Sesame Street Episode 4521 Papa Bear Goes to Preschool

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Sesame Street Episode 4521

Papa Bear Goes to Preschool

Season 45

Category	Details
Episode Number	4521
Season	Season 45 (2014–2015)
Air Date	March 30, 2015
Word on the Street	Greeting
Guest Stars	Jane Krakowski (Ms. Goodwitch), Ed Sheeran, Seth Meyers
Papa Bear's Nickname	"Ms. G-Dubs" (for Ms. Goodwitch)
The "Bear Way"	Growling and scavenging for snacks
The "School Way"	Raising hands, taking turns, and using words
Key Song	"There's No Growling in Preschool"
Murray's News Flash	"Secrets from School" (Interviews with Zack, Hannah, and Aton)
Smart Cookies	The Biscotti Kid (Focus and "Biscotti Karate")
Abby's Fairy School	The Enchanted Apple (Waking Blögg from a magic sleep)
Super Grover 2.0	Most Important Meal (Breakfast with Michelle Obama)
Elmo the Musical	Karate Master the Musical (vs. The Ooze)
Key Muppets	Papa Bear, Baby Bear, Elmo, Abby, Grover, Count von Count
Human Cast	Mando, Chris, Leela
Letter of the Day	V (Violin Mime / V Salesman)
Number of the Day	17 (17 Trucks / 17 Mushrooms)
Educational Focus	Transitioning to School, Taking Turns, Self-Regulation
Sponsors	V, 17

Facts

Jane Krakowski plays Ms. Goodwitch.

The preschool teacher is called Ms Goodwitch and is played by Jane Krakowski. She's a "fairytale" character. Her name's a bit of a nod to the "Good Witch" character from The Wizard of Oz. They used her musical theatre background to lead the ensemble song "There's No Growling in Preschool," which had a Broadway-style arrangement to contrast with Papa Bear's "woods" upbringing.

Ed Sheeran's "Two Different Worlds".

Ed Sheeran was in this episode to perform a song written especially for the Season 45 curriculum. The lyrics show how kids move from home life to school life. While filming, Sheeran performed with a group called "Anything Muppets" who looked like a generic band, and this was all about the acoustic "singer-songwriter" vibe that was big in 2015.

The "Biscotti Kid" Parody.

Cookie's Crumby Pictures has a parody of The Karate Kid called The Biscotti Kid. The segment uses a "wash the car" and "sand the floor" training montage similar to the 1984 film. The guy playing Cookie Monster had to practise "biscotti-style" hand movements to copy martial arts blocks using Italian twice-baked cookies.

Karate Master Elmo and 3D Modelling.

In Karate Master the Musical, Elmo battles "The Ooze." This villain was made using a 3D animation "particle system". The animators programmed the Ooze to move like a fluid, which allowed it to morph into different geometric shapes. This visual effect was used to show that complex forms can be broken down into simpler polygons like triangles and squares.

Seth Meyers and the Count.

Seth Meyers filmed his "Greetings" bit with Count von Count. They used a "multi-camera" setup to capture the timing between the actor and the puppet. The Count's job was to provide a percussive element to the dialogue by counting each type of greeting, like a handshake or a high-five, in real-time.

Michelle Obama and the Breakfast Set.

The bit with Michelle Obama and Grover was filmed at the White House. The Sesame Street production team had to get a mobile set and lighting rig to Washington D.C. for this. The scene is where Grover tries to protect the First Lady's breakfast with a "slapstick" physical comedy routine that uses a big silver serving dome.

Murray's "News Flash" Microphone.

Murray Monster's "Secrets from School" segments were filmed at real preschools. To get good audio from the kids in the noisy classroom, Murray's "News Flash" microphone was a functional prop with a high-sensitivity directional mic. This meant that the production team could capture the real-life "secrets" shared by the students.

The 17 Mushrooms Animation.

The "Number of the Day" animation, which shows 17 mushrooms, uses a "frame-by-frame" stop-motion technique. Each mushroom was a physical model that had to be slightly altered or replaced for each shot to simulate growth. This bit was a rerun from Season 43, and we've included it here to fit with the 2015 "School" theme.

Parent's Guide

Seth Meyers and the Count look at the word 'greeting'. This segment shows you different ways to say hello with a wave or a handshake. It's a great way for your child to learn social and emotional skills, like how to connect with others.

In Murray's News Flash, Murray Monster goes undercover to learn secrets from school. He interviews real students about hygiene and making friends. This peer modelling shows preschoolers that school is a safe and predictable place. We all follow the same useful guidelines.

The Count leads the way with a stomp for number 17. There are some great animations too, showing 17 trucks and 17 garden mushrooms. Your child can practise recognising numbers and counting. These visual cues help to make sense of larger numbers.

The main story follows Papa Bear as he finds out that growling doesn't work in school. Teacher Ms. Goodwitch teaches him to take turns when Goldilocks takes a crayon. This narrative focuses on executive function and self-regulation. Your child will see that different places have different rules. Using words and patience is a better option than growling. Papa Bear shows how to stick with it by getting involved in class. This shows that learning is something we all do.

In Karate Master the Musical, Elmo has to stop the Ooze from destroying shapes. This segment is a great way to learn about geometry and spatial reasoning. Elmo uses karate chops to save squares, triangles and circles. Viewers can spot these shapes in their own environment. The musical becomes a practical maths lesson.

Elmo and the gang introduce the letter V with a song and dance. The episode highlights words like 'violin' and 'volunteer' to reinforce phonics. Your child connects the letter sounds to helpful actions.

Summary

What's the Word on the Street? : In Sesame Street Episode 4521 we see the word Greeting.

Papa Bear accompanies Baby Bear to the Storybook Community Pre-School, where he will be a parent volunteer for the day. They meet Baby Bear's teacher, Ms. Goodwitch (Jane Krakowski), who Papa Bear nicknames "Ms. G-Dubs" and greets with a big bear hug. Baby Bear reminds him that this is not how they greet people at school.

As class begins, Ms. Goodwitch and the students welcome Papa Bear with a song. When discussing the weather, Papa Bear encourages the class to shout out their answers instead of raising their hands, and Baby Bear tries to get him to be quieter. Ms. Goodwitch explains the importance of raising hands, and Baby Bear gets his turn to speak.

The children move to the art tables to draw clouds, and Papa Bear gives Ms. Goodwitch another bear hug. As Baby Bear draws, Goldilocks takes his silver crayon and refuses to return it. Papa Bear intervenes by growling at her, causing her to run off crying. Ms. Goodwitch explains to Papa Bear what he did wrong and helps Baby Bear and Goldilocks understand the importance of taking turns.

Papa Bear is asked to help with snacks but starts eating them instead. Baby Bear learns that Papa Bear doesn't know school rules because he never went to school as a young bear; he learned everything from the woods. Ms. Goodwitch and the students sing a song to explain the differences between the woods and school.

Papa Bear considers leaving but is convinced to stay and learn the rules. They also ask him to read their favorite story, "The Three Bears."

Celebrity: Two Different Worlds performed by Ed Sheeran and Sesame Street Characters.

Celebrity: Seth Meyers and The Count introduce the word of the day, Greeting.

Muppets: Murray interviews a boy about school rules. Ovejita explains the Spanish equivalent of the word school: escuela.

Muppets: Cookie's Crumby Pictures presents The Biscotti Kid.

Muppets: Elmo and his friends introduce the letter of the day V by dancing.

Film: Alphabet Pictures introduces the letter of the day, the V.

Muppets: Mr. Johnson and Grover appear in a skit. Grover wants to sell Mr. Johnson some items that start with the letter V.

Animation: Abby's Flying Fairy School Sleeping Blöggy.

Muppets: The Count and his friends introduce the number of the day: 17.

Celebrity: Michelle Obama is having breakfast. Grover feels tired and Michelle Obama explains that he needs breakfast.

Muppets: Elmo the Musical Karate Master the Musical.

Sesame Street sponsors are the number 17 and the letter V. At the end of the Sesame Street Episode 4521 Murray announces the sponsors and the episode ends.