Episode 3751

	Sesame Street
	Oscar writes a story; (repeat of 3459)
Air date	March 30, 1998
Season	Season 29 (1997-1998)
Written by	Christine Ferraro
Sponsors	H, 10

Picture	Segment	Description
	SCENE 1	Elmo and Rosita greet the viewer, and reveal that they're going to play with Oscar today. Oscar denies them the chance to do so, even when they offer to play a grouchy game with him. Gordon intervenes, and tells them that Grouches usually like to be left alone. Oscar wants to be alone today, because he's trying to write a story for a contest held by True Grouch magazine (the prize is a dumptruck full of trash). Knowing this, Elmo and Rosita decide to help him, and run off to think of a way to do so.
	Song	Joe Raposo sings "Somebody Come and Play." Snow leopards version (First: Episode 2519)
	Cartoon	A girl talks about her skin. Artist: Bruce Cayard (First: Episode 2611)
	Film	A Caucasian boy narrates a film of himself hanging out with his African American friend Jamal. (First: Episode 2787)
	Cartoon	"The Stranger" - a song about a baseball team hesitantly allowing a newcomer to join them, who ends up helping them win the game. Artist: Michael Sporn (First: Episode 2108)
	Muppets	Ernie & Bert — Bert is reading a book about air, and tells Ernie that air moves things. Ernie decides to verify that with his electric fan, which blows Bert's book away - so that Bert can play baseball with Ernie. (First: Episode 3552)
	Celebrity	Ray Charles sings the Alphabet Song, and various celebrities join in, including Michael Jeter, Patrick Stewart, Tony Bennett, Shari Lewis, Lamb Chop, Harry Belafonte, Grover, David Robinson, and Ellen DeGeneres. (First: Episode 3526)
	Cartoon	A boy demonstrates why his dog's name is Happy. (First: Episode 0537)
	SCENE 2	Elmo and Rosita pitch an idea for the beginning of Oscar's story, which involves a happy princess. Oscar reminds them that he is a Grouch, and they go off to think of another way to help him.
	Cartoon	"Beginning, Middle, End" Artist: Sally Cruikshank (First: Episode 2556)
	Animation	A girl reads a book, a magazine, a newspaper, and a letter. (First: Episode 3142)
	Muppets	Mr. Johnson wants something to read, so Flight Attendant Grover suggests reading the EXIT sign, the safety manual and the tag on the collar of his shirt. After he informs Mr. Johnson that the airplane is out of newspapers and magazines, he sets the fat blue man on his lap and tells him to read his lips as he recites a story. (First: Episode 3487)
	Film	Alphaquest: H Heading over the hills in a helicopter to a hippo's house. (First: Episode 2741)
	Film	Wegman's dogs form the letter H. (First: Episode 3271)
	Cartoon	A man thinks of H words while sitting on a horse. Artist: Cliff Roberts (First: Episode 1815)
	SCENE 3	Elmo and Rosita have recruited some Grouchketeers (including Telly and Lexine) to help him write a grouchy story. Lexine suggests a story idea about some old sneakers, which Oscar sort of likes, but he wants to work on one himself, so he tells them to go away. Elmo and Rosita are unsure of what to do next.
	Cartoon	Gordon narrates "The Maestro Plays," a story featuring adverbs. (First: Episode 3579)
	Film	Three girls clap rhythms while naming vegetables. (First: Episode 3051)
	Cartoon	A man makes a CASA for both him and his dog, who then makes a CASA for a bird. (First: Episode 0586)
	Muppets	Big Bird's Video Postcards Big Bird visits a Puerto Rican casita in East Harlem. He tries to find out what people do there, but everyone is too busy raising chickens, planting tomatoes, cooking and planning music to answer. (First: Episode 3018)
	Cartoon	A pencil tries to write the word DANCE. (First: Episode 1966)
	SCENE 4	Elmo and Rosita ask Oscar if he's sick, then ask him if he's almost finished. They soon learn that he hasn't even started writing, because of all the interruptions that he's had today. Thus, they decide to leave.
	SCENE 4 cont'd	Once they leave, Gordon and Susan come home from grocery shopping, and Gordon decides to check on Oscar. When he asks Oscar if he's finished, Oscar has become so irritated that he blows off some steam.
	Cartoon	A man chases a runaway "no." (new music added) (First: Episode 0794)
	Song	Gina and Maria sing "The Word is "No"." (First: Episode 2548)
	Cartoon	Anansi the Spider tells a story of how he helped the monkey and the baboon reach a compromise. (First: Episode 3361)
	Film	A boy who lives in the Congo (in Africa) narrates a film of the kinds of games he and his peers play. (First: Episode 2668)
	Animation	Counting 10 shells (First: Episode 3005)
	Cartoon	"A Number 10 from Tennessee" Artist: Gene Barretta (First: Episode 3526)
	Animation	Clown Honking #10 (First: Episode 3214)
	SCENE 5	The Count encounters Elmo and Rosita, waiting for Oscar to finish his story. The Count decides to find out how many pages Oscar has written so far. It's not one, not two, nor twenty pages, but still zero. The Count tells Oscar he should stop wasting his time and get back to writing.
	Cartoon	Are you the monster that ate the television? (First: Episode 1970)
	Muppets	Spaceship Surprise: The Next Generation The crew lands on Planet H. They are greeted by Hopalong Hamster, and see Happy Harry the Hopping Haystack and hula dancing hens. (First: Episode 3195)
	Cartoon	Soul H! (First: Episode 3368)
	Animation	The letter H appears in words on buildings. (First: Episode 3368)
	Film	What sound does a duck make? (First: Episode 3298)
	Cartoon	Sarah Wenkel reads a poem about a bug. Artist: ArtistMike (First: Episode 3518)
	SCENE 6	Elmo, Rosita, Susan and Gordon witness as the judge from True Grouch magazine (Jerry Nelson) arrives to hear Oscar's grouchy story. Oscar still doesn't have one yet, but after he pleads his case, the judge decides that Oscar's explanation is grouchy enough to qualify for the magazine, so he wins the contest! The Count announces the sponsors, as Elmo and Rosita feel proud that they got to help Oscar anyway.
	SCENE 6 cont'd	"And Slimey's spaceship is still on its way back to Sesame Street!"
	COMING SOON	Coming soon on Sesame Street: Telly, hiding from Big Bird, hopes that the Fix-It Shop will be open again soon, because he accidentally broke Big Bird's toy car, and he doesn't want Big Bird to find out.