Episode
Sesame Street: Grouch Messing Machine
Overview
Elmo and Leela are in the laundromat when they hear a loud, clanging sound. Leela explains that the washing machine always gives her trouble and she wants to get rid of it, but Elmo insists that she keep it. Leela asks Luis to try to fix it again. When he arrives, he asks Elmo to find a wrench in his tool box. After a few tries, Elmo finally finds a wrench. Luis opens the lid of the machine to see if it is fixed but it squirts water in his face! Luis decides he needs to put in a new nut in the shape of a hexagon. Elmo finds a nut but it only has four sides. He looks again and finds one with six sides! A hexagon! Luis tightens the nut and tries the machine again. It starts to bang, clang, and hiccup louder than ever! Suddenly, the machine starts to move! Luis suggests that something might be stuck in the spin basket. He opens it and pulls out different objects as Elmo adds them up—seven objects all together! Luis throws in clothes and detergent to see if the machine works. All of a sudden, the machine lid explodes, spewing clothes and soap everywhere! Now Leela really wants to get rid of the machine, but Elmo insists they keep it and reuse it for another purpose. But for what? Oscar announces that he thinks it’s the greatest machine ever! That’s it! The machine can be reused as a “Grouch’s Messing Machine!” All the grouches come running to take turns messing up their clothes. It’s a grouch dream machine!
Details
- Series
- Sesame Street
- Season
- Season 40
- Episode
- Episode 10
- Air date
- 2009-11-24
Episode context
Grouch Messing Machine is Episode 10 in Season 40 of Sesame Street. It aired on 2009-11-24.
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Episode 9: Elmo Finds a Baby Bird
Elmo and Rosita are thinking of rhymes when they hear, “Peep, peep.” Suddenly, a little baby bird appears. Elmo and Rosita want to help the bird but do not know why he is peeping. Chris hears the chirping and places the bird in a tree, but the bird hops out next to Chris! Elmo, Rosita, and Chris think the bird is hungry and Big Bird comes along and suggests feeding the baby bird some birdseed. After all, that’s what Big Bird likes to eat!
Cookie Monster strolls by and is about to eat his granola cookie, when the baby bird pounces on it and eats it all! The baby bird begins flapping his wings. Elmo and Rosita decide they will teach the baby bird how to fly! But how? Elmo and Rosita try different things to show the baby bird, but nothing works. Abby comes along and places a flying spell on the baby bird. Uh-oh! The spell works on Chris instead.
Chris reminds Abby she doesn’t need magic to teach the bird how to fly. Instead, she should use her wings. Abby demonstrates how to flap her wings as she sings, “The Flapping Song.” The baby bird begins to fly over Sesame Street! Just then, the mommy bird perches on Chris’s shoulder. Baby bird and her mother fly off together as Elmo, Chris and Rosita wave goodbye.
Episode 11: The Cookie Tree
Maria, Luis and Elmo are picking apples from an apple tree. Cookie Monster hears something loud and crunchy! He is excited because he thinks it’s a cookie, but is disappointed when he finds out the noise is an apple. Maria and Luis tell Cookie Monster that apples grow on trees, and share a story about how they planted an apple tree when they were younger. In fact, they are eating apples from the apple tree they planted many years ago!
Cookie Monster gets an idea! What if he grew a chocolate chip cookie tree? Cookie Monster plants a chocolate chip in dirt and tries everything to help the “seed” grow. He places it in sunlight and gives it water but nothing happens. Cookie Monster sees Abby, who grants Cookie Monster a wish. Abby waves her magic wand and poof! A bunch of cookie trees begin to pop up! Abby’s wand begins to spin out of control and cookie trees pop up around Hooper’s store! But the cookies are too high for Cookie Monster and Elmo to reach.
While Elmo helps Cookie Monster, Alan helps Abby think of a rhyme to poof the cookie trees away. Just as Elmo is about to reach for the cookie, the cookie trees disappear. Luckily, Maria and Luis give Cookie Monster a freshly baked apple cinnamon cookie made from apples they picked from their tree. Cookie Monster realizes that while chocolate chip cookies are delicious, freshly baked cinnamon apple cookies are just as yummy!
More episodes from this season
Episode 8: Stinky's Annual Birthday Flower
Elmo and Zoe are coloring when they find out it's Stinky the plant’s birthday. Zoe and Elmo decide to get him a present. Elmo surprises Stinky by giving him a drum, but plants can’t hold drumsticks. Zoe has an idea! What about a lovely tutu? Zoe surprises Stinky with a tutu to wear when he dances. Stinky tries to dance, but is unable to, as he is a plant in a pot!
Rosita and Cookie Monster come along with their own presents. Rosita brings Stinky a guitar but his leaves scratch the strings and make a horrible sound. Next, Cookie Monster rushes in with a plate of cookies but plants don’t eat cookies. Big Bird comes along and gives Stinky balloons. He ties the balloons to Stinky’s pot, but Stinky begins to fly away! Luckily, Chris rescues him and brings him back safely to the ground.
Elmo explains to Chris that they have been trying to get Stinky the perfect birthday gift. Chris reminds Elmo they should think about what Stinky would like for his birthday not what each of them would like. Elmo asks Stinky what plants need. That’s easy! He already has soil, so he needs water, sunlight and love! Big Bird carries Stinky’s pot over to a spot on the table in the sun, Cookie Monster carries over a pitcher of water and waters Stinky, and Zoe and Rosita give him a big hug! Then they throw him a big birthday party and sing about the importance of giving sun, water, and love to plants like Stinky!
Episode 12: Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
Mary Mary Quite Contrary walks along Sesame Street and dumps a pile of dirt outside Oscar’s trash can. Gordon explains that she can not leave the dirt; she is making a mess! Mary Mary insists that she is going to grow a garden with silver bells and cockle shells. Gordon tries to tell her that silver bells and cockleshells aren’t alive. Gardens need to have things growing in them, like vegetables, fruits or flowers. Mary Mary decides she will grow flowers in her garden by using dirt, sun, and water.
Later, Alan and Gina walk by Oscar’s trashcan and comment on the beautiful garden. But Oscar doesn’t like it! He wants Mary Mary to move her garden.
As Mary Mary plants more flowers, Oscar decides to have his elephant, Fluffy squirt water at her. Maybe that will get her to move? But as Mary Mary explains, the water helps her flowers to grow. Oscar doesn’t know what to do! He sends over Hairy Hairy, from the Grouch nursery rhyme, with stinky weeds and moldy seeds and three pigs, but even that doesn’t get rid of Mary Mary and her garden. Suddenly, Oscar changes his mind. He likes the horrible smell from the stinky weeds and loud noises from the pigs. It’s a Grouch paradise! Mary Mary finds this out and decides to move the garden. She likes to be contrary and do the opposite of whatever anyone wants her to do. Mary Mary moves her garden while Gordon happily cleans up the remaining dirt!
Episode 7: Bears Try to Hibernate
There is a porridge shortage on Sesame Street! Telly runs to tell Baby Bear, but when he finds him, he is getting ready to hibernate until springtime when there is porridge again. What is Telly supposed to do for five months without a best friend? Telly and Baby bear set up a play date for the spring when Baby Bear wakes up. Telly says goodbye and the bears try to go to sleep, but they are not tired! First, they try counting, but that does not work. Then they call Max Bear, a hibernation consultant. Max Bear arrives and tells the bears that their cottage is too warm. They must go outside where it is cold. The bears look for an empty cave or hollow tree and sing all about bears. Finally, they find a flower bed that they can dig a hole and sleep in called a den. Telly and Chris see the bears digging and go outside to check on them. Max Bear says that they should eat something before they hibernate. Chris suggests cereal and goes to Hooper’s Store. When Chris comes back, they try the cereal and like it! In fact, the cereal is so good that they decide to eat it all winter long and not hibernate! Hooray! Baby Bear happily eats the cereal while spending time with his good friend Telly.
Episode 13: Abby Has the Sparkle Fairy Freckles
Elmo and Abby are playing tag. Suddenly, Abby’s freckles start sparkling! Abby calls the Fairy Doctor who looks at Abby’s freckles. Abby has a case of the Sparkle Speckle Fairy Freckles! This is where freckles sparkle and glow, and eventually fall off. The Fairy Doctor tells Abby the magic words to get the freckles back, “Fricka-Fracka, Freckle Back-A”.
All of a sudden, Abby’s freckles jump off of her face, glowing and bouncing all around! Abby, with the help of Alan, chases one freckle as it bounces into Hooper’s store. Chris spots it on a cereal box. Abby says the magic words and poof! The freckle returns to Abby’s face. Abby has five more to find! Rosita notices the dot on the center of her flower drawing is sparkling and so is the dot on the “i” in her name “Rosita.” Abby says the magic words two times and the freckles reappear on Abby’s face.
Only three more to go! Abby notices that all the freckles seem to be hiding on little circles and realizes she should look for circles! Abby sees two more freckles go bouncing into the laundromat. Mama Bear notices a sparkling freckle on Baby Bear’s polka dotted underpants and Elmo notices a freckle on Leela’s nose ring. Magic word time! Abby leaves the Laundromat and notices a freckle on Cookie Monster’s cookie. He’s about to take a bite! Luckily, Abby stops him just in time to say the magic words and get the last and final freckle back on her face. Cookie Monster happily eats the cookie, while Abby admires the six freckles on her face!
Episode 6: Y a Quest? Y Not
Telly excitedly runs to Abby and Elmo to tell them he has the book they’ve been waiting for, How to be a Knight for a Day. Hooray! Telly, Abby and Elmo look to the book to tell them how to become knights. First, they have to wear a suit of shining armor. They zip off and whoosh! Elmo, Abby and Telly are dressed in suits of armor. Clank! Clank! Clank!
Next, they must sing a knight song, so they sing, “We Are Three Knights So Merry.” Then the book tells them they must go on a quest. But they don’t know what to search for! As Elmo, Telly, and Abby think about their quest, they hear a whimpering letter “Y.” When they ask the letter “Y” why he is crying, he tells them he is unsure of his purpose in life. He can’t think of any words that begin with the “Y” sound. That’s it! Telly decides their quest will be to look for things that begin with the letter “Y.”
First, they enter Gina’s veterinarian office looking for animals that begin with the letter “Y.” Then they decide to check the laundromat but they still can’t find any “Y” words. Next, they visit Alan at Hooper’s store. Just as they are about to leave, they see a hairy cow passing, but are disappointed because hairy cow doesn’t begin with a “Y.” But wait! Alan explains that the hairy cow is actually a yak, and yak begins with “y.” All of the sudden, Abby, Elmo, and Telly think of other words that begin with the letter “Y,” such as yogurt and yo-yo. They did it! They found words that begin with the letter “Y.” Elmo, Abby and Telly sing the knight song and cheer in delight!
Episode 14: The Rainbow Show
Elmo is drawing when he looks up in the sky and sees a rainbow! Wow! Elmo rushes to show everybody, but when Rosita arrives, the rainbow has disappeared. Elmo asks Leela if there is something he can do to bring the rainbow back. Leela offers to draw a picture of a rainbow. Leela can’t remember all the colors of the rainbow, but uses the acronym Roy G. Biv to help her remember the colors.
Rosita likes the picture, but she wants to see a real rainbow. Elmo gets an idea! What about a rainbow of monsters? Elmo gathers monsters of all different colors; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. After many attempts, the monsters finally line up in appropriate order. Rosita enjoys seeing a rainbow of different colored monsters, but still wishes she could see a real rainbow. Abby hears Rosita and recites a magic rhyme to grant Rosita’s wish. Poof! Oh no! Instead of making a rainbow appear, raincoats appear on Elmo and Rosita! Abby tries again and again. Her magic rhyme still doesn’t work. Abby makes a rainstorm, instead of a rainbow. Everyone rushes inside, where Gordon makes a rainbow appear using a flashlight, a glass of water, and white paper. Afterward, as Elmo and Rosita are playing outside, Rosita looks up and sees something special, a rainbow! Elmo and Rosita sing all about the beautiful rainbow in the sky.
Episode 5: Abby Makes Seasons Change
Chris is enjoying the beautiful spring weather as Elmo races to tell Chris that he found a sled in his closet and is going to go sledding! Chris reminds Elmo that it’s spring and that there is no snow. Elmo has to wait for the seasons to change! Elmo wishes it was winter so he could go sledding again.
Abby pops in and hears Elmo make a wish. Abby recites a weather spell to change the seasons. But instead of changing the weather to winter, she changes it to summer. The blossoms are all gone and the arbor is filled with green leaves. Baby Bear and Telly who were playing a game of tag are now too hot to play. Abby tries again. This time she recites the weather spell and it becomes fall! It’s windy and the leaves have changed colors. Abby gives it one more try and it works. It’s freezing outside! There are no leaves on the tree and Baby Bear has fallen asleep! He’s hibernating until spring. Elmo is excited it’s winter; now he can go sledding!
After talking to Chris, Elmo realizes that changing the seasons wasn’t such a good idea after all. Chris explains that that the seasons have to come in their own time. Abby recites another magic weather spell and Sesame Street is transformed again to a perfect spring day. Hooray! Now they can enjoy the gorgeous spring weather!
Episode 15: Amphibian Show
Elmo and Abby are resting when suddenly it’s time to play the game show, “Find that Amphibian.” Elmo and Abby must find an amphibian before the game show’s tadpole turns into a frog. They don’t know what an amphibian is, but the announcer gives them a clue- an animal that starts out living in water.
Elmo and Abby meet a fish and are convinced they have won the game! As the announcer explains, though, fish only live in water and not on land. Elmo and Abby look for their second clue- an animal that breathes air. They find an amphibian! A bird! They learn, though, that amphibians don’t have any feathers. Elmo and Abby look for their third clue-an animal with four legs. Elmo and Abby come across a horse, but a horse is a mammal, not an amphibian. Elmo and Abby use their last clue about metamorphosis to help them. They come across an alligator. Could this be an amphibian? No, an alligator is a reptile not an amphibian. He looks the same way now as he did when he was a baby, only bigger.
Elmo and Abby are disappointed. They’re never going to find an amphibian! Luckily, they run into Chris who suggests that they find an animal that fits all the clues- an animal that lives in water when it’s a baby, breathes air as an adult, has four legs, and goes through metamorphosis. Suddenly, they think of Anne Phibian, the game show’s announcer. She matches all the clues. Hooray! They found an amphibian. And just in time! Elmo, Abby and Chris celebrate as they dance with the amphibians!
Episode 4: Wild Nature Survivor Guy
Wild Nature Survivor Guy finds himself on Sesame Street. He is accustomed to surviving in the wilds of nature and thinks he needs to “survive” out on Sesame Street. Elmo and Rosita are confused. He is not alone and he’s not in the middle of nature, but he is convinced nature is all around them! First, Wild Nature Survivor Guy finds a tomato plant and bites into a ripe tomato. Not only do tomatoes come from nature, but so do all the fruits and vegetables on display outside Hooper’s store.
Next, Wild Nature Survivor Guy looks for water to quench his thirst. He finds leaves with drops of water and puts the water together to drink. Wild Nature Survival Guy becomes concerned about nighttime approaching, and looks for ways to keep warm. He picks up feathers and puts them inside his shirt. Oh my! They tickle! Elmo offers him a coat, but Wild Nature Survivor Guy explains that feathers are what make most coats warm. The sun begins to set, and Wild Nature Survivor Guy finds perfect shelter, Big Bird’s nest! It has lots of branches, and lots of animals use trees and braches as shelter. Even houses are made of wood. Wild Nature Survivor Guy sings a song about nature as Elmo and Rosita realize that nature is all around them!
Episode 16: Camping Show
Chris and Elmo are excited to be camping in the woods! They unpack their camping supplies and take out two sleeping bags and two canteens. One sleeping bag and canteen for each of them. Next, they take out four hotdogs and marshmallows. Elmo gives two hotdogs and marshmallows to himself and two to Chris. Suddenly, a beaver emerges from the woods. Elmo asks Chris if the beaver can stay for dinner. The beaver explains that he doesn’t eat hot dogs and marshmallows but likes to eat bark.
Next, two turtles come along. Elmo invites them to stay for dinner, too. Chris brings them a pile of green leaves and dandelions. Just when everyone is about to eat their dinner, two raccoons appear. Chris disappears into the woods and emerges holding acorns and berries for the raccoons. It is finally time to dig in when four ducks fly by the camp fire. They have just migrated back from Venezuela. The ducks decide to stay for dinner and tell Chris what they like to eat—snails, leaves, and bugs. Chris goes into the pond and brings back water plants. Finally, Chris, Elmo and all the animals eat dinner! Elmo and Chris both agree they should have a sleepover like this every night!