Elmo Saves Christmas
- Christine Ferraro
- Tony Geiss
- Maya Angelou
- Charles Durning
- Harvey Fierstein
- 14 Karat Soul
- Bob McGrath
- Roscoe Orman
- Sonia Manzano
- Emilio Delgado
- David Smyrl
- Carlo Alban
- Alison Bartlett-O'Reilly
- Desiree Casado
- Kevin Clash
- Joey Mazzarino
- Fran Brill
- Caroll Spinney
- Steve Whitmire
- Frank Oz
- Jerry Nelson
- Carmen Osbahr
- Martin P. Robinson
- David Rudman
- Bryant Young
- Pam Arciero
- Peter Linz
- Noel MacNeal
- Jim Martin
- John Tartaglia
- Alice Dinnean
- Matt Vogel
Elmo Saves Christmas is a Sesame Street Christmas musical fantasy comedy drama television special released on PBS on December 2, 1996.[1] It was released to VHS that same year. Inspired by the 1892 short story "Christmas Every Day" by William Dean Howells, Elmo wishes for Christmas to occur every day, only to be taken to the future to learn the adverse consequences of his wish. The program was filmed in Sesame Street's usual home, the Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City. Footage from the film It's a Wonderful Life also appears in the program and after the credits.
Plot
Elmo stays up on Christmas Eve to meet Santa Claus. He falls asleep, but is awakened by Santa stuck in the chimney. Elmo helps pull out Santa, who gives him the choice of a teddy bear or a magical snow globe. Elmo chooses the globe and is granted three wishes, wasting the first on a glass of water.
On Christmas Day, Elmo wishes for Christmas to be every day, but Santa warns him that Christmas would no longer be special. Lightning, a reindeer-in-training, takes Elmo to the future to see the effects of his wish. Big Bird becomes sad that Snuffy does not return from visiting his grandmother in Cincinnati, the businesses remain closed, It's a Wonderful Life plays continuously on every TV channel, Santa's overworked elves end up producing a cow/rabbit hybrid toy called the "Moo-Bunny", and other holidays are overshadowed. Meanwhile, Oscar enjoys the increasing misery.
By next year's Christmas, everybody is tired of celebrating, Christmas trees are endangered, all the businesses are bankrupt, and Santa is retiring to Florida. Elmo uses his last wish to make Christmas be once a year again, but breaks his snow globe before the wish is granted. Fortunately, Lightning takes him back to the Christmas Eve when he rescued Santa, and Elmo chooses the Moo-Bunny as his new gift. Snuffy returns, telling Big Bird that his grandmother came to Sesame Street instead. Elmo has finally learned that, although Christmas does not occur every day, everyone can keep their Christmas spirit alive in their hearts all year.
Cast
- Maya Angelou as herself/narrator
- Charles Durning as Santa Claus
- Harvey Fierstein as the Easter Bunny
- 14 Karat Soul as Themselves
Humans
- Carlo Alban as Carlo
- Alison Bartlett-O'Reilly as Gina
- Emilio Delgado as Luis
- Desiree Casado as Gabi
- Sonia Manzano as Maria
- Bob McGrath as Bob
- Roscoe Orman as Gordon
- David Smyrl as Mr. Handford
Muppet performers
- Frank Oz as Bert, Cookie Monster, and Grover
- Jerry Nelson as Count von Count, Mr. Johnson, and News Flash Announcer
- Kevin Clash as Elmo, Baby Natasha, Benny Rabbit, Father, and Elf 3
- Fran Brill as Prairie Dawn, Zoe, Easter Egg customer and Elf 2
- Joey Mazzarino as Ingrid, Lightning, and Elf 1
- Carmen Osbahr as Rosita
- Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch
- Martin P. Robinson as Mr. Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster, and Elf 5
- David Rudman as Baby Bear, Humphrey, and Elf 4
- Bryant Young as Rear End of Mr. Snuffleupagus
- Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog, and Ernie
Additional Muppets performed by Pam Arciero, Peter Linz, Noel MacNeal, Jim Martin, John Tartaglia, Alice Dinnean, and Matt Vogel.
Songs
- "It's Christmas Again"
- "Every Day Can't Be Christmas"
- "Give Your Friend an Easter Egg for Christmas"
- "All I Want for Christmas is You"
- "Keep Christmas with You (All Through the Year)"
See also
References
- ^ Geiss, Tony (12 July 1996). "Elmo Saves Christmas". Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Retrieved 14 May 2019.[permanent dead link]
External links
- Elmo Saves Christmas at IMDb
- Elmo Saves Christmas at Muppet Wiki
- v
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- Fictional location
- Sesame Workshop
- Characters
- Educational goals
- Format
- Influence
- Licensing
- Recurring segments
- Accolades
- Fran Brill
- Kevin Clash
- Joan Ganz Cooney
- Ryan Dillon
- Louise Gold
- Jim Henson
- Richard Hunt
- Eric Jacobson
- Gerald S. Lesser
- Peter Linz
- Kermit Love
- Joey Mazzarino
- Lloyd Morrisett
- Jerry Nelson
- Carmen Osbahr
- Frank Oz
- Carol-Lynn Parente
- Joe Raposo
- Martin P. Robinson
- David Rudman
- Jon Stone
- Caroll Spinney
- Matt Vogel
- Steve Whitmire
- List of guest stars
- List of puppeteers
- Theme song
- "Bein' Green"
- "C Is For Cookie"
- "I Love Trash"
- "Mah Nà Mah Nà"
- "Monster in the Mirror"
- "One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)"
- "Rubber Duckie"
- "Sesame's Treet"
- "Sing"
- Follow That Bird (1985)
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999)
Cameos |
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Upcoming |
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specials
- Julie on Sesame Street (1973)
- Out to Lunch (1974)
- Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978)
- A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978)
- Big Bird in China (1983)
- Don't Eat the Pictures (1983)
- A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
- Sesame Street, Special (1988)
- Big Bird in Japan (1989)
- Sesame Street... 20 Years & Still Counting (1989)
- Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake (1991)
- Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years (1993)
- Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993)
- Elmo Saves Christmas (1996)
- Elmopalooza (1998)
- The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street (1998)
- CinderElmo (1999)
- Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2007)
- Abby in Wonderland (2008)
- The Cookie Thief (2015)
- Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas (2016)
- Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2019)
- Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate (2020)
- The Monster at the End of This Story (2020)
- The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover (1971)
- Sesame Street Together Book (1971)
- The House of Seven Colors (1985)
- Happy Birthday, Cookie Monster (1986)
- Sesame Street Magazine
- Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street
- The Sesame Street Dictionary
- Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street
- Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America
- Big Bird's Egg Catch
- Alpha Beam with Ernie
- The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
- Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure
- Cookie's Counting Carnival
- Ready, Set, Grover!
- Once Upon a Monster
- Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece
- Kinect Sesame Street TV
- The Jim Henson Company
- Noggin (1999-2002)
- Sesame Street in the UK
- Sesame Street Live
- Comic strip
- Syndication packages
- The Muppets
- Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
- I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
- The World According to Sesame Street
- Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
- Big Bag
- Oobi (episodes)
- Panwapa
- Jim Henson Idea Man
- Teletape Studios
- Kaufman Astoria Studios
- The Joan Ganz Cooney Center