| Category | Details |
| Episode Number | 4120 |
| Season | Season 37 (2006) |
| Air Date | September 6, 2006 |
| Word on the Street | Space (Triggering a dramatic echo effect) |
| Guest Stars | T.R. Knight (Private I), Eric Jacobson (Tap-Dancing Chicken) |
| Story Title | "The Three Bears in Outer Space" |
| Scientific Concept | Anti-Gravity (Porridge floating in the rocket ship) |
| Story Addition 1 | Cowgirl Zoe and her masked horse, "Horse" (Zoe's suggestion) |
| Story Addition 2 | A Tap-Dancing Chicken (Big Bird's suggestion) |
| Resolution | Using polite manners to ask the chicken to stop dancing |
| Global Grover | Visiting the Philippines (Exploring parks in Manila) |
| Trash Gordon | Chapter 2: Planet Fairytale (Helping Little Bo Peep) |
| Elmo's World | Building Things |
| Key Muppets | Baby Bear, Elmo, Zoe, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, The Count |
| Human Cast | Alan, Gordon, Maria |
| Letter of the Day | I (Investigated by Private I / Icing eaten by Cookie Monster) |
| Number of the Day | 20 (Performed by The Count, The Countess, and a band) |
| Educational Focus | Creative Writing, Cooperation, Healthy Habits (Sometime Foods) |
| Sponsors | I, 20 |
Facts
The "Space" audio trigger.
In the street story, the word "space" makes a distinct echo every time it's spoken. This was a live-recorded audio effect that meant the sound engineer had to manually toggle a delay pedal during the Muppeteers' performance. The gag ends with the characters having to provide their own "echo" once the "magic" of the story has run out.
T.R. Knight's Punny Cameo.
T.R. Knight, you may know him from the telly, plays a private in a film segment. The segment is a stylistic parody of film noir detective stories, where he investigates the Letter of the Day. This role played on his "serious actor" persona from Grey's Anatomy, which was at the height of its popularity in 2006.
Hoots and the "Sometime Food" Controversy.
This episode sees Hoots the Owl belting out "A Cookie is a Sometime Food" to Cookie Monster. This song was part of a big push to tackle childhood obesity back in 2005-2006. Some news sites got it wrong when they said Cookie Monster was being "put on a diet", when the song was actually about cookies being a treat and not something you eat every day.
Trash Gordon's Interstellar Cell Phone.
In The Adventures of Trash Gordon, the hero uses an "interstellar cell phone" to call Little Bo Peep. The prop was a 1990s satellite phone that had been repurposed. The segment made fun of how mobile technology is becoming more and more popular, showing that even fairytale characters on distant planets were becoming "connected."
The Anti-Gravity Button Effect.
To get the right texture for "porridge in space," they used a special rig with bowls of porridge attached to thin, clear wires. When Papa Astro Bear hit the anti-gravity button, the puppeteers lifted the bowls while the actors performed in slow motion. This was the first time anyone had thought about weightlessness in a vacuum.
Hexagon and Triangle Pattern Logic.
There's a cool animation in this episode where it makes patterns out of hexagons and triangles. This shows tessellation, which is how certain shapes can fit together perfectly without gaps or overlaps. The hexagon and triangle are a really interesting visual combination – the hexagon has six sides and the triangle has three, so it's easy for viewers to see how complex shapes are built from simpler ones.
Global Grover's Manila Slide.
Grover's just got back from the Philippines with a slide that's got a film of a family in a park in Manila on it. This bit was part of the "Global Grover" series, which used real 16mm field footage. The "Filipino monkeys" who took the slide back were basically just puppet versions of the "Anything Muppet" monkeys, but with cultural accessories.
The Count's Twenty-Member Band.
The "Number of the Day" bit features the Count and the Countess with a full band of musicians. To get to 20, the production had to use almost every puppeteer on set that day. Each musician puppet was like a single unit in the count, showing a simple 1:1 ratio for cardinality.
Building Things and Structural Integrity.
In Elmo's World: The Building Things curriculum looks at how different materials provide different levels of support. Elmo's been exploring blocks, bricks and wood. So, in this bit, we've got "Blueberry" (a Muppet builder) who shows how having a wider base makes a tower more stable.
Parent's Guide
Baby Bear wrote a story called The Three Astro Bears. He uses ideas from Elmo, Zoe, and Big Bird to build the plot. This segment is all about coming up with creative solutions. Your child will learn that stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. A galactic problem like floating porridge is best solved with a polite approach. This is a really important social and emotional lesson.
The Count is leading a musical celebration for the number 20. The Countess and a full band join him. This part of the course will help you to get better at maths and counting. Your child can count to higher numbers with the music.
In Global Grover, the blue explorer is back from the Philippines. He's got a film about family life in Manila. It's a great example of cultural competence. Your child will see that playing in the park is something everyone loves. Filipino monkeys arrive to retrieve a slide after the film. This is all about respecting other people's property. These journeys are great for broadening your horizons and sparking your curiosity.
Cookie Monster learns about healthy habits when Hoots the Owl sings. The song explains that a cookie is a snack. This well-known segment is a great way to learn about nutrition and self-regulation. Your child will learn that some foods, like fruits, are for every day. Other foods are best saved for special occasions. This helps preschoolers learn about making good choices when it comes to food.
Today's letter is I. Different formats are great for building phonemic awareness. Private I investigates the letter in a film. Your child sees the sound and shape of I in many different situations. This multisensory approach is key for getting ready to read. Cookie Monster licks the icing off an I cookie to teach impulse control. Detective stories make learning to read and write fun.
In Elmo's World, the focus shifts to building things. This gets your child interested in STEM. They think about how different parts fit together to create a whole. This helps to develop spatial reasoning skills and a basic understanding of engineering. Your child will learn that with the right tools and a bit of patience, anyone can build.
