| Sesame Street | |||||||||
| Irvine has the grouch flu | |||||||||
| Air date | December 1, 1989 | ||||||||
| Season | Season 21 (1989-1990) | ||||||||
| Written by | Judy Freudberg | ||||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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SCENE 1 | Oscar the Grouch is distraught because of Irvine's odd behavior. Bob doesn't think anything is wrong with her: she's smiling and laughing, and even gives him a kiss. Bob suggests that she just doesn't feel like being grouchy; maybe she woke up on the right side of the bed. Oscar, however, recognizes the symptoms as a case of the grouch flu. He calls Dr. Kvetch ("DOCTOR!!") who says she should rest, drink fluids, and stay away from nice people, so Oscar tells Bob to get lost. |
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Cartoon | What's missing? (a baby) (First: Episode 2023) |
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Muppets | Clementine hears water running, which reminds Forgetful Jones that he was about to do something. Using the clues at hand (a bar of soap, a backbrush, and a towel), Forgetful remembers that it's bath time. Buster's bath, that is... (First: Episode 1666) |
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Film | Kids talk about how many things they can do now that they're five years old. (First: Episode 1403) |
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Cartoon | M is for Marvelous Martha (First: Episode 0013) |
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SCENE 2 | Maria is on her way to take Gabi to the doctor for her check-up, and Oscar tells them not to come any closer for fear their niceness will make Irvine worse. They give Irvine a wide berth as they walk as far away from Irvine as they can get on their way to the bus stop. Oscar is happy that the bus will take them even farther away. |
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Animation | Match the word HOT. (First: Episode 2055) |
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Muppets | Bip Bippadotta sings "Opposite Stuff." (First: Episode 2425) |
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Cartoon | Two itchy gorillas agree to scratch each other's backs. (First: Episode 1456) |
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SCENE 3 | Gabi's doctor gives her a checkup and administers her polio vaccine via throat drops. Maria is a nervous parent, but the doctor finds that Gabi is perfectly healthy. Maria notes that Gabi has just been exposed to the grouch flu, but the doctor tells her not to worry as only Grouches can get it. |
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Cartoon | "Love" word animation (First: Episode 0926) |
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Muppets | "The Ten Commandments of Health" (First: Episode 1139) |
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Cartoon | A boy puts together a fishbowl, and watches his fish swim around in it. (First: Episode 2030) |
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Film | At a fiesta, a group of kids try to break through a piñata. (First: Episode 0620) |
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Cartoon | A for apricot, alligator, acrobat, accordion, artist, airplane. (First: Episode 1586) |
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SCENE 4 | To put Irvine back in a grouchy mood, Oscar reads her the story of "Snow Grouch." The story has no effect however, and she kisses Oscar. |
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Animation | M / m (Gordon voiceover) (First: Episode 2232) |
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Muppets / Celebrity | Itzhak Perlman and a Honker accompany Placido Flamingo in the tenor aria "Vesti la giubba" from Pagliacci. At the end, he says "Bueno, Bueno!! Excellent!! Such feeling! Such depth!" Perlman thanks him for the compliment, but Placido is quick to correct him: "I was talking to the little fuzzy one. But you were good, too. And I...I was brilliant!" (First: Episode 2217) |
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Cartoon | Two people think they hear a BARK in the DARK. Artist: John Korty (First: Episode 1941) |
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SCENE 5 | Gina, Linda, and the kids decide to make Irvine a Grouch soup to help her feel better. The recipe includes onions, mustard, sardines, peanut butter, pickles, chocolate syrup, and vinegar, with Linda teaching the signs for some of the ingredients. Oscar comes to get the soup, as he could smell something good cooking all the way from his trash can. He tells them he doesn't appreciate it, but they know he does. |
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Cartoon | A caveman finds a rock on the ground, and visualizes the invention of the wheel and the car, ultimately deciding to toss the rock away: "Who needs it?" (First: Episode 0558) |
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Muppets | Ernie sings about "The Insects in Your Neighborhood." (First: Episode 1887) |
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Animation | A voiceover counts forty dots, each one rising on a musical scale as their colors shift from red to orange. (First: Episode 2406) |
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Film / Cast | Gordon hangs out in a classroom. He joins the kids and the teacher as they play with an elastic rope and get into different shapes. (First: Episode 1068) cut from the NHK version |
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Cartoon | Two stick figures use the salida. (First: Episode 2079) cut from the NHK version |
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SCENE 6 | Bob asks Oscar how Irvine is feeling. The news is good, as she's eating the Grouch soup and is back to saying "Blecch!" again. Bob credits her quick recovery to Oscar's care. Oscar tells him to scram - with all his nice talk, he's making him sick. He reconsiders and would like Bob to keep him company, which makes Oscar realize he's caught the grouch flu! |
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Cartoon | The Bellhop is sent to the grocery store to get twenty grapefruits. He counts to 20 on the way there so that he can remember the quantity, but forgets what item he was sent for. (First: Episode 2533) |
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Muppets | Two-Headed Monster: Sandwich — The monster enjoys a large sandwich. (First: Episode 1479) |
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Cartoon | A showcase of things that begin with A, ending with avalanche and ambulance. Artist: Cliff Roberts (First: Episode 0132) |
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Film | Empty / full classroom (time-lapse) (First: Episode 0415) |
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SCENE 7 | Oscar is singing the Sesame Street Theme when Gina, Linda, and the kids stop by to see how he's doing. Oscar says he's very happy and he hates it, especially when he asks Linda for a hug. He calls Doctor Kvetch, who tells everyone to leave Oscar alone. Oscar hugs him, then asks for help. Instead of continuing to help, Dr. Kvetch fears for his own safety and runs off to avoid catching the flu from Oscar. |
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SCENE 7 cont'd |
Oscar continues to be nice as he announces the sponsors: "Sesame Street has been brought to you today by the darling little letters A and M, and the wonderful number 20. Heh heh... yuck!" and the credits roll. ("La-dee-dah... oh, help!") |
Notes[]
- Additional performers include Jim Martin (as the Purple dwarf), with Richard Hunt (as Dr. Kvetch, The Magic Mirror, and the Fat Blue dwarf).
Alterations[]
| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Film | A giant panda walks around. (First: Episode 0920) This segment replaced the "Kids play with elastic rope and get into different shapes" film in the NHK version. |
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Cartoon | A troll draws different faces on herself in front of a mirror. (First: Episode 0800) This segment replaced the "Salida" cartoon in the NHK version. |
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