1991 CD-I cover
1991 title screen
Letters is an interactive Sesame Street computer game that was originally developed by the Children's Television Workshop in 1991.
Initially released as one of two CD-I games by Philips Interactive Media, under the label "A Visit to Sesame Street," the game was subsequently re-released and modified for CD-ROM. It was re-released by Electronic Arts (1995), Creative Wonders (1997), The Learning Company (1998), and Encore Software (2002). The game was also included in the Sesame Street Learning Series: Toddlers Deluxe CD-ROM set.
The main menu of the game is a scrolling two-dimensional computer animation of Sesame Street hosted by Oscar the Grouch. Locations include Big Bird's nest, Snuffy's cave (which is depicted here as located behind Big Bird's nest), and Ernie and Bert's apartment.
The CD-ROM releases of the game feature many changes to the look and gameplay. The design of Snuffy's cave and the street are changed: the cave is relocated to the opposite side of 123 Sesame Street and elements of the Around the Corner expansion are added (including the playground, the Furry Arms and Finders Keepers). Telly Monster is added as the primary host, with Oscar serving a secondary role and having much of his dialogue re-recorded.
As with its companion Numbers, this game features posthumous voice-over work by Jim Henson as Ernie and Kermit the Frog. A special thanks message to Henson is seen at the end credits.
CD-ROM Releases
Contents
Telly is added to the game for the 1995 re-release.
- "The Trash Game": The user must match items in the spilled trash with their first letters and place them in Oscar's trash bag.
- "What's My Rhyme?": Big Bird says an incomplete rhyme and asks the user to find the missing word, an object in his nest area, to finish it.
- "Snuffy Says": Snuffy says a word and the user must find an object in his cave that starts with the same sound.
- "Storybooks & Telephones": Listen to stories in books and answer the phone to talk to characters from Sesame Street.
- "Radios & Televisions": Each character location contains a radio and television set, which plays songs and video clips from the show. Many of these clips are not commercially available elsewhere.
Songs
Each room in the game is equipped with a radio on which three stations are tunable: WHAT, KTOY and KKID featuring Jerry Nelson as the deejay. Each station plays commercials announced by Martin P. Robinson and News Flashes by Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson). Songs included are:
- "ABC's of the Swamp"
- "Would You Like to Buy an O?"
- "X Marks the Spot!"
- "Sing Your Synonyms"
- "The Zizzy Zoomers"
- "The Word is No"
- "The Question Song"
- "Still, We Like Each Other"
- "J Friends"
- Maria, Big Bird and Luis sing "Rhyme Out"
- "M-M-M Monster Meal"
- Edgar Turtle sings a nonsense song "Hey Diddle Diddle"
- "C is for Cookie"
- "Mad"
- "Be My D"
- Elmo talks about the letter E
- "Two G Sounds"
- "Letter B"
- "Thinking of U"
- "Rappin' Alphabet"
- "Four Seasons"
- "Cookie Monster sings a rhyming song, "If You Want to Make Rhyme"
- Maria, David, Luis and Forgetful Jones rap "Write It Down"
Cartoons
Voices
- Jim Henson as Ernie and Kermit the Frog
- Frank Oz as Bert
- Jerry Nelson as the Count
- Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch
- Martin P. Robinson as Telly and Mr. Snuffleupagus
- Kevin Clash as Elmo
Additional appearances by (archive material):
- Ivy Austin, Cheryl Blalock, Douglas Boyd, Fred Calvert, Kimie Calvert, Christopher Cerf, Ed Christie, Merry Delmonte, Jerry Graff, Jeffrey Hale, Jane Henson, Richard Hunt, Paul Jacobs, Jim Kroupa, June Magreder, Jeff Moss, Brian Muehl, Judith Munsen, Julie Payne, Patricia Rabe, Joe Raposo, Rebecca Reardon, Lynn Roberts, Derek Smith, Andrew Smith, Marilyn Sokol, Alan Sokoloff, Allen Swift
Credits
- Executive Producers: Michael Artin, Seth Meyers
- Head Writer: Mark Saltzman
- Writers: Sandy Damashek, Mitchell Kriegman
- Interactive Design: Rob Madell, Seth Meyers, Glenda Revelle
- Creative Development: Sandy Damashek, Rob Madell, Seth Meyers, Glenda Revelle, Sonia Rosario, Mark Saltzman
- Animation Synchronization: Valerie Vigoda, Michael Artin, Kevin Clash
- Songs by Charles Blaker, Christopher Cerf, Anna Dibble, Harrison Fisher, Ed Bogas, Candy Cugel, Si Fried, Maxine Fisher, B. Gibson, Don Hadley, Jefferson David Hale, S. Hopper, Al Jarnow, H. Lewis, William Luckey, Jeff Moss, Lanny Meyers, Judith Munsen, Joe Raposo, Steve Shirak, Nick Stevens, Norman Stiles
- Television animations by: Sasha Burland, Buzzco Assoc., Fred Calvert, Bruce Cayard, Sally Cruikshank, Fred Garbers, Imagination Films, James Miko, John Paratore
