| Category | Details |
| Title | Say Thank You to Your Face Day (Season 46) |
| Air Date | March 12, 2016 (HBO) / November 21, 2016 (PBS) |
| Primary Theme | Human Biology: The Five Senses |
| Body Part Advocacy | Grover (Nose), Abby (Eyes), Telly (Mouth) |
| Biological Functions | Smelling, Breathing, Seeing, Tasting, Speaking, Sneezing |
| Social Activity | Selfie Culture (Elmo and Chris modeling modern social interaction) |
| Smart Cookies Case | "Dat Face" (Protecting model Giselle Biscotti from The Crumb) |
| Physics of a Sneeze | Involuntary muscle spasms triggered by pepper (irritants) |
| Mechanical Solution | A Vacuum Cleaner (Using suction to remove airborne particles) |
| Elmo’s World | Noses (Sniffing, blowing, and the variety of nose shapes) |
| The "Grover" Factor | Grover's commitment to "Method Acting" by wearing a full-body nose costume. |
| Key Muppets | Elmo, Grover, Abby, Telly, Cookie Monster, Count, Baby Bear |
| Human Cast | Chris (The mediator) and Alan (The yoga-practicing researcher) |
| Letter of the Day | F (Face, Feature, Function, Fragrance, Feeling) |
| Number of the Day | 9 (Count's stomp; 9 facial expressions/features) |
| Educational Focus | Life Science (Anatomy), SEL (Gratitude), Literacy (F), Math (9) |
| Sponsors | F, 9 |
Facts
The Selfie Tradition
The episode starts off with Elmo and Chris taking a selfie. The producers decided to update the show for a 2016 audience. You'll notice the characters use a smartphone, which reflects the shift toward digital literacy in the Season 46 curriculum. This is one of the first times a mobile device is being used as a standard everyday tool on the street.
Nose Costume Logistics
Grover wears a giant nose costume that covers his whole upper body. This puppet suit was designed to be lightweight so the performer could move freely during the "Thank You Nose" song. The backup singers in this segment are actually recycled "Anything Muppets" customized with facial feature accessories. You'll see that the pepper Grover uses is actually a non-toxic mix of ground black tea and herbs to prevent real sneezing fits for the human cast.
Supermodel Parody
The Smart Cookies segment has a character named Giselle Biscotti. This is a direct parody of world-famous supermodel Gisele Bündchen. The puppet is voiced by Stephanie D'Abruzzo, who also performs as Prairie Dawn. You'll notice that Giselle is sneezing off parts of her face because of the Sneeze Danish. The production team used Velcro attachments to make it easy to take off the nose and lips during the funny parts.
The Sneeze Danish Prop
The villain, Crumb, releases a Sneeze Danish filled with pepper. The prop department built a bunch of different versions of this pastry. One version was a "hero" prop for close-up shots, and another was a "squib" version that could spray a fine mist of brown powder. This powder is actually a mix of cocoa and cinnamon, which is safer for the puppeteers to inhale than actual pepper or dust.
Miss Fortune's Clues
Miss Fortune gives a clue about a household cleaning tool to stop the pepper. The "clue" is a physical scroll that pops out of her head. This mechanical effect requires a dedicated puppeteer to trigger a spring-loaded latch from beneath the table. At first, Cookie Monster thinks a toothbrush is the right tool for the job, but then he realizes that a vacuum cleaner is better for a big house.
Digital Face Mashup
For the "Say Thank You to Your Face Day" finale, Elmo wears a costume that combines eyes, a nose, and a mouth. This prop was made out of high-density foam and has oversized features so you can see them during wide shots. The song shows kids that even though each sense is important, they all work together. This helps you understand the concept of biological systems.
Noses Re-Edit
The Elmo's World: The Noses segment is a high-def version of an episode from 2007. The original footage was captured in a 4:3 aspect ratio and was digitally expanded to fit the 16:9 widescreen format used in 2016. You'll notice the colors are more saturated than in the original broadcast. This update makes sure that older classic content looks as good as the newer HBO-produced scenes.
The Sad Cookie Book
In the book The Sad Cookie Book, Cookie Monster is seen reading a book titled The Really Sad Cookie. This is a subtle joke for parents in the audience, referencing the "sad" themes found in some classic literature. The book is a real physical prop with printed pages, even though the audience only sees the cover. The Sesame Street art department is known for paying close attention to detail.
Educational Context & Viewer Guide
Primary Lesson: Human Biology (Parts of the Face) and Gratitude
Pedagogical goal: Learn the main sensory organs of the face—eyes, nose, and mouth—and understand their specific functions (breathing, smelling, seeing, and eating) while fostering a sense of appreciation for how the body works.
For parents: Grover and his friends are having a "Thank You" party for their faces! Grover starts by celebrating the nose, but Abby thinks the eyes are more important, and Telly thinks the mouth is the star of the show. At the end of the day, they figure out that all these parts come together to form a face. This is a great episode to watch while playing a "Mirror Game" with your child. Point to your nose and say one thing it helps you do, then have your child do the same for their eyes or mouth.
Expert Take: This episode uses Functional Anatomy to teach preschoolers about their bodies. By taking a look at each feature—like the nose for smelling and breathing, the eyes for reading, and the mouth for nutrition and communication—the show helps kids sort sensory information. The Smart Cookies segment, Dat Face, teaches problem-solving and self-regulation (like stopping to think), while keeping up the "face" theme with a "Sneeze Danish" and a vacuum cleaner.
Elmo and Grover start a mission to celebrate Say Thank You to Your Nose Day. Grover dresses up as a giant nose. They watch Baby Bear smell flowers. They see Alan use his nose for deep breathing during yoga. Abby and Telly show up and start arguing. Abby wants to thank the eyes. Telly wants to thank the mouth. They each sing different songs for each part. Chris helps the group understand that all these parts work together on one face. They changed the celebration to Say Thank You to Your Face Day. This story is a great way to teach your child about resolving conflicts. Collaboration makes for a better celebration. You can help your child understand how their body works by looking at the big picture.
A team of heroes has to protect a cookie model from a villain called the Crumb. The Crumb releases pepper that makes everyone sneeze. Cookie Monster needs to pause and think to find a solution. He uses a vacuum cleaner to suck up the pepper. This segment shows the value of impulse control. Your child learns to pause and think before acting. Using the right tool solves the problem and saves the day.
Today's letter is F. Elmo and his friends sing and dance to show that F is for face. This connects the letter sound to the day's theme. Using music helps kids remember new letters. You can practice the letter F at home by pointing to different parts of your face.
The number today is 9. The Count leads the group in a song and a stomp. This helps toddlers reach a counting milestone. It's like the number 9 just goes hand-in-hand with physical movements, making math feel natural. Your child can learn to recognize numbers by stomping along to the beat. This makes a lesson into a physical activity that keeps kids moving while they count.
Elmo looks at all the different kinds of noses you can find in the animal kingdom. He explains how noses help creatures survive. A nose is for breathing, sneezing, and smelling. This segment supports scientific inquiry. Your child learns that a nose is a tool for exploring the world. Cookie Monster and Rosita are practicing their moves—fast and slow. This gets you moving and helps you understand tempo. These stories balance out the facts about how the body works with the importance of staying coordinated. Every part of your face has a special job.
There's a movie called F is for Face that shows a kid explaining how their face works. The child shows how they see and smell. This segment is all about helping preschoolers understand themselves better. It's great to see a peer model these concepts because it helps your child connect to their own physical identity. The film makes you curious about the human body. Taking a look at your own reflection is a great way to learn about health.
