| Sesame Street | |||||||||
| Ernie spends the night in Big Bird's nest | |||||||||
| Air date | May 10, 2000 | ||||||||
| Season | Season 31 (2000) | ||||||||
| Written by | Judy Freudberg | ||||||||
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| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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SCENE 1 | Big Bird welcomes the viewer and reveals he’s having a sleepover with someone on Sesame Street. It’s not Snuffy, nor Elmo; it’s Ernie, who’s staying over while Bert is at a pigeon convention in Peoria. Ernie runs back and forth, bringing his various things for the night (including his Rubber Duckie, bugle, and pajamas). |
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Cartoon | A family goes over their camping checklist before they leave for the woods. (First: Episode 3411) cut from the Sprout version |
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Film | A very happy and energetic lady discovers a monumental "N" and dances around it. Artist: Karen Aqua (First: Episode 3377) |
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Cartoon | Leaves form N and n. (First: Episode 3114) |
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Film | Alphaboy: Nibbling Noodles with Neighbor Nora (First: Episode 3465) |
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SCENE 2 | Big Bird lays down the agenda for their evening – first a snack, then a song, then sleep. However, the snack Big Bird has prepared is birdseed cookies, which Ernie doesn’t want to eat (as he’s not a bird). They call Gordon for help, who comes to the window of his apartment and provides a banana for Ernie. Ernie begins cracking jokes about the banana, even pretending it’s a phone, when they hear a phone ringing (which Ernie believes is his banana). It turns out to be Big Bird’s phone - Bert is on the other line, and tells Ernie he is about to perform a pigeon dance... |
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Muppets | At the Pigeon Convention in Peoria, an announcer introduces Bert, who sings "Doin' the Pigeon." (intro verses removed, new sound effects and applause added) Original version: (First: Episode 0536) |
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Animation | Rubber Stamp #11 (First: Episode 2885) |
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Animation | A girl types the number 11 on a computer, matches it with another one, and sees 11 elephants. (First: Episode 3885) |
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Cartoon | Rap #11 (First: Episode 2531) |
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SCENE 3 | Now, it’s time for the sleepover song and they decide to sing a lullaby to each other by taking turns. Ernie sings the traditional "Lullaby and Goodnight" to Big Bird, but sees that with Big Bird asleep, there’s no one to sing him a lullaby. He calls Gordon to sing him one, so Gordon sings "Lullaby and Goodnight" which lulls him to sleep. |
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Film | A child performs a poem called "Night" in sign language. (First: Episode 3807) |
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Muppets | At night, Humphrey sings a lullaby to Natasha. |
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Animation | A boy has a dream in which he floats in Outer Space between things. (First: Episode 3093) |
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Film | Milo Counting: 11 (First: Episode 3585) |
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Animation | Clown Honking #11 (First: Episode 3196) |
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SCENE 4 | Ernie wakes up in the middle of the night and finds he’s thirsty, once again calling on Gordon for help. Gordon, despite losing sleep, goes to get him a drink of water. While he waits, Ernie explains to the viewer how all living things need water. Gordon returns with a cup for Ernie, who only takes a brief sip before he's about to go back to bed... but first he needs another lullaby from Gordon. |
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Song | “Drink of Water” (First: Episode 2545) |
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Cartoon | A pencil tries to write the word DANCE. (First: Episode 1966) |
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Muppets / Celebrity | Michael Jeter sings "Dance Myself to Sleep", accompanied by the Boogie-Woogie Sheep. (First: Episode 3857) |
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Cartoon | Mr. Tweak can't sleep because his neighbor above snores, and his neighbor below sneezes. Artist: Abe Levitow (First: Episode 0528) |
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SCENE 5 | Gordon, who has dozed off during his song, wakes up and sees Ernie asleep. He plans to get to bed himself, but Ernie wakes again complaining how uncomfortable Big Bird's nest is. Gordon calls for Susan, who fetches Ernie a pillow and blanket for Ernie to rest on. Gordon pleads for Ernie to sleep, muttering "Why me?" when Ernie asks for another lullaby. |
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Film | Fireworks Alphabet (First: Episode 1104) |
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Muppets | Two-Headed Monster: Pillow — The monster shares a pillow. (First: Episode 1669) |
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Cartoon | A girl thinks she hears a monster doing a cha-cha outside her window, but it's only the wind and a cricket. Her snores frighten the real monster. Artist: Deanna Morse (First: Episode 2951) cut from the Sprout version |
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SCENE 6 | Ernie wakes up again screaming for Bert, calling Gordon’s attention yet again. He realizes he misses Bert and lays out a typical night at home, where he would talk and Bert would tell him to sleep. Sensing no way out of it, a very tired Gordon comes back to the nest with his own pillow and blanket and Ernie starts asking him about various things like cheese and the sky. As Ernie talks, Gordon repeatedly tells him to sleep, and the two of them start nodding off. |
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Animation | Computer N / n (First: Episode 3039) |
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Cartoon | Gordon voiceover N/n (First: Episode 2283) |
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Muppets | Zoe demonstrates front and back using Wolfgang and a fish. (First: Episode 3411) |
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Film | A boy is scared to go to sleep at night, until his dad tells him to use his imagination to calm himself down. He conducts a symphony with his toys. (First: Episode 3271) |
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Cartoon | The moon listens to everyone say "Good night" in different languages. (First: Episode 2243) cut from the Sprout version |
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SCENE 7 | Big Bird wakes up thirsty and is surprised to see Gordon in the nest. He also learns how exhausted Gordon is and doesn’t want to disturb him, so he calls for Susan instead. Susan arrives with a cup of water for Big Bird and plans to take Gordon back to the apartment, but not before the two sing Big Bird and Ernie one more lullaby. Ernie tries to strike up another conversation about cheese when Big Bird tells him to go to sleep. |
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Muppets | Elmo's World: Water (First: Episode 3831) |
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SCENE 8 | As Ernie and Big Bird doze peacefully, Gordon announces the sponsors. He jokingly asks Susan what she thinks of cheese, and she tells him to go back to sleep. |
Alterations[]
| Picture | Segment | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Animation | Two clay cavemen play with blocks together, until Red gets hurt, and holds a grudge against Brown. As Red sleeps, it becomes chilly and windy, so Brown covers him up with a blanket. The two are friends again. (First: Episode 4071) This segment was placed after Scene 1 in the Sprout version. |
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Animation | The clay cavemen try to avoid the rain, and wind up sharing an umbrella. (First: Episode 4033) This segment was placed before Scene 6 in the Sprout version. |
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Cartoon | A derby-hatted man identifies animal sounds, ending with a tractor. (First: Episode 0839) This segment was placed before scene 7 in the Sprout version. |
Notes[]
- An excerpt of Ernie's lullaby from scene 3 appears in Episode 3978 as part of one of Big Bird's many flashbacks about his nest.
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