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Sesame Street
Premiere November 10, 2009 (4187)
Finale February 18, 2010 (4212)
Episodes 26
Sesame_Street_Season_40_Show_Open

Sesame Street Season 40 Show Open

Season 40 opening.

Season40-titlecard

New title card

Season 40 Cast

The Cast of Sesame Street's 40th Season

Season 40 cast

The Cast of Sesame Street - Roscoe Orman, Loretta Long, Alison Bartlett O'Reilly, Big Bird, Sonia Manzano, Elmo, Emilio Delgado, Christopher Lawrence Knowings, Nitya Vidyasagar, Alan Muraoka, Desiree Casado, and Bob McGrath

Gervais_Elmo_=_Hilarity_on_'Sesame_Street'

Gervais Elmo = Hilarity on 'Sesame Street'

AFFS

Abby's Flying Fairy School, a new animated segment, debuts this season.

MurrayKidGroup

Murray and the kids introduce the various segments in the new block format.

HiddenGem4197

Every episode features a throwback to classic Sesame characters and moments.

Adam-Sandler

Elmo, Adam Sandler, and a dragon

Paulrudd-sesame

Paul Rudd (with Roosevelt Franklin) and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph play between takes during the filming of Episode 4212.

Michelleobama

Michelle Obama, the first African-American First Lady of the United States, with Elmo and some Singing Food

Sesame Street Season 40 premiered on November 10, 2009. This date is the 40th anniversary of the show, and Sesame Workshop celebrated the occasion with a commemorative book and DVD set, as well as a week-long takeover of the Google logo.

Overview[]

The curriculum for Season 40 focuses on environmentalism and is "designed to nurture young children's appreciation and love for nature."[1][2] The Muppets of Sesame Street encourage children to explore their curiosity in the outdoors with activities that teach simple, age-appropriate ways of showing care and stewardship for the environment.[1] Several episodes focus on environmental issues - such as recycling or habitats.[3] One episode focuses on Baby Bear and his family learning how to hibernate.[4] Another episode (4187, originally planned as 4210) features Big Bird learning about migration.[5]

A new computer-generated segment, Abby's Flying Fairy School, is added this season. Murray Has a Little Lamb and Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures return from last season and alternated with each episode. What's the Word on the Street? and The Word of the Day also return with 26 new words. Elmo's World returns for its eleventh season with only one new segment about Frogs.

Parodies[]

Parodies include "Mad Men" (based on Mad Men), "Waiting for Big" (Sex and the City), "Outdoors" (based on "I'm Yours"), "Super K Cereal" (based on Special K), and "D-Dance" (based on Apple's iPod commercial).

Show Format[]

The season introduces a new format based on typical channel programming blocks, with Murray Monster serving as a host from real-world locations, introducing the main components of the show.[6]

  • What's the Word on the Street? (30 seconds)
  • Sesame Street Theme (50 seconds)
  • Street Story (10 to 12 minutes)
  • Celebrity Vocabulary Word (1 minute)
  • Murray Tune-In (1 minute)
  • Letter film (1:15)
  • Abby's Flying Fairy School (8:30)
  • Murray Tune-In (1 minute)
  • Number film (1:15)
  • Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures or Murray Has a Little Lamb (5 minutes to 6:30)
  • Murray Tune-In (1 minute)
  • Music video or curriculum spot (2:15)
  • Elmo's World (17 minutes)
  • Murray close (30 seconds)
  • End credits (45 seconds)[7]

The change in format and curriculum increased viewership (compared to February 2009 ratings) by 60%.[8]

Episodes[]

Episodes 4187 - 4212 (26 episodes)

Notes[]

  • Season 40 introduces a new opening and closing theme sequence.
  • Starting this season, Joey Mazzarino is the new head writer.
  • This was Mike Renzi's last season as music director and the last to involve Danny Epstein, who had been an original member of the show's music team since 1969.
  • In an interview with Muppet fansite Tough Pigs, writer and performer Joey Mazzarino said, "We're trying to do what we call a hidden gem in every episode. That's for you guys, the fans. Little things like Biff and Sully in a scene, or some other stuff that I won't tell you about that will be hidden in the scene."[9]
  • A parody of Jon & Kate Plus 8, featuring The Count and Anything Muppet spoofs of the family, was filmed for this season but never made it to air (most likely due to the couple's splitting up). A plot outline of the sketch was also removed from the Season 40 Press Kit "Parody Description" section. The segment was released as a bonus feature on the Best of Sesame Street Spoofs! DVD in 2011.
  • Select episodes from this season can be purchased in The iTunes Store.
  • This is the first season to not have any clips featuring any characters performed by Jim Henson.
  • Kermit the Frog makes a surprise cameo in Elmo's World: Frogs.

Characters[]

Muppets
Abby Cadabby, Anything Muppets, Baby Bear, Barkley, Bert, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Curly Bear, Elmo, Ernie, Fairy Godperson, Fred the Wonder Horse, Grouches, Grover, Grundgetta, Horatio the Elephant, Jack Be Nimble, Mr. Johnson, Little Bo Peep, Mama Bear, Murray Monster, Old MacDonald, Oscar the Grouch, Ovejita, Papa Bear, Rosita, Slimey, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Stinky the Stinkweed, Telly Monster, Wolfgang the Seal, Zoe
Cameos
Kermit the Frog, Sherlock Hemlock, Bip Bippadotta, Forgetful Jones, Harvey Kneeslapper, Herry Monster, Biff, Sully, Lulu

Cast[]

Muppets™ Of Sesame Street
Pam Arciero, Jennifer Barnhart, Fran Brill, Tyler Bunch, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Kevin Clash, Bruce Connelly, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Eric Jacobson, John Kennedy, Tim Lagasse, Peter Linz, Jim Martin, Joey Mazzarino, Paul McGinnis, Jerry Nelson, Carmen Osbahr, Frank Oz, Martin P. Robinson, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, Steve Whitmire, Bryant Young

Guest Stars[]

Credits[]

Season 40 cast2

Cast and crew.

Sources[]

See also[]

External links[]


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Season 39 (2008) Season 41 (2010)
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