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

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, 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 Worksh ...

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

musical television special with guest appearances of characters from the international versions of ''Sesame Street''. The special was produced by the

Children's Television Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization and television company that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—includin ...

in association with

Norddeutscher Rundfunk (; "North German Broadcasting"), commonly shortened to NDR (), is a public broadcasting, public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR broadcasts for the German states of Lower Saxony, ...

, Israel Educational Television,

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

, Televisa S.A. de C.V., Norsk Rikskringkasting 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 released on December 31, 1994 on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

. 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 originated the roles of Rizzo the R ...

's first official onscreen 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 ...

Plot

It is

and everyone is planning on celebrating. Big Bird sees all the adults going to their own parties, while Gina and Savion are helping the kids hold their own party on the street. Meanwhile, Baby Bear doesn't know when New Year's Eve happens for real, Snuffy is fast asleep, and Telly Monster becomes upset that the current year ending. 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 Muppet character on the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who speaks in a high-pitched falsetto voice and frequently refers to himself in the third person, he hosts the last full 15-minute segmen ...

. 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 piñatas. 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 Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

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 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 vampiric character, Count Dracula. His first appearance on the show was in the 4 ...

arrives to help everybody out, counting down the seconds to the New Year.

Oscar the Grouch Oscar the Grouch is a List of Sesame Street Muppets, 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 Sesame Street (fiction ...

tries to call his family, but Telly interrupts Oscar and panics with him about the new year, Oscar doesn't want to be bothered, but he explains to Telly that he does this because it's tradition every New Year's Eve. Telly starts to think maybe he shouldn't worry, but Oscar soon comes up with false claims about it, and sends Telly into a panic, as Telly starts a campaign to prevent the new year from coming to Sesame Street. Oscar gets a hold the operator

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. Tomlin started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning her career to acting across stage and screen. ...

, only to be informed that all the lines are busy. Elmo then shows off another way of celebrating, with Tita from '' Rua Sésamo'' representing the country of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, and showing how they use

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

to celebrate. Afterwards, as everyone is trying to wake up Snuffy, they are interrupted by a figure wearing a coat, sunglasses and a white beard, claiming to be part of the "Department of Celebrations and Parties" and who deems Sesame Street is in a "No Party Zone". However, the figure turns out to be a disguised Telly, trying to stop the New Year from arriving, Prairie Dawn, who interviewed Telly described it as another big shot exposed. Oscar manages to get in contact with his mother as well as his Uncle Hank until the operator decides to take a "breaky-wakey". Prairie Dawn informs the viewers that the countdown continues on Sesame Street, 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, helps to make rice cakes, and, during New Year's Day, plays home-made

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

. Next, Elmo 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 ''Rechov Sumsum'' ( ; ) is the Israeli adaptation of the U.S. children's show ''Sesame Street''. The first three series of the show were a joint production of the Israeli Educational Television and the Sesame Workshop, a Worldwide American non-p ...

''. Meanwhile, Telly tries to temp Wolfgang into eating a fish so he can steal the ball, but this plot fails as well. The Count reminds Telly that the big moment is drawing closer, which results in Telly deciding to hide. Telly goes missing, and Gina and Savion try to look for him. Elmo 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. However, Snuffy does wake up for a sec to tell Big Bird what he's dreaming about, being at a party with Big Bird. Little does he realize that his dream IS coming true. 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 ''Sesam stasjon'' () was a 1990s Norwegian children's television series that ran on NRK1 (and sometime NRK2) based on ''Sesame Street''. It quickly became the most popular children's show in Norway after its début in 1991, and 198 episodes wer ...

'', as they show the New Year's skiing tournament, and then travel in a cart. In-between,

Grover Grover is a blue Muppet character on the 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 originally perfo ...

gets injured from coming back on skis and decides to take a break at the hot tub. A parade of kids and Big Bird pass by the sleeping Snuffy as 73 seconds pass by. Oscar is finally able to connect the rest of his family. After they all shout "phooey" to each other, they hang up, but the operator states that she's off at 12:00 if anyone's interested. Gina finds Telly inside Finders Keepers, and tells him that nothing bad is going to happen and that the New Year is quite fun. Gina also tells him about New Year's Resolutions, and Telly soon quirks up hearing about everything he'll miss and decides his resolution will be to not be scared of everything. Everyone reaches to Around the Corner, with Prairie Dawn reporting, the adults returning from their party, 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 slow-mo or slo-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 while Carlo wishes for peace and happiness everywhere 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 A waste container, also known as a dustbin, rubbish bin, trash can, garbage can, wastepaper basket, and wastebasket, among other names, is a type of container intended to store waste that is usually made out of metal or plastic. The words "r ...

Cast

Live-action cast

* Alison Bartlett 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 is a Deaf American actress, her most notable role being 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 a member of the program's recurring c ...

as Linda *

Ruth Buzzi Ruth Ann Buzzi ( ; July 24, 1936 – May 1, 2025) was an American actress and comedian. She appeared on stage, in films, and on television. She was best known for her performances on the comedy-variety show ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' from 196 ...

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''. He joined the cast of ''Sesame Street'' in 1971 and remain ...

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 2016. Long is also a consultant and public speaker on issues of multiculturalism and education ...

Susan Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and severa ...

Sonia Manzano Sonia Manzano (born June 12, 1950) is an American actress, writer and speaker. 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 memoir, ''Becoming ...

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, singer, and children's author best known for playing original human character and music teacher Bob Johnson on the educational television series ''Sesame Street' ...

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 Yor ...

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 * Gordon Heuck ...

* Jou Jou Papailler as Jamal *

as Ernestine the Telephone Operator (based on her

role A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavior and may have a given indi ...

from ''

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by comed ...

'') *

Carlo Alban Carlo Albán (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 variety of ...

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

Muppets performers

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. ...

as Big Bird and

Frank Oz Frank Richard Oznowicz (born May 25, 1944), known professionally as Frank Oz, is an American puppeteer, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for his involvement with Jim Henson and George Lucas through ''The Muppets'', ''Sesame Street'', and '' ...

as Bert,

Cookie Monster Cookie Monster is a blue List of Sesame Street Muppets, Muppet character on the PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street.'' He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating catchphrases, such as "Me want cookie!" As ...

and Uncle Hank *

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

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 film ...

as Zoe, Roxie Marie, and Prairie Dawn *

Kevin Clash Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer best known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1985 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', ''Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and vari ...

, 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 puppeteer, actor, director and writer. 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 ''S ...

as MNN Logo Purple Monster, Grouches and AM Monsters * Carmen Osbahr as Rosita * Pam Arciero 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''. Rudman currently performs the roles of Scooter, Janice, and Beaker for ...

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). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting I ...

as rear end of Snuffy * Ivy Austin as Tita (voice) Additional Muppets performed by Jim Kroupa,

Peter Linz Peter Linz (born June 28, 1967) is an American puppeteer and actor. Known for his work with the Muppets, Linz's most prominent role is performing for the character Walter who was introduced in the 2011 feature film ''The Muppets''. Since 1991, L ...

Rick Lyon Richard S. 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 theatre, Broadway originating the ro ...

Stephanie D'Abruzzo Stephanie Ann D'Abruzzo (; born December 7, 1971) is an American actress and puppeteer. She has performed various Muppets in the television program ''Sesame Street''. She held starring roles on the children's TV shows '' Oobi'' and ''The Book o ...

Noel MacNeal Noel MacNeal (born September 15, 1961), sometimes credited as Edward Noel MacNeal, is an American puppeteer, actor, director, singer and writer. He is best known as the performer of Bear on ''Bear in the Big Blue House''. He also starred as Kako ...

and Alison Mork.

International Muppet performers

* Gilles Ben-David as Moishe Oofnik (referred to as Oofnik the Grouch) * Geir Børresen 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 was later reissued by

Sony Wonder Sony Pictures Kids Zone 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 directly related to the fo ...

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

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

in 2008 and 2010, respectively. The 2017

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

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