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The creators of Sesame Street are skilled at creating the illusion that the puppets are living characters. Still, occasional goofs slip through, and make it onto the screen.
| Picture | Segment / EKA | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Ernie Calls His Bathtub Rosie/Everybody Wash (Episode 0001) |
During this sketch, Jim Henson's arm is visible operating Ernie's arm. While operating Bert, Frank Oz's arm, head, and black-rimmed glasses can all be seen. Later, during "Everybody Wash", Henson's arm is seen again after Ernie announces, "Everybody wash... your everything!" |
| Kermit's W Lecture (Episode 0001) |
When Cookie Monster nibbles on Kermit, Frank Oz's arm can be seen at the end of the Cookie Monster puppet. | |
| Appliance War (Episode 0003) |
When Ernie starts dancing to the radio and Bert says "Uh-huh! Okay, smart guy!", Henson's head pops up near Ernie. | |
| "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (Episode 0003) |
When the hippie Anything Muppets start dancing during the first refrain, the Purple AM's nose falls off. | |
| Ernie's R Collection (Episode 0014) |
As Bert admires his J toward the end, Frank's finger can be seen operating Bert's arm rod. | |
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"Mahna Mahna" (Episode 0014) |
At the beginning, the green girl is voiced by Loretta Long, and the purple girl by Frank Oz, but halfway through the introduction, the voices switch. |
| "Yellow Submarine" (Episode 0017) |
During the party sequences, a few puppeteers' heads are visible. | |
| "A, You're Adorable" (Episode 0023) |
As Jack puts the R block back on the brick wall, Frank Oz's head pops up under Cookie Monster in the corner. It pops up throughout the rest of the sketch. | |
| Bert's Nose (Episode 0026) |
For the first 30 seconds or so of this sketch, Frank Oz's head is seen in the right hand bottom corner of the screen. | |
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Big Bird Meets Little Bird (Episode 0028) |
Several times in the sketch, there's a visible opening between Big Bird's head and neck in which a bit of Caroll Spinney's hand is revealed operating the head. |
| "The People in Your Neighborhood" (Episode 0045) |
A puppeteer's hand can be seen when the Fat Blue garbageman picks up the garbage can. | |
| The Mr. and Mrs. Game (Episode 0072) |
Both Oz and Henson's heads can be seen when Ralph and Trudy Monster jump up and down and rip the curtain. Henson's's head is seen when Ralph scares Guy Smiley and says "I scared you, huh?", and when Guy Smiley says, "You got a cookie!" | |
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F Cheer 1 (Episode 0092) |
Near the end of the skit, the nose of the Pumpkin Orange AM falls off. |
| F Cheer 2 (Episode 0092) |
When the Fat Blue AM is tossed around near the end of this skit, one can clearly see the puppet has no legs. | |
| K Cheer (Episode 0100) |
When the Anything Muppets erupt in cheers, the puppeteers' heads can be seen at the bottom of the screen. Caroll Spinney's head is especially visible in one moment, under the Pumpkin puppet. | |
| Kermit & Brian Talk Loud & Soft (Episode 0126) |
After Kermit falls off his stool, Kermit's sock is seen when he comes back up on his stool. | |
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Body Parts (Episode 0130) |
Kermit's sock is visible in the skit where Professor Hastings talks about body parts. |
| Episode 0131 Scene #1 |
When Ernie and Bert are arguing about who's taller, Frank Oz's head and arm are visible, as is Jim Henson's head. Later, when Gordon lifts Ernie up, Jim's head and arm are both visible. | |
| Episode 0131 Scene #5 |
When Granny Grouch enters scene, the heads of Jerry Nelson (top) and another puppeteer (bottom) are briefly visible. | |
| What's My Part?: Mr. Nose (Episode 0131) |
After Guy Smiley introduces the game at the beginning, Henson's head briefly pops up. As Guy flips the game board numbers, a crowbar-like rod of some sort is seen flipping said numbers. | |
| "I Whistle a Happy Tune" (Episode 0131) |
Frank Oz's head and arm can be seen while puppeteering Grover. | |
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4 Cheer (Episode 0132) |
When the balloons come in to the shot, a hand can be seen. |
| The Magic Apple (Episode 0133) |
Jim's head becomes visible towards the end of the story. | |
| Grover and the Telephone (Episode 0146) |
When Grover says "And you can talk to people FAR AWAY!" Frank Oz's hand is seen operating Grover's left arm rod. | |
| What's My Part?: Mr. Foot (Episode 0256) |
Oz's head is visible underneath Professor Hastings near the end of the sketch, when Hastings rushes up to the desk where Guy Smiley and Mr. Foot preside. | |
| Eating Telephone (Episode 0265) |
Oz's arm is visible underneath Cookie Monster, as the character deliberately lifts "his belly" to look for the telephone inside his stomach, near the very end of the sketch. | |
| "Surprise!" (Episode 0268) |
When the lead singer enters the scene, a performer's head is visible. | |
| Ernie Prepares for His Bath (Episode 0269) |
Henson's head and white sleeve can be seen when Ernie puts down the bowling ball on the table. | |
| Bert is Missing (Episode 0278) |
Henson's head and left arm are visible when Ernie frantically digs for Sherlock Hemlock at the end. | |
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Lefty the Salesman: Picture of Four Elephants (Episode 0278) |
Lefty has ears for most of the sketch. After the second close-up on the painting, he has no ears. |
| The Amazing Mumford's Disappearing Pineapple Trick (Episode 0280) |
When The Amazing Mumford enters, Jerry Nelson and another puppeteer's head are both visible underneath him. Also, when the smoke from Mumford's disappearance clears up, Frank Oz's head is visible underneath Grover. | |
| Ernie Plays The Drums (Episode 0280) |
Throughout the sketch, the bottom of the set is exposed, and during the skit, Oz can be seen performing Bert. | |
| Talk Slower (Episode 0288) |
When Ernie talks slower, Henson's head pops up momentarily underneath him. | |
| Cookies in Bed (Episode 0302) |
When Ernie walks over to Bert's bed and Bert asks, "Ernie, what are you doing?" at the end of Bert's bed, you can see a puppeteer's head performing Ernie. | |
| "What Do I Do When I'm Alone" (Episode 0303) |
Near the end of the song, Oz's hair is seen below to the right of Grover. | |
| The Remembering Game (Episode 0310) |
A hand can be seen in the lower right hand corner operating the game board. | |
| Ernie Puts the Vase Away (Episode 0310) |
Throughout the sketch, Ernie's sleeve is visible in several shots, and so is the top of Henson's head (including his eyes). | |
| The Weather Show (Episode 0337) |
When the wind appears for the first time, near the end, Jascha's nose almost flies off. The nose remains loose until Guy Smiley reintroduces the weather during the audience's vote, then Jascha Lombardi's nose finally and accidentally flies off during wind. | |
| "P Is My Favorite Letter" (Episode 0348) |
At the end of the song, Jim Henson's arm can be briefly seen under the Fat Blue Anything Muppet. | |
 |
"J Friends" (Episode 0527) |
During the final verse, when the friends "jump with Jane," a puppeteer's forehead and the bottoms of the AMs, especially the Lavender, are briefly visible. |
| "Sad" (Episode 0532) |
During one take for the song, Big Jeffy's verse at the end of the song, his hat begins to come loose and eventually falls off. | |
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"How Do You Do" (Episode 0536) |
When Lena Horne takes Grover on her lap, Frank Oz's armsock can be seen. |
| Episode 0666 Scene #2 |
Near the end of this scene, Jerry Nelson's head is briefly seen under Rodeo Rosie. | |
| "Exit" (Episode 0666) |
When Bert and Guy Smiley are exiting, a performer's head can be seen, as well as that performer's arm under Bert. When The Alphabeats exit the performance, another performer's head pops up. | |
| Sesame Street Pageants: A Flower Grows (Episode 0666) |
When Herry walks offstage and knocks a pole over, Jerry Nelson's arm is briefly seen performing Herry's left arm. Also, a performer's (likely Nelson's) head is seen after Herry leaves at the end of the sketch. | |
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Old West sketches: Bad Bart's Surprise (Episode 0675) |
In one shot, the one in which Bad Bart has walked into the saloon and says Marshall Earp had better be there soon, he is standing in front of the wall, but in the next close-up shot of him saying he has a surprise for her, he is back in front of the door, with his head silhoueted against the sunset. |
| Bert's Painting (Episode 0683) |
Near the end of the sketch, viewers can see the top part of Oz's head, while Bert is behind the painting. | |
| Sesame Street News Flash: Rapunzel (Episode 0692) |
The top of Jim Henson's head can be seen near the end of this sketch. | |
| Twiddlebugs Go To the Zoo (Episode 0693) |
Henson's head can be seen through the plants under Ernie at the end of this sketch. | |
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Cookie Monster Sketches: Miscellaneous: Shares a Cookie (Episode 0730) |
When the girl first approaches Cookie Monster, she already has half a cookie with her (the top of it can be seen at the bottom of the screen). And then, when she lunges to eat it, the cookie slips from her hand, and she ends up munching on nothing more than a few fingertips full of air. |
| Proud (Episode 0737) |
At the end of the song, Little Jerry's dashiki is seen with a tear in the back. | |
| The King Banishes the Letter P (Episode 0764) |
At the start of the scene where King Peter the Persnickety allows P items back into the kingdom, Richard Hunt's head is visible underneath the Green Townsperson. | |
| Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School: Loud and Soft (Episode 0796) |
As Roosevelt Franklin begins to say "Now you know the difference between loud and soft", a performer's arm is seen controlling Roosevelt, as well as another puppeteer's head between Baby Breeze and the Lavender AM student. | |
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The Subway (Episode 0808) |
After singing the opening solo, the Green Anything Muppet with the shades turns and walks down the stairs into the underground subway station, and yet just a few seconds later he steps back into shot from off to the side to echo the policeman's "subway" line. |
| Chocolate Ice Cream (Episode 1037) |
Part of Jim Henson's head briefly pops up next to Ernie as he sets the banana on the table. | |
| "Ah, For the Joys of the Countryside" (Episode 1056) |
At the beginning of the song, Jim Henson's head briefly appears under the baritone. Also, during the song, Henson's finger appears operating the puppet's arm rods when the bus appears at the "Bad Food" restaurant. | |
| Brad's Bath (Episode 1134) |
When Ernie hauls in the big box of bath toys, a puppeteer's arm is visible performing Ernie's right hand. | |
| "Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco" (Season 11) |
Near the end of the song, a performer's head can be seen under a monster. | |
|
Bring Your Own Can Night (Season 12) |
In wide shots, the lid to Oscar's trash can can be seen hanging from the side as Bruno carries it, but when the scene cuts to a close-up of the human cast sticking their heads out of the can, the lid is nowhere to be seen. |
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Bed Making Cooperation (Episode 1708) |
At one point when Ernie and Bert switch sides (as Ernie complains the blanket on one side of the bed is crooked), the camera pans too far to the left, revealing the edge of the set. |
| Library (Episode 1858) |
At one of the points when the man at the library tells Grover to be quieter, coming from behind the desk, Jerry Nelson's (who was performing the character) head becomes visible. | |
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Detective (Episode 2244) |
Grover jerks his head toward the door before the man knocks, which suggests that he was anticipating it. |
| "Be My D" (Episode 2256) |
After the first chorus, the Lavender Dew Drop's right earring flies off. | |
| "Raise Your Hand" (Episode 2274) |
Toward the end of the song, one of Little Chrissy's arm-rods flies into the air. | |
| Kermit's Lectures: Taxi (Episode 2293) |
In the beginning and end of the segment, Jim Henson's hair is visible. | |
| Kermit's Lectures: Happy and Sad (Episode 2481) |
When Elmo tags Kermit, Kermit's sock can be seen. | |
| "NTV" (Episode 2489) |
In one of the black and white flashbacks in the music video for "NTV", the Nickmatics are seen as the waiters in the re-decoration of Nino's. However, the guitarist's guitar can still be seen with him. | |
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Sesame Street Pageants: The Four Seasons (Episode 2497) |
Cookie Monster stays on stage right before a cut to a close-up of the cast entering the stage from the wings. However, Cookie Monster is behind the cast entering the stage, despite being on stage in the previous shot. |
| "If Moon Was Cookie" (Episode 2619) |
A puppeteer's head is visible as Cookie sings "It clear to me". | |
| "Hey Food" (Episode 2640) |
Near the end of the song, one of the drums falls off the set. | |
| "The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree" (Episode 2773) |
Towards the beginning, Cheryl Blaylock's head is visible underneath the Blue Honker. Also, during the instrumental break, Jim Henson's head appears underneath Ernie. | |
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"We Are All Earthlings" (Episode 2835) |
During the first chorus, the sound suggests that all the characters are singing in unison, yet some of them (Elmo included) are seen moving their mouths to no sound, as if to echo the title line, as would be done in the next choruses. |
| "Wet Paint" (Episode 2847) |
During the first chorus, while brown paint trickles down the back canvas, a brief shot of a performer's head can be seen before the cows sing "Wet paint, wet paint." In addition, by the end of the song and before the melting effect, How Now Brown is seen with chroma-keyed vest. However, during the melting effect, his regular vest is back on. | |
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Alphaquest: M (Episode 2864) |
When the girl first enters the kitchen, one of the mittens she uses is plainly visible on the table, yet in the very next shot, it disappears. |
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"Gospel Alphabet" (Episode 3879) |
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Episode 3879 Scene #5 |
The word "alive" is supposed to appear at the top of the screen in one shot, but it does not appear, so Big Bird and Snuffy look up at nothing, and Susan points to nothing. |
| "Pigeons and Cookies and Trash" (Episode 3952) |
Bert receives a helping hand from below to perfect his dance moves. | |
| The Letter of the Day: A (Season 33) |
As Ernie enters the scene, Steve Whitmire's head can be seen underneath. | |
| "Wake Up!" (Episode 4036) |
As Ernie tosses Bert's pillow (at the line "You've had enough of those pillows"), Ernie's arm sleeve become visible. | |
| Global Grover: South Africa (Episode 4068) |
When Grover is pushing his wire car to a gas station, a hand (likely Eric Jacobson's) is holding Grover's body. | |
| Guess What Next Game (Episode 4100) |
| |
| Episode 4187 Scene |
In the street scene where Big Bird is in his nest with Gordon the camera pans out and one can see Big Bird's feet covers, which are worn in rehearsals and are not supposed to be seen on screen. | |
| Episode 4204 Scene |
When Jack Be Nimble jumps for the Moon towards the end of the episode, a hand (possibly Joey Mazzarino's) is visible, possibly igniting a special effect for Jack to jump. | |
| Episode 4209 Scene |
When Zoe counts seven chickens, a puppeteer’s head is visible under the fourth chicken. Additionally, when Elmo is multiplied by 7, the heads of two puppeteers underneath the second and third Elmos are visible. | |
TV and Direct-to-Video Specials | ||
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Big Bird in China | In a continuity error, the first montage of Big Bird and Barkley in China shows the dog with the hourglass around his neck. They would not receive the item until later in the story. |
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Sesame Street, Special | It seems that there was some reusing of old footage in the celebrity version of "Put Down the Duckie". Just as before, Ernie puts down his rubber duckie and begins playing his saxophone, but as soon as the instrumental bridge is over and Hoots starts singing again, the duck is back in Ernie's hand, only to disappear a few seconds later. |
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Sesame Street Stays Up Late! | During clips from the characters from Sesam Stasjon, the characters were riding a carriage and you can see Åsmund Huser performing Bjarne Betjent as the carriage rounds the corner. |
| Do the Alphabet | During a pan of the group singing the alphabet, Lisa Buckley can partly be seen behind a crate performing Betty Lou. Also, during the finale, David Rudman, particularly his arm, is visible underneath Baby Bear, as well as a puppeteer's head underneath Goldilocks. | |
| Elmopalooza | Immediately before the music video of "Just Happy to Be Me" plays, Cookie Monster walks onstage after David Alan Grier he shows Elmo his half-bitten script. A couple of seconds after white scraps of paper fall out of Cookie's mouth, a puppeteer's head can be seen on the bottom in front of Elmo. | |
Movies | ||
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Follow That Bird | As Big Bird departs Sesame Street and the residents bid their farewell, the reflection of a monitor can be seen in the door of the Harmony Music Store, where Ferlinghetti Donizetti is peering out. This can only be seen in the widescreen version. |
| Follow That Bird | As Super Grover takes a dive during "Ain't No Road Too Long", a pair of rods can be seen being fed out from underneath his torso. This can only be seen in the widescreen version. | |
| Follow That Bird | In an aerial shot of Ernie and Bert closing in on Big Bird, crew members can be seen standing by in the field off to the side, as well as a pair of cars parked. This can only be seen in the widescreen version. | |
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Follow That Bird | Aerial shots show the underside of the wings of Ernie and Bert's biplane as being plain red, however, tighter shots show white stripes on the underside of the top wing. |
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Follow That Bird | In certain shots during "Upside Down World", Ernie's tongue is peeling off his bottom jaw. |
| Follow That Bird | In a tight shot of Cookie Monster poking his head out of the hole he ate in the roof of Gordon and Susan's Volkswagen, the roof appears to be a prop made out of cardboard. | |
| The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | A puppeteer's head can be seen during the Welcome to Grouchland song. | |
| The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | In the same musical number, the arm of a crew member throwing pieces of trash at Sharon Groan's movie premiere can be glimpsed at pause. | |
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The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | In the finale when Big Bird, Maria, Gordon, Cookie Monster, Telly, and Zoe enter and confront Huxley, the bottom of the Telly puppet is seen, with a shadowy Martin Robinson performing him. |
International Co-Productions | ||
| Sesamstrasse | Martin Reinl's head is visible a few times, as he is puppeteering Elmo during the Wort des Tages (Word of the Day) segment for the word "ungerecht" ("unjust"). | |
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