Sesame Street Celebrates Around the World (1994-1996 VHS)



Here's the opening and closing to the 1994 and 1996 VHS of Sesame Street Celebrates Around the World.

Release Date
August 30, 1994 (original)

September 3, 1996 (re-release)

Characters

 * Hoots the Owl (cameo)
 * Herry Monster (cameo)
 * Telly Monster
 * Horse (cameo)
 * Freddy
 * The Kids
 * Big Bird
 * Maria
 * Luis
 * Bob
 * Linda
 * Gordon
 * Susan
 * Mr. Honker (cameo)
 * Honker (cameo)
 * Gladys the Cow (cameo)
 * Oscar the Grouch
 * Baby Bear
 * Gina
 * Savion
 * Mr. Snuffleupagus
 * Ernie
 * Bert
 * Lambs (cameos)
 * Wolfgang the Seal
 * Carlo
 * Zoe
 * MNN Logo Monsters
 * Elmo
 * Cookie Monster
 * AM Monsters (cameos)
 * Ernestine
 * Count Von Count
 * Bats (cameos)
 * Grover
 * Tarah
 * Prairie Dawn
 * Mrs. Grouch
 * Uncle Hank
 * The Big Bad Wolf (cameo)
 * Penguins (cameos)
 * Humphrey (cameo)
 * Ingrid (cameo)
 * Benny Rabbit (cameo)
 * Merry Monster (cameo)
 * Kermit the Forg (cameo)
 * Aunt Ethel
 * Uncle Fred
 * Roxie Marie (cameo)
 * The Squirrelles (cameos)
 * Sherry Netherland (cameo)
 * Natasha (cameo)
 * Celina
 * Angela
 * Jamal
 * Ruthie
 * Slimey

Worldwide Characters

 * Cousin Pepe
 * Rosita
 * Tita
 * Elmonosuke
 * Moishe Oofnik
 * Kippi Ben Kippod
 * Tiffy
 * Samson
 * Finchen
 * Alfa
 * Max Mekker
 * Bjarne Betjent

Countries

 * Mexico
 * Portugal
 * Japan
 * Israel
 * Germany
 * Norway

Songs

 * We're Gonna Stay Up Late and Party
 * Mexican Folk Song
 * Oshogatsu
 * Bashana Haba'ah
 * Rummel Pot Song
 * It's New Year's Eve
 * New Year Chorale for Six Grouches
 * Faces That I Love

Synopsis
At nighttime on Sesame Street, while Hoots the Owl is playing the Sesame Street theme on his saxophone, people are preparing for the big night. Big Bird greets the viewer and tells us it's New Year's Eve. Maria, Luis, Bob, Linda, Gordon, and Susan are dressed fancy to go to a grownup party, while Gina and Savion help lots of kids have a New Year's party of their own, and Big Bird invites the viewer. He sings "We're Gonna Stay Up Late and Party", while Baby Bear eagerly shouts "Happy New Year" early before midnight, while Telly worries about the old year coming to an end. Meanwhile, Mr. Snuffleupagus falls asleep in the arbor.

After the song is over, Telly, alongside with Freddy, talks to Gina, Savion, and Zoe about the old year ending soon. Savion shows him a calendar, where he reminds Telly that every year has 12 months, and when the old year is over, they start over with a new January. They watch a Monster News Network show on TV - New Year's Eve Around the World. Elmo hosts the show, and tells us about different New Year's traditions in six different countries. Their first stop is Mexico, where Elmo's lookalike cousin Pepe, alongside with Rosita, wish Elmo a "Feliz Año Nuevo". Pepe explains that kids play piñata on New Year's Eve. He and Rosita show how they made the piñata. They, along with Mexican kids, take turns breaking it. It breaks open with lots of treats, sending it to the Monster News studio.

Back on Sesame Street, the story reminds a girl that she has a piñata that her grandma brought home from Mexico. While she goes to get it another girl says that her parents went to Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop, giving Big Bird an idea that they could have a ball drop on Sesame Street. Big Bird finds a beach ball in the arbor, where Snuffy is still fast asleep.

A panicked Telly calls Oscar, who is about to make his annual New Year's Eve grouch family conference call. Telly claims that maybe he doesn't have to worry about grouches celebrating, when Oscar falsely reminds Telly that once the old year is over, everything that makes up that year - the months, the weeks, the days, etc. - will be over and gone and nobody needs calendars anymore. While Telly runs away frightened, Ernestine the Telephone Operator (Lily Tomlin) gets Oscar's call, she reminds Oscar that she's busy.

Meanwhile around the corner, Big Bird gets Wolfgang the Seal to hold the ball steady on his nose. He explains that at exactly midnight, Wolfgang would drop the ball and they'd all shout "Happy New Year". Count Von Count appears to count down all the seconds until midnight, starting at 14,747, while Telly still fears of the New Year coming to Sesame Street.

Monster News' next stop around the world is Portugal, where Tita the Cat (Rua Sesamo) reports that at midnight, everyone is given 12 grapes, one for every month of the year. As they eat the grapes, they make a wish on each one. Grover, having swum all the way across the Atlantic from Lisbon, sends Elmo 12 grapes. Tita interviews Portuguese kids making wishes.

Back on Sesame Street, while Gina gets 12 grapes from Hooper's Store, Big Bird, two Honkers, and some kids try to wake up Snuffy, when suddenly a disguised man declares that there will be no New Year's Eve party on Sesame Street. Prairie Dawn, a non-monster reporter from Monster News Network, interviews the guy from the department of celebrations and parties, who flew in from Washington, and declares Sesame Street to be in the middle of a no party zone, leaving everyone confused. Just when he is about to fly back to Washington, he accidentally closes his suitcase on his fake beard, revealing to be Telly in disguise. He exclaims that if there was no New Year's Eve Party, there'd be no New Year, before he runs away.

Meanwhile, Oscar puts his Mom and Uncle Hank on the phone. Around the corner, the Count is continuing the countdown ("12,310 seconds."). Monster News' next stop in Japan. Elmo's Japanese cousin Elmonosuke, has been visiting schools, where children are writing New Year's greeting cards. Grover sends Elmo a bag of Japanese New Year's greetings cards. At a rice pounding, Elmonosuke interviews a girl pounding the rice for rice cakes. Elmonosuke and the Japanese kids sing "Oshogatsu". After the song, Elmonosuke explains that in Japan, because of the International Date Line, it's already New Year's Day.

To prove that, Elmo introduces Cookie Monster, who will show us the different between night and day on a globe, using a flashlight as the sun. Back in Japan, Elmonosuke explains that children play badminton and losers get their face painted. Elmonosuke and the Japanese kids wish Elmo "Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu".

Back on Sesame Street, Telly gives Wolfgang a deal if he can have a fish if he gives him the ball, but Wolfgang gets the fish without giving the ball to Telly. The Count counts, "8,135 seconds to the New Year". Back on Monster News Network, the next stop is Israel, where Oofnik (Rechov Sumsum) reports on Israelis buying special foods for the New Year. Much to his disgust, Israelis greet him with "Shanah tovah", treat him with honey apples, and forgive him for not forgiving others. Next, Kippi Ben Kippod (Rechov Sumsum) explains about the call of a shofar (ram's horn) to welcome the new year. Kippi and the Israeli kids sing "Bashana Haba'ah".

Back on Sesame Street, Gina and Savion are looking for Telly while calling his name. Telly decides to hide in Finders Keepers. Back on Monster News Network, the next stop is Germany, where Tiffy (Sesamstraße) explains that Germans celebrate the New Year by dressing up in costumes and singing to neighbors. Joined by Samson and Finchen, they receive German treats for the New Year.

Back on Sesame Street, it's close to midnight and Snuffy wakes up from a dream of going to a party, and then continues falling asleep. Around the corner, Telly is posing as a lamp in Finders Keepers. Monster News' final destination is Norway, where the cast of Sesam Stasjon - Max, Alfa, and Bjarne - along with Norwegian kids, go on a skiing race, where they have to make it to the finish line before sunset. Grover attempts to ski all the way into the studio, which Elmo calls "cross studio skiing". We then go over to a small town called Lilleputthammer, where Max, Alfa, Bjarne, and the Norwegian children sing "It's New Year's Eve".

Back on Sesame Street, it's about one minute left till midnight, and everyone is heading around the corner for the countdown, but Snuffy is still sleeping. Oscar puts three more grouch relatives on his call. By now, all six grouches are complaining on the phone at once, when Ernestine calms them down. Oscar leads his relatives to their annual New Year's Chorale. Meanwhile, Gina finds Telly in Finders Keepers. Gina comforts him and tells him that nothing bad is going to happen at midnight. Telly, now feeling better, then comes up with a New Year's resolution: to try not to be so scared. And so the two of them hug each other.

Prairie Dawn excitedly reports on the final seconds until the New Year. The adults return from their party and Snuffy finally wakes up in time. Everyone counts down in unison at 20, while the Monster News Crew leaves the studio to join the party. When the countdown reaches zero, Wolfgang drops the ball in slow motion and everyone cheers "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" as balloons and confetti fall from the sky. Even Telly is excited that everyone's still here!

Big Bird then calls for attention that he receives the grapes from Monsters News Network. He wishes that people all over the world would be friends. Then Carlo wishes for peace and happiness. The entire cast sings "Faces That I Love". A full credit crawl follows, where people from the six countries wave at the camera. After that, everyone shouts "Happy New Year" one more time. Slimey Worm blows a miniature party horn at Oscar. On the "THE END" card, Cookie eats the D: "Me love credits."