| Category | Details |
| Release Date | May 6, 2014 |
| Produced By | Warner Home Video |
| Format | DVD (Single Disc, Region 1) |
| Total Runtime | Approx. 120 Minutes |
| Key Celebrities | Ray Charles, Jamie Foxx, Maya Rudolph (Lullabies), Sheryl Crow ("Don't Know Y") |
| Iconic Remakes | "C is for Cookie" (1998), "La, La, La" (remake), "The Alphabet Song" |
| Animation Styles | Soul A/H, Gregorian Chant E, Stop-Motion V, Sand Animation, Claymation |
| Letter A Highlight | Letter A Adventure / Soul A |
| Letter B Highlight | "No Letter Better Than B" |
| Letter C Highlight | Kids imagining C words in clouds |
| Letter G Highlight | G-Spoof / "G is Great" |
| Letter L Highlight | Rube Goldberg Device |
| Letter M Highlight | "M is for Monster" (starring Elmo and Telly) |
| Letter O Highlight | "Would You Like to Buy an O?" (Classic Lefty the Salesman) |
| Letter S Highlight | Prairie Dawn & Grover's 15-second S challenge |
| Letter U Highlight | "U Really Got a Hold on Me" (Parody of The Miracles) |
| Letter X Highlight | X-ray / Letter of the Day: X |
| Letter Y Highlight | "Don't Know Y" (Parody of "Don't Know Why") |
| Closing Song | "Gospel Alphabet" & "The Sesame Street Alphabet" |
| Bonus Feature | Learning Letters with Elmo (Full-length video) |
| Educational Core | Literacy, Phonics, Letter Recognition, Alliteration |
Facts
Just a heads-up that there's a new graphics update for Ray Charles.
The DVD's got Ray Charles performing "The Alphabet Song," which first aired in 1977. For this 2014 release, the producers added new high-def digital graphics to the background. This update made sure the old footage met modern visual standards while keeping the original piano performance.
Jamie Foxx and Visual Consistency.
Jamie Foxx's version of the alphabet has also had a digital makeover. The 2014 version has brighter colours and sharper text overlays. These changes help the segment feel current alongside newer CGI animations included in the same compilation.
The Rare "Gospel Alphabet" Inclusion.
The 'Gospel Alphabet' bit is definitely a highlight of this release. It uses a call and response musical structure to teach phonics. The 2014 version has been remastered to make the soulful vocal harmonies and the specific letter sounds clearer.
Bonus Feature Strategic Choice.
The DVD also comes with the full video of Learning Letters with Elmo as a bonus. It was a smart move by Warner Home Video to offer a "double feature" deal. While Alphabet Songs is full of music, the bonus video provides some narrative street stories to balance out the educational experience.
Rube Goldberg and Physics.
The "Letter L" bit has a proper Rube Goldberg machine. It teaches kids about cause and effect and mechanical physics. Every movement in the machine eventually forms the shape of the letter, linking scientific concepts with literacy.
Digital restoration of "C is for Cookie".
The DVD uses the 1998 version of "C is for Cookie." This version was digitally cleaned to remove film grain. It's still a popular way to teach one-to-one correspondence, using the image of Cookie Monster eating different amounts of cookies.
The "J Robot" and STEM.
The "J Robot" cartoon uses basic robotic movements to show how J words like "jump" and "jog" are spelled. This gets you thinking about early coding logic by showing how specific commands lead to physical actions by the character.
"Don't Know Y" (Norah Jones Parody).
This segment is a parody of Norah Jones's hit "Don't Know Why." It teaches you the sounds of the letter Y. The production used a soft, jazz-inspired arrangement to show how music genres can be used to make complex linguistic rules memorable for kids.
Dancing Petroglyphs and Geometry.
The "Letter W" segment has some animated petroglyphs that make the letter shape within a quilt. It teaches geometric patterns and symmetry. It gets kids thinking about the alphabet as shapes you find in art and nature.
Parent's Guide
Ray Charles and Jamie Foxx are running musical lessons for your child. These stars use soulful rhythms to teach alphabet sequences. They make repetition fun and engaging through their performances. Your child hears the letters and learns to order them.
The DVD has different animation styles to suit various learners. "E/e Gregorian chant" and "Soul H" offer different sounds. Different genres keep early education fresh. Your child can recognise letter shapes and sounds in many different situations. This variety is great for building long-term memory and fluency.
Songs like "The Question Song" and "U Really Got a Hold on Me" use wordplay to help kids learn more words. These songs introduce words like Quincy or Submarine. Your child will learn how letters are the foundation of everyday language. Kids start to get logical reasoning skills as they see letters put together to make words.
Multisensory techniques are used in the "Letter A Adventure" film and stop-motion clips. There's an animation for the letter T that shows a kid tracing a hand to draw a turkey. You can do this fine motor skills exercise at home too. The "Rube Goldberg device" for the letter L shows a chain reaction forming a shape. This gets kids started with basic STEM ideas. Your child might see letters in clouds, chalk drawings or quilt patterns. Putting abstract symbols to use with real-life objects is a great way to get kids ready to read.
"Cookie's Crumby Pictures" and "C is for Cookie" focus on executive function. The "Would You Like to Buy an O?" bit is where your child is asked to point out a certain shape. This helps you think critically. Viewers learn to tell the difference between similar shapes and sounds. This step is really important for phonemic awareness.
The bonus feature Learning Letters with Elmo includes social-emotional learning. Elmo uses an encouraging tone to build your child's self-confidence. They have to learn 26 characters and their sounds, and they need a positive guide to help them.
Some of the segments in the Special are as follows:
Letter A Adventure is a film featured in the video.
Soul A is an animated song about the letter "A".
No Letter Better Than B is a song sung by Dixie Chicks. The clip also features Bert, Big Bird, Baby Bear and The Count. This song is also featured in the All-Star Alphabet, Singing with the Stars videos.
C is for Cookie is a song performed by Cookie Monster. It was first aired on Episode 0372. The version included in Sesame Street Alphabet Songs is a 1998 remake version.
E - Elephant Song is the song that features the animated version of Cookie Monster, first released on Episode 4188.
The Alphabet Song is performed by Ray Charles. This is a very old Sesame Street classic.
Animation: The letters G appear along with the song G is Great.
Soul H is the version of Soul alphabet songs for the letter "h". Soul H is also featured in the All-Star Alphabet video.
Traction Jackson's I Song is an animated song that first aired on Sesame Street Episode 4227. The song is performed by Traction Jackson and Kayla. This song is also featured in the Learning Letters with Elmo video.
J Robot shows words that start with the letter "J" in a cartoon.
J - Jacket Song is a song sung by Elmo's animated version to promote the letter "J". Jacket Song also appears in the "Learning Letters with Elmo" video.
The Alphabet Song, performed by Jamie Foxx. Elmo accompanies Jamie Foxx.
The song "La, La, La" is performed by Bert and Ernie. The song was first aired on Sesame Street Episode 0321. The song was also featured in "Learning About Letters", "Best of Friends", "Awesome Alphabet Collection" videos.
M is for Monster; It is a song sung by Sesame Street characters such as Zoe, Telly, Elmo, Harry monster. This song was also featured on the All-Star Alphabet and the Awesome Alphabet Collection.
Celebrity Lullabies is a lullaby sung to Elmo by Ricky Gervais. This lullaby is featured in many specials other than Sesame Street Alphabet Songs.
"Would You Like to Buy an O?" is a song performed by Lefty the Salesman. Lefty the Salesman tries to sell Ernie the letter "O". It was first published in Sesame Street Episode 0364.
ABC Space Song is the alphabet letters-themed song that a child sings with aliens.
The Question Song is a song about the letter "Q" sung by a little girl. Grover accompanies the little girl in the clip.
Quincy's Letter Q Song is an animated song in which a boy named Quincy rescues quails.
S Word is a game played between Prairie Dawn and Grover. Grover has 15 seconds to say a word that starts with the letter "S".
Sammy the Snake is a song about the letter "S" performed by a snake.
Gospel Alphabet is a Sesame Street song sung by Patti LaBelle and some Sesame Street characters.
You can watch the Sesame Street Alphabet Songs video on our website.