Recap / Sesame Street: 20 Years And Still Counting

Happy 20th Birthday, Sesame Street!

Sesame Street: 20 Years And Still Counting is a television special that aired on NBC on April 7, 1989. It's a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the popular PBS Kids show Sesame Street. Bill Cosby takes us on the tour with the cast of the show. With other great guest appearances of Ray Charles and Placido Domingo

This episode provides the example of:

• Banned Episode: Due to Cosby being guilty for sexual assault, there will be no doubt that this special will never be rerun.
• Counting to Potato: Count Von Count counts the commercials. He counted three (but missed the first one, It would had been four commercials).
• Dolled-Up Installment: This was produced as part of The Jim Henson Hour, and was originally intended to air under that banner, but instead it was decided to make it a standalone special that acted as sort of a preview for TJHH, airing in the same timeslot one week before Hour's debut. As a result, it's sometimes counted as an "episode 0" of TJHH.
• Dance Party Ending: The Entire cast sings Sing a Song. As they performed the song, The cast are credited in the caption screen.
• Do Not Adjust Your Set: After running the Multi-Language version of Rubber Ducky, Bill Cosby reminded viewers to not adjust their TV sets because what they heard was Rubber Ducky in English, Spanish, Hebrew, German, and French.
• In Memoriam: The special pays a tribute to the late Sesame Street composer, Joe Raposo.
• Parental Bonus: Even by Sesame Street standards, there's a lot of this, obviously written with an adult prime time network audience in mind, like the Running Gag jokes mentioned below, Grover hawking "tootsie-frootsie ice cream" on the street and Oscar saying "I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille".
• Reunion Show: Says it all.
• Running Gag: Kermit in his reporter's outfit going around asking the Question of the Day, "Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?", and never getting a straight answer. It even leads into some musical Shout-Out action, with Cosby saying that he "took the A train", and Kermit learning that tomorrow's question is "Do you know the way to San Jose?".
• Stock Footage: The opening shows clips from Sesame Street. Also through out the show, The showed memorable clips. Clips includes:
  • What a Bird
  • Kermit and Joey - Cookie Monster Alphabet
  • Pinball Number Count - 6
  • King of 8
  • Bill Cosby and his kid counting
  • The New Way To Walk - The Oinker Sisters
  • Honk Around the Clock - The Honkers
  • The Alphabet Rap Song - Ferlinghetti Donizetti
  • The Word is No! - Maria and Gina
  • Miami Mice - Where J.P. says YO!
  • Opening to Monsterpiece Theatre
  • Squeal of Fortune - Count Von Count's turn!
  • Air - Bip Bippadotta
  • Harry and John-John count to 20!
  • Rubber Ducky - Ernie (sung in Multi-Language)
  • Showing international versions of Sesame Street.
  • Luis and Maria's Wedding and Maria is being pregnant with a new baby.
  • Susan and Gordon adopts a baby.
  • The passing of Mr. Hooper.