Season 44 Select Episode Descriptions
4401: Telly Gets Jealous
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION
Telly and Baby Bear are outside playing with their pets. Telly tries to get his hamster, Chuckie Sue, to
make squeaky noises, eat out of his hand, run on her wheel, and play a shapes and colors game, but
Chuckie Sue does not do any of those things. Telly becomes upset when he sees that Baby Bear’s pet
parrot, Ralphie, can speak Spanish, make squeaky noises like a hamster, make his own snack, count,
AND he knows his shapes. Telly exclaims that he is tired of hearing about Ralphie and calls Baby Bear
a show-off. He does not want to play with them anymore and storms off. Gordon asks Telly if
everything is okay, and Telly explains that he is feeling angry because Ralphie can do things that
Chuckie Sue can’t, and he wishes he had a parrot just like Baby Bear. Gordon explains to Telly that
what he feels is jealousy, and that it is normal to feel that way. Telly wants to apologize to Baby Bear
but doesn’t know how. Every time he sees Baby Bear and Ralphie he gets so jealous he can hardly
talk. Gordon suggests a strategy to help Telly calm down. He can try putting his hands on his belly
and saying “Stop!” Then, he should breathe in and out slowly and tell himself to calm down. Telly
does this and thinks he is now ready. He finds Baby Bear and tells him that he is sorry for calling him
a show-off. He was jealous, wishing he had a parrot too. Baby Bear accepts Telly’s apology and
explains that they are best friends and Telly can play with Ralphie any time he wants. This helps Telly
not feel so jealous anymore. It really is a best friend’s kind of day!
4402: Don’t Get Pushy
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION
Telly, Baby Bear and Rosita are playing school and Telly is the teacher! He asks someone to come up
to the board and write the letter of the day, “T.” Rosita pushes Baby Bear as she makes her way to the
blackboard because she is very excited. Telly explains that it was not okay for her to push Baby Bear.
Rosita helps Baby Bear back up and apologizes, saying that she was so excited that she must have
pushed him over without thinking about it. Telly thinks this is a good time to bring in the safety
chickens who sing about respecting one another and explain that you shouldn’t hit, kick or push.
Baby Bear and Rosita understand the rules and get back to playing school. Rosita gets excited and
pushes Baby Bear two more times. She tries to apologize again, but Baby Bear does not like being
pushed and does not want to play anymore. Rosita wants to try to control herself and stop pushing,
but she doesn’t know how. Gordon walks by and suggests that whenever she gets excited or
frustrated, she can stop and hug herself. Rosita wonders if it will work and asks Baby Bear if he will try
playing with her again. He agrees, and school is back in session. Rosita starts to get excited again,
but quickly says “Stop!” and hugs herself instead of pushing Baby Bear. It worked! Rosita then gives a
hug to Baby Bear for being such a good friend.
4404: Latino Festival
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION, HISPANIC HERITAGE
It is a Latino Festival on Sesame Street! The neighborhood is filled with people from lots of places
around Latin America and there is a different booth for each country. Rosita and Telly walk over to Luis
who is standing in the booth for Mexico. Rosita tells Telly that this is the booth for the country she is
from. Luis explains that even though he is from Sesame Street, his parents were born in Mexico so
that makes him Mexican-American. Telly asks if Maria is from Mexico because she speaks Spanish,
too. Maria explains that even though she speaks Spanish, her family is from Puerto Rico, just like
Mando, who is putting together their booth right now. As Maria heads off to help Mando, Rosita and
Telly find a coquí, a little frog originally from Puerto Rico. Maria borrowed him for her booth. Rosita
and Telly offer to bring the coquí to her, but as they begin walking, the coquí jumps out of Rosita’s
hand. Rosita and Telly search for him through the Latino Festival and learn along the way that people
also speak Spanish in Peru and Cuba. The coquí finally makes it to the Puerto Rico booth, and Rosita
tells everyone what she and Telly learned about the other booths, and how everyone was speaking
Spanish. Mando explains that everyone is speaking Spanish because they are at the Latino Street
Festival and Latinos are people who come from countries where mostly Spanish is spoken. Rosita is
so excited because she can speak Spanish to people all over the world. Mando says that even
though they come from so many different places, their language is one thing Latinos have in
common.
4405: Simon Says
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION, EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
There’s a big Simon Says competition on Sesame Street, and players from all over have come to see
who is the best at Simon Says! Elmo and Chris ask Telly to compete. Telly doesn’t think he is good
enough at Simon Says, but with encouragement, he agrees to participate, and Elmo and Chris help
him practice. Telly makes a move, but Chris did not say, “Simon Says.” This makes Telly very worried.
Just then, THE Simon from Simon Says, played by Peter Dinklage, pops in and gives Telly some advice:
when he is feeling nervous, Telly should tell himself to “relax.” They practice once more. He stays in
the game longer than before but makes another mistake. Simon gives Telly another piece of advice:
listen carefully for what Simon says to do and think before moving. Telly reminds himself out loud to
relax, listen and think. The competition is about to begin, but Telly still does not think he is ready. With
more encouragement, Chris and Elmo remind him to keep in mind what Simon said. The competition
begins, and Telly reminds himself over and over out loud to relax, listen and think. This strategy helps
him continue throughout the competition, and he wins it all!
4407: Still Life with Cookie
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION, ART
Alan is outside painting a picture of a bowl of fruit. Cookie Monster walks by and tries to eat the bowl
of fruit. Alan stops him and explains that he is painting a picture of the fruit. For Cookie Monster to
better understand art, Alan suggests that he paint a picture of something he loves. Cookie Monster
decides to paint a picture of a cookie. He doesn’t have the color brown for chocolate chips, so Alan
shows him that he can mix the colors red and green together to make brown. Cookie Monster
finishes his painting. Chris walks by and mentions that it looks good enough to eat. This makes
Cookie Monster hungry and he eats the picture. He is now afraid to paint another one, thinking that
he’ll eat it that picture, too. Chris reassures him and explains that he just needs to try to control
himself. Cookie Monster thinks of something that he won’t be tempted to eat – a self-portrait. Alan
even shows him how to add texture for his fur. Gina admires Cookie Monster’s painting and mentions
that in the picture, Cookie Monster has that happy look he gets when he’s eating a whole plate of
cookies. This makes Cookie Monster hungry and he eats his picture again. Everything Cookie Monster
paints reminds him of cookies! Gina suggests painting a design instead. As Cookie Monster finishes
his picture, Big Bird appears and says that it looks beautiful. Cookie Monster explains that it is a
picture of how he feels when he eats a cookie. This again makes Cookie Monster hungry but just as
he’s about to eat the painting, he controls himself and stops. Cookie Monster just wants to look at his
picture. It makes him so happy.
4408: Mi Amiguita Rosita
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION, LITERACY, HISPANIC HERITAGE
Rosita is very excited about the new book she ordered. It is about Lola, a little girl from Mexico, just
like Rosita. Chris begins reading the story but Rosita stops him, frustrated that it is just like the other
books she has. Rosita explains that there is so much more to being Mexican than siestas, sombreros
and burros. She wishes that there was a book that showed how she really lived. Mando felt the same
way when he was young, and he decided to write his own book. He suggests that Rosita writes her
own book about her life on Sesame Street and what being Mexican means to her. She decides to title
her book Mi Amiguita, Rosita (“My Little Friend, Rosita”), but she does not know what should come
next. While Rosita tries to figure out what to write, Zoe and Elmo ask if Rosita would like to do a dance
they saw performed by a Mexican dance company. Abby asks Rosita to play a Mexican folk song
about little chicks, “Los Pollitos,” on her guitar, and Telly and Baby Bear ask Rosita to play “Lucha
Libre,” Mexican wrestling, with stuffed animals. Rosita dances, sings and plays with her friends, but
she still is not sure what to write. Mando and Chris help her realize that what she did with her friends
today are all Mexican things she loves and that they are also part of her life on Sesame Street. That is
what being Mexican means to her! Rosita writes her book, and rather than reading it to all of her
friends, Rosita sings her story about a little Mexican girl like her.
4411: The Count
CURRICULUM: MATHEMATICS
The Count has won the Noble Prize for counting! Everyone on Sesame Street has gathered for the
ceremony, and the two judges are ready to present the prize. There is just one problem – the Count is
missing! Chris, Alan and Telly learn that the Count went to Chicago for a big counting emergency, and
his flight is delayed. Chris explains the situation to the judges and asks if they could give them the
prize for the time being. Unfortunately, that is not possible because there is one final counting test to
confirm that the Count is in fact the world’s greatest counter. The test is to count dancing pickles in 18
seconds. To stall the judges, Alan and Telly try to impersonate the Count, but they are unable to count
the dancing pickles in time. Elmo tries next, using a counting trick that the Count taught him –
counting by two’s. He successfully counts the pickles in time! But according to the Count’s profile,
whenever the Count completes a counting task, it is followed by lightning and thunder. The judges did
not hear either, so they do not award the Count with the Noble Prize. As the judges leave, Chris tells
the Count not to rush back because his prize is being given to second greatest counter instead. The
Count responds that it is less important to have prizes to count than it is to have friends to count who
care about you when you’re not there. At that moment, the Count enters, surprising everyone, and
begins counting all of his friends on Sesame Street.
4414: The Wild Brunch
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION
Alan needs help with customers at Hooper’s Store. Snuffy volunteers to help with a zoo brunch order,
and although he isn’t able to write with his snuffle, he says he’ll be able to remember what they want
to eat. Snuffy walks over to the table with the zookeeper who has a tiger, penguin and monkey with
her. The animals tell Snuffy what they want to eat, but when Snuffy walks back to Alan, he cannot
remember their orders. Alan explains that Snuffy can use a strategy to help him remember. There are
three animals ordering, so he needs to come back with three orders of food. The animals become
impatient when they see that Snuffy returned without any food, but they give him their order again.
Snuffy tells Alan the three orders, but it turns out that they weren’t exactly right. When Snuffy takes the
food back to Alan, he gives Snuffy another memory strategy to use. He needs to figure out something
about each animal that will help him remember their order and then repeat that to himself over and
over. Snuffy heads back to the table of very hungry animals who give Snuffy their orders one last time.
Using the new strategy, Snuffy is able to recite their order correctly to Alan. When Snuffy takes the tray
over to the table, the tiger is so hungry that he eats everything. The zookeeper asks to quickly bring
more food. Snuffy tells her not to worry, he remembers the order.
4415: Rosita’s Abuela Arrives
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION, HISPANIC HERITAGE
Elmo, Telly and Baby Bear are getting ready to play soccer and are waiting for Rosita who hurries in a
little late. She explains that she was with her abuela (grandmother) who just moved to Sesame Street
from Mexico. They ask if they can meet her abuela, but Rosita says maybe another time. As they
begin to play, Rosita’s abuela calls for her. Rosita asks what she needs in English, but her abuela asks
her to speak in Spanish. Rosita pulls her to the side away from her friends to talk in private. She tells
her friends that she needs to help her abuela and will be right back. Rosita translates for her abuela
as they purchase groceries and pick up her father’s clothing from the Laundromat. Rosita quickly says
good-bye to her abuela and rushes back to play soccer. Again her friends ask if they could meet her,
and just when Rosita is about to give another excuse, her abuela walks up to them. With her friends
speaking English and abuela speaking Spanish, Rosita becomes overwhelmed and runs away. Maria
sees Rosita hiding from her abuela and asks if everything is okay. Rosita explains that she needs to
tell her abuela in Spanish what everyone says in English, but is afraid of what her friends might think
of her when she speaks only in Spanish, something they haven’t heard before. Maria understands
and says that she, too, felt embarrassed when she had to translate for her parents. But now she feels
proud to speak Spanish because it is part of who she is. Rosita agrees and thanks Maria. She hurries
off to see her abuela and apologizes to her in Spanish in front of everyone, who all wish they could
speak Spanish like that, too. Rosita introduces everyone to her abuela and they all play a game of
soccer.
4421: The Pogo Games
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION
Telly is practicing for the Pogo Games. He really wants to win the Pogo Gold but doesn’t think he’s
good enough. Baby Bear and Gina tell him that he is the best boinger on Sesame Street. Just then,
Coach Pogolyi, a look-a-like puppet of the world famous gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, the best
pogo stick coach in the world, comes by and tells Telly that his boinging is terrible, and that he’ll never
win Pogo Gold without his coaching. Telly agrees and immediately Coach Pogolyi explains that Telly’s
nose must be kept up high and he must bounce in one place. Telly feels very uncomfortable, and he
keeps falling. He wants to continue practicing, but the Pogo Games begin. In the first event, Telly falls
off his pogo stick. Baby Bear and Gina are surprised because Telly never had trouble with boinging
before. Coach Pogolyi does not believe Telly will beat the other contestants. Telly doesn’t believe he
can do it either and quits. Baby Bear and Gina tell Telly that he just needs confidence and to believe in
himself. They encourage Telly to boing like he always does. Telly gets back on his pogo stick and
boings the highest boing ever! He receives the highest score and wins the Pogo Gold. That was the
best boing Coach Pogolyi has ever seen and asks Telly to coach him. There’s just one problem, Coach
Pogolyi has never been on a pogo stick before. Telly assures him that there’s nothing to it. He just
needs to remember to have fun.
4424: The Wedding Planner
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION, EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
It’s Zoe’s pet rock, Rocco’s, wedding, and she has planned the whole event. The first thing on the
wedding plan is the wedding cake. But when it’s delivered, Rocco’s name is spelled incorrectly. Zoe
and Rocco are very disappointed because the wedding plans are falling apart. Elmo calms Zoe down
and volunteers to help fix the cake. They figure out that the “Rrrrr” sound at the beginning of Rocco’s
name is missing and place a letter “R” on the beginning of the word “OCCO” to fix it. The next thing on
the plan is to dress Rocco in his tuxedo. Zoe notices that the bowtie is missing, but Elmo offers to help
again. The shape of the bow tie reminds him of triangles, so Elmo puts two triangles together and
places them on Rocco. The next thing on the plan is to count the guests. Rocco and Zoe are very
worried. They invited 14 guests, but no one has arrived yet. Just then, Alan, Leela and Chris walk in.
They are all very excited for the wedding. As more guests arrive, Zoe asks Elmo to count them. He
counts only thirteen guests, but then Telly runs in to make 14 guests all together. Zoe gets Petra, the
bride, and says that it is now time for the most important thing on the wedding plan. Rocco has to
choose a best man. Zoe tells Elmo that Rocco wants him to be the best man because Elmo’s been a
really good friend helping them with the wedding plans. Elmo gladly accepts and quickly changes into
a tuxedo. The wedding begins and Rocco and Petra say “I do.” They are now pronounced rock and
rock.
4425: Lights, Camera, Bert!
CURRICULUM: SELF-REGULATION, EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
Bert is quietly reading his new book, when Elmo and Ernie come by with movie equipment. They have
found their movie star and hero, Bert! He is very hesitant to be in the movie, but Ernie and Elmo talk
him into it. Ernie explains that in the first scene of the movie, the hero is a cowboy. But Bert doesn’t
know how to pretend to be a cowboy because he doesn’t know what they do. Ernie and Elmo explain
that he just needs to think it through and use his imagination. They help Bert think of three things
cowboys do and he acts them out. The next scene is about a pirate, but Bert has trouble again
pretending. Ernie and Elmo help Bert think it through and come up with three things pirates do. Bert
acts them out and they move on to the final scene, the outer space scene. The hero is an astronaut
who meets an alien on the moon. Bert wants to first plan out what to do, but he doesn’t want to play
the astronaut. Bert wants to pretend to be the alien! He thinks it through by himself and uses his own
imagination to come up with three things an alien would do and ends the scene with an alien dance.
Ernie and Elmo wrap the film up, but Bert wants to make another movie! He has so many new ideas
now that he knows how to use his imagination.