| Category | Details |
| Episode Number | 4150 |
| Season | Season 38 (2007) |
| Air Date | September 18, 2007 |
| Word on the Street | Windy (Demonstrated by Gina) |
| Scientific Concept | Simulation & Variables (Testing Gordon’s golf skills) |
| Telly’s Innovations | Pillow-hill, Wading pool-pond, Sandbox-trap, Fan-wind |
| Guest Stars | The Dixie Chicks (Singing "No Letter Better Than B") |
| Classic Muppets | Bip Bippadotta, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, Mr. Johnson |
| Hero Guy Segment | In the Sky (Baby Bear’s imagination adventure) |
| Grover’s Job | Flight Attendant (Serving Mr. Johnson something warm) |
| Art Appreciation | Van Gogh Animation (Baby’s first steps to Papa) |
| Elmo’s World | Weather (Focusing on rain, sun, and wind) |
| Key Characters | Gordon, Telly, Alan, Elmo, Rosita, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby |
| Letter of the Day | B (Mother Cookie & The Dixie Chicks) |
| Number of the Day | 18 (Jumping 18 / Suzie Kabloozie / Mural Painting) |
| Educational Focus | Physical Science (Air/Wind), Persistence, Literacy (B), Math (18) |
| Sponsors | B, 18 |
Facts
So, episode 4150, which was first shown in 2007, used a miniature golf storyline to look at the physical properties of terrain. Gordon's DIY golf course became a bit of a physics experiment as Telly added pillows to make hills, a wading pool for water hazards, and buckets of sand. These additions showed how different surfaces can create friction and change how fast a moving object goes.
The "Word on the Street" for this episode was windy. To give a practical demonstration, the production team used a large electric fan on set. When Telly switched on the fan, it made a targeted air current that got the golf ball into the hole. This visual gag was used to show how air—though you can't see it—is a physical force that can move solid objects.
The Dixie Chicks (now known as The Chicks) made a guest appearance to sing "No Letter Better Than B." This bit was a huge technical challenge for the Muppet team, as it featured Big Bird, Bert, Baby Bear, the Count, and a flock of chickens all performing together. The song used a country-bluegrass arrangement to highlight words like "bird," "bat," and "better."
There was a really unique animation in this episode that brought a Vincent van Gogh painting to life. The segment, which was originally from 1996, used the painting First Steps (after Millet) and used digital "tweening" to make the figures move while keeping the artist's thick, impasto brushstrokes. This meant that the show could present world-class fine art through the lens of a developmental milestone: a baby's first steps.
The Number of the Day was 18. The segment had a jumping number 18 Muppet that was operated using a vertical rod system to simulate high-energy bouncing. This followed a theme of "active" numbers, where the puppet's movement matched the counting rhythm. They added extra organ music cues to the 2007 re-airing to enhance the "circus" atmosphere of the count.
Grover showed up in a classic "Global Grover" style segment as a flight attendant serving Mr Johnson. The "Something Warm" sketch is a fan-favourite. It's all about how annoying poor customer service can be. The set for the plane cabin was made from a recycled prop from a previous season, with narrower seating to make it look more cramped and funny as Grover moved around.
Elmo's World concentrated on the weather, and how you need to dress differently depending on the conditions. They used 3D-rendered "Channel 1" news graphics to make a forecast. It all tied back to the episode's "windy" theme, showing how wind affects everything from kite flying to the way trees bend during a storm.
Parent's Guide
Telly uses his imagination to turn a flat patch of grass into a challenging golf course. He uses a pillow for a hill, a wading pool for a water hazard, and a fan for wind, to simulate real-world obstacles. This story is all about scientific inquiry and engineering for preschoolers. Your child will learn that they can use household items to create new challenges. This helps them to be more persistent and learn to think critically as they come up with new ways to play.
Gina shows how the word "windy" is pronounced on the street. This vocabulary lesson is made even better with a song about air. It helps your child connect an invisible force of nature with its physical effects on the world.
The Dixie Chicks give the letter B a superstar welcome with the song "No Letter Better Than B." This segment is great for helping kids to understand sounds in words, as the lyrics are full of "B" words. Cookie Monster and his mum have a laugh together as they try not to eat the letter. Seeing the letter B linked to boats and bats helps to improve reading readiness and understanding of letter-sound correspondence.
In Elmo's World, it's all about the weather. Elmo looks at how the sky changes, which fits perfectly with the windy theme. This segment encourages environmental awareness as your child learns about the sun, rain, and wind. A film about a kite-flying festival shows how the weather affects the types of active play we enjoy outdoors. It's like a bridge between what we see in the lab and our day-to-day lives.
The number 18 is introduced by a high-energy jumping animation. There's a film of a child painting a mural and a cartoon with Suzie Kabloozie. These segments help to develop mathematical fluency and one-to-one correspondence. Seeing the number 18 in artistic and rhythmic contexts helps your child get to grips with number recognition. This multisensory approach makes the "teen" quantity a concrete concept.
There's a really lovely animation that shows a Van Gogh painting of a baby taking its first steps. It gets kids interested in art and helps them develop gross motor skills. It's paired with a story about a girl practising roller skating over many days. These clips are great for teaching persistence and self-esteem. Your child will learn that every professional started small and made mistakes. Talking about how hard you worked to get where you are will help you to keep on growing.
Summary
