| Category | Details |
| Episode Number | 0900 |
| Season | Season 7 (1975–1976) |
| Air Date | April 23, 1976 |
| Writer | Joseph A. Bailey |
| Primary Inspiration | The Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera |
| Musical Instruments | Piano, Guitar, Bass Fiddle, Glockenspiel, Banjo, Marching Band |
| Featured Songs | "Sesame Street Theme," "I Refuse to Sing Along," "John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith," "Cheer Up," "Bats in My Belfry," "On Top of Old Smokey," "Stand Up and Pinch Your Nose," "I'm Going Somewhere," "What's the Name of That Song?", "Sing" |
| Key Muppets | Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, The Count, Grover, Snuffy, Cookie Monster, Kermit, Frazzle |
| Human Cast | David, Gordon, Bob, Maria, Mr. Hooper, Luis |
| Special Guest | University of Michigan Marching Band (off-camera audio) |
| The "Invisible" Guest | Mr. Snuffleupagus (seen only by Big Bird) |
| Counting Feats | People in the bathroom, floor tiles, and 1,000,001 bats |
| Educational Themes | Under, Heavy vs. Light, Happy vs. Scared, Sharing |
| Letter of the Day | M, B |
| Number of the Day | 6, 7, 12, 20 |
| Sponsors | M, B, 6 |
Parent's Guide
The Marvelous Martha and sand drawings show the shape of the letter M. The journey into space focuses on sound. Herbert Birdsfoot looks at a sound Grover makes. He knows it's a perfect match for the letter M, which is great for building phonemic awareness. If you separate the sound and link it to what you can see, it helps you to recognise letters in different situations.
Kermit the Frog and Grover are back to give a lecture on weight. They show the difference between heavy and light objects. A cartoon I saw the other day had a great way of showing this – it had the characters weighing up different things on a scale. This gets you up to speed with the basics of physics. Understanding mass helps kids to understand the physical world. It's a great foundation for maths and science.
Bert sings in the tub on his own. The scene quickly turns into a comedy bit. Ernie's got a piano. David's got a guitar. The whole neighbourhood piles into the bathroom for a sing-song. Bert doesn't want to join at first. He's won over by the group's positive energy. He joins in a grand rendition of the song. This story is all about the community and shared experiences. Group activities can really brighten up your day and put a spring in your step. The scene starts with instruments like the banjo and bass fiddle. Music is great at bringing people together and getting everyone on the same page.
A woman counts twenty backflips performed by a monkey. There's a film that shows twenty boxes being stacked. It focuses on number sequencing and one-to-one correspondence. Moving beyond ten is a big deal for preschoolers. If you show them twenty actions in a row, it helps them to understand how big numbers actually look.
Luis is Captain Under-Wonder. He goes under an umbrella and a table. He moves under a tyre swing. This makes spatial logic stronger. Moving beneath objects helps children understand how their bodies relate to the space around them.
The cast were pondering the name of a tune during the sing-along. The mystery continues until the end. Mr. Hooper just wants to check one last thing. The Count has his own answer about one million and one bats. This part is all about getting you thinking and remembering. Repetition keeps kids hooked on the story. The Count shows how people interpret situations through their own interests.
