Episode 0652

Sesame Street
A blackout on Sesame Street
Air date	April 30, 1974
Season	Season 5 (1973-1974)
Sponsors C, Y, 8 This episode guide has been compiled from script materials provided by a trusted source. ⓘ

Picture	Segment	Description
	SCENE 1	All is fine on Sesame Street in the evening, when suddenly, all the lights go out. David goes into a panic, when Biff arrives, representing the electric company. He tells David and Luis that it is only temporary. David goes to make sure Maria is fine; she's already gotten a flashlight and keeps a much calmer head. The lights return moments later.
	Song	Joe Raposo sings "Frog Struggle Song." (First: Episode 0492)
	Muppets	A bridge of teeth come to an employment agency, looking for a job. He's offered jobs in the smelling line and in listening, but he's unqualified for those. Teeth demonstrates his talent in biting and chewing by chomping up the desk. (First: Episode 0406)
	Cartoon	A boy talks about his pet letter Y, named Yetta. (First: Episode 0443)
	Animation	Sand Y/y (First: Episode 0626)
	Film	Animals fight. Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0567)
	Muppets	Sesame Street News Flash: The Pied Piper has trouble luring mice with his music, but Kermit the Frog lures them by whistling. (First: Episode 0519)
	Cartoon	Jazz #8 (First: Episode 0016)
	Cartoon	A turtle, a bird, and a butterfly demonstrate small, smaller, and smallest. (First: Episode 0371)
	Cartoon	Which footprint doesn't belong? (First: Episode 0509)
	SCENE 2	The adults discuss the blackout while hanging on the stoop. Big Bird comes by and tells them he wasn't afraid, as he had Mr. Snuffleupagus for company. He goes to his nest to fetch him and prove he's real. But, just as Snuffy exits, another blackout occurs and the street goes dark. The adults start to disperse, bumping into Snuffy and speaking to him without even realizing who it is.
	Muppets	Ernie & Bert — Ernie notices that none of the lampposts are on, and the lights won't turn on. Bert says that there is a blackout, but has to repeat himself when Ernie suggests they watch TV, play a record, and listen to the radio. Ernie decides to call someone to see if anybody else knows about it. He calls Oscar the Grouch, who grouchily asks who's calling and threatens to "see to it that you don't sleep for a week." Ernie says "It's Bert" and hangs up.
	Film	Y, for Yacht (EKA: Episode 0471)
	Cartoon	A man demonstrates Spanish words that start with the letter Y. (First: Episode 0470)
	Film	Kids narrate a film about water in hoses, fountains, puddles, streams, bathtubs, rivers, oceans, and other places. (First: Episode 0135)
	Muppets	Two Anything Muppet kids argue over a cookie. Cookie Monster arrives and says that the smallest person should get the cookie, and then, as the kids argue over which one is smaller, Cookie Monster shrinks himself. (First: Episode 0253)
	Song	"I'm Not a Baby Anymore"
	Cartoon	A man uses drinking glasses on his eyes and pours water over his seeing glasses. (First: Episode 0485)
	Muppets	Grover, Herry Monster, and Billy rearrange themselves in different ways and count to three, until they get exhausted and faint. (First: Episode 0186)
	Cartoon	C - Cake (First: Episode 0153)
	Cartoon	Speech Balloon: C - Cap (First: Episode 0154)
	Film	What do birds eat? (First: Episode 0495)
	Muppets	Grover and Oscar the Grouch recite the alphabet. (First: Episode 0229)
	Cartoon	Cars WALK. (First: Episode 0556)
	Cartoon	Y is for Yo-Yo (First: Episode 0036)
	Cartoon	Panels flip to reveal different ways things WALK. (First: Episode 0369)
	Muppets	Kermit the Frog talks about horns as a film of animals with horns plays behind him. (First: Episode 0112)
	Cast	Wally and Ralph try to figure out how to use an umbrella to keep dry. (First: Episode 0355)
	SCENE 3	To combat the blackouts on the street, Oscar has rigged up his own makeshift generator to power his reading light. The generation is activated by a spinning wheel, which gets spun whenever someone turns the knob of the 123 Sesame Street front door. He calls Maria down so she can open the door, which keeps his light on for a few seconds. He does this a few times, enraging Maria. Luis comes by and puts Oscar's plan together. He points out a better method would be to have something continuously cranking the wheel and demonstrates. Oscar asks him to keep demonstrating, giving him free electricity.
	Song	"Song of Eight" (First: Episode 0016)
	Muppets	Simon Soundman comes to Ernie's apartment because he has some car trouble and needs to use Ernie's phone, but Ernie doesn't understand what he is trying to say. (First: Episode 0132)
	Cartoon	A drummer introduces C.T. Wordsworth who challenges a contestant to guess the secret word: store. (EKA: Episode 0443)
	Cartoon	The life of a Yellow Yahoo (First: Episode 0043)
	Cartoon	A boy talks about his pet letter Y, named Yetta. (repeat)
	Muppets	Ernie & Bert — Ernie and Bert play tricks on each other in order to sit in the TV chair, until they realize they both fit in it. Herry tricks Ernie and Bert into leaving their chair so that he can sit in it. Ernie and Bert decide that if the chair can hold two, it can hold three as well, so they cram their way into the chair with Herry. When they realize that they're watching something only Bert would enjoy, they leave Bert alone. (First: Episode 0207)
	Cartoon	Simple Simon meets some strange-looking animals, all of whom have their parts switched around. Artist: Jeff Hale (First: Episode 0540)
	SCENE 4	Oscar's generator has been tinkered with by Maria, as it is now powered whenever Oscar opens his can lid. Maria knocks on the lid over and over so he will open it, as the Count counts the instances the light comes on.

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