). For the letter J, he jiggles like jelly. Then, for the letter K, he kisses like a kangaroo, hopping through the audience and kissing them. He ends up hopping into Oscar's trash can.
	Film	"Seven Song (Song of Seven)" (First: Episode 0011)
	Cast	Part 1: Ms. Short (Maria) and Mr. Long (David) arrive at a restaurant for their date. Mr. Long plucks a short bit of string from Ms. Short's dress. She then pulls a long piece of string from his jacket. (First: Episode 0430)
	Cartoon	Speech Balloon: C for cat (impostor) (First: Episode 0029)
	Cast	Part 2: The waiter (Bob) serves Ms. Short a short fish (with the appropriately sized utensils), and Mr. Long a long fish (with larger utensils). (First: Episode 0430)
	Cartoon	A man (voiced by Jack Dodson) describes places that begin with U and what you can do with the letter U. (First: Episode 0416)
	Cast	Part 3: The couple part ways after their dinner date, helping each other put on their short and long coats. (First: Episode 0430)
	Cartoon	Capital letter U for up (First: Episode 0401)
	Song	"Train Song" (First: Episode 0423)
	SCENE 5	After breaking out an Ed Sullivan impersonation, Big Bird continues on with his "really big shoe" with the letter L, laughing like a lamb. For the letter M, he marches like a mushroom, meaning he stands completely still.
	SCENE 5 cont'd	The audience turns hostile, so Big Bird asks them what they'd rather see him do. For the letter N, Luis calls out for him to nod like a nincompoop; Big Bird responds by nodding and saying "Yup" in a dopey voice. For the letter O, Kate suggests he operate like Oscar; Big Bird breaks out his Oscar impersonation. Maria wants his letter P feat to be prancing like a penguin. Susan follows up with asking him to quack like a quail for Q, then Luis makes another request for him to run like a rhino for R. Big Bird runs off like "rhinocewurst," zooming down the block and completely out of sight.
	Film	Stop-motion: in a park, a garbage man puts litter in a trash can. (Part 1) (First: Episode 0491)
	Muppets	Cookie Monster sings "C is for Cookie." (First: Episode 0372)
	Film	Stop-motion: in a park, a man reads a newspaper, then shamelessly drops it on the ground. A little girl finds this disgusting, and puts the newspaper in the trash bin. (Part 2) (First: Episode 0491)
	Cast	Maria and Gordon add three tricycles. (First: Episode 0477)
	SCENE 6	Big Bird has returned to the stage, ready to demonstrate the letter S by spinning like a spool. For the letter T, he will "tear around on tip-toe," which results in another crash.
	Muppets	Ernie & Bert — Bert tells Ernie not to eat cookies in bed, because he might get crumbs in the bed, and then he'll get crumbs in his pajamas, itch, and not be able to sleep. Ernie decides to eat cookies in Bert's bed instead. (First: Episode 0282)
	Cartoon	What if we celebrate Valentine's Day with chickens instead of hearts? (First: Episode 0488)
	Film	Old Time Movies: Anne Meara narrates a silent film about an automobile that can be either long or short.
	Cartoon	C is for clipper... (repeat)
	SCENE 7	The Alphabet Show winds down with the last few letters. First, a disheveled Big Bird shows the letter U by undulating like an upside-down cake. Then, for V, he vanishes like vapor; he reappears moments later behind the audience. Next, for W, he whistles like the wind.
	SCENE 7 cont'd	For the letter X, Big Bird produces an x-ray of his cousin Xavier. Then, for Y, he yodels like a yak. For the grand finale of Z, he zigzags about like a zany zebra.
	SCENE 7 cont'd	The audience applauds as confetti, balloons, and streamers fall to celebrate the end of the show. But, Big Bird tells everyone to return to their seats so he can now present "The Great Big Bird Number Show," celebrating all the numbers up to 1,000. The crowd responds with boos and tossing the balloons back at Big Bird. Mr. Hooper announces the sponsors.
	CLOSING SIGNS	Maria holds the Sesame Street sign, while Kate holds the CTW sign.