Episode 0564

Sesame Street
Big Bird’s surprise
Air date	December 27, 1973
Season	Season 5 (1973-1974)
Sponsors E, W, 8 This episode guide has been compiled from script materials provided by a trusted source. ⓘ

Picture	Segment	Description
	SCENE 1	Big Bird talks to Mr. Snuffleupagus on the telephone. Snuffy says he’s going to send Big Bird a surprise present: something that rhymes with “bee”. When Big Bird hangs up, he assumes it’s a tree, and proceeds to clear his nest area.
	Cartoon	E Imagination Artists: The Hubleys (First: Episode 0001)
	SCENE 2	Big Bird piles some shovels outside the doors, then invites Bob, Gordon and Maria to help him dig a hole for the tree he’ll be getting soon. They doubt that his “imaginary” friend would send him a tree, and walk away. Big Bird thinks some more, and concludes that Snuffy will be sending him … the sea!
	Cartoon	"Candy Man" Artist: Bud Luckey (First: Episode 0359)
	SCENE 3	Big Bird prepares for a nautical voyage by assembling some life jackets, a sunfish sailboat, and some oars. The adults dismiss him again.
	Cartoon	A man explains that the letter E begins both Enter and Exit. Another man named Roy runs through the doors. (First: Episode 0406)
	SCENE 4	A giant crate shows up at Big Bird’s nest. Big Bird opens it, and finds Snuffy, who reveals his present: “me”. Snuffy leaves, and Big Bird shows the crate to his friends, who still don’t believe him.
	Cartoon	Jazz #8 (First: Episode 0016)
	Muppets	Guy Smiley hosts Here is Your Life, surprising Oak Tree with the story of his life. The guests include Granny Fanny Nesselrode, who planted the tree as an acorn, Cloud and Sun, who gave the tree rain and sunshine, and Marty Table and Sarah Chair, who were made from the tree's friends. (First: Episode 0406)
	Cartoon	E for Elephant & Elk, the nominees for best E animal. (First: Episode 0486)
	Song	Sesame Street Animal Films: Joe Raposo sings "Feet (One Foot, Two Foot)." (First: Episode 0223)
	Cartoon	A circle becomes a clock, balloon, sun, etc. (First: Episode 0358)
	Cast	Maria and David find two sets of sacks, which have incorrect numerical labels. (First: Episode 0505)
	Cartoon	E for elephant, eagle, everything, and egg. (First: Episode 0002)
	Muppets	Caveman Days: EXIT sign (First: Episode 0300)
	SCENE 5	Oscar tells Bob that he just froze his swimming pool so he could skate on it, but another skater Peggy Fleming has taken over. They look inside and see her skating a figure 8 (First: Episode 0236).
	Cartoon	Monster in the dark (finding a light switch) (First: Episode 0493)
	Cartoon	A young hipster dog explains to C.T. Wordsworth what an EXIT is. (First: Episode 0281)
	Muppets	Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School: Roosevelt Franklin and his class name some great people. (First: Episode 0515)
	Cartoon	Speech Balloon: W for water (First: Episode 0062)
	Insert	Three of These Kids are playing policeman, but the other one is playing fireman. (First: Episode 0408)
	Cartoon	Two kids argue over whose chair it is, until the dog suggests they share the chair. (First: Episode 0369)
	Cast	David, Luis and Linda count in different languages. (First: Episode 0326)
	Cartoon	E for Erase (First: Episode 0486)
	Muppets	Kermit talks about "top" and "bottom" using a stack of boxes Grover carries. (First: Episode 0434)
	SCENE 6	Gordon asks “What can you do?” followed by quick cuts to various kids, Maria, Bob, Mr. McIntosh, Big Bird and Oscar.
	Cartoon	A fat man and a small man demonstrate top and bottom. (First: Episode 0525)
	Muppets	Muppet & Kid Moment — Cookie Monster asks David to read an EXIT sign.
	Cartoon	E for End (First: Episode 0460)
	Muppets	Ernie & Bert — Ernie and Bert are watching TV, but Bert gets bored and decides to play a record. Ernie tells him to turn down the volume, but Bert won't, so Ernie drowns out Bert's music by playing the radio. Bert then retaliates by turning on the blender. With all four things running at once, they blow a fuse, causing a total blackout in their apartment. Bert goes outside to fix the fuse box, while Ernie turns off all the things that were running. When the lights come back on, they decide to play cards instead of fight. (First: Episode 0003)
	Film	Grasshopper (harpsichord 50s-style music) (First: Episode 0084)
	Muppets	When Maurice, a hapless casanova, puts an Anything Muppet woman's head together, he tells her that he loves her, but it turns out she doesn't love him. He then proceeds to take her head apart, bit by bit, as he sings "I Want to Hold Your Ear" (as well as eyes, nose, tooth, and hair). After she walks off in a huff, he notices to his shock that the parts he set aside have attached themselves to the tablecloth, who thinks he's kinda cute. (First: Episode 0524)
	Cartoon	"Danny knows the alphabet, and is he proud! If you can follow him, then sing out loud!" (First: Episode 0406)
	Film	Luis announces "And now, the octopus!" Music: "Pomp and Circumstance" (First: Episode 0291)
	Muppets	Muppet & Kid Moment — Kermit the Frog, Shola and Fannie have just finished watching the previous film. Shola hugs Kermit, and he comments, "She learned a lot from the octopus ... how to squeeze!" (First: Episode 0534)
	Cartoon	Jazz #8 (repeat)
	Muppets	Grover explains the word "EXIT" with some Anything Muppets running over him as they run through the exit. (First: Episode 0210)
	Cartoon	E for Erase (repeat)
	Cartoon	Rocket countdown: The rocket falls over. (First: Episode 0018)
	Muppets	Ernie shows drawings to Bert, and Bert has to guess what happened. Ernie has a drawing of an empty bird cage with an open door (the bird flew away), and a man lying on the ground with a banana peel next to him (he slipped on it). Then, Ernie shows Bert a blank page. The answer to that one is that there was a cow eating grass, but the grass is all eaten now, and the cow went home. (First: Episode 0030)
	Cartoon	Rocket countdown: The rocket blows up in a shower of soot. (First: Episode 0018)
	Cartoon	E for elephant, eagle, everything, and egg. (repeat)
	Cartoon	Rocket countdown: The announcer blasts off. (First: Episode 0018)
	SCENE 7	The sponsors are announced.

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