''Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art'' (or simply ''Don't Eat the Pictures'') is a one-hour ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

'' special that aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

on November 16, 1983. The title comes from a song in the special, "Don't Eat the Pictures", sung by

Cookie Monster Cookie Monster is a blue Muppet character on the long-running PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street.'' In a song in 2004, and later in an interview in 2017, Cookie Monster revealed his real name as "Sid". He is best known for his ...

. It was available as a

video tape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassette ...

by Random House in 1987, and it was re-released on VHS by

Sony Wonder Sony Wonder (founded as Sony Kids’ Music) is the kids and family entertainment label of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and the former record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Despite the similarity in name, Sony Wonder is not direct ...

in 1996 and on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

in 2011. The special has everybody reprising their roles from the children's television series, ''

''. The story takes on getting locked in at New York City's

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

as they embark on an adventure to find their

friend Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept of ...

Big Bird Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the long-running children's television show ''Sesame Street''. An eight-foot two-inch (249 cm) tall bright yellow anthropomorphic bird, he can roller skat ...

, who has gotten lost finding Snuffy. They must stay there until the morning while avoiding a night watchman. The special features the regular human cast of ''

'' along with several of

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

, including

, Telly,

Bert Bert or BERT may refer to: Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert *Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname *Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...

Ernie Ernie is a masculine given name, frequently a short form (hypocorism) of Ernest, Ernald, Ernesto, or Verner. It may refer to: People * Ernie Accorsi (born 1941), American football executive * Ernie Adams (disambiguation) * Ernie Afaganis (born c ...

, The Count,

Grover Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was original ...

, and

Oscar the Grouch Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character created by Jim Henson and Jon Stone for the PBS/HBO children's television program ''Sesame Street''. He has a green body, no visible nose, and lives in a trash can. Oscar's favorite thing is trash, as eviden ...

. Snuffy also appears, even though his names are revealed to be

Mr. Snuffleupagus Aloysius Snuffleupagus (), more commonly known as Mr. Snuffleupagus or Snuffy for short, is one of the characters on ''Sesame Street'', a long-running PBS/ HBO educational television program for young children. He is a giant anteater-like elephant ...

and Aloysius Snuffleupagus; however, at this point in the show's history, he is still the

imaginary friend Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality. ...

, never seen by the other characters on

Plot

The Sesame Street gang have gone on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Big Bird has arranged to meet with Snuffy at the museum but before he can, it is closing time. Big Bird decides to go off and look for Snuffy. Before the group can leave, they realize Big Bird is missing and run all through the museum looking for him. The chase has them going through different exhibits at high speed and missing, spotting, and chasing him. After a bit, they give up, only to find that they are locked in the museum overnight. They decide to go back out and look for Big Bird and look at all the exhibits while they are at it. Big Bird eventually finds Snuffy and they wander the

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

ian exhibit and encounter an Egyptian prince named Sahu (Aram Chowdhury) and his cat who have been cursed to remain on Earth until he answers the question "Where does today meet yesterday?" Through drawings, Sahu explains his dilemma. A demon appears to ask Sahu a question. If he does not know or answers incorrectly, the demon vanishes until the next night. If he answers correctly, he will then be taken to Osiris, who shall weigh Sahu's heart against a feather. If his heart is lighter, then he can rejoin his parents among the stars, but if it is heavier he will forever remain on earth. Big Bird considers all this too daunting and instead suggests Sahu remain on Earth and become "the only 4,000 year old kid on Sesame Street". However, Snuffy thinks it is only fair they help Sahu be reunited with his parents, and Big Bird agrees they should work on the riddle. Meanwhile, the group has split up and are all in different exhibits. Bob and Cookie Monster find themselves looking at pictures with food in them. While Cookie Monster tries to eat the pictures, Bob points out to him a sign that says "Please don't eat the pictures". He replies with "Oh, this going to be a long night". He later sings the song "Don't Eat the Pictures" about this. Oscar finds an exhibit of Greek and Roman statues that have been broken by

natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...

s. He looks in and breaks into song on how beautiful they are to him. Grover finds an exhibit filled with armor from medieval times and thinks a suit of

Maximilian armour Maximilian armour is a modern term applied to the style of early 16th-century German plate armour associated with, and possibly first made for the Emperor Maximilian I. The armour is still white armour, made in plain steel, but it is decorated w ...

is a guy named "Max" and tries to befriend him by changing into his Super Grover costume and singing a song. Bert and Ernie view the painting of '' Washington Crossing the Delaware'', to which Bert comments on the dedication of Washington and his men, but Ernie comments how he was very silly to cross in the winter and should have waited until Easter or taken the

George Washington Bridge The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United St ...

. As the night passes, Big Bird and Snuffy continue to try to figure out the answer to the question. Soon, just before midnight, Big Bird unknowingly figures out the answer is "a museum". When the demon appears that night, the question is answered correctly and Sahu is sent to

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...

(

Fritz Weaver Fritz William Weaver (January 19, 1926 − November 26, 2016) was an American actor in television, stage, and motion pictures. He portrayed Dr. Josef Weiss in the 1978 epic television drama, ''Holocaust'' for which he was nominated for a Primetime ...

) to have his heart weighed. When the feather to weigh his heart doesn't appear, Big Bird offers one of his to help. But when Sahu's heart is too heavy, Big Bird claims that it wasn't fair since Sahu was on Earth for 40 centuries and he was so alone his heart would be heavy, so he can't become a star. After this, Sahu's heart becomes lighter and he is now ready to join his parents and take his cat. Big Bird and Snuffy then exit the museum, look up into the night sky, and see four stars in a straight line (representing Sahu, his parents, and his cat), and are glad that they reunited Sahu with his parents. When morning comes, Big Bird finds the group and Snuffy is not there. He got up early and left to get to "Snufflegarden". Bob commends Cookie Monster for behaving himself inside the museum and rewards him by saying he can have anything for sale on a hot dog cart. Cookie Monster, in a fit of hunger and gladness, elects to eat everything, even the cart itself. After the credits, Big Bird pretends to be a statue. He encourages the viewers to visit their local museum, and comments on how staying perfectly still is tiring and wonders how statues can do it.

Songs

*"Broken and Beautiful" — sung by

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

when he sees things that are broken, or beautiful (

Caroll Spinney Caroll Edwin Spinney (December 26, 1933 – December 8, 2019) was an American puppeteer, cartoonist, author, artist and speaker, most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on ''Sesame Street'' from its inception in 1969 until 2018. E ...

) *"I Want To Be Your Friend" — sung by

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

, "Super Grover" while making friends at the museum (

Frank Oz Frank Oz (born Frank Richard Oznowicz; May 25, 1944) is an American actor, puppeteer, and filmmaker. He began his career as a puppeteer, performing the Muppet characters of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle in ''The Muppet Show ...

) *"Don't Eat the Pictures" — sung by

. In the end, he loves to devour something else if possible (Oz). Also sung by three angel monsters (

Ivy Austin Ivy Austin (born Ivy Lynn Epstein; January 19, 1958 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress, singer, and voice-over artist, known for her performances on Garrison Keillor's ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and her ''Sesame Street'' voices. ...

). *"You're Gonna Be A Star" — sung by

when he asks his friend to be a

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

(Spinney). Also sung by his friend, Sahu (Aram Chowdhury). *"Mothers and Children" — sung by Olivia when she learns all about mothers and their little children (

Alaina Reed Hall Alaina Reed Hall (November 10, 1946 – December 17, 2009) was an American actress and singer who portrayed List of human Sesame Street characters, Olivia Robinson, Gordon's younger sister, on the PBS children's television series ''Sesame Street' ...

) The title song from ''Don't Eat the Pictures'' begins with Cookie Monster and his human friend,

Bob McGrath Robert Emmett McGrath (June 13, 1932 – December 4, 2022) was an American actor, musician, and children's author best known for playing original human character and music teacher Bob Johnson on the long-running educational television series ' ...

in front of ''Still Life with Ham'', a painting by Philippe Rousseau which Cookie Monster tries to devour. Bob holds Cookie Monster back and reminds him that he promised not to eat anything in the museum. Then Cookie Monster breaks into song, with angelic choral accompaniment, about paintings, statues, and mummies, and how he understands how important it is to not devour them.

Cast

Muppet performers

and

, and

Jerry Nelson Jerry L. Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on ''Sesame Street'', ' ...

Count von Count Count von Count (known simply as the Count) is a Muppet character on the PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street.'' He is meant to parody Bela Lugosi's portrayal of Count Dracula. He first appeared on the show in the Season 4 premiere ...

* Martin P. Robinson as Snuffy and Telly (DVD Version) *

Bryant Young Bryant Colby Young (born January 27, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). A first-round draft pick out of University of Notre Dame ...

as Snuffy (assistant) *

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...

Brian Muehl Brian Giuseppe Meehl (also known as Brian Muehl; born August 24, 1952), is an American puppeteer and writer. Biography Meehl was born in Canandaigua, New York and grew up mostly in Iowa City, Iowa. Meehl worked on the last six shows of '' The M ...

as Telly (VHS Version) * Richard Hunt *

as Angels

Humans

Linda Bove Linda Bove Waterstreet (born November 30, 1945) is an American actress who performed as (a fictionalized version of) herself in the PBS children's series ''Sesame Street'' from 1971 to 2002. Bove was the first deaf actress to be part of the prog ...

as Linda *

Northern Calloway Northern James Calloway (September 10, 1948 – January 9, 1990) was an American actor and singer, best known for playing David on ''Sesame Street'' from 1971 to 1989. He was institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital and died less than eight mo ...

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

Loretta Long Loretta Mae Long ( Moore; born October 4, 1938) is an American actress. She played the character of Susan Robinson on ''Sesame Street'' from 1969 to 2017. Long is also a consultant and public speaker on issues of multiculturalism and educati ...

Susan Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

Sonia Manzano Sonia Manzano (born 1950) is an American actress, screenwriter, author, singer and songwriter. She is best known for playing Maria on ''Sesame Street'' from 1971 to 2015. She received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. Her memo ...

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

Bob Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...

Roscoe Orman Roscoe Hunter Orman (born June 11, 1944) is an American actor, writer, artist and child advocate, best known for playing Gordon Robinson, one of the central human characters on ''Sesame Street''. Early life and career While a student at New Yo ...

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

as Olivia * Aram Chowdhury as Egyptian Prince Sahu *

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

as Demon *

as Osiris *

Paul Dooley Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor, writer and comedian. He is known for his roles in ''Breaking Away'', ''Sixteen Candles'', and ''Popeye''. Early life Dooley was born Paul Brown on February 22, 1 ...

as Museum Night Watchman * Li Alexander * Jason Paul Janzer * Nadia Jones * Mika Kakizaki * David Zetlin-Jones * Andrew Cassese *

Jon Stone Jon Arthur Stone (April 13, 1931 – March 30, 1997) was an American writer, director and producer, who was best known for being an original crew member on The Muppets' ''Sesame Street'' and is credited with helping develop characters such a ...

as Intercom Announcer * Carol Kennedy (uncredited)

Crew

* Conceived and Written by: Tony Geiss * Produced by: Lisa Simon, Arlene Sherman, Tony Geiss * Music by: Joe Raposo, Tony Geiss, Stephen Lawrence, Christopher Cerf, Dick Lieb * Arranger and Conductor: Dick Lieb * Music Coordinator: Danny Epstein * Music Assistant: Dave Connor * Production Supervisor: Frieda Lipp * Associate Directors: Robert J. Emerick, Ted May * 2nd Unit Director: Emily Squires * Art Director: Victor DiNapoli * Lighting Directors: David M. Clark, Jim Tetlow * Muppets by: Caroly Wilcox, Kermit Love, Donald Sahlin with Ed Christie, Cheryl Blalock, Richard Termine, Noel MacNeal * Production Stage Manager: Chet O'Brien * Stage Manager: Niles Goodsite * Set Decorator: Nat Mongioi * Graphic Artist: Gerri Brioso * Costume Designer: Bill Kellard * Assistant to the Producers: Cheryl Ann Jung * Production Assistants: Diane Mitchell, Mercedes Polanco, Thelma Moses, Danette Morganelli, Lynn Roberge, Stuart Lowery, Richard Grigonis * Make-Up: Lee Halls * Hairstylist: Karen Specht * Wardrobe: Grisha Mynova * Technical Director: Ralph Mensch * Audio: Blake Norton * Cameramen: Miguel Armstrong, Manny Gutierrez * Video: Bob Haight * Mobile Facilities Provided by: Reeves Teletape * Videotape Editor: Matty Powers * Sound Effects: Dick Maitland * Engineer In Charge: Mark Schubin * Executive Producer: Jim and Jane Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney, Lloyd Morrisett, Dulcy Singer * Directed by: Jon Stone * For the Metropolitan Museum of Art ** The Office of Film & Television: Karl Katz ** Production Coordinator: Caroline Kennedy ** With Special Thanks To: Philippe de Montebello · And To The Departments Of: American Art, Ancient Near Eastern Art, Arms & Armor, Buildings, Egyptian Art, European Paintings, European Sculpture & Decorative Arts, Far Eastern Art, Greek & Roman Art, Information Desk, Operations, Public Information, Primitive Art, Photograph & Slide Library, Photograph Studio, Security, Twentieth Century Art · Richard Morsches, Linda Sylling, Joseph Volpato, Al, Siciliano, Hiram Pabon, Tom Gaffney, & The Entire Staff Of The Metropolitan Museum Of Art · And To: Dr. William Gutsch - American Museum Of National History - Hayden Planetarium

References

External links

* * {{Sesame Street 1983 television specials Sesame Street features Metropolitan Museum of Art 1980s American television specials Museums in popular culture Films set in museums Films directed by Jon Stone