| Sesame Street | |||||||||
| Oscar's ordinary gifts | |||||||||
| Air date | May 19, 1978 | ||||||||
| Season | Season 9 (1977-1978) | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
  |
SCENE 1 | Maria and David have plans to go to the movies tonight, but neither one remembers what time they agreed to meet up at. Maria leaves the Fix-It Shop to find him at Hooper's Store, where he's trying to call her at the shop. The roles then become reversed when Maria goes to answer David's call, but David hangs up and comes out to see Maria, thinking she's busy on the phone as well. Big Bird watches as the two meet face to face trying to make heads or tails of the situation. "Boy, grown-ups can sure be weird sometimes," Big Bird concludes. |
 |
Cartoon | A girl talks about preparing to play with her new sled. Artist: Jim Simon (First: Episode 0413) |
 |
Muppets | Ernie & Bert — It's a sunny day at the beach, and Bert remembered to bring everything. Ernie, however, only brought an umbrella in case it rains... which it does. (First: Episode 0284) |
 |
Cartoon | Jazz #4 (First: Episode 0006) |
 |
Film | A kid recites a poem about adding penguins. Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0255) |
 |
Celebrity | Bill Cosby counts three kids, but a fourth keeps hiding behind him. (First: Episode 0154) |
 |
Cartoon | A man (Jim Thurman) is told that his dog looks thirsty, and says that his dog is a hot dog. Artist: Paul Fierlinger |
 |
SCENE 2 | Gordon shows Mary, Amanda, Hector, and another kid several shapes on a sorting board, and has them classify the shapes by form, size, and color. |
 |
Cartoon | A U train spells the words "unite," "U-turn," "underground," "up," and "universe." (First: Episode 0624) |
 |
Muppets | Harvey Kneeslapper goes to a man and asks, "Can I take a picture of U?" The man gives him permission, but Harvey tells him that his shoes are untied, and when the man looks down, Harvey slaps the letter U on top of his head and takes a picture of it. (First: Episode 0468) |
 |
Cartoon | Capital letter U for up (First: Episode 0401) |
 |
Film | A man (Barry Simpson) puts on snowshoes to bring his trash out. Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0281) |
 |
Cartoon | A male voice narrates a story of a jazzy triangle who loved to dance, and a square square. The triangle likes being flexible, but the square would rather be stiff and *square*. (First: Episode 0007) |
 |
Film | No matter how they're arranged, George the Farmer always has three barrels, four milk jugs, and five cartons. (First: Episode 0278) |
 |
Muppets | Muppet & Kid Moment — Cookie Monster shows David a sign that says STREET. (First: Episode 0423) |
 |
Cartoon | U for Ugly: A man removes his mask, revealing a hideous monster face. (First: Episode 0468) |
 |
Insert | Jerry Nelson narrates three letters coming together to form the word FUN. The letters celebrate with confetti and streamers. (First: Episode 0458) |
 |
Animation | Sand U/u (First: Episode 0624) |
 |
Song | "Sawmill" - Folk singers detail how lumber is made into usable wood. (beginning edited) (First: Episode 0657) |
 |
Cartoon | Rocket countdown: Rocket takes off at 7. Then it comes down so the man can continue his countdown, but at 1, it falls over with a huge crash. (First: Episode 0022) |
 |
Muppets | Two brothers, First and Last, sing about how their names affect how they do things. (First: Episode 0134) |
 |
SCENE 3 | Maria asks the kids about things that come first and last, including their names and daytime rituals. They are then joined by Big Bird, and guess that first he'll say "Hello," then say "Goodbye," last while on his way to Hooper's Store. |
 |
Cartoon | Rumba pencils (first, last, Crazy Melvin) (First: Episode 0638) |
 |
Film | Scenes of individuals running from around the world. (First: Episode 0669) |
 |
Cartoon | Rocket countdown: The spectators take off. (First: Episode 0022) |
 |
Celebrity | Mary Lou Williams scats with the kids. (First: Episode 0792) |
 |
Cartoon | Rocket countdown: Unlike previous segments, the rocket successfully launches at the right time as everyone celebrates, and the director grins at the camera. (First: Episode 0042) |
 |
Muppets | Waiter Grover: Grover serves Mr. Johnson a bowl of chicken soup. Johnson says that he can't eat the soup, and Grover can't guess why. "That settles it," Johnson sighs. "From now on, I'm bringing my lunch to work in a paper sack." He finally explains to Grover that he can't eat the soup because he doesn't have a spoon. (First: Episode 0358) |
 |
Song | Joe Raposo sings "Families." (First: Episode 0454) |
   |
SCENE 4 | Gordon finds himself illustrating safety by helping out his neighbors in various situations. He starts by clearing up some wooden boards piled all over the sidewalk near Oscar's trash can, citing how hazardous it could be for foot traffic. Simultaneously, he tells Maria that he'll replace the burnt out lightbulb in the building's hallway. He then helps retrieve a ball from across the street when Big Bird has thrown it too hard, then helps tie Mary's shoe. Gordon next helps David carry a large box of dishes into the store, after which he buys a lightbulb from David. Gordon muses what he's demonstrated about safety with the viewer, and asks them to think of ways they can keep things safe. |
 |
Cartoon | Four construction workers build a number 4. (First: Episode 0507) |
 |
Muppets | Ernie and Bert: Fast Cleanup — Bert bets his dessert on Ernie's ability to clean up the apartment. (First: Episode 0033) |
 |
Film | Ostriches walk and run. (piano music) (First: Episode 0339) |
 |
Cartoon | "Octopus One-Man Band" (First: Episode 0004) |
 |
Film | A kid enters a tunnel made of snow to demonstrate "head first" and "feet first." (First: Episode 0290) |
 |
Cartoon | Dot Bridge #6: Dot blows raspberry (First: Episode 0001) |
 |
Muppets | Sesame Street News Flash — Don Music writes "Drive, Drive, Drive Your Car." (First: Episode 0897) |
  |
SCENE 5 | Oscar wants to present Maria, Gordon, and David with some special gifts just for them. Given Oscar's history with gifts, they assume there's some sort of trick associated with them and become cautious when he hands Maria a pot of fresh flowers, a box of Swiss chocolates for Gordon, and a copy of I'll Be There for David. The three humans leave to examine their gifts carefully, wondering what Oscar has up his sleeve. Meanwhile, Oscar confesses to the viewer that all the gifts are ordinary, but his friends will be driven crazy waiting for something rotten to happen. |
 |
Cartoon | T is for Television (First: Episode 0024) |
 |
Film | Lemurs rest on tree branches. Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0390) |
 |
Film | The letter T is a very useful letter. (First: Episode 0402) |
 |
SCENE 6 | The adults see that the gifts are normal enough, but still suspect there's something wrong with them. Oscar watches in amusement before announcing the sponsors, and the credits roll. |
  |
CLOSING SIGNS | Susan holds the Sesame Street sign, and Ernie and Bert hold the Children's Television Workshop sign. |
| Previous episode: | Next episode: |
| Episode 1179 | Episode 1181 |