Sesame Street: Learning About Numbers (1986-1996 VHS)



Here's the opening and closing to the 1986 and 1996 VHS of Sesame Street: Learning About Numbers

Release Date
September 9, 1986 (original)

September 26, 1995 (re-release)

February 6, 1996 (second re-release)

Characters

 * Big Bird
 * Count Von Count
 * The Honkers
 * Chip & Dip

Sketches

 * Grover
 * John-John Williams III
 * Donnie Budd
 * Tarnish Brothers
 * Ernie
 * Kermit the Frog
 * The King of Eight
 * Martian Beauty

Synopsis
The Count welcomes the viewer to Big Bird's Number Show, and introduces the guests, including himself, as he counts them up to 10. Big Bird arrives on "stage" and opens with a joke about the cold weather, discovering he's missing one of his mittens.


 * Muppet & Kid Moment: Grover and John-John count one penny.


 * Animation: A guru counts to 20.

Big Bird has found his glove and retells his joke. He then presents his first, fiddle-playing guest, for a song about the number 2.


 * Animation: Donnie Budd sings "Toucan Two Step".

Big Bird introduces his next guests - Chip and Dip, who in this video only speak in meow. Big Bird asks them about the movie they made about two of their friends.


 * Song: "Doll House #2"

Next, Big Bird reads a fan letter, which asks when the fan who sent that letter going to see a roller coaster and some chickens. He replies "How about right now?"


 * Film: Number Three Ball Film: A red ball follows a rollercoaster-like track through checkpoints (each, a set of three) that are counted in voiceover. At the end, the ball turns into a cherry which is devoured by a girl.


 * Song: Three Chickens Waltz


 * Song: Big Bird sings "I Just Adore Four" with the Tarnish Brothers.


 * Animation: Donnie Budd counts four lions.

A Honker alerts Big Bird that The Count has gone home, but he is needed later to count honks. Big Bird looks through the phone book for his home number.


 * Muppets: The Count hires Ernie to look after his telephone while he looks for things to count. When the phone rings, the Count decides to count the rings and prevents Ernie from answering it. By the time he reaches 5, Ernie picks it up, but the caller has hung up and Ernie accuses the Count for not letting let him answer. Then, the phone rings again and the Count ends up counting some more, not letting Ernie answer the phone once more.

Back on "stage", Big Bird gets through and speaks to Ernie. He puts The Count on, who says he is unable to come; he has a new job as an elevator operator!


 * Muppets: The Count is hired as an elevator operator. He meets Kermit the Frog, who requests the Count to take him to the seventh floor. However, the Count decides to count all the way up to the tenth floor. When Kermit asks him to take him down, he ends up counting all the way down to the first floor, making Kermit angry. He yells that the Count is supposed to take him to the seventh floor, and that elevator operators take people whichever floor they want to go. The Count suggests Kermit to take the stairs instead.

Big Bird lures him back with the promise of being able to count higher than the elevator can provide. The Count leaves Big Bird with a final message about soccer socks...


 * Song: Six Soccer Socks


 * Muppets: The Count counts 7 flowers and 7 sneezes.


 * Animation: The King of Eight


 * Animation: Martian Beauty #9


 * Muppet & Kid Moment: Grover and John-John count backwards.

Back on "stage", the Honker reminds Big Bird that the Count is back, so Big Bird introduces his counting act:


 * Muppets: The Count encounters three Honkers and counts 20 honks. Afterward, the Honkers then ask him to honk his nose, but ends up smacking it - "Ouch! That's one ouch."

Big Bird thanks his guests and the viewers, along with the numbers, for participating in the Number Show and signs off. The jazz version of the "Sesame Street Theme" plays in the credits.