Episode 4034

	Sesame Street
	Bert's Birthday
Air date	April 10, 2003
Season	Season 34 (2003)
Written by	Judy Freudberg
Production	October 25, 2002
Sponsors	M, 4
Releases	HBO Max

Picture	Segment	Description
	SCENE 1	Big Bird greets the viewer as he flaps down the street with the Birdketeers. The camera continues down the block, until it reaches Ernie and Bert's apartment...
	SCENE 1 cont'd	Ernie informs the viewer that today is Bert's birthday and he's got a big surprise planned. Assuming he has some peace and quiet, Bert enters with his new book, The History of Oatmeal (a gift from his brother Bart) and starts reading, when Ernie surprises him. He presents more surprises - a singing, dancing elephant, the All Penguin Drum and Bugle Corps and the Honker and Dinger Birthday Greeting. All this is too much for Bert and he asks for some peace and quiet. Ernie respects his birthday wish and sends everyone, and himself, out of the apartment so Bert can read in peace. This section of the street story would later be used in several international co-productions as a stand-alone Muppet sketch. (YouTube)
	SCENE 1 cont'd	Ernie runs into Gordon and Miles, who are playing basketball. Ernie wants to go home to Bert, but the two convince him to stay and take his mind off Bert with a game. Meanwhile, Bert continues to make his way through his book. When Miles and Gordon have to leave, Ernie considers going back home, but they point him toward a Birdketeer meeting he can go to instead.
	SCENE 1 cont'd	Ernie joins Big Bird and the Birdketeers for a game of "Bird Follow the Leader," where everyone follows the leader as they do birdie things. Ernie volunteers to lead and starts flapping everyone back to his apartment, but Big Bird assumes command and leads them the other way. Meanwhile, Bert starts to find the quiet unsettling and wonders what Ernie is up to.
	SCENE 1 cont'd	The Birdketeer meeting is ending, but Ernie still needs something to do. Snuffy arrives for a playdate with Big Bird and they invite Ernie to join in "The Snuffleupagus Alphabet." As they go through the letters, Bert starts to feel lonely and goes off to find Ernie. He confronts Ernie about being left alone and everyone comes out to celebrate.
	Song	John Pizzarelli sings about feeling "happy and proud" on your birthday. (First: Episode 3421)
	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)
	Muppets	The Number of the Day: 4 Four Honkers (including Mr. Honker) show up after learning that the number of the day is 4. (First: Episode 3982)
	Film	Wegman dogs make 4 mud pies.
	Celebrity	The Count counts the musicians in the Tokyo String Quartet. (First: Episode 3266)
	Animation	Martin Robinson counts 4 flowers in an Austin Powers-type voiceover.
	SCENE 2	Bert, Ernie and the kids play a round of "Three of These Things" using party items and a shirt.
	Animation	Black and white clothes arrange themselves in different ways, and finally end up on a boy and a girl.
	Muppets	Journey to Ernie: Beach — Big Bird searches for Ernie at the beach.
	Muppets	Ernie and Bert: Ernie finds a circle, and Bert sings "It's a Circle." Ernie joins him naming different objects that remind him of the shape in question, and they sing the two parts of the song together.
	Cartoon	Kids sing "Happy Birthday". While they're singing, a birthday cake with animated candles is shown. (First: Episode 3005) cut from the Max version
	Muppets	Hero Guy: Baby Bear gets Hero Guy to turn into a cow but he keeps turning into other animals. Finally he does it but likes being the Hippo. So Baby Bear changes the nursery rhyme.
	Animation	Kids talk about what they see in a Kandinsky Painting. (First: Episode 4004)
	Muppets	The Letter of the Day: M Cookie Monster tries to disguise the Letter M Cookie to prevent himself from eating it. (First: Episode 3984)
	Animation	The letter M in various typefaces. (First: Episode 2864)
	Cartoon	Don't mess with the Mighty M. Artist: Bruce Cayard (First: Episode 1578)
	Film	On the farm, a boy enjoys a glass of MILK. (First: Episode 3277)
	Muppets	The Spanish Word of the Day: leche Rosita drinks the word leche, the Spanish word for "milk." (First: Episode 3988) cut from the Max version
	Muppets	Elmo's World: Birthdays (First: Episode 3940)
	SCENE 3	Bert tries to announce the sponsors, but doesn't have any visuals. A Honker gifts him with a letter M and a number 4.