Season 34 (2003)

Sesame Street
Premiere	April 7, 2003 (4031)
Finale	May 12, 2003 (4056)
Episodes	26

Bob and some of the muppets sing "The People in Your Neighborhood".

Starting with this season, Grover goes globetrotting in Global Grover.

Global Thingy focus on diversity and cultural differences.

Journey to Ernie utilizes a new format: a continued narrative, instead of separate parts.

The Three Bears become four as they welcome Curly to their family.

Laura Bush appears to read a book to Big Bird, Elmo, and some kids.

Miles sings "ABC Hip Hop" with the Sesame Street Monsters.

Sheryl Crow sings I Soaks Up the Sun, with Elmo, Telly, Rosita, Zoe and the letter I.

Sesame Street Season 34 premiered on April 7, 2003.

Season Overview

The curriculum for Season 34 is going global to "emphasize similarities among all of us while celebrating our cultural differences." In an interview with Rosemarie T. Truglio, she said about this season's curriculum, "In the States, we're comprised of so many ethnicities and cultures. We want to show children the importance of developing friendships with those who don't look like you."

Two new segments, "Global Grover" and "Global Thingy", are added to help address these issues.

Parodies

Parody sketches and segments include “I Soaks Up the Sun” (based on “Soak Up the Sun”) and "If I Were the Letter B" (based on the musical Fiddler on the Roof song, "If I Were a Rich Man")

Episodes

Episodes 4031 - 4056 (26 episodes)

• Episode 4031 -- Sesame Street sings karaoke
• Episode 4032 -- Elmo falls in love with Gina
• Episode 4033 -- Cookie Hood
• Episode 4034 -- Bert's birthday
• Episode 4035 -- The Big Bad Wolf's brother, Leonard
• Episode 4036 -- Elmo helps Gordon set up the chess board
• Episode 4037 -- Super Grover's cape
• Episode 4038 -- Big Bird can't come up with an ending for his story
• Episode 4039 -- Elmo pretends to be an alien
• Episode 4040 -- Telly and Baby Bear play girls' games
• Episode 4041 -- Oscar moves to different locations
• Episode 4042 -- Fish-sitters for Dorothy
• Episode 4043 -- Elmo and Zoe search for Rocco
• Episode 4044 -- Gabi helps Elmo and Zoe make kites
• Episode 4045 -- Cookie Monster gets the cookie flu
• Episode 4046 -- Elmo and Rosita's play date
• Episode 4047 -- Telly is afraid he'll hurt Baby Bear
• Episode 4048 -- Rosita meets a frog wearing a crown
• Episode 4049 -- Stinky and Zoe write a story
• Episode 4050 -- Zoe's tutu is stuck in a tree
• Episode 4051 -- Telly cares for a duckling
• Episode 4052 -- Baby Bear and Telly find a bagpipe
• Episode 4053 -- Big Bird thinks Snuffy forgot their playdate
• Episode 4054 -- Baby Bear worries about his future sibling
• Episode 4055 -- Curly Bear is born
• Episode 4056 -- Curly Bear comes home

Cast

Muppet Characters

The Amazing Mumford, Baby Bear, Bert, Big Bad Wolf, Big Bird, Cookie Monster (and Cookie Hood), Count von Count, Curly Bear, Elmo, Ernie, Elephant, Gladys the Cow, Grover (and Super Grover), Hoots the Owl, Mama Bear, Leonard Wolf, Oscar the Grouch, Grundgetta, Papa Bear, Prairie Dawn, Rosita, Slimey, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Stinky the Stinkweed, Telly Monster, The Three Little Pigs, Two-Headed Monster, Zoe, Anything Muppets

Other Characters

Maria, Alan, Gordon, Gina, Luis, Bob, Susan, Gabi, Miles, Mr. Noodle, and Dorothy

Muppets of Sesame Street

Pam Arciero, Jennifer Barnhart, Fran Brill, Lisa Buckley, Kevin Clash, R. Bruce Connelly, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Eric Jacobson, Joey Mazzarino, Jerry Nelson, Carmen Osbahr, Frank Oz, Martin P. Robinson, David Rudman, Caroll Spinney, John Tartaglia, Matt Vogel, Steve Whitmire, and Bryant Young

Actors

Alison Bartlett O'Reilly, Desiree Casado, Emilio Delgado, Olamide Faison, Bill Irwin, Michael Jeter, Loretta Long, Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, Alan Muraoka, Roscoe Orman

Guest Stars

Wayne Brady, Laura Bush, Aaron Carter, Nick Carter, Sheryl Crow, Diane Sawyer

Notes

• The format changed slightly this season. Instead of having Big Bird introduce and close the episodes and having the street plot in the middle of the show, the street story was shown at the very beginning of the show, and the middle of each episode would have a new song that somehow revolves around the episode.
• After this season, "Monster Clubhouse" is no longer on the show, "Hero Guy" isn't seen as often as it was in Season 33.
• From this point onward, 26 episodes were produced per season. According to Bob McGrath, "Lou Berger, the head writer, wanted 26 episodes. The bean counters said 25 and asked, 'why do you keep saying 26?' Lou said, 'There are 26 letters in the alphabet. Which one am I supposed to fire?'"
• Beginning with this season, Sesame Street episodes are now given official titles.
• Until Season 38, an edited version of the animated "dancing city" closing credits is used.
• This is the last season Rosita's wings are visible.
• This is Michael Jeter's last season as Mr. Noodle's brother, Mr. Noodle. The season premiere aired shortly after his death.
• New Elmo's World segments included for it's fifth season are about Mail, Feet, Ears, Firefighters, Wild Animals, and Open and Close.

Season Credits

• Executive Producer: Lewis Bernstein
• Producers: Melissa Dino, Carol-Lynn Parente
• Co-Producer: Tim Carter
• Directed: Emily Squires, Ted May, Victor DiNapoli, Ken Diego, Lisa Simon, Jim Martin
• Head Writer: Lou Berger
• Writers: Joey Mazzarino, Molly Boylan, Annie Evans, Christine Ferraro, Judy Freudberg, Tony Geiss, Emily Perl Kingsley, John Weidman, Belinda Ward, Luis Santeiro
• Elmo's World Head Writer: Judy Freudberg
• Elmo's World Co-Executive Producer: Kevin Clash
• Talent Producer: Danette De Sena
• Production Designer: Victor DiNapoli
• Music Director: Mike Renzi
• Associate Music Director: Dave Conner
• Music Coordinator: Danny Epstein
• Lighting Designer: Dan Kelly
• Costume Designers: Bill Kellard, Terry Roberson
• Art Director: Bob Phillips
• Senior Graphic Designer: Mike Pantuso
• Graphic Designer: Pete Oritz
• Set Decorator: Nat Mongioi
• Editing Supervisor: Robert J. Emerick
• Associate Directors: Ken Diego, Leslie Williams, Tim Carter, Carol-Lynn Parente
• Production Stage Manager: Adam Matalon
• Production Coordinator: Heather L. Dick
• Children's Casting: Theresa Anderson, Carrie Haugh
• Post Production Coordinator: Conrad Ford
• Production Associate: Rebecca Rosa-Pagan
• Production Assistant: Todd E. James
• Technical Directors: Daniel Stewart, Richard Wirth, Tom Guadarrama
• Sound Effects: Dick Maitland
• Audio: Blake Norton
• Cameras: Frank Biondo, Jimmy O'Donnell, Jerry Cancel, Kevin Burke
• Vice President of Education & Research: Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D.
• Sesame Street Research Team: Anna E. Housley, M.A., Jennifer Kotler, Ph.D., Jane Pien, David I. Cohen, Evanglean Pope
• Group Vice President of Production for TV, Film & Home Video: Jodi Nassbaum
• Post Production by: Sony Music Studios, Creative Bubble

Sources

Template:Season-nav