| Category | Details |
| Episode Number | 4514 |
| Season | Season 45 (2014–2015) |
| Air Date | January 12, 2015 |
| Word on the Street | Awful (Demonstrated by Adam Scott) |
| Guest Stars | Adam Scott, Macklemore (as Mucklemore), Suze Orman (as Gooze Orman) |
| Financial Goal | Buying a P.U.-gelhorn for 8 bags of trash |
| Grouch Strategy | "Pretend Your Way to Trash" (Visualizing tech as "cute" things) |
| Mucklemore's Hit | "Grouch Thrift Shop" (A parody of the song "Thrift Shop") |
| Murray's Lesson | How NYC sorting technology organizes plastic, metal, and glass |
| Abby's Fairy School | Gene the Genie and the magical recycling of his bottle |
| Super Grover 2.0 | Finding a ball for a cactus (Solving for texture and safety) |
| Elmo the Musical | Prince Elmo (Defeating a dragon with "stinky breath") |
| Key Muppets | Oscar, Elmo, Murray, Abby, Super Grover, The Count, Big Bird |
| Human Cast | Chris, Maria, Gina |
| Letter of the Day | S (Bubba’s Word Emporium / Cookie Monster's Sandwich) |
| Number of the Day | 8 (Eight people dancing / 8 bags of trash needed) |
| Educational Focus | Financial Literacy (Saving), Science (Recycling), Mathematics (8) |
| Sponsors | S, 8 |
Facts
Episode 4514 had a well-known parody of the rapper Macklemore. The character, Mucklemore, performed a Grouch version of the hit song "Thrift Shop" to promote the "Grouch Thrift Shop". They used a miniature leopard-print fur coat and oversized jewellery for the puppet to match the rapper's iconic look. This bit was all about the idea of spending money on a whim and not being able to control your finances, and it was made fun of in a comedic way.
Oscar the Grouch tried to buy a "P.U.-gelhorn" from a website called Scramazon.com. The interface on Oscar's laptop was a custom graphic designed to parody the Amazon storefront, with buttons like "Scram" instead of "Buy." This was based on the show's 2015 curriculum focus on digital literacy and the mechanics of online commerce.
Gooze Orman popped by to give Oscar the lowdown on a "Trash Savings Plan". This character was a parody of financial advisor Suze Orman. She used the phrase "Pretend Your Way to Trash" to help Oscar avoid unnecessary purchases. The segment had a fake product called the "Sty-Phone 6," which was a play on the iPhone 6 that had been released just a few months before.
In the 'Murray Has a Little Lamb' bit, Murray Monster went to a real recycling plant in New York City. The film crew recorded the actual mechanical sorting process where magnets and optical sensors separate metal from plastic. This showed just how big the waste management industry is. Murray was wearing a mini high-vis vest and hard hat to comply with the facility's safety regulations.
In the Abby's Flying Fairy School bit, they had a guest character called Gene the Genie. The character design was inspired by classic theatrical genies but with a "Vegas" personality. Animators used a "squash and stretch" technique to show Gene being squeezed in and out of a recycled bottle. This part was all about the maths of "all" versus "none".
Super Grover 2.0 solved a "Prickly Problem" involving a cactus that wanted to play with a ball. The team used the physical properties of materials to find a solution. Grover tried out different ball surfaces and found that a heavy-duty material wouldn't pop when it touched the cactus needles. This showed how long-lasting the material is.
Elmo the Musical: Prince Elmo made fun of the "Saint George and the Dragon" story. The set designers created a digital landscape called Tottentot using 3D rendering. The "dragon" character had a special "stinky breath" effect, made with green digital fog. Elmo used a series of rhythmic challenges to "conquer" the dragon, focusing on problem-solving through music.
The Count von Count celebrated the number 8 with a "stomp" style performance. The number 8 was significant as it represented the cost of the P.U.-gelhorn in bags of trash. The segment used a split-screen effect to show eight different people dancing in a park, emphasising the one-to-one correspondence between the dancers and the count.
Parent's Guide
Murray and Adam Scott explore the world of awful. They do this by having a series of bad gift exchanges, which end up teaching a vocabulary lesson on things that are unpleasant. Your child will learn to identify feelings and words associated with things they might not like.
In Abby's Flying Fairy School, a recycling project goes magical when Abby releases Gene the Genie from a bottle. This part looks at maths ideas like all and none. The fairies use logic and spatial reasoning to get everyone out of the bottle. By turning a small bottle into a bigger one with sliding doors, the story shows how solving problems can lead to great things like repurposing materials.
Murray and Ovejita visit a real recycling plant to see how a milk jug is recycled. This reporting helps scientists to do their work and makes people more aware of the environment. Your child gets to see how materials are sorted and compacted. It encourages healthy habits for the planet by showing how old items become new, useful cubes.
The main story is about Oscar the Grouch trying to save enough trash bags to buy a gift on Scramazon.com. Oscar needs to learn to self-regulate and wait for his turn if he wants to reach his goal. With a little help from Gooze Orman, he learns to resist short-term temptations. This narrative focuses on executive function. It teaches your child the importance of staying focused on a long-term goal. By the time Oscar has 8 bags of trash, viewers have seen the basics of budgeting and saving.
The Count celebrates the number 8 with a rhythmic stomp. There's a film that shows eight people dancing in a park that really drives this point home. Your child will get to practise writing letters and doing sums. Seeing the number 8 in dance, photos and Oscar's plan to save the planet makes it easier to recognise numbers.
In Elmo the Musical, Prince Elmo travels to the land of Tottentot to face a dragon with a bit of a whiff. This segment mixes musical learning with social-emotional lessons. Elmo realises the dragon isn't mean; he just needs a bit of a clean. Elmo shows how to solve problems and be compassionate by using a giant toothbrush. The story gets the message across about the importance of healthy habits like brushing teeth. Your child will learn to investigate a problem before they're afraid of it.
Summary
What's the Word on the Street? : In Sesame Street Episode 4514 we see the word Awful.
SCENES: Chris notices a foul odor in the street. Oscar the Grouch is there and visited the website www.scramazon.com from his laptop. Oscar wants to buy a special Grouch instrument for his pet elephant, Fluffy. The price of this special instrument is 8 bags of garbage. Oscar has a total of 5 bags of trash, along with the 3 bags Chris brought. A strangely dressed man named Mucklemore appears on the street. (The character of Mucklemore is played by Ben Haggerty.) Mucklemore sells his smelly hat to Oscar for 5 garbage bags. Then the famous Grouch Gooze Orman comes to help Oscar. Grouch Gooze offers a strategy for him to save garbage bags. So Oscar collects enough garbage bags and buys the instrument he wants from scramazon.com.
Celebrity: Murray and Adam Scott introduce the word of the day, resist.
Muppets: Murray Has a Little Lamb. Murray and Ovejita visit the New York City Recycling Plant.
Muppets: Super Grover 2.0 Prickly Problem. Super Grover wants to help a cactus.
Muppets: Elmo and his friends introduce the letter of the day S by dancing.
Animation: Abby's Flying Fairy School Playground Troll.
Muppets: The Count and his friends introduce the number of the day: 8.
Muppets: Big Bird and other birds sing That's Cooperation.
Muppets: Elmo the Musical Prince Elmo the Musical.
Sesame Street sponsors are the number 8 and the letter S. At the end of the Sesame Street Episode 4514 Murray announces the sponsors and the episode ends.
