''Sesame Street Stays Up Late!'' is a 1993 ''

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) ...

'' New Year's Eve television special with guest appearances of characters from the international versions of ''Sesame Street''. The special was produced by the Children's Television Workshop in association with Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Israel Educational Television,

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

, Televisa S.A. de C.V.,

Norsk Rikskringkasting NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...

and Radiotelevisão Portuguesa, the respective broadcasters of the respective international co-productions featured in the special. It aired on December 29, 1993 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 ...

, and also marked

Steve Whitmire Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work on ''The Muppets'' and ''Sesame Street''. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire inherited the roles of Ernie and Kerm ...

's first performance as

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 ...

Plot

It is New Year's Eve on Sesame Street and everyone is planning on celebrating.

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 ...

sees all the adults and mentions that while they're going to their own parties, Gina and Savion are helping the kids hold their own party on the street. Meanwhile, other things happen: Baby Bear doesn't know when New Year's Eve happens for real, Snuffy is fast asleep, and Telly Monster discovers that the current year ending, which upsets him. The others show him that the New Year is celebrated all over the world, so he calms a bit. How New Year's traditions are celebrated is through the Monster News Network, hosted by

Elmo Elmo is a red Muppet monster character on the long-running PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who has a falsetto voice and illeism, he hosts the last full five-minute segment (fifteen minutes prio ...

. Throughout the special, segments featuring Sesame characters from different co-productions around the world, beginning with Mexico, represented by Rosita and Elmo's Cousin Pepe, who show how to celebrate using Pinatas. Zoe questions how they are going to know when it's midnight, but then one of the kids mentions that her parents went to

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

the previous year and saw a Ball being dropped from a tall building at midnight. When Big Bird hears this, he knows exactly who to find, eventually finding Wolfgang the Seal to balance a beach ball that Big Bird found. Savion then questions how Wolfgang will know about what exact time midnight will be, and then Count von Count arrives to help everybody out, counting down the seconds to the New Year. Oscar the Grouch is trying to call up his family, but the telephone operator says to him that all the lines are busy and that she can't do it for him. Telly interrupts Oscar and panics with him about the new year, but Oscar soon comes up with false claims about it, and sends Telly into a meltdown, as Telly starts a campaign to prevent the new year from coming to Sesame Street. Elmo then shows off another way of celebrating, with Tita from ''Rua Sésamo'' representing the country of Portugal, and showing how they use Grapes to celebrate. Afterwards, as everyone is trying to wake up Snuffy, they are soon interrupted by a figure wearing a coat, sunglasses and a white beard, claiming to be part of the "Department of Celebrations and Parties" and deems Sesame Street is right in the middle of a "No Party Zone". However, the figure turns out to be a disguised Telly Monster, trying to stop the New Year from arriving and doesn't admit to defeat. Oscar continues on with his phone problems, while Elmo shows off how Japan celebrates the New Year, represented by his cousin Elmo-nosque, who shows how everyone makes cards for each other and then soon help to hit rice to make cakes, and during New Year's Day, play home-made badminton. He soon showcases how Israel celebrated the New Year three months ago, represented by Moishe Oofnik (here referred to as "Oofnik the Grouch") and Kippi Ben Kippod from ''Rechov Sumsum''. They show that happiness and goodness is an example of such, as well as Meanwhile, Telly is trying to temp Wolfgang into eating a fish so he can steal the ball, but this plot fails as well. Afterwards, Telly soon goes missing, with Gina and Savion trying to look for him. Elmo then showcases how Germany celebrates, represented by Tiffy, Samson and Finchen from ''Sesamstrasse''. They showcase how they dress up and go collecting treats around houses, similar to Halloween. As the seconds go down and down, Gina still can't find Telly, and Big Bird still can't wake up Snuffy. The last country Elmo showcases the New Year on Monster News Network is in Norway, represented by Max Mekker, Alfa and Bjarne Betjent from ''Sesam Stasjon'', as they show the New Year's skiing tournament, and then travelling in a cart. A parade of kids and Big Bird pass by the sleeping Snuffy as 73 seconds pass by, while Oscar is finally able to connect with his family. Gina soon finds Telly inside Finders Keepers, who tells him that nothing bad is going to happen and that the New Year is quite fun. Gina then tells him about New Year's Resolutions, and Telly soon quirks up hearing about everything he'll miss. Everyone soon reaches to Around the Corner, with the adults returning from their parties, Snuffy waking up, and Elmo and his crew coming outside as everybody does the countdown and Wolfgang removes the ball in

slow motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slo-mo or slow-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...

. When the ball drops to the ground, everyone cheers and welcomes in the new year. Baby Bear finally is able to know that is the New Year and finally manages to call it out. Meanwhile, Telly is amazed that everyone is still here and happily joins the celebration with everyone else. Big Bird soon calls out to everyone and makes a wish that everyone around the world should be friends as he eats the grape and sing "Faces That I Love". The special ends with everybody shouting "Happy New Year!" as they continue to celebrate, even Slimey, much to Oscar's chagrin as he goes back into his trash can. Cookie Monster eats one of the letters in "THE END", deeming that he "Loves Credits!".

Cast

Live-action cast

Alison Bartlett Alison may refer to: People * Alison (given name), including a list of people with the name * Alison (surname) Music * ''Alison'' (album), aka ''Excuse Me'', a 1975 album by Australian singer Alison MacCallum * "Alison" (song), song by Elvi ...

as Gina *

Savion Glover Savion Glover (born November 19, 1973) is an American tap dancer, actor, and choreographer. Early life The youngest of three sons, Glover was born to a white father, who left the family before he was born, and a black mother. Glover's great grand ...

as Savion *

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 pro ...

as Linda *

Ruth Buzzi Ruth Ann Buzzi ( ; born July 24, 1936) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She has appeared on stage, in films, and on television. She is best known for her performances on the comedy-variety show ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' from 1968 ...

as Ruthie * Annette Calud as Celina *

Emilio Delgado Emilio Ernest Delgado (May 8, 1940 – March 10, 2022) was an American actor best known for his role as Luis, the Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's television series ''Sesame Street''. Delgado joined the cast of ''Sesame Street'' in 1971 and r ...

as Luis * Angel Jemmott as Angela *

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 ...

as Susan *

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 mem ...

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 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 ' ...

as Bob *

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 Y ...

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, ...

* Jou Jou Papailler as Jamal *

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She started her career as a stand-up comedian as well as performing off-Broadway during the 1960s. Her breakout role was on the varie ...

as Ernestine the Telephone Operator *

Carlo Alban Carlo Mauricio Alban (born October 3, 1979) is an Ecuadorian actor, best known as "Carlo" from ''Sesame Street'' (1993–98). He played the role of Luis "McGrady" Gallego on ''Prison Break'' (2007–08). He has since gone on to perform in a varie ...

as Carlo * Tarah Schaeffer as Tarah * Olivia Oguma as the Young Girl (from New York City)

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 ...
's Sesame Street Muppets and voice cast

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. ...

and Oscar the Grouch *

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 ...

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 ...

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 hi ...

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 originall ...

, and Uncle Hank *

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'', ' ...

as The Count *

Fran Brill Fran Brill (born September 30, 1946) is an American retired actress and puppeteer, best known for her roles on ''Sesame Street'', as well as playing Sally Hayes in the Hal Ashby film '' Being There'' (1979), Dana Mardukas in the Martin Brest fi ...

as Zoe, Roxie Marie, and

Prairie Dawn The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson, many for the purpose of appearing on the children's television program ''Sesame Street''. Some of the best known Muppets on ''Sesame Street'' include Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, ...

Kevin Clash Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', ''Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...

, Wolfgang the Seal, Cousin Pepe, Elmo-noske, Bjarne Betjent (voice), and the Announcer * Jim Martin as Max Mekker (voice) *

Joey Mazzarino Joseph Mazzarino (; born June 4, 1968) is an American actor, puppeteer, writer and director. He is best known for his roles on ''Sesame Street'' as Murray Monster, Stinky the Stinkweed and other Muppets, and being Head Writer and Director on ' ...

as MNN Logo Purple Monster, Grouches, and AM Monsters *

Carmen Osbahr Carmen Osbahr-Vertiz (born April 21, 1962) is a Mexican-born American puppeteer, singer and voice actress who has performed Rosita in the popular hit children's series ''Sesame Street'', since 1991. Osbahr has also performed Kiki Flores in '' T ...

as Rosita *

Pam Arciero Pamela Arciero (born May 8, 1954) is an American puppeteer and voice-over artist. She has performed for ''Between the Lions'' and ''Sesame Street'', playing Oscar the Grouch's girlfriend Grundgetta in the latter. In addition to performance wor ...

as Alfa (voice), Telly Monster (assistant) * Martin P. Robinson as Telly, Snuffy, Slimey, and Mrs. Grouch *

David Rudman David Rudman (born June 1, 1963) is an American puppeteer, puppet builder, writer, director, and producer known for his involvement with the Muppets and ''Sesame Street''. Career David Rudman has been a ''Sesame Street'' Muppet performer since ...

as Baby Bear, MNN Logo Orange Monster, Grouches, and AM Monsters *

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 Dam ...

as rear end of Snuffy *

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. ...

as Tita (voice) Additional Muppets performed by Jim Kroupa,

Peter Linz Peter Linz (born June 28, 1967) is an American puppeteer. His most prominent role is being the performer for the character Walter who was introduced in the 2011 feature film ''The Muppets''. Since 1991, Linz has performed on ''Sesame Street'', ...

Rick Lyon Richard Lyon (born February 25, 1958) is an American puppeteer, actor, and puppet designer and builder. He has worked for The Jim Henson Company as one of the operators of Big Bird. He appeared on Broadway originating the roles of Trekkie Monste ...

Stephanie D'Abruzzo Stephanie Ann D'Abruzzo (; born December 7, 1971) is an American actress, puppeteer and singer. She has performed various Muppets in the TV program ''Sesame Street''. She held starring roles on '' Oobi'' and ''The Book of Pooh''. She was one of ...

Noel MacNeal Noel MacNeal (born September 15, 1961), sometimes credited as Noel McNeal or Edward Noel MacNeal, is an American puppeteer, actor, director and writer of children's television who has performed since the early 1980s. He was the voice and puppetee ...

, and Alison Mork.

International Muppet performers and voice cast

* Gilles Ben-David as Moishe Oofnik (referred to as Oofnik the Grouch) *

Geir Børresen Geir Børresen (16 November 1942 – 25 July 2022) was a Norwegian actor and entertainer. Biography Børresen was born in Oslo on 16 November 1942. He made his film debut in '' Liv'' in 1967, and made his stage debut at Nationaltheatret i ...

as Max Mekker * Hanne Dahle as Alfa * Uta Delbridge as Finchen * Klaus Esch as Samson * Åsmund Huser as Bjarne Betjent * Paula Pais as Tita * Marita Stolze as Tiffy * Sarai Tzuriel as Kippi Ben Kippod * Christine Stoesen as Py

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"

Home media/Digital releases

The special was originally released on VHS by Random House Home Video in 1994, where it was retitled as ''Sesame Street Celebrates Around the World'', which is what all rereleases of the special would use. The VHS later reissued 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 directl ...

in 1996. Sony Wonder released the special on DVD 2004, and was reissued by

Genius Entertainment Genius Products (also known as Genius Entertainment) was an entertainment company based in Santa Monica, California, United States. The ''Baby Genius'' line was one of a number of "smart toys" that came out in response to a study book about the ...

and

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

in 2008 and 2010, respectively. The 2017

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

digital download release, reinstated the special's original title of ''Sesame Street Stays Up Late''.

External links

* * {{New Year Sesame Street features 1993 in American television 1993 television specials New Year's television specials Films directed by Chuck Vinson 1993 films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films