| Sesame Street | |||||||
| A birthday party for Barkley | |||||||
| Air date | January 26, 1989 | ||||||
| Season | Season 20 (1988-1989) | ||||||
| Written by | Luis Santeiro | ||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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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!" |
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Cartoon | Two alpine climbers hike up a letter Z and stake a claim on it. (First: Episode 0281) |
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Song | Joe Raposo sings "Kangaroo Blues." (re-filmed version) (First: Episode 2504) |
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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) |
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Cartoon | Sign Sounds: Hand (First: Episode 1179) |
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Muppets | An Anything Muppet family arranges themselves in different ways. (First: Episode 0275) |
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Film | Some kids have a bike race by the river. (First: Episode 1419) |
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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 says Barkley just showed up on the street one day, so they have no idea when his birthday is 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. |
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Cartoon | Luis (in voice-over) counts racehorses numbered 9 to 1 as they cross the finish line. (First: Episode 2110) |
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Song | Joe Raposo sings "Hippopotamus Round." (First: Episode 0413) |
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Muppets | Two-Headed Monster: Tap — The monster spells the word "tap," then tap-dances away. (First: Episode 1912) |
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Animation | Yellow drops don't want to play with a red ball at first, but they make a good flower together. (First: Episode 1895) |
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Muppets | Sesame Street News Flash — Kermit helps Don Music improve "Yankee Doodle." (First: Episode 0876) |
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Cartoon | Letter U salesman (First: Episode 0202) |
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Muppets | Oscar and Grundgetta sing "The Off-Key Song." (First: Episode 2039) |
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Cartoon | A man uses his memory to tell a woman how to get to a red house. (First: Episode 2185) |
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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) |
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Muppets | Sesame Street News Flash: Weather Report — Simon Soundman reports on the weather. (First: Episode 0631) |
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Cartoon | Abierto: Ali Baba arrives a bit late and gets run over by the 40 thieves leaving. (First: Episode 0467) |
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Muppets | Ernie and Bert: Cookie Reminder — Ernie explains to Bert that he placed a cookie on the table as a reminder. (First: Episode 0095) |
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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) |
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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 actually her doorbell, which helps her see rather than hear when someone is at the door. Many guests arrive, including a Grouch (David Rudman) who delivers a singing telegram on behalf of Oscar. Oscar has also sent someone else in his place - his pet pig, Spot. |
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Cartoon | “Signing Alphabet,” an animated film by Steve Finkin. Music for voice and electronics by Joan La Barbara. (First: Episode 1056) |
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Film | A man makes a shadow puppet of a swan. (First: Episode 1118) |
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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) |
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Celebrity | Smokey Robinson performs “U Really Got a Hold on Me” with a clingy letter U. (First: Episode 2022) |
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Cartoon | Big, bigger, biggest (strongmen) (First: Episode 0792) |
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SCENE 4 | The gang presents Barkley with a dog bone-shaped cake and sings "Happy Birthday to You" (in woof). Everybody helps him blow out the candles when Juliet notices Spot looking sad and left out, so they sing the song again in oink. |
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Cartoon | The story of an old woman who lived in a nine. Artist: Bud Luckey (First: Episode 0512) |
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Muppets | Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats sing "You're Alive." (First: Episode 1482) |
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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) |
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Film | A mandrill carries her young. Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0039) |
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SCENE 5 | Barkley paws at his gifts, finding there's only one left unopened. The adults help open a box from Oscar and Spot, who have gifted him with a flea collar (along with a flea). Snuffy announces the sponsors. |
Notes[]
- This episode marks the first appearance of a dramatic violin music sting that plays whenever Telly and/or Juliet would have their worries build up into bigger scenarios. This underscore would only last for a few years, remaining with Telly after Juliet's departure and appearing as late as season 23.
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