Episode 3759

Sesame Street
Telly loses his hamster
Air date	April 9, 1998
Season	Season 29 (1997-1998)
Written by	Luis Santiero
Sponsors U, 8 This episode guide has been compiled from script materials provided by a trusted source. ⓘ

Picture	Segment	Description
	SCENE 1	Elmo covers his eyes as Telly Monster leads him down the street to see a special surprise - Telly's new pet hamster, Sweetie Pie. He originally wanted a horse, but his mom got him a hamster instead (since they both start with the letter "H"). The two monsters observe the hamster and notice how he isn't eating or running on his wheel when told to. Telly notes that he gives the hamster something very important - love. He and Elmo start telling Sweetie Pie how much they love him.
	Animation	The word "LOVE" in various situations. (First: Episode 3569)
	Muppets	Grover and Rosita explain the concept of "love" in 15 seconds. Grover exasperates about the assignment, but Rosita intervenes just in time. (First: Episode 3527)
	Song	"Beautiful Baby" (remake) (First: Episode 3549)
	Cartoon	Students raise their hands and name words that begin with "U." Artist: Fred Garbers (First: Episode 3553)
	Celebrity	Melissa Etheridge sings "Like the Way U Does." (First: Episode 3529)
	Cartoon	Speech Balloon: U for UP (EKA: Episode 1541)
	Film	Wegman's dogs portray a check-up at the eye doctor's. (First: Episode 3739)
	SCENE 2	Telly claims that Sweetie Pie is also learning how to say the alphabet. He launches into "The Alphabet Song," but Elmo points out that Sweetie Pie ins't singing along. Telly surmises that he just hasn't learned it fully, but is definitely singing along in his head. Telly also says that Sweetie Pie goes nuts in the presence of his triangle collection, which he's left at home. He can't bring the cage along, so Elmo volunteers to watch him. Telly is hesitant, but allows this. After Telly leaves, Elmo sings "The Alphabet Song" again to Sweetie Pie.
	Animation	Portraits of kids display the alphabet. Artist: Lisa Crafts (First: Episode 3203)
	Muppets	Big Bird's Video Postcards Big Bird explores the mask gallery at the Museo del Barrio in New York City. Edna, the art instructor, shows him and some kids how to make their own masks for a parade. (First: Episode 3058)
	Cartoon	What Do You Do With a Pet? (First: Episode 0465)
	Film	A child in a classroom draws a picture of her dog Puck, and goes over the care required to keep a pet. (First: Episode 2853)
	SCENE 3	Elmo continues watching Sweetie Pie, when he notices his water dish is empty. Elmo wonders what to do - he can't leave his post, but Sweetie Pie needs water. He opens the cage door and grabs the water dish, promising to only be gone a minute while he runs over to Hooper's Store. Just as he leaves, Sweetie Pie starts crawling over the open cage door...
	SCENE 3 cont'd	Telly returns with his triangle collection and is confused when he doesn't see Elmo around. Elmo returns a moment later with water and the monsters are horrified to see Sweetie Pie is no longer in his cage.
	Cartoon	Bobby's dog narrates why Bobby is sad. (First: Episode 3455)
	Muppets	Ernie & Bert — Ernie brings a surprise home, and he tells Bert to guess what it is. The surprise turns out to be a puppy. Bert wants to call the puppy "Norman"; Ernie suggests "Godzilla the Wonder-Dog". (EKA: Episode 2064)
	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	The letter U dances at the beach. (First: Episode 3529)
	Muppets	Ethel Mermaid sings "I Get a Kick Out of U." (First: Episode 3127)
	Cartoon	A little boy describes a time when he got angry after his toy truck was destroyed by a big kid. Artist: ArtistMike (First: Episode 2764)
	SCENE 4	Elmo tries to explain what happened to Telly and realizes that he must have left the cage open by accident. Telly feels angry with Elmo (for his losing Sweetie Pie), with himself (for abandoning his hamster in the first place) and with Sweetie Pie (for abandoning him). Elmo promises to spend the rest of his life searching for him, when Lexine happens by. They explain the situation and she offers to help look for him.
	SCENE 4 cont'd	Meanwhile, Sweetie Pie has made his way to Oscar's trash can, where Oscar notices him. He brings the hamster inside the can, where he has an exercise wheel for him to use. Telly rushes by in his search, while Oscar considers naming the hamster Mister Mud.
	Cartoon	A woman identifies farm animals by their sounds. (EKA: Episode 2808)
	Film	What sound does a baby chick make? (First: Episode 3419)
	Cartoon	"Candy Man" Artist: Bud Luckey (First: Episode 0359)
	Film	Milo Counting: 8 (First: Episode 3554)
	Cartoon	"Captain Spacey" counts 8 planets until the 25-cent rocket machine runs out of juice. (First: Episode 3554)
	Muppets	The Martians spy a leaky faucet through a kitchen window. As it continues to drip, a Fat Blue woman turns it off, shocked to see that she had been wasting water. (First: Episode 2962)
	Film	The floating kids form a rectangle. (First: Episode 3131)
	Cartoon	I Love You, in American Sign Language Artist: Steve Finkin (EKA: Episode 1186)
	SCENE 5	More kids have joined the "hamster tracking patrol," crawling as if they are hamster. They've also created several signs concerning the lost creature, as Elmo and Telly explain to Ruthie. She recalls going through a similar process in helping Mother Goose find Hickory, Dickory and Dock (the mice who ran up the clock). She scurries around acting like a hamster, when an Anything Muppet woman appears, believing she is whom they are looking for (her husband endeeringly calls her "Sweetie Pie").
	SCENE 5 cont'd	Oscar, hearing everyone calling out for Sweetie Pie, yells for a little peace and quiet. Lexine places a "Lost Pet Hamster" poster on his can and he realizes what he's in possession of.
	Cartoon	A boy gets lost, and encounters a man with a yo-yo, who tells him to remember everything he passed. Artist: Jeff Hale (EKA: Episode 0668)
	Muppets	In song, a boy wanders into the Animal Lost and Found, looking for his pet named Homer. The shopkeeper says, "Describe Your Pet to Me." (First: Episode 2967)
	Animation	Elephants appear in the clouds as Vivaldi music plays. (First: Episode 3627)
	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)
	Cartoon	A beatnik bat reads poetry at a nightclub, as everything rhymes with the "AT" sound. Artist: Lisa Crafts (First: Episode 3396)
	SCENE 6	Telly doesn't think he'll ever find Sweetie Pie, when Oscar brings the hamster over in his own cage. Oscar has grown close to the little guy and believes his trash can is a suitable place for him to live, with plenty of space to roam and fellow animals to encounter. Telly decides that Sweetie Pie can stay with Oscar, just as long as he can visit. The two debate over the hamster's name, when Ruthie comes up with a suitable one - Mud Pie. Everyone watches his habits, as Elmo announces the sponsors.
	COMING SOON	Coming Soon on Sesame Street: Bill Nye puts Elmo on the see-saw with some other kids and Big Bird.

Notes

• The following season, Telly would get a new pet hamster, Chuckie (later becoming Chuckie Sue).
• For the summer reruns, this episode was replaced by a repeat of Episode 3657 (while retaining this episode's onscreen number).
• A scene from this episode has been used as a stand-alone Muppet segment on Sesamstraat.

Previous episode:	Next episode:
Episode 3758	Episode 3760