Episode 2059

	Sesame Street
	Break dancing; Maria's life story
Air date	March 28, 1985
Season	Season 16 (1984-1985)
Written by	Sonia Manzano
Production	December 17, 1984
Sponsors	E, R, 7
Syndication	Sesame Street Unpaved

Picture	Segment	Description
	SCENE 1	After waking up, Big Bird welcomes the viewer and awaits his morning mail. He wonders what it would be like being a mailbox, and the scene transitions into his imagination. Big Bird stands completely rigid with a "MAIL" sign hung around his neck. Linda and Maria pass by and put their mail into Big Bird's beak to hold, which Big Bird doesn't seem too thrilled about.
	SCENE 1 cont'd	Back in reality, Big Bird gives a visiting Maria some important advice: "Whatever you do for the rest of your life, don't - and I repeat DON'T - don't ever be a mailbox!"
	Film	A mailman on horseback delivers mail in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky. (First: Episode 0493)
	Cartoon	Seven animals in a tree. Artist: Owe Gustafson (First: Episode 1530)
	Muppets	The Count's bats are upset because the Count always gets to count, but the bats don't. The Count decides to let the bats count all of the Counts, while the Count counts all the bats...but there is only one Count. (First: Episode 0625)
	Cartoon	They'd play with me if I had... (First: Episode 0815)
	Film	George the Farmer demonstrates up/down with two ladders. (First: Episode 0239)
	Cartoon	E for elephant, eat, eagle, everybody, empty, and egg. Voice: Casey Kasem (First: Episode 0002)
	Muppets	Grover compares himself and the viewer, noting how much they are alike (except for the viewer's lack of blue fur). (First: Episode 1804)
	Cartoon	A man saws out a letter E. (First: Episode 0370)
	Celebrity	James Taylor performs "Jellyman Kelly" with a bunch of kids. (First: Episode 1800)
	Cartoon	R for Rhinoceros. Animation by Jeff Hale (First: Episode 1151)
	Film	Shopping for soup ingredients. (First: Episode 0515)
	Cartoon	Boy and the UP balloons. (First: Episode 0364)
	Cast	Sleeper tries to wake up in the morning. (David as "Sleeper"). (First: Episode 1357)
	Cartoon	The Typewriter: R for Rope (First: Episode 0764)
	Song	Joe Raposo sings "A Little Bit." (First: Episode 0160) cut from the Noggin version
	Cartoon	Can a cat bark? (First: Episode 0859) cut from the Noggin version
	Muppets	Two Anything Muppets sing "As I Was Going to St. Ives." (First: Episode 0045)
	Cartoon	The Ringmaster introduces seven swimming seals. Artist: Jeff Hale (First: Episode 1312)
	SCENE 2	Linda, Maria, Bob, Oscar, and the kids watch Piri do some breakdancing. When the performance is over Oscar compliments the teen's skill, but finds it strange to call it "breakdancing." He asks Piri to turn on his music so Fluffy can show him from inside his can what Grouches consider "break-dancing," as Fluffy dances around breaking everything in sight!
	Film	Joe Raposo: Elephant (instrumental). (First: Episode 0034)
	Cartoon	Madrigal Alphabet Artist: Jeff Hale (First: Episode 0615)
	Muppets	Sesame Street News Flash: Mary and Her Little Lamb — Kermit is bothered by Mary's lamb, Felix. (First: Episode 1943)
	Cartoon	A pencil tries to write the word DANCE. (First: Episode 1966) cut from the Noggin version
	SCENE 3	Bob interrupts Piri's lunch to ask for a lesson in breakdancing so he can surprise Linda for their date. Piri shows him how to do a simple move involving his hands, elbows, and shoulders before leaving. Bob practices the move alone as Big Bird observes him from behind, thinking Bob is attempting to fly. When Linda arrives, Big Bird tells her what he believes is going on before breaking the news to Bob that it's impossible for him to get airborne.
	Cartoon	A scientist adds legs, feet, then knees to his robot and tells it to walk, but it dances out of shot instead (as does the scientist). (First: Episode 1119) cut from the Noggin version
	Film	Letter R hoist Music: Joe Raposo (First: Episode 0315)
	Muppets	Grover and the letter R, which ROLLS, ROCKS, RUNS, and ROCKETS. (First: Episode 0194)
	Song	"Water, Wind, and Sun" (First: Episode 1711)
	Muppets	Muppet & Kid Moment — Herry and John-John: up/down (First: Episode 0565)
	Cartoon	Square in space. (First: Episode 1554)
	Cartoon	A man chases a runaway "no." (First: Episode 0794)
	Insert	Big Bird, David and the kids play an animal guessing game. (First: Episode 1193)
	Film	"Sharing Swing with Kids Song (Share in Your Fun with Another Someone)" (First: Episode 0926)
	Cartoon	The 3 Numero Brothers show addition and subtraction. (First: Episode 1182)
	Muppets	Ernie sings "D-U-C-K-I-E." (First: Episode 1957)
	Cartoon	I Love You (in American sign language). (First: Episode 1170)
	Film	Hands build things out of triangles and squares while off-screen voices try to figure out what the constructions will be. (re-recorded music) (First: Episode 0004)
	Cast	Luis and Gordon clean up. (First: Episode 1452)
	Cartoon	Mi kat iz ... gone. (First: Episode 1967)
	SCENE 4	For story time, Big Bird is tired of Maria reading him his storybooks, so he asks to hear about her life story. She decides to focus on telling him about all the jobs she's had since high school. As she narrates, the scene cuts to flashbacks of Maria working at the lending library (singing a song to Grover); next she recalls her job as a construction worker (meeting with her foreman - Jerry Nelson making a cameo); finally, she talks about starting work in the Fix-It Shop, specifically the day she asked Luis for a raise and became a full-time partner. She then confides that when Sally Ride visited, she thought about going to work with the space program. When she finishes her story, Maria notices that it has put Big Bird to sleep. She quietly reassembles his books as Bob announces the sponsors.