| Category | Information |
| Episode Title | Telly learns the Grouchketeer Cheer |
| Season Number | 36 |
| Episode Number | 4094 |
| Air Date | September 6, 2005 |
| Writer | John Weidman |
| Director | Ken Diego |
| Music Director | Danny Epstein |
| Primary Theme | Practice and Perseverance |
| Healthy Habit Focus | Fruit consumption and physical activity |
| Letter of the Day | S |
| Number of the Day | 19 |
| Spanish Word | Siesta |
| Key Muppets | Telly Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Slimey, Countess |
| Human Cast | Gordon (Roscoe Orman), Alan (Alan Muraoka) |
| Celebrity Guest | Garth Brooks |
| Main Song | Together We'll Make Music |
| Flashback Sequence | Oscar teaching the Grouchketeer cheer |
| Cheer Sound | GRRRR-OUCH! |
| Bus Driver | Ralph Crammedon |
| Bus Name | The Grouchketeer Bus |
| Cold Open | Bert's Fruit Rap |
| Animation 1 | Cavemen whistling to grow flowers |
| Animation 2 | Wild West Letter S |
| Animation 3 | Quilt characters forming S |
| Animation 4 | Rap #19 |
| Animation 5 | Nineteen pigs |
| Film 1 | S for square |
| Film 2 | Kids painting a mural for 19 |
| Global Grover | Bowl dancing in Mongolia |
| Journey to Ernie | Beach segment |
| Elmo's World | Ears |
| Trash Gordon | Chapter 453: Planet Scram |
| Target Audience | Preschool children |
| Genre | Educational Children's Television |
| Production Company | Sesame Workshop |
| Studio Location | Kaufman Astoria Studios |
| Educational Initiative | Healthy Habits for Life |
| Character Motivation | Joining the Annual Grouch Picnic and Field Day |
| Resolution | Telly masters the cheer through repetition |
| Humorous Ending | Gordon faces loud cheering during his golf game |
| Puppeteer (Telly) | Martin P. Robinson |
| Puppeteer (Oscar) | Caroll Spinney |
| Puppeteer (Big Bird) | Caroll Spinney |
| Script Coordinator | Teresita Cuadrado |
| Executive Producer | Lewis Bernstein |
Facts
A Tribute to a Classic Sitcom
The production team named the bus driver Ralph Crammedon. It's a nod to the TV show. It references the TV show The Honeymooners. Jackie Gleason played a bus driver named Ralph Kramden. Writers put in these old jokes to keep the parents entertained. You see the creators rewarding adult viewers. These adults watch the program with their kids.
Bringing Back a Vintage Parody
The Grouchketeers were brought back for this broadcast by some writers. The production team set up this group back in the 1970s. It's basically a direct parody of the Mickey Mouse Club TV show. The original group wore trash cans on their heads. The wardrobe department updated the costumes. They designed custom hats. These new pieces have miniature metallic lids.
Keeping Harry Potter on the big screen
Garth Brooks, a country musician, performs a song called "Together We Will Make Music." Producers filmed this segment a few years ago. They paired the singer with the character Herry Monster. Performer Jerry Nelson voiced this puppet. Nelson retired from active puppeteering due to health issues. Editors kept using this old musical footage because they wanted to keep the character on TV.
A well-known cartoon creator lends a hand.
The broadcast includes a short cartoon with characters named Noodles and Nedd. Animator John R. Dilworth produced this film. He got famous on TV for creating the cartoon Courage the Cowardly Dog. Network heads brought in independent animators to work on the show. They hired these artists before they hit the big time. You're getting a glimpse into the early artistic experiments of a successful director.
Streaming platforms are censoring the cold open.
Bert performs a hip hop song about fruit during the opening sequence. Network execs took this footage off modern digital streaming platforms. Editors cut these educational segments to meet strict syndication runtime requirements. This corporate editing removes important parts of television history from the public archive. You'll need to find the original broadcast recordings if you want to watch this performance that got deleted.
The Unseen Voice Actor
Oscar chats with an unseen announcer about the letter S. Puppeteer Jim Martin provided the audio for this invisible character. Martin was a core performer on the program for decades. He did voice-over work for animated segments and offscreen characters. Audio engineers recorded his dialogue in a sound booth where he was all by himself. They mixed his performance over the physical puppet footage.
Recycling Expensive Vintage Film
A live-action film shows a girl building a sandcastle on a beach. Fred Garbers, a filmmaker, produced this segment back in the early '80s. The editors added a new musical sting to the end of the old footage for this broadcast. The production team recycled these expensive location shoots to save money, and they updated the audio tracks to appeal to modern audiences.
Educational Context and Viewer Guide
Primary Lesson: Practice makes perfect, and it'll help you believe in yourself.
Pedagogical goal: To show how to master a new skill by breaking it down into parts you can handle and using repetitive practice to overcome frustration.
Parental Note: Telly wants to go to the annual Grouch picnic. He's got to learn the official cheer to ride the bus. He has a hard time coordinating his body movements. Gordon helps him practice. Gordon says the cheer is like his own golf swing. Telly learns to trust his abilities. He's a natural. Kids get frustrated when they're dealing with complicated tasks. You use Gordon's approach at home. You break a difficult task into smaller steps and practice one step at a time until your child feels comfortable. You praise their continued effort.
Expert Take: This episode talks about executive functioning and motor planning. Telly has a hard time connecting the dots between what he thinks and what he does. Gordon uses a specific teaching strategy called verbal mediation. He tells Telly he already has the necessary knowledge. This statement changes the focus from getting new information to using what we already know. The secondary segments reinforce the core theme of dedicated practice. Grover goes to Mongolia to check out a traditional bowl dance. A young girl named Shali shows how focused you have to be to master this physical skill. This real-world example is a great example of perseverance for young viewers.
The letter S segment features Oscar the Grouch. Oscar tries to avoid saying the letter, but he keeps messing up when Slimey gives him new words to say. This repetition helps readers recognize sounds more easily. Counting to nineteen helps with higher-order numeracy. Kids learn about numbers through murals and animated pigs. You give your child opportunities to practice patience in their daily routines and provide a safe space for them to make mistakes without judgment.
Picking Healthy Snacks Every Day
Bert sings a song about fruits in a rhythmic way. This helps kids remember healthy choices. You offer your child a piece of fruit instead of processed sugar. You keep apples or bananas on the kitchen counter. This visual prompt encourages better choices during snack time. Eating fruit is key for getting the vitamins you need to grow.
Making Music With Friends
A bunch of monsters gets together to sing with a well-known musician. They put their heads together and come up with a song. You provide household items for your child to use as instruments. You'll need wooden spoons and empty plastic containers. You sit on the floor and tap a steady beat. Making music in a group teaches cooperation. It'll help you listen better.
Developing Persistence Through Regular Practice
Telly has a hard time performing the official cheer for a picnic. He doesn't put together the different physical actions. He feels hopeless. Gordon talks about his own struggles with playing golf. Gordon shows how repeating things over and over again can make you better at what you do. Telly tries the routine again. Big Bird offers encouragement. Telly succeeds. He nails the cheer. Grover goes to Mongolia to check out a traditional bowl dance. A girl goes to a special school to learn this tough skill. She spends hours practicing. You can apply these lessons by breaking complex tasks into smaller pieces. You should praise your child for their effort instead of the final result. You set regular times to work on new skills together. Doing small actions over and over builds confidence.
Solving Problems At The Beach
A girl builds a tall sandcastle near the ocean. The ocean waves wash the structure away. She assesses the situation. She moves farther away from the water to rebuild her creation. You can guide your child to find other solutions when they come up against a physical obstacle. You ask questions to help them think about their environment. Moving to a new place can solve structural problems.
How to Get a Good Night's Sleep
Rosita takes a short nap in the warm sunlight. Another character shows how to make a bed. You've got a consistent sleep schedule for your toddler. You make sure their room is dark and quiet. Taking a break lets your brain process new information. Getting enough sleep helps you stay calm in the afternoon.
