Line #4 SesameStreetCred/SesameStreet


1	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1622846366012921500
2	%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
3	%%
4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_harlem_globetrotters_elmo.png]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:[[MemeticMutation Elmo be ballin' up in here]]!]]
6	%%
7	Over the course of its fifty-plus-year history, ''Series/SesameStreet'' has played host to an astonishing number of {{special guest}}s. So much so that it's only natural that they all got their own page to themselves. Performers would sing a "kid friendly" version of one of their songs or count, or spell, or talk about a concept like "In and Out" or "Up and Down". Occasionally crossed over with ParentalBonus when an actor associated with adults-only TV shows or films made an appearance, with a further bonus if their appearance spoofed the adults-only show they were known for. Among the most notable...
8	----
9	* Music/{{REM}} performed "Shiny Happy People" (their BlackSheepHit, which [[CreatorBacklash they hate and refuse to play live]]) as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXVvvRBBUn8 "Furry Happy Monsters"]], complete with a Muppet Kate Pierson.
10	* Music/{{Feist}}. In an interview conducted after she won a Juno Award for the song she parodied on the show ("1234"), she said she'd done that song many times but not with monsters staring at her or chickens in bikinis.[[note]]the segment had just recently been filmed.[[/note]]
11	* Music/RayCharles made multiple appearances, the most notable being a performance of the Alphabet Song with a number of other famous people singing various letters.
12	** Among others, this included Creator/ShariLewis and her character [[Series/LambChopsPlayAlong Lamb Chop]].
13	* Music/TheB52s.
14	* Music/JamesTaylor sang [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uQa4dvrg1E "Whenever I See Your Grouchy Face"]] to Oscar the Grouch.
15	* Creator/CarolChanning sang about the letter "S" with Sammy the Snake.
16	* JustForFun/JohnMunch. Yes, you read right...a ''fictional character'' has Sesame Street Cred. (Creator/MariskaHargitay, Creator/ChristopherMeloni, and Music/IceT were also featured from the set of ''[[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit SVU]]''.)
17	** Which wouldn't be the first time. In 1976, Creator/MargaretHamilton appeared on the show as [[Film/TheWizardOfOz The Wicked Witch of the West]].
18	* The 'kid-friendly' bit was totally subverted by Music/StevieWonder, who performed "Superstition" not only straight (save for a NameDrop in the second verse), but as a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ul7X5js1vE balls-to-the-wall seven-minute jam session.]]
19	* Music/PaulSimon tactfully left the last stanza -- the one about how 'the radical priest come to get me released' -- off "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" when [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1dlWmrRstc performing it on the Street]]. This still left the bits about Mama spitting on the ground and Papa threatening 'the house of detention' intact, however.
20	* Creator/StephenColbert starred in a Sesame Street straight-to-video special in 2005. Unfortunately, [[http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=81282&title=Alphabet Sesame Street Cred is not legal tender]] at ''Series/TheDailyShow''.
21	** Creator/JonStewart already beat Stephen to this cred; he hosted ''and sang'' at Elmopalooza in 1998.
22	* Creator/RobinWilliams.
23	* Creator/JimCarrey.
24	* Creator/IceCube [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV-WykC62LE teaches Elmo the meaning of "astounding".]] In the GQ webseries ''Actually Me'', he mentioned to a Reddit user who asked about it that he was proud to be on a show he grew up with.
25	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr9_5uZn6ds Ricky Gervais.]] He's said it was the coolest moment of his career.
26	** The actual [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc20vMz0V7Q segment]] is also hilarious.
27	* Music/HerbieHancock [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKoisNv1ftw during the 80s.]] He played an electro-jazz version of the theme song and showed what electronic sound equipment can do.
28	* Creator/PatrickStewart shows his Shakespearean roots in [[http://www.sesamestreet.org/video_player?p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_id=videoPlayer_WAR_sesameportlets4369&p_p_uid=91a75358-154d-11dd-8ea8-a3d2ac25b65b this clip]] from Sesame Street.
29	** And appears again [[http://www.sesamestreet.org/video_player?p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_id=videoPlayer_WAR_sesameportlets4369&p_p_uid=315470b8-d613-4fea-afc1-8e42adbbe797 here.]]
30	* Creator/BillCosby and Creator/RichardPryor also made numerous appearances (Pryor while obviously coked out of his ever-loving mind), but in Cosby's case he was practically a recurring guest host.
31	* Indie rock band Tilly and the Wall.
32	* Creator/NeilPatrickHarris as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDaszN9ByxM the Sesame Street Shoe Fairy.]]
33	** A gif file of him [[https://i.imgur.com/UP70kh.jpg dancing with Elmo]] has become an [[MemeticMutation internet meme]].
34	* Along the same lines: Creator/HarveyFierstein singing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6vEwp25cOM Everything's Coming Up Noses.]]
35	* Creator/JackBlack [[MemeticMutation shows children]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7jpz_55EdM what an octagon is.]]
36	* [[Music/GooGooDolls The Goo]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGohKgNOXnU Goo Dolls]] turning a hit song about teen pregnancy into an encouragement to feel proud of yourself. Worth watching for the bassist's reactions to Elmo.
37	* Creator/RogerEbert and Creator/GeneSiskel [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMlioyKsaQg do their critic exercises and argue about thumbs.]]
38	* Perhaps the earliest ''Sesame'' example, Music/BuffySainteMarie was a regular on the show's first decade. This was after her ability to get gigs and radio play in the US was compromised due to her protest music.
39	* Music/JohnnyCash sang "Nasty Dan" to Oscar the Grouch. And it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H75eQX006jA was awesome.]] He also sang "Five Feet High and Rising", and "Don't Take Your Ones to Town" (obviously a child-friendly version of "Don't Take Your Guns to Town").
40	-->'''Oscar''': as Cash leaves That was my kind of guy!
41	* Creator/HarryBelafonte had a segment with The Count, singing about, of course, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWobt9Zn_Ms a coconut-counting man.]]
42	* Music/CabCalloway likewise appeared way back in the 70's, singing "Hi De Ho Man".
43	* Smokey Robinson sang [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyUxVCR0p9g "You Really Got a Hold on Me"]] to an anthropomorphic letter U.
44	* Music/BillyJoel and Creator/MarleeMatlin [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHC3M7KL2ns sang "Just The Way You Are" to Oscar the Grouch.]]
45	* Music/DestinysChild performed a remake of "A New Way to Walk" in 2001.
46	* Even minimalist composer Music/PhilipGlass has Sesame Street Cred, as he composed a piece of music for Sesame Street back in 1979. Behold, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch-R1aIM-C0 the geometry of circles.]]
47	* Creator/ConanOBrien did [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMyfvlEyD9s a short segment]] from the comfort of his ''Late Night'' studio.
48	* Music/TitoPuente appeared alongside Elmo and Grover getting all of them to dance along.
49	* UsefulNotes/MichelleObama has appeared on this show, too, though her appearance makes more sense. Big Bird joked about her height, asking her if she was also a bird because she, like himself, was "really tall."
50	* Creator/JohnLeguizamo made an appearance in 2002 in a remake of "Captain Vegetable", where he taught Elmo the importance of eating vegetables.
51	* Music/KatyPerry was set to appear singing a cleaned-up version of her song "Hot 'N' Cold" with Elmo, but it eventually wasn't shown because [[TooSexyForThisTimeslot some parents complained about her cleavage]]. The performance was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVd8w1VEwW4 released online]] though.
52	* Creator/SofiaVergara [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J17C1Vd3RRc appeared on the show]] not long after Katy Perry. You could tell the controversy was still fresh on people's minds because the busty Vergara made sure to wear the most modest church blouse she could find.
53	* Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, in "Cookie Monster Thinks the Moon is a Cookie".
54	* [[Franchise/StarWars R2-D2 (a mechanical prop) and C-3PO]] (Creator/AnthonyDaniels)
55	* Creator/IdinaMenzel and her husband Creator/TayeDiggs appeared to teach children about allergies.
56	* Idina's ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' castmate Creator/KristinChenoweth appeared on some ''Elmo's World'' segments as Mr. Noodle's sister, Ms. Noodle.
57	* Creator/JamieLeeCurtis' appearance in 1989 is a highlight among many, many episodes and segments on the subject of tag.
58	* Violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman (who gave us the violin solo from Music/JohnWilliams' theme to ''Film/SchindlersList'') appears in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3richcoCUI this segment]].
59	* ''Series/GoodEats'' host Alton Brown appears to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCxAM4bcYiU show the meaning of the word recipe.]] His segment even does several {{Shout Out}}s to his own show, most notably Alton being handed things from off-camera by "Thing" (taken over here by various muppets).
60	* There's also the variation where the performer doesn't appear, but you know you've made it when Sesame Street parodies you:
61	** Sesame Street agrees with Music/HueyLewisAndTheNews: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdcHzquaMh8 It's Hip To Be A Square!]]
62	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkd5dJIVjgM Look at Grover. Look at me. Back to Grover. Back to me.]] [[Advertising/TheManYourManCouldSmellLike Grover may not be me, but he could smell like me.]]
63	** ''Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark'' somehow managed to get negative Sesame Street Cred when it was parodied as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR1DdMeVqTw SpiderMonster: The Musical]].
64	** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPqL-1aSbn0 Upside]]'' Series/DowntonAbbey.
65	** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhWUFXvaZjo Game of Chairs]]'' with a surprising amount of adult humor; [[Series/GameOfThrones "Don't lose your head over it, Neddy!"]]
66	** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nUS1wCA2oA True]] [[Series/TrueBlood Mud]]'' and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGMB7Rn8KGE Preschool]] [[Film/HighSchoolMusical Musical]]'' (the latter of which contains a subtle TakeThat towards Disney's heavy marketing of the franchise).
67	** ''[[Series/SonsOfAnarchy Sons of ]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmICU1gMAAw Poetry]]''
68	** ''Series/{{Mad\|Men}} [[https://youtu.be/YgvKCfZqxrQ Men]]'' (the title being the same is intentional)
69	** The HalloweenEpisode ''[[https://youtube.com/watch?v=npcqBt_e4k0 Sharing]] [[Series/StrangerThings Things]]''. Oddly enough, [[OutOfHolidayEpisode this skit premiered in November.]]
70	* The 2010 ''Shalom Sesame'' miniseries features stars such as Anneliese van der Pol, Creator/JakeGyllenhaal, and Creator/ChristinaApplegate.
71	* The [[MultiNationalShows German version]] of the series, ''[[Series/{{Sesamstrasse}} Sesamstraße]]'', had Lena Meyer-Landrut, winner of the ''Series/EurovisionSongContest'' 2010. Here she sings the song ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdFt3NEXcCY Bert, oh Bert!]]'', a parody of her winning song ''Satellite''.
72	* Music/JamesBlunt singing "A Triangle" to the tune of "You're Beautiful".
73	* In the main page quote, Creator/FrancesMcDormand refers to [[http://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Bird_Gets_Lost_(video) a video]] in which Big Bird gets lost at the department store, but finds Maria again with help from an employee portrayed by [=McDormand=].
74	* Parodied on ''Theatre/AvenueQ'', where [[Series/DiffrentStrokes Gary Coleman]] is one of the characters (the superintendent), but is usually played by a different actor/[[CrosscastRole actress]].
75	* Creator/JimParsons learns about [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-ZQyeuUd_k the word arachnid.]]
76	* Creator/TomHiddleston teaches Cookie Monster [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ubVVnWglk how important self-regulation is.]]
77	* The Music/SpinDoctors performed a kid-centric version of their hit "Two Princes" once.
78	* Creator/WillArnett plays a magician in one episode, and is introduced with SuspiciouslySimilarSong version of "The Final Countdown". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qclBGpRt0b4 Yes, it's as awesome as it sounds.]]
79	* Here's a TearJerker: Creator/ChristopherReeve [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzHvVoUGTOM talking about his wheelchair.]]
80	* And after that, here's Creator/HenryCavill [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYou8_6tKjM talking about respect.]]
81	* Creator/VictorBorge appeared on both ''Series/SesameStreet'' and ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971'', where he illustrated punctuation marks with his "Phonetic Punctuation" routine.
82	* Creator/MarkRuffalo [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_1Rt1R4xbM teaches the importance of empathy.]]
83	* Music/AndreaBocelli sang Elmo a lullaby and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BDVvB7Xx1w it's as beautiful as it sounds.]]
84	* [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCourts Supreme Court Justice]] Sonia Sotomayor appeared on ''Sesame Street'' in 2012, explaining the concept of a career to Abby Cadabby.
85	** Interesting note: Sotomayor was born to a working-class family in the Bronx--in an area quite similar to Sesame Street itself. She would have been the show's original prime target demographic had she been born about 10 years later.
86	* Music/GloriaEstefan, performing "Conga" and "Mambo I, I, I", and "1-2-3".
87	* [[Music/DaveMatthewsBand Dave Matthews]] and lovable furry old Grover [[http://youtu.be/Po5lHYJJQfw go way back.]]
88	* As of January 2014, Music/{{Pentatonix}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b-v-wMR69k got their Sesame Street Cred!]] Appropriately enough, they are singing and counting to five.
89	* Creator/BenedictCumberbatch [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7jS7X-2ggA matches wits with "Murray-arty",]] with help from The Count.
90	* [[Series/LastWeekTonightWithJohnOliver John Oliver]] both inverted the trope, and then played it straight.
91	** [[https://youtu.be/_Pz3syET3DY?t=856 He featured Sesame Street characters on his own show]]...
92	** ...[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whLHguPnK0E and then he appeared to explain the difference between English and American dialect for the same things]].
93	* Famous tap-dancer Savion Glover was a regular for several years in the '90s, as was ''Laugh-In'' alum Creator/RuthBuzzi.
94	** Before she became a regular cast member, Buzzi appeared in a 1977 film insert, "Where Do Potatoes Come From?"
95	* Creator/WayneBrady gives [[http://youtu.be/edA7vOfdcZg an impromptu lesson about the word "between"]]. As Wayne is apprehensive, Elmo asks [[Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway "Aren't you supposed to be good at making things up in a moment?"]]
96	* In the recent decade, more came to the show, most notably Creator/KatDennings, Creator/LupitaNyongo (For both of them, they were with Elmo) and even ''Music/OneDirection''!
97	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dwm7-aSpxs Here's One Direction singing about U]].
98	* Music/ElvisCostello and Elmo (both dressed in jacket, tie, fedora, and hipster "NHS glasses") sang about the time [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxardpBReQc "the monster went and ate my red 2".]]
99	* The German {{Retraux}} Jazz singer Max Raabe once appeared on ''[[TransatlanticEquivalent Sesamstraße]]'' to sing a classy lullaby for the characters.
100	* Creator/IanMcKellen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxCplsdCwxY teaches Cookie Monster to resist]].
101	* Creator/SarahJessicaParker [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFAE4tx22eA appears in a sketch]], waiting on park bench for [[Series/SexAndTheCity Big.]] There probably weren't too many kids in the audience [[ParentalBonus who got that one.]] Other actors from adults-only TV shows that appeared on the Street (while said shows were still running) have included Creator/EmmyRossum of ''Series/ShamelessUS'' and Creator/PeterDinklage of ''Series/GameOfThrones''.
102	* Creator/JimmyKimmel had an appearance in a segment made for his show where he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldA2RJNuZ9w taught Elmo, Grover and Cookie Monster about the letter "yook".]]
103	* Creator/RichardKind of ''Series/SpinCity'' fame appeared in a 2005 episode as the Fairy Balloon Person, where he gave Snuffy balloons so he could learn how to fly.
104	* A few members of ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'' have also made appearances.
105	** Creator/LinManuelMiranda [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q6HOwgFRY0&index=1&list=PLtrm7i3avjPU1htq7eRDisI3TRn2408Ev appeared]] all the way back in 2009. It's a rare example where the guest spot happened [[RetroactiveRecognition before the celebrity in question became popular]], as Miranda worked for Creator/SesameWorkshop at the time of his cameo, being on the staff team for both ''Sesame Street'' and the reboot of ''[[Series/TheElectricCompany2009 The Electric Company]]''.
106	** Chris Jackson also appeared [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwPwXtX3b1E to sing "The Story of Tonight" with Elmo.]] (Lin has a cameo at the end as well.) Chris later returned [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne5u5O4nP_s to sing a song about kindness.]]
107	** Creator/DaveedDiggs [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=punrsuK62fM&index=2&list=PLtrm7i3avjPU1htq7eRDisI3TRn2408Ev sang a remixed variation]] of Ernie's "Rubber Duckie" song.
108	* Even animated characters have had their share of Sesame Street Cred.
109	** A surprising example would be, of all people, '''''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''''', as they appear towards the end of the celebrity edition of "Monster in the Mirror".
110	--->'''Bart''': ''(to Grover)'' Hey Wubba, man!
111	** Creator/{{Pixar}}'s mascot Luxo Jr. and his father Luxo Sr. also appeared in a series of skits on the show in the early 90s.
112	** The pro-recycling PSA "Yakety-Yak (Take it Back)", which included appearances of [[Music/PaulaAbdul MC Skat Kat]] and ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'', was occasionally featured on the show in the 90s as well.
113	** '''Franchise/{{Batman}}''' '''''and''''' '''Franchise/{{Superman}}''' have Sesame Street Cred as far back as the very first test pilot for the series. Superman appearing in a skit where he stops a giant ape, and Batman settling an argument between Ernie and Bert from their TV set.
114	** WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther appeared in a segment practicing karate as an example of a word starting with the letter K.
115	* PBS's own news anchor Robert [=MacNeil=] of ''The [=MacNeil=]-Lehrer News Hour'' made several appearances, including interviewing Cookie Monster about "Cookiegate", a parody of the Watergate scandal, in the 1988 pledge drive special, and after his retirement from the ''News Hour'', covering the WASA moon landing in "Slimey to the Moon".
116	* Music/EnVogue performed the original song "Adventure" on the show at the height of their fame in the early 1990s.
117	* Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus guest starred in the 25th anniversary special as a news reporter. This guest spot is well-known [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc_5M-AK7HU for a blooper that happened]] as it was being taped.
118	* Creator/JeffGoldblum appeared twice as himself in 1990 for the all-star version of "Monster in the Mirror" and, with his then-wife Creator/GeenaDavis, the all-star version of "Sing" for a tribute special in the wake of songwriter Joe Raposo's passing. In a twist however, these were offshoots of his biggest appearance on the show, which ''wasn't'' this trope -- he played Bob's AdventurerArchaeologist brother Minneapolis in the RaidersOfTheLostParody "The Golden Cabbage of Snufertiti", a street story that was popular enough for the 2019 MilestoneCelebration DVD compilation ''50 Years and Counting'' to include it.
119	* Talk show host Phil Donahue appeared as himself in the 1985 season premiere that saw the rest of the Street's residents finally meet Mr. Snuffleupagus (after years of them believing he was merely Big Bird's ImaginaryFriend).
120	* When president-elect UsefulNotes/JoeBiden named his long-time adviser Antony Blinken as his chosen Secretary of State in November 2020, the Internet was quick to find [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYnViieUh7w video evidence of Blinken’s appearance on the show,]] back when he was deputy Secretary of State under UsefulNotes/BarackObama.
121	* Wired.com has a series where cast members answer several Google Autocomplete questions about their roles. The Sesame Street Muppets did one, and one of the questions was about this phenomenon; watch the Muppets' answer [[https://youtu.be/fc2yFoq09ug?t=122 starting at the timestamp here.]]
122	* Music/LilNasX [[https://youtu.be/J4BS8BXEB_k sang with Elmo]] on an episode of ''Series/TheNotTooLateShowWithElmo''.
123	* Creator/MargaretCho appeared in a segment with Prairie Dawn.
124	* Salsa legend Music/CeliaCruz had multiple appearances on ''Sesame Street.''
125	* Creator/JamesEarlJones recited the alphabet.
126
127
128
129	[[SesameStreetCred Back to the main trope page.]]

Context SesameStreetCred / SesameStreet