Episode 0560

Sesame Street
Big Bird tells the shortest and longest stories ever told.
Air date	December 21, 1973
Season	Season 5 (1973-1974)
Sponsors V, X, 4

• This episode is available at The Museum of Television and Radio.

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Picture	Segment	Description
	SCENE 1	Big Bird gathers everyone around to tell them the "shortest story ever told" -- "Once upon a time there was a little girl, and she lived happily ever after."
	Cartoon	The great Alphonso and his trained X's
	Muppets	Four Anything Muppet cheerleaders give 4 big cheers for the number 4.
	SCENE 2	Big Bird comes back out with the "longest story ever told" -- "Once upon a time there was a little girl, and she walked and walked and ..."
	Cartoon	Elephants have 4 legs.
	SCENE 3	Big Bird continues the long story: "And then she met a rhinoceros and said, 'I'd like to take a walk.' And they walked and walked and..."
	Cartoon	The Story of Cowboy X
	SCENE 4	Big Bird: "And they walked and walked and ..."
	Cartoon	Country Fiddler: Four big lions Artist: Bud Luckey
	SCENE 5	Big Bird: "And they walked and walked and came to the end. And they lived happily ever after."
	Cartoon	X at the ends of words
	Muppets	Guy Smiley hosts "The Trading Game" with contestants Oscar the Grouch and Sally Screamer.
	Cartoon	V in space
	Song	Joe Raposo sings "Everybody Sleeps."
	Cartoon	Three birds enter a cuckoo clock to do their job.
	Cast	Ralph and Wally: Wally needs to borrow a pencil from Ralph, but he writes with the wrong end of it.
	Cartoon	I've got a mind: Wind-up toy
	Muppets	Ernie and Bert share licorice ... or do they?
	Celebrity	Stevie Wonder sings 123 Sesame Street. Also in Episode 514.
	Cartoon	Brand X
	Film	Baker #4
	Cartoon	X is for X-ray
	Muppets	Guy Smiley hosts Beat the Time, with Cookie Monster as a guest.
	Cartoon	A concert pianist shows up in a construction worker's lunchbox, singing the alphabet.
	Film	Traffic light Music: Joe Raposo
	Cartoon	A story of a man who hates frogs, until his swamp becomes infested with flies.
	SCENE 6	Oscar has David write BUS STOP on a sign for his trash can.
	Muppets	Muppet & Kid Moments: Ernie, Bert, Shala and a letter X
	Film	At the doll factory
	Muppets	Some small Anything Muppets get onto a small bus.
	Muppets	Muppet & Kid Moments: Grover and Lauren count to 20.
	Cartoon	Country Fiddler: Four big lions (repeat)
	Muppets	Harvey Kneeslapper: X Marks the Spot!
	Transition	Black bricks are laid on a green wall.
File:Xmarks.jpg	Muppets	Sherlock Hemlock sings "X Marks the Spot!"
	Transition	The bricks fall.
File:SS514.jpg	Celebrity	Stevie Wonder teaches Grover how to sing loud and soft. Also in Episode 514.
	Video	Counting train cars Musc: Joe Raposo
	Cartoon	Commander 0 assembles numbers 1-20.
	Film	Short/tall (pixellated farmer)
	Muppets	Kermit and Grover demonstrate short and long -- Kermit sings and hops for short periods, while Grover does them for long periods. Finally Grover asks if he can do the short thing and Kermit do the long thing. To Grover's detriment, it turns out to be tickling!
File:Dots3.jpg	Cartoon	30 dots (one missing)
	SCENE 7	Big Bird adds another chapter to his long story: "And they walked and walked and ..."