| Sesame Street | |
| Plot | The Number 1 looks for a new role in life |
| Air date | March 14, 1997 |
| Season | Season 28 (1996-1997) |
| Written by | Belinda Ward |
| Directed by | Emily Squires |
| Sponsors | U, 1 |
This episode guide has been compiled from materials provided by a trusted source. ⓘ
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | SCENE 1 | Telly Monster and the kids are joined by a number 1, the number of the day. The 1 replies that she doesn't want to be the number of the day, or even the boring number that she is. She vows to find something else she can be, something she can be proud. She becomes inspired when she witnesses a pogo-sticking kid go by. |
 | Song | "We're Talking 'Bout the Number One" (First: Episode 3154) |
 | Cartoon | Hortense beats one drum. Artist: Michael Sporn (First: Episode 2570) |
 | Film | Miles lives in Kuwait, and sometimes plays taiko drums at the park. (First: Episode 3196) |
 | Muppets | Bert sings about his love for making music from hitting an "Oatmeal Box." |
 | Cartoon | Kids try to guess what a bunch of shapes will form; eventually they form a chicken. (EKA: Episode 2838) |
 | Film | A girl's grandmother teaches Spanish to her parrot Kuka. (First: Episode 3101) |
 | Animation | Counting 1-10 and 10-0 in Spanish (Maria voice-over) (First: Episode 3008) |
| | SCENE 2 | The 1 returns, now decked out as a pogo stick. She encourages Telly to give her a boing, but she quickly topples over under his weight. Telly and the kids try to convince her to change her mind, calling her old, numerical persona "the top banana," giving her another idea... |
 | Film | The letters J-U-M-P jump to a song. (First: Episode 3528) |
 | Cartoon | Wilma Wiggins makes the very best of a very silly situation by hiccuping her way through an opera. (First: Episode 2963) |
 | Muppets | Phil Harmonic introduces Charmin', who performs an opera about the fax machine. (First: Episode 3249) |
 | Film | Kids walk IN and OUT of a school. (First: Episode 3561) |
 | Cartoon | A U train spells the words "unite," "U-turn," "underground," "up," and "universe." (First: Episode 0624) |
 | Muppets | SuperBaby finds the letter U. (First: Episode 3595) |
 | Cartoon | Students raise their hands and name words that begin with "U." Artist: Fred Garbers (First: Episode 3553) |
| | SCENE 3 | The 1 now poses as a banana, a fruit to be proud of. She thinks she'll avoid any calamity now, until Joey and Davey Monkey appear and attempt to eat her. They leave in disgust when they find out her true nature. The 1 realizes she can't be anything but herself, which she still isn't proud of. |
 | Cartoon | "Banana Samba" (First: Episode 2920) |
 | Muppets | Cookie Monster has a riddle: what do you get when you have one cookie between two cookies? A cookie sandwich! (First: Episode 3209) |
 | Cartoon | A girl has trouble closing her suitcase after she's packed it, but has help from her four-legged friend. (EKA: Episode 2449) |
 | Film | A girl named Shirley performs in the circus; her father is Ringling Bros. clown David Larible. Other acts in the circus include elephant training and elephant jumping. (First: Episode 3529) |
 | Cartoon | An army of ants gets to the bakery, only to find that it's closed. (EKA: Episode 2173) |
 | Muppets | Elmo bumps into Kermit the Frog on the way to the post office, begging to help him with one of his demonstrations, during which the post office closes - a perfect prompt to demonstrate closed. (First: Episode 2497) |
 | Film | Abierto and cerrado (First: Episode 3271) |
  | Insert | Lea Salonga sings "A Little Bit" to a duck, Big Bird, and the Birdketeers. (First: Episode 3154) |
 | Cartoon | Speech Balloon: U for UP (EKA: Episode 1541) |
 | Muppets | The Martians discover a "U." (First: Episode 3387) |
 | 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) |
 | Film | Operation Playground: A group of students at P.S. 87 come up with ideas for a new playground, and raise money for the effort. Together with their parents and other people from the neighborhood, they build the playground. (EKA: Episode 2376) |
 | Animation | Cecille sings "I Want to Be Me." (First: Episode 2791) |
 | Film | Farmer McFay subtracts green apples from 5 to 3 to 1 and is bothered by a fly. (First: Episode 3208) |
| | SCENE 4 | Count von Count has caught word about a number in distress. He proceeds to sing about the many reasons why the number 1 is "The One and Only One" for him. The 1 doesn't feel all that much better after the song, so he proceeds to sing it again. |
 | Animation | A group of round crayons draws a house, and is hesitant to let a square yellow crayon join, until it draws the sun. They all cooperate to make a rainbow. (First: Episode 3105) |
 | Film | Girls sing a jump-rope rhyme about naming a puppy. (First: Episode 3279) |
 | Muppets | "Fat Cat" (First: Episode 0536) |
 | Cartoon | Two people think they hear a BARK in the DARK. Artist: John Korty (EKA: Episode 2011) |
 | Animation | A horseshoe and boot pattern (First: Episode 3577) |
 | Cartoon | Millie and Molly take a walk, and have different perspectives of their surroundings. (EKA: Episode 1454) |
 | Song | "Beautiful Baby" (remake) (First: Episode 3549) |
| | SCENE 5 | The Count has reprised his song many, many times now. The 1 comes to realize that without her, nobody would be able to count at all, meaning she has something to be proud of after all. The Count darts off, his work done, when a sobbing number 0 enters with a similar self-esteem issue. Everyone calls for the Count to return, as he announces the sponsors in voiceover. |
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