| Category | Details |
| Episode Number | 0009 |
| Season | Season 1 (1969-1970) |
| Air Date | November 20, 1969 |
| Primary Theme | The Search for the Lost Cat |
| Letters of the Day | J, S, W |
| Numbers of the Day | 4, 5, 11 |
| Geometric Shape | Triangle |
| Key Muppets | Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster |
| Human Cast | Gordon, Susan, Bob, Mr. Kardwell |
| Educational Concepts | Some/More/All, Perspective (Aerial Views), Magnets |
| Animal Guests | Capuchin Monkey, Gibbons, Stray Cats, Chickens |
| Musical Numbers | "Football Chant", "Four Blind Mice", "Jazz #4 & #5" |
| Literature | Sam by Ann Herbert Scott |
| Sponsors | J, S, W, 4, 5, CTW |
Summary
Gordon and Susan are looking for a stray cat. Bob's joining the hunt. This story's a good example of what we mean by observation. Big Bird tries to help, but he doesn't know what a cat looks like. You learn to identify animals by their physical features.
A commercial shows you the letter J, which looks like a fish hook. This helps you remember the shape of the letter. Ernie tells Bert a story using only the alphabet. He makes the letters sound like a dramatic tale. As you can see, letters are the foundation of every story.
Big Bird learns about quantities. He's got a bag of marshmallows. He says he has some and then wants more. He eats the whole bag. Now he has all the marshmallows. His stomach's been bothering him from overeating. You see the biological result of eating an entire bag of sweets. This lesson shows that quantities are finite.
Mr. Kardwell sees triangles everywhere. He finds them on the street and in the trash. He even sees the shape on Gordon. Bob finds triangles in the store. A triangle has three sides. You learn to find polygons in your own neighborhood.
The film shows a big crane. The machine uses a magnet to move metal objects. It's like how magnets pull things together. Another game shows objects from the sky. You'll have to guess what the items are from way up high. This helps your brain process visual data in new ways.
Big Bird finds an animal with pointy ears and a long tail. He thinks it's a strange bird. Susan tells him he found the cat. Gordon gives Big Bird a job. Big Bird is now in charge of the cats. Bob brought five more kittens to the street. The kids learn to feed and care for the group. Responsibility is a big part of your community.
Parent's Guide
Mr. Kardwell finds triangles on Oscar's trash can and in the air. Bob finds more triangles hidden inside the store. You learn to recognize patterns in your environment. Triangles are harder to spot than circles. Take a look at a house and picture the roof as a triangle. Cut a sandwich diagonally to show the shape. This activity will help your child develop the spatial awareness they need for math and art.
A fast segment shows the letter J, and two boys think the letter looks like a fishhook. A voice says the letter stands for Joe and junebugs. You can make a strong memory tool by connecting a letter shape to a familiar object. Help your child find shapes that look like other letters. This makes the alphabet feel recognizable.
Big Bird waits for a cat carrying a bag of marshmallows. He eats some of the treats. He decides to eat more. At last, he eats all of them. His bag is empty and his stomach hurts. You learn the difference between some and all. These words are key for logical reasoning. Use these terms when you're cleaning up. Hey, could you ask your kid to put some blocks in a bin and then move the rest? This makes it easy to see how the parts fit together.
Big Bird's nervous because he's never seen a cat before. He's worried the animal might be scary. He finds a little creature with pointy ears. Susan says the animal is a cat. Big Bird sees the kitten is gentle. He becomes the official Keeper of the Cats. You're helping your child face their fears. Figure out the traits of a scary thing to make it a set of facts. This helps a child feel brave.
Gordon uses the Muppets to sing a song about four mice. The number four is the main theme. You'll see four mice pop up on the screen. This helps kids connect the number four with a certain group of objects.
Ernie tells Bert a dramatic story. He reads with great emotion. The whole plot is just the alphabet from A to Z. It's clear that letters are the building blocks for every story. Think of the alphabet as a sequence with a start and an end. Tell your child the story of the alphabet. Use a whisper for the letter S or a roar for the letter R. This makes a simple exercise into a performance.