| Sesame Street | |
| Plot | A birthday party for Barkley |
| Air date | January 26, 1989 |
| Season | Season 20 (1988-1989) |
| Written by | Luis Santiero |
| Sponsors | U, Z, 9 |
This episode guide has been compiled from materials provided by a trusted source. ⓘ
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | SCENE 1 | Maria finds Telly and Juliet preparing a birthday poem for Telly's aunt. The two panic that if the card is so good, Telly's aunt might rush outside to show people and slip in a mud puddle. Telly resolves not to send it at all, but Maria assures them this won't happen. Juliet dictates the message as Telly writes it down: "Happy Birthday to the best aunt in town / I hope you don't run outside, slip in a mud puddle and fall down!" |
 | Cartoon | Two alpine climbers hike up a letter Z and stake a claim on it. (EKA: Episode 0665) |
 | Song | Joe Raposo sings "Kangaroo Blues." (re-filmed version) (First: Episode 2504) |
 | Muppets | Grover plays a detective at his office. A frantic city gent (Brian Muehl) rushes over to warn him about something that's bothering him outside, which, unbeknownst to both of them, turns out to be a very strong wind that blows everything away—including Grover's office. (First: Episode 1650) |
 | Cartoon | Sign Cartoons: Hand (First: Episode 1179) |
 | Muppets | An Anything Muppet family arranges themselves in different ways. (First: Episode 0275) |
 | Film | Some kids have a bike race by the river. (First: Episode 1419) |
| | SCENE 2 | Maria tries to mail Telly's card, when Barkley gets in the way. The monsters think he might be stopping her for a deliberate reason (like there being a birthday card thief in the mailbox). They also guess that he wants the birthday card for his own because today is his birthday. Linda isn't sure about this; she claims Barkley just showed up on the street one day, so they have no idea when his birthday or how old he is, adding that the vet's studies suggest he's about five. Juliet proposes that they throw him a birthday party today. |
 | Cartoon | Luis (in voice-over) counts racehorses numbered 9 to 1 as they cross the finish line. (EKA: Episode 2512) |
 | Song | Joe Raposo sings "Hippopotamus Round." (First: Episode 0413) |
 | Muppets | The Two-Headed Monster spells the word TAP, then tap-dances away. |
 | Animation | Yellow drops don't want to play with a red ball at first, but they make a good flower together. (EKA: Episode 1949) |
 | Muppets | Sesame Street News Flash: Kermit the Frog helps Don Music finish the "Yankee Doodle" song, then because Don finds the idea of calling feathers macaroni ridiculous, they rewrite it to be a song in which Yankee Doodle stays at home cooking for his pony, puts "fat spaghetti" in a pot and calls it macaroni. Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats then come in and perform the song with Don. (First: Episode 0876) |
 | Cartoon | Letter U salesman (First: Episode 0202) |
 | Muppets | Oscar and Grundgetta sing "The Off-Key Song." (First: Episode 2039) |
 | Cartoon | A man uses his memory to tell a woman how to get to a red house. (EKA: Episode 2274) |
 | Film | Two kids visit the police department and watch a policeman prepare some horses for a parade happening in New York City. The kids even get to ride the horses and watch the parade. (First: Episode 1243) |
 | Muppets | News anchorman Kermit concludes his news program with a weather report by their new news anchor, Simon Soundman, who does a weather report using sounds for different kinds of weather (wind blowing, a foghorn for fog, and rain and thunder for a rainstorm,). Kermit fires him and calls for another weatherman, who has a more "visual" approach to reporting it. (First: Episode 0631) |
 | Cartoon | Abierto: Ali Baba arrives a bit late and gets run over by the 40 thieves leaving. (First: Episode 0467) |
 | Muppets | Ernie & Bert — Bert wants to know why there is a cookie lying on the table. Ernie explains that he put it there to remind himself. (First: Episode 0095) |
 | Cartoon | "Poverty U" -- A figure gives a salute to the letter U, and presents the letter with a bouquet of flowers. Artist: Cliff Roberts (First: Episode 0036) |
| | SCENE 3 | Everyone sets up the party in Linda's apartment. Telly notices the lightbulb above Linda's door starting to fritz and fears that if the lights go out, the party will be ruined. Linda points out that's her doorbell, helping her see when someone is at the door. Many guests arrive, including a Grouch who delivers a singing telegram on behalf of Oscar. Oscar has also send someone else - his pet pig, Spot. |
| Cartoon | “Signing Alphabet,” an animated film by Steve Finkin. Music for voice and electronics by Joan La Barbara. (EKA: Episode 1056) |
 | Film | A man makes a shadow puppet of a swan. (First: Episode 1118) |
 | Cartoon | A man (voiced by Jack Dodson) describes places that begin with U and what you can do with the letter U. (First: Episode 0416) |
 | Celebrity | Smokey Robinson performs “U Really Got a Hold on Me” with a clingy letter U. (EKA: Episode 2406) |
 | Cartoon | Big, bigger, biggest (strongmen) (First: Episode 0792) |
| | SCENE 4 | The gang presents Barkley with a dog bone-shaped cake and sings "Happy Birthday to You" (in woof). Juliet notices Spot looking sad and alone, so they sing the song again in oink. |
 | Cartoon | The story of an old woman who lived in a nine. Artist: Bud Luckey (First: Episode 0512) |
 | Muppets | Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats sing "You're Alive." (First: Episode 1482) |
 | Cartoon | An alien lands on Earth, looking for a Z to eat. He snatches one off a policeman's uniform, eats it, and rests. (First: Episode 1481) |
 | Film | A mandrill carries her young. Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0039) |
| | SCENE 5 | Barkley paws at his gifts. The adults help open a box from Oscar, who had gifted him with a flea collar (along with a flea). |
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