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in: Sesame Street Seasons

Season 23 (1991-1992)

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Sesame Street
Premiere November 11, 1991 (2876)
Finale May 8, 1992 (3005)
Episodes 130
SSSeason23Cast

Season 23 cast (key)

Season23-Newbies

Roxie Marie, Merry Monster, Rosita, and Chicago the Lion; some of the new faces popping up this season.

2885-Dance

Big Bird learns to dance with the Native American Crow tribe during the cast's Trip to Montana.

Episode2888

Prairie Dawn meets Rosita.

EnVogue.Adventure

En Vogue sings "Adventure."

2876f

Big Bird and friends help an endangered Fluter-tooter find a new home in the season premiere.

3187g

Prairie Dawn directs Grover for his big dance number in "Singin' in the Rain."

2923d

Oscar protests the new mural painted outside of Hooper's Store.

DoesAirMoveThings

Bill Irwin makes his Sesame Street debut in filmed segments.

2930a

Elmo compiles an "alphabet collection" with a lot of help from his friends.

Group.funky

Baby Tooth and the Fuzzy Funk debut in a series of musical segments.

2946h

Monty wishes to discuss cabbages; Prairie doesn't.

GloriaConga

Gloria Estefan gets everyone to do the "Conga."

2937f

Gordon and Miles visit the Slop and Shop, a Grouch-operated grocery store.

4120bf

One of the Rubber Stamps animations.

2938k

Big Bird's Yellow Ambition Rock Tour

OnceIsNotEnough

"Once Is Not Enough"

Savion.GregoryHines

Gregory Hines appears as magician Gregory the Great, and gets to tap dance with Savion.

ICanSingAnything

Louise Gold starts performing on the show this season, including a duet of "I Can Sing" with Herry and Louisey.

2951e

Wanda Falbo (Word Fairy) visits Sesame Street to teach the magic of words.

Rainbowfish.5

A tropical fish counts various creatures in a series of segments underwater.

3243d

Telly learns what it takes to be the Grand High Triangle Lover.

Colambo.slipper2

Detective Colambo works on the case of Cinderella's lost glass slipper.

2990scene1

Telly stars as "CinderTelly," in one of performer and writer Joey Mazzarino's earliest scripts for the show.

3187k

"In My Book"

2994g

Telly ends up winning the previously unseen travelling game show audience of Sonny Friendly.

BarnInUSA

"Barn in the USA"

3003a

The gang learns about how voting works when they consider buying either crayons or juice.

Sesame Street Season 23 aired from November 11, 1991, to May 8, 1992.

Overview[]

Season 23 continues its four-year curriculum on race relations that began the previous season. The focus is primarily on American Indians, notably the Cherokee, Crow, Iroquois, and Navajo tribes.[1] Young viewers see how American Indian children live and recognize general cultural similarities and differences among American Indian nations.[2] For a week's worth of shows early in the season, Big Bird and cast members travel to Pryor, Montana to visit a Crow Indian reservation and witness an authentic Crow Indian naming ceremony for 7-year-old Francis Bear Claw. Big Bird learns how important traditional dances, ceremonial outfits, and various customs are to them, as well as a better appreciation of nature. Contrarywise, Oscar the Grouch prefers to stay in his trash can to avoid all the beauty of the landscape, while Count von Count discovers new things to count that are usually unavailable in the city. Following the Montana episodes, several inserts would continue with the curriculum focus, such as an animation explaining how various animal names are derived from American Indian language, and a series of films in which Navajo children discuss their families and homes through their artwork.

The topic of divorce was to have been a part of the season's lessons with an episode about the separation of Snuffy and Alice's parents. The subject was heavily researched and a full episode was produced. However, despite the time, care, and effort that went into the development and production, testing with focus groups of children had proven that the show unintentionally gave mixed messages on the subject and was ultimately unsuccessful in teaching its message, and the episode never aired.

Characters and segments[]

Many new Muppet characters are introduced for season 23.[3] Most notably, Rosita makes her debut in Episode 2888. A bilingual monster hailing from Mexico, she would become the main character of performer Carmen Osbahr and one of Sesame Street's most popular Muppets. There is also Roxie Marie, a fifth-grader who comes from Canarsie and is the niece of Biff (though the two luckily don't share a similar sense of knowledge). The chuckleheaded Monty has a skewered look on logic and brings utter nonsense in the manner of his namesake, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and would usually be paired with the more down-to-earth Prairie Dawn. Chicago the Lion is a vegetarian character, who pounces on broccoli and string beans as if they're prey; fellow jungle dwellers Joey and Davey Monkey make a brief cameo as well before becoming regulars the following year. A trio of monsters known as Baby Tooth and the Fuzzy Funk make short appearances during segments displaying their impressive dance skills, done in the style of Bunraku puppetry. An episode of Monsterpiece Theater stars the talented yet temperamental Cyranose de Bergerac, and detective Colambo solves the first of his cases based on popular stories and fairy tales. In addition to these, a few characters introduced the previous year such as Baby Bear and Merry Monster are also given expanded roles.

Recurring segments making their debut for season 23 include the Underwater Series, in which a tropical fish counts various creatures and objects that are reminiscent of those in The Song of the Cloud Forest. Simple math and relational concepts are demonstrated in film sequences featuring kids playing around a colorfully-tiled park bench, and The Adventures of Prairie Dawn pits the titular character in ordinary situations that are played as daring feats by a hyped-up announcer (voiced by Martin P. Robinson). Counting sequences featuring rubber stamps and numbers growing out of scenery are also featured, as well as brief songs that are performed while letters of the alphabet spin or swing into view.

Episodes[]

Episodes 2876 - 3005 (130 episodes)

Notes[]

  • This was the last season to use the original Sesame Street opening theme, as well as the final season to include the "Sesame Closing Theme," the funky instrumental played during the funding credits since 1972.
  • This was Richard Hunt's last season before his passing in January 1992. Hunt performed in several Street stories and inserts taped during the production year, most of which would air posthumously. He continued to be credited as a performer through Season 31.
  • This is the first season in which the full credit sequence is aired as part of the season premiere as well as for Friday episodes.
  • For the first time since 1977, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting resumed funding Sesame Street, which would continue in succeeding seasons (except for Season 30).

Cast[]

Cast
Alison Bartlett, Linda Bove, Emilio Delgado, Savion Glover, Loretta Long, Sonia Manzano, Bill McCutcheon, Bob McGrath, Roscoe Orman, David L. Smyrl, Lillias White (uncredited: Lisa Boggs, Donald Faison, Miles Orman, Gabriela Rose Reagan)
Muppet Performers
Caroll Spinney, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Martin P. Robinson, Kevin Clash, Fran Brill, David Rudman, Camille Bonora, Pam Arciero, Jim Martin, Judy Sladky, Fred Garbo, Bryant Young, Rick Lyon, Joey Mazzarino, Carmen Osbahr (Uncredited: Julianne Buescher, Louise Gold, Paul Hartis, Jim Kroupa, Peter Linz, Peter MacKennan, Noel MacNeal, Alison Mork, Kathryn Mullen)
Guest Stars
Blair Brown, Johnny Cash, Leon Chesney, En Vogue, Gloria Estefan, Sally Field, Gregory Hines, Bill Irwin, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Isaiah Thomas, Robert Townsend

Characters[]

Humans
Maria, Savion, Gordon, Gina, Luis, Bob, Susan, Linda, Gabi, Miles, Mr. Handford, Lillian, Uncle Wally, Lisa, Duane
Muppets
Alice Snuffleupagus, The Amazing Mumford, Anything Muppets, Baby Bear, Baby Natasha, Barkley, Baby Tooth and the Fuzzy Funk, Benny Rabbit, Bert, Biff, Big Bird, Bruno the Trashman, Buster the Horse, Chicago the Lion, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Cyranose de Bergerac, Dingers, The Elephant, Elmo, Ernie, Forgetful Jones, Frazzle, Gladys the Cow, Goldilocks, The Grand High Triangle Lover, Grover, Grundgetta, Honkers, Herry Monster, Hoots the Owl, Humphrey, Irvine, Joey and Davey Monkey, Mr. Johnson, Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats, The Martians, Merry Monster, Monty, Nora Nicks, Norman, Oscar the Grouch, Polly Darton, Prairie Dawn, Preposterous, Preston Rabbit, Rosita, Roxie Marie, Ruby, Shelley the Turtle, Sherlock Hemlock, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Sonny Friendly, Sully, Telly Monster, Two-Headed Monster, Vincent Twice, Watson, Wolfgang the Seal

Credits[]

Sources[]

  1. ↑ Truglio and Fisch. G is for Growing. p. 33
  2. ↑ Beaver Country Times: 'Sesame Street' family growing
  3. ↑ St. Petersburg Times: "Sesame Street" begins 23rd season - November 11, 1991


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