| Category | Details |
| Episode Number | 0837 |
| Season | Season 7 (1975–1976) |
| Air Date | January 27, 1976 |
| Snow Sculpture | The "Gordon" Snowman |
| The Count's Task | Counting Bob's footprints |
| Key Muppets | Big Bird, Snuffy, The Count, Cookie Monster, Guy Smiley, Lefty |
| Human Cast | Bob, Gordon, Maria, Luis, David, Biff, Sully |
| Biff & Sully's Job | Checking for frozen pipes |
| Emotional Theme | Missing home (Puerto Rico) |
| Letter of the Day | O, H |
| Number of the Day | 10 |
| Spanish Vocabulary | Ocho (Eight), Ojos (Eyes), Orquesta (Orchestra) |
| Sponsors | O, H, 10 |
Parent's Guide
Big Bird and Mr Snuffleupagus want to build a snow creature. They're debating whether to make a Snow Bird or a Snow Snuffleupagus. Both characters feel too tired to get their own projects done. They decide to work together. They dream of a Bird-upagus before building a classic snowman. This story teaches us to compromise and work together. Kids learn that working together makes difficult tasks easier. If we can all focus on the same goal instead of each person having their own idea, we can get past the stalemate.
Bob teaches the audience about distance. The Count jumps in to lend a hand. He has Bob walk back and forth to show how close and far away they are. The Count is planning to make loads of footprints in the snow so he can count them. This helps you to be more aware of your surroundings. Seeing someone's size change as they move helps kids understand perspective. You can try this out by having your child walk away from you to see how their size looks different.
Maria misses Puerto Rico. She misses the warmth and the Spanish language. Big Bird's worried she might leave Sesame Street for good. He asks Luis to help him write a note. The letter explains how much he'd miss her. Maria feels moved when she reads his words. This segment is all about showing empathy and affection. It shows kids that feeling homesick is normal. Saying thanks to a friend can have a really powerful effect. Writing a letter is a good way to deal with scary feelings.
So, Biff and Sully, our construction workers, are looking for a sewer lid under the snow. They need to check for frozen pipes. Biff spends ages talking about how to find it. Sully stays quiet and uses his tools to measure and locate the lid. He finds it without saying a word. This shows how we can solve problems and work in different ways. It shows that it's often better to do something than just talk about it. The story lets kids in on the tools that community workers use to keep the city running smoothly during winter.
Ali Baba arrives at the cave of the forty thieves in a funny cartoon. He's late. The thieves run him over as they leave. This scene really drives home the idea of 'Abierto'. This is a great way to get to grips with the basics of Spanish. Kids learn that Abierto means open. A funny situation can help raise awareness of bilingualism.
There are a few parts that focus on the letter O, with an opera singer and an owl featuring the letter. Mr Chatterly's tribute is a bit off the mark, but these scenes are great for developing phonemic awareness. The letter O is a perfect circle. This makes it a great shape for kids to find in the world. They link the visual shape to words like orange and octopus.
