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in: Sesame Street Seasons

Season 30 (1998-1999)

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Sesame Street
Premiere November 16, 1998 (3786)
Finale May 7, 1999 (3850)
Episodes 65
HoopersSeason30

The cast and Muppets of season 30. Note that Ruthie, though her shop is no longer on the set, continues as a cast member, appearing in insert material and as the voice of Suzie Kabloozie.

3786

The title sequence for season 30, with Big Bird being flanked by children as he makes his way home.

3785-ComingSoon-Alt

Alan takes over as proprietor of Hooper's Store, and is welcomed with open arms (and wings) by his new neighbors.

Elmosgotballs

Elmo's World debuts this season, with topics focused on children's interests such as balls, jackets, music, and transportation.

3788l

The format of the show is revised. Like the earliest episodes, characters would often introduce segments, or characters associated with inserts would appear on the street before or after their segment was shown. At times, they even appeared in the videos. Here, Big Bird appears within the "Ookyook Song."

3789ae

Zoe gets her very own Zoemobile in Episode 3789.

Daycare3

Herry Monster stars in the recurring "Monsters in Day Care" segments.

3787g

Gina learns that it's not easy studying to be a veterinarian - especially when the patient is one of Oscar's elephants.

PattiLaBelle-Alphabet

Patti LaBelle and the Muppets perform "Gospel Alphabet."

3936i

Luis helps Rosita learn how to play the guitar.

Ernieandzachary

A segment of "Ernie's Show and Tell," where Zachary shows off his toy trumpet.

3809f

Elmo seethes at the idea of playing with a rock.

GloriaEstefanRosita

Gloria Estefan sings "Sing" with Rosita.

3822i

Big Bird helps everyone remember how important the stoop of 123 Sesame Street is to everybody.

YoundYouandMe

"You and You and Me," writer Jeff Moss' final contribution to Sesame Street.

3826i

The grown-ups work together to put on a show.

GBrooks.Monsters

Garth Brooks sings how, with his monster pals, "Together We Make Music."

3827E

Prairie Dawn gets in touch with her "inner monster."

3982c

R.E.M. performs "Furry Happy Monsters."

3833-Scene3

Telly has a surreal X-perience with the letter X.

3982o

Bert doesn't find "Adding, Adding, Adding" as much fun as Ernie and company.

3841h

Baby Bear establishes the Porridge Lovers Club.

TellysAquarium

"Telly's Aquarium"

3845w

The Sesame Street gang works together to make a community garden.

SesameStreetCharacters-30

Sesame Street Season 30 aired from November 16, 1998, to May 7, 1999.

Overview[]

After five years with the new "Around the Corner" set and associated characters, season 30 attempts to "return to basics" with a focus geared toward the main cast of characters.[1] The new set pieces are abandoned (though the Subway Station is kept and a community garden and Elmo's apartment are added) with stories usually taking place on the show's original core set pieces - the Fix-It Shop, Hooper's Store, the yard area, 123 Sesame Street, Oscar's trash can, and Big Bird's nest. Big Bird, who appears in every episode at least once, is the only familiar character included in the theme song, which is designed to hearken back to the series' original title sequence[1] with kids following the big yellow fowl to the titular neighborhood. Story lines mainly focus on Big Bird, Elmo, Zoe, Rosita, Telly Monster, and Baby Bear, while other classic Muppets such as Grover, Cookie Monster, the Count, Ernie, and Bert make occasional cameos on the street as well as insert material.

Further tightening the format of the show is the number of produced episodes being reduced to 65 - half of the original 130 since the series' inception. Characters frequently introduce the insert material or comment on it afterward to give a feeling of cohesiveness. The season also emphasizes the use of classic Sesame Street songs, such as "Sing," "C is for Cookie," "Rubber Duckie", "The People in Your Neighborhood," and "What's the Name of That Song?" "We want to make Sesame Street more interactive and get kids more involved when they're watching the show. We can do this by playing these ten classic songs frequently so children can learn the words and sing along," says executive producer Michael Loman.[2]

Elmo's World[]

At the same time the show is returning "back to basics," season 30 is the debut of one of the series' biggest changes in format. After an extensive analysis of the structure of the show, researchers found that the target age had shifted from preschool age to around three years old, children were able to watch longer content with the advent of videocassettes, and the attention span during Sesame Street tended to wane during the final fifteen minutes of the hour-long program. [3] As a result, the last fifteen minutes would feature an all-new recurring segment called "Elmo's World," written specifically for the younger viewers and starring their Muppet surrogate Elmo. Though tonally different and having a more clearly connected narrative, "Elmo's World" would continue to include all the elements that made Sesame Street popular to begin with such as animation, film pieces, and a silly fumbling character - in the segment's case, the silent Mr. Noodle.

Curriculum[]

Lessons on social and emotional development are reinforced, with an emphasis on the Sesame Street community being tighter overall. Pride and self-esteem related to abilities and accomplishments are shown, such as an episode where Rosita attempts to find uses for her wings after realizing she is unable to use them to fly. Sharing and turn-taking is demonstrated when Zoe, Elmo, and Big Bird have difficulty trying to decide what activity to do in Episode 3799, while Grover suggests how easy it can be to get along with the song "You and You and Me." The concept of motivation is explored in another Rosita-centered episode, where she learns that playing the guitar takes practice and persistence.[4]

Characters and segments[]

Alan, the new owner of Hooper's Store, is introduced in the season premiere. He soon learns just how special a street Sesame Street turns out to be as he meets a flock of Birdketeers, a talking letter H, and a few friendly monsters. Elmo is given the responsibility of taking care of his goldfish Dorothy, who appears most prominently during "Elmo's World," while Telly is the proud but overly protective owner of hamster Chuckie. Zoe has her own pet... in the form of Rocco, a pet rock and the bane of Elmo's existence (despite the irony of Elmo having a vivid imagination himself). Zoe is also given a new toy in the form of the Zoemobile when she wishes she had her own set of wheels like her friends.

With the Day Care Center set abandoned (Gina is given a new interest in veterinary studies), segments on day care activities are heavily featured with several recurring bits, including: "Monsters in Day Care," where Herry Monster makes a trek to a real day care center and shares what he learns to his monster friends; "Sesame Street Goes to Day Care," reviving the classic moments where Muppets talk to children; and "Ernie's Show and Tell," with Ernie discussing objects, toys, and unique artifacts that children are interested in. William Wegman's dogs also appear in a variety of different scenarios with a slightly twisted look on various careers, from a barber to a house painter to a car mechanic, while "Chef Rutheé" demonstrates how easy it is "cooking by the numbers."

Episodes[]

Episodes 3786 - 3850 (65 episodes)

Notes[]

  • With the focus on classic characters, several of Sesame Street's Muppet characters begin to be shared between performers. Matt Vogel would perform Big Bird in a few episodes rather than Caroll Spinney, and Eric Jacobson would perform Grover and Bert in small cameos.
  • Sesame Street is given an overall brighter look, most notably with Hooper's Store being renovated and utilizing a window open to the yard. The famous Sesame Street sign is also given a revised design, with a thinner yellow border and a rounder half-circle containing the "CTW" in it. It replaces the original logo that had been used since the very first episode.
  • The "Coming Soon on Sesame Street" bumpers are discontinued. Portions of it, including Big Bird saying "Toodle-oo!" to the camera, are reworked into a copyright screen followed by funding credits. The usual Friday credit crawl established in season 24 remains the same.
  • This was Jeff Moss's final season as a writer on the show, having passed away nearly two months before the season began airing. Moss receives a posthumous writing credit for this and the following season, with a dedication to his memory appearing in the season premiere.
  • This was also Robby Merkin's final season as music director.
  • All episodes in this season were shown in one of Noggin's 123 Sesame Street rotations from 2003 to 2005.
  • This was the first season since Season 5 to not have any repeats.

Cast[]

Cast
Alison Bartlett O'Reilly, Linda Bove, Ruth Buzzi, Desiree Casado, Emilio Delgado, Bill Irwin, Loretta Long, Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, Alan Muraoka, Roscoe Orman, Imani Patterson, Tarah Schaeffer
Jim Henson's Muppets
Caroll Spinney, Kevin Clash, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Martin P. Robinson, Fran Brill, David Rudman, Joey Mazzarino, Carmen Osbahr, Steve Whitmire, Alice Dinnean, Pam Arciero, John Tartaglia, Matt Vogel, Bryant Young, Judy Sladky, R. Bruce Connelly, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Jim Martin, Lisa Buckley (Uncredited: Tyler Bunch, Eric Jacobson, Jim Kroupa, Peter Linz, Noel MacNeal)
Guest Stars
Maya Angelou, Garth Brooks, Rosemary Clooney, Terrell Davis, Doug E. Doug, Fran Drescher, Gloria Estefan, Béla Fleck, Denyce Graves, Patti LaBelle, Nathan Lane, Liam Neeson, Conan O'Brien, R.E.M., Ben Stiller, Trisha Yearwood

Characters[]

Humans
Gordon, Susan, Bob, Gina, Alan, Linda, Maria, Luis, Ruthie, Gabi, Miles, Tarah, Mr. Noodle
Muppets
Alice Snuffleupagus, Alphabet Characters, AM Monsters, The Amazing Mumford, Anything Muppets, Baby Bear, Baby Natasha, Barkley, Benny Rabbit, Bert, Biff, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Delly Monster, Dingers, Elizabeth, Elmo, Ernie, The Grand High Triangle Lover, Grouches, Grover, Grundgetta, Guy Smiley, Herry Monster, Honkers, Hoots the Owl, Humphrey, Ingrid, Irvine, Mr. Johnson, Kermit the Frog, Little Chrissy, Mama Bear, Norman, Numerical Characters, Old MacDonald, Oliver, Oscar the Grouch, Papa Bear, Prairie Dawn, Rosita, Slimey, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Stinky the Stinkweed, Sully, Telly Monster, Two-Headed Monster, Zoe

Credits[]

Sources[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 They've Learned a Lesson; For 30th season, 'Sesame Street' refocuses on its core characters to appeal to younger viewers. (archive link)
  2. ↑ "Here Comes 'Elmo's World,' and Lots More" by P.J. Tanz (archive link)
  3. ↑ Truglio and Fisch. G is for Growing. p. 44-45
  4. ↑ Truglio and Fisch. G is for Growing. p. 34
  5. ↑ "Daytime Emmy Nominees List 3." Variety, March 11, 1999.


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