| Sesame Street | |||||||||||
| Water shortage on Sesame Street | |||||||||||
| Air date | January 7, 1983 | ||||||||||
| Season | Season 14 (1982-1983) | ||||||||||
| Written by | Tony Geiss | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
  |
SCENE 1 | Big Bird, Bob, Telly and David hear an announcement on the radio at Hooper's Store about a water shortage. The announcer (Martin P. Robinson) advises listeners against filling swimming pools, washing cars, taking long showers, and leaving the water running while brushing teeth. David promptly turns the water off in a nearby sink. |
  |
SCENE 1 cont'd |
Bob explains to Big Bird that water comes from rain, which fills up a reservoir, then enters houses through pipes. He goes into further detail using a demonstration with some glasses representing houses and a pitcher representing a lake, which shows how little water there is left after such activities as the announcer advised against. Now that Big Bird gets it, he chides Bob for "wasting" four glasses of water for his demonstration. |
 |
Film | Kids narrate a film about water in hoses, fountains, puddles, streams, bathtubs, rivers, oceans, and other places. (First: Episode 0135) |
 |
Cartoon | Small v ... for voom, voice, violin, etc. Artist: The Hubleys (First: Episode 0167) |
 |
Muppets | A boy looks for his V. (First: Episode 1480) |
 |
Cartoon | This is a big letter V poem (First: Episode 0507) |
 |
SCENE 2 | Dr. Nobel Price shows Big Bird his latest invention in the yard: a rain-making machine. When he turns it on, it fails to generate any rain and produces a single ping-pong ball. "I think it needs some fine tuning," Dr. Price surmises. |
 |
Cartoon | Vitamins give vim, vigor and vitality to a droopy V Artist: John Hubley (First: Episode 0311) |
 |
Muppets | Grover tells Herry's secret (which is actually the alphabet) to Pamela, who tells Fenwick, who tells Rosemary. Herry says to Grover, "You're very good at reciting the alphabet ... but you're lousy at keeping secrets!" (First: Episode 0360) |
 |
Cartoon | A captain and a first mate think they have planned ahead well for their trip at sea, but they forgot to take in the anchor. (First: Episode 1591) cut from the Noggin version |
  |
SCENE 3 | Bob calls Danny, Jason, Kendra, and Casey over for some lemonade rationing, explaining that it takes water to make lemonade. Oscar then offers some of his own lemonade, which is actually a pitcher with four raw lemons in it. |
 |
Cartoon | A colorful, rhythmic demonstration of the word IN (First: Episode 0337) |
 |
Film | Kids climb in and out of a tire. Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0450) |
 |
SCENE 4 | Dr. Price continues to work on his machine. "Trial and error, trial and error..." |
 |
SCENE 4 cont'd |
Susan waters her plants just a little bit, then notices that Oscar has a new fountain outside his trash can. Susan can't convince Oscar not to waste water, until she reveals that it takes water to make mud. |
  |
SCENE 4 cont'd |
In a panic, Oscar stops all his water-wasting activities, one of which involves a giant bathtub-stopper. It's the plug to his pool, but Susan specifies that he didn't have to get rid of the water he already had! Oscar realizes now that he and his pet hippos will have to make do without much water, then yells at Susan when he sees her watering her plants. |
 |
Cartoon | Willie Wimple went a-boatin' and polluted the river. (First: Episode 0561) |
 |
Muppets | Ernie & Bert — Ernie and Bert search for Dr. Livingstone. (First: Episode 1736) |
 |
Cartoon | "Martian Beauty" has nine hairs, nine bows, nine eyes, nine nostrils, nine arms and nine toes. Artist: Bud Luckey (First: Episode 0316) |
 |
Muppets / Celebrity | Harry Belafonte sings about the "Coconut Counting Man," who is actually The Count. (First: Episode 1692) |
 |
SCENE 5 | Dr. Price's machine seems to be working... but then it extracts coffee instead of rain! He begins to pound his machine in frustration. |
 |
SCENE 5 cont'd |
Elsewhere, Oscar shows Bob how Slimey is doing his part to save water: by taking shorter (nine-second) showers. Shortly thereafter, however, he dives into his mudhole and Oscar tells him to get in the shower again. |
 |
Cartoon | "Dinner for Nine" Artist: Paul Fierlinger (First: Episode 1658) cut from the Noggin version |
 |
Muppets | The Count's bats are upset; he always gets to count, but the bats don't. The Count decides to let the bats count all of the Counts, while the Count counts all the bats... but there's only one Count. (First: Episode 0625) |
 |
Cartoon | A painter paints a Number Nine, then hangs it. Artist: Tom Gabbay (First: Episode 1488) |
 |
Film | "It's an Otter!" Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0284) cut from the Noggin version |
 |
Transition | Bridge #7 - Rectangle Bridge A (First: Episode 0290) cut from the Noggin version |
 |
Cartoon | King Minus and the Disappearing Dragons (First: Episode 0345) cut from the Noggin version |
 |
SCENE 6 | Dr. Price is confused when his machine appears to rain socks from the sky... but it turns out they're Bob's socks hanging on his clothesline. |
 |
Cartoon | A group of ants carry a letter Q to the top of a hill. (First: Episode 0787) |
 |
Cast | In speed-induced footage, Maria, Luis and David put together a letter Q. (First: Episode 0467) |
 |
Song | "The Ball Goes Up, The Ball Goes Down" (First: Episode 0773) |
 |
SCENE 7 | Tuning in to the news, Bob, Susan and David learn that a rainstorm is coming soon and the water shortage will be over! |
  |
SCENE 7 cont'd |
Dr. Price, who has not heard the news, thinks his machine is a success when it begins to rain. When he turns off the device and finds that the rain continues to pour, he then considers inventing a rain-stopping machine. |
 |
Cartoon | The Typewriter: V for Vacuum (First: Episode 0774) |
 |
Muppets | An Anything Muppet lady spells out the word BUG, after which a bug introduces himself. (First: Episode 1423) |
 |
Cartoon | Some kids wander into the word OPEN, where there's a party going on. (First: Episode 0394) |
 |
Film | The word OPEN (First: Episode 0442) |
  |
Muppets | Cookie Monster encounters a green napkin. Every time he squeezes the napkin, a new number appears, allowing Cookie to count up to twenty. This creeps him out, but what's even more creepy is when Kermit shows up inside the napkin at the end of the bit -- he's also green, after all. (First: Episode 0619) |
 |
Cartoon | A chair displays the word SIT, and a beast sits on him. (First: Episode 0399) cut from the Noggin version |
 |
Song | "Rainy Day Song" (First: Episode 1644) |
 |
SCENE 8 | Oscar is happy that the rain is back. He resumes his water-wasting activities, along with watching Slimey play in some newly-made mud. David announces the sponsors, and the credits roll. |
  |
CLOSING SIGNS | Mr. Hooper holds both the Sesame Street and CTW signs. |
Notes[]
- This episode was later repeated in season 16 as Episode 1995. Years later, the episode was adapted as Episode 2870.
| Previous episode: | Next episode: |
| Episode 1739 | Episode 1741 |