"Hurricane on Sesame Street" is a Sesame Street story arc that took place over several episodes in Season 32 (2001).
During the last week of March in 2001, Sesame Street aired a five-part saga in which its namesake is struck by a hurricane. The preparation and aftermath covers how the storm affects the community with a particular focus on Big Bird and the destruction of his nest.
The episodes were rerun on October 4-8, 2004 (after Hurricane Charley) and September 12-16, 2005 (after Hurricane Katrina). Elements from four of them were also incorporated into the season 43 finale and uploaded to the show's official YouTube channel (YouTube) on November 16, 2012 (after Hurricane Sandy). The reruns began with an introduction by Gordon, and were structured slightly differently.
The street scenes from the episodes were edited together and released on home video as Friends to the Rescue. Clips from the arc have also appeared in 40 Years of Sunny Days, and a significant portion of the production on these episodes — including the writing process and filming — were covered in a behind-the-scenes look during A&E Biography: Sesame Street. The episodes began streaming on HBO Max in 2020.
From 2012 to 2016, sesamestreet.org maintained a resource kit as a companion to the episodes. [1]
Previously, a hurricane was the subject of Get Ready for Hurricanes in 1987, while a hurricane had hit the street in Episode 2821 with diminished effects. The storm was mostly covered in one episode, while the follow-up dealt with the aftermath in a more whimsical fashion by crediting the hurricane with the arrival of fairy tale characters.
Episodes[]
| Picture | Description |
|---|---|
 |
Episode 3976 Preparation |
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Episode 3977 A nest destroyed |
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Episode 3978 Memories |
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Episode 3979 Rebuilding |
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Episode 3980 The final twig |