| Category | Details |
| Episode Number | 4603 |
| Season | Season 46 (2016) |
| Air Date | January 23, 2016 (HBO) / October 31, 2016 (PBS) |
| Safari Leader | Grover (in an ATV) |
| Safari Guests | Elmo, Mr. Johnson, A Monkey, Horatio the Elephant |
| The "Warthog" Reveal | Mr. Johnson is mistaken for a warthog and taken away |
| Smart Cookies Case | The Fancy Schmancy Dinner |
| Villain Strategy | Releasing Wild Animal Crackers into a restaurant |
| Cookie's Solution | Using jelly to stick the animals (and guests) to the floor |
| Key Muppets | Grover, Elmo, Mr. Johnson, Cookie Monster, Horatio, Count von Count, Rosita |
| Human Cast | Chris, Lady Crunchington |
| Celebrity Guest | Jessica Mauboy (Five Kangaroos) |
| Letter of the Day | S (for Safari) |
| Number of the Day | 5 |
| Educational Theme | Pretending, Imagination, Problem Solving |
| Musical Segment | Elmo the Musical: Cowboy (Count By Two Kid) |
| Sponsors | S, 5 |
Facts
The "Warthog" is a rare appearance for a specialised puppet.
Lions and tigers are common in the Sesame Street animal lineup, but the warthog (performed by Stephanie D'Abruzzo) was a one-off that got the wrong end of the stick and "claimed" Mr Johnson as its own, which ended up with him being taken off screen.
Mr Johnson had a rare moment of "pretend" success.
Grover's long-suffering customer, Mr Johnson, usually remains cynical and annoyed. This episode is special because he actually manages to achieve the curriculum goal of learning to use his imagination, but then it all goes wrong when a real warthog drags him away to meet her family.
The "Monkey Selfie" is a great example of a modern technological shift.
To reference 2016's social media trends, the monkey that swings into Hooper's Store doesn't just join the group; he takes a "selfie" with Mr. Johnson, which is one of the first times a smartphone-specific behaviour has been integrated into a primary street scene.
Horatio the Elephant makes a high-energy "Street" appearance.
Horatio is often a background or specialised character, but in this episode, he actually jumps into the ATV. It took some clever camera angles and puppetry to make it look like a giant elephant could squeeze into a tiny Muppet-sized car.
The "Fancy Schmancy Dinner" is a play on a posh name.
The Smart Cookies segment introduces "Lady Crunchington," a parody of elite socialites. Her dinner party is ruined by "Wild Animal Crackers," a clever play on the snack food turning into actual chaotic animals.
Cookie Monster "sticks" the guests together in a bit of a pedagogical fail.
While Cookie Monster successfully solves the "Miss Fortune" riddle by identifying jelly, the scene ends on a comedic "fail" where he accidentally glues the dinner guests together, showing children that even the right solution can have messy consequences.
Jessica Mauboy's "Five Kangaroos" is a rare Australian co-production clip.
The song of the day (First: Episode 4419) was a collab with the Australian singer to bring a global perspective to the "Safari" and animal themes of the episode.
The ATV "Safari Tune" is a "Driving" genre parody.
The song Elmo and Grover sing while driving the ATV has a rhythmic "chugging" beat designed to mimic the sound of an off-road engine, helping children identify the auditory cues of a vehicle in motion.
The "S is for Safari" video uses real-life footage from an African safari.
The bit with the guide, Mati, was chosen to show the difference between a real animal habitat and the "pretend" one on the street, so kids could understand the difference.
They shortened the "Cowboy the Musical" edit for the HBO format.
This bit (which originally came from Season 43) was cut down a lot to fit the 30-minute HBO time slot, and several "Kitty-Cow" counting repetitions were taken out to keep the episode's pace moving towards the "Safari" conclusion.
Parent's Guide
Elmo and his friends sing a fun song to introduce the letter S. There's also a film segment about a girl called Mati on an African safari. This helps you to recognise sounds for the first time. Kids learn to connect the visual shape of a letter with a certain sound. Try using this theme to help your child connect letters to familiar words.
Grover leads a street safari based entirely on pretending. The group put on costumes to see monkeys at Hooper's Store. They mimic animal behaviour to find elephants in the garden. Mr Johnson feels a bit embarrassed at first. He says he can't pretend. He eventually starts acting like a warthog. A real warthog mistakes him for family and takes him away. This story looks at symbolic play and social and emotional growth. It shows kids that imagination is something you can get better at. Seeing a grown-up enjoy playing pretend is a great way to show shy kids that it's okay to play creatively. It's a great way to learn about the world.
The Smart Cookies have to stop a villain called Crumb in a fancy dinner segment. Crumb tries to put a damper on a party with wild animal crackers. Cookie Monster has a hard time following the clues one by one. In the end, he stops to put the information together. The item is purple. It's made from fruit. It goes really well with peanut butter. He finds out the answer is jelly. This segment is all about information synthesis and impulse control. It teaches your child to think before acting on incomplete information. Kids get logic by putting together different clues to find one solution.
Count von Count and his friends celebrate the number 5 with a lively song. Jessica Mauboy performs a musical piece featuring five hopping kangaroos. This helps with knowing how to count and being able to count easily. Using animals helps children understand quantity by matching it up with what they can see. Your child counts each jump to reach the total.
In the end credits, Cookie Monster tells Rosita all about why running is such good exercise. The two friends decide to have a friendly race. This helps to improve gross motor skills and healthy habits. Physical activity becomes a fun social game. Use this example to get your child to stay active.
Elmo becomes a cowboy in a musical. He's known as Count By Two Kid. He has to take six kitty cows to a ranch. He counts the animals in pairs. This introduces advanced counting patterns. Learning to count by twos is a good way to get to know multiplication. It helps kids spot patterns in numbers. Counting large groups becomes a lot easier with this skill.
Summary
Muppets: Elmo and his friends introduce the letter of the day, S.
Film: S is for Safari
Muppets: The Count and his friends present the number of the day: 5.
Song: The song Five Kangaroos is performed by Jessica Mauboy.
Elmo the Musical Cowboy the Musical
