Sesame Street Saturdays: Top 15 Sesame Street News Sketches

Top 15 Sesame Street Newsflash Segments

Michael Wermuth, Jr. - We’re just around the corner from the release of the upcoming Sesame Street DVD “Silly Storytime”, which will include four Sesame Street News segments. In honor of this upcoming release, I present my list of the top 15 Sesame Street News segments (because Sesame Street News is too special to be limited to just a top ten list), in no particular order. Okay, this order is actually as close to chronological as I could make it, because I don’t know the official chronological order of the segments. Enjoy this list!

1. Rapunzel
One of the best Newsflash sketches ever. It’s hilarious how Prince Charming reacts to Rupunzel’s hair falling off, as well as the arguing between them at the very end. One of the few times you’ll hear somebody say “Shut up!” on Sesame Street.

2. Sleeping Beauty
I like this one better than the other Sleeping Beauty sketch from around the same time. Sleeping Beauty sure does look cuter as a frog than a princess!


3. The Three Little Pigs
Having The Count interrupt Sesame Street News to count The Three Little Pigs and The Seven Dwarfs is a great way to represent two classic fairy tales in one sketch. It’s also one of the few news reports on the Three Little Pigs to actually involve counting.


4. What Makes People Angry?
One of the best Newsflash segments to not be based around a fairy tale or nursery rhyme, it’s particularly funny how nobody has time to answer Kermit’s question. The night setting is particularly wonderful. It’s also one of the few times Grover appeared in a news segment.


5. Cinderella
My favorite of the three Cinderella sketches (though I don’t remember actually seeing either of the other two). The ballroom dancing seems like a precursor to “At the Dance”. I really like how shallow Prince Charming seems to be whenever he appears on Sesame Street News.

6. Pinocchio
Okay, first time I saw this one I thought it was a bit freaky, but later on I saw it as funny and as the classic that it is. Though I must wonder what Kermit fell into at the end of the sketch.

7. George Washington’s Father
I wonder how Kermit manages to go back in time to cover past events.


8. How to Get to Yellowstone Park
My favorite of the Don Music segments. Rather than parody a nursery rhyme Don Music parodies the Sesame Street theme song. Interestingly, in this one Kermit never talks to the audience or refers to Sesame Street News (to do so would make Kermit’s ending line seem a bit weird), but still appears in his trench coat holding his microphone.


9. Alice in Wonderland
One of my favorites as a child, and I felt like it was an event whenever it was shown. One question about it: How come when Alice grows her clothes grows with her, yet when Kermit shrinks his clothes stays the same size?


10. Foot Snuggies
The only Dr. Nobel Price segment I’ve seen in English (seriously, sesamestreet.org should add some Dr. Nobel Price segments to its site). I especially like Nobel Price’s final line (“What’s television”?).

11. First Day of School
Kermit interviews Cookie Monster on the first day of school. I wonder if the teacher noticed the Sesame Street News camera crew in the classroom when he mistook Kermit for a student (also, I wonder if he noticed that Kermit was the only non-monster in the classroom).

12. Old MacDonald – and the spaceship
Old MacDonald mistakes a red Frisbee for a flying saucer, but then a real flying saucer shows up.


13. Elmo’s Reporter Game
One in a number of segments pairing Kermit and Elmo. The pairing is good, even if I prefer Kermit and Grover as a duo.

14. J Mine
Kermit reports from inside a mine of letter J’s. I really like the voices of the minors in this segment. Though I can’t help but wonder if maybe Biff and Sully should have worked in the J mine instead.

15. The New Three Little Pigs Story
The Big Bad Wolf writes a new version of The Three Little Pigs, in which Kermit and the pigs take part in the “Three of These Things” game. Though I think the Big Bad Wolf should have been the one that doesn’t belong.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier