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| - A Special Sesame Street Christmas is a 1978 CBS Christmas special, made the same year as Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. It aired on December 8 at 8 pm. __TOC__ The special features only three of the Sesame Street Muppets - Oscar, Big Bird, and Barkley. In addition to the Muppets, Mr. Hooper, David, Bob, and Maria made appearances. The special also features several celebrity cameos and guest stars, including Leslie Uggams, Imogene Coca, Henry Fonda, Michael Jackson, Ethel Merman, Anne Murray and Dick Smothers. The book Street Gang talks a bit about this special, stating:
- The special features only three of the Sesame Street Muppets - Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, and Barkley. (A different Barkley puppet was notably used, making him a gigantic five foot tall dog.) It also features several celebrity cameos and guest stars, including Leslie Uggams, Imogene Coca, Henry Fonda, Michael Jackson, Ethel Merman, Anne Murray, and Dick Smothers. In 1979, the special was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Children's Program. However, it lost to Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.
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| abstract
| - A Special Sesame Street Christmas is a 1978 CBS Christmas special, made the same year as Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. It aired on December 8 at 8 pm. __TOC__ The special features only three of the Sesame Street Muppets - Oscar, Big Bird, and Barkley. In addition to the Muppets, Mr. Hooper, David, Bob, and Maria made appearances. The special also features several celebrity cameos and guest stars, including Leslie Uggams, Imogene Coca, Henry Fonda, Michael Jackson, Ethel Merman, Anne Murray and Dick Smothers. In 1979, the special was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Children's Program. However, the program lost to that year's other Sesame Street Christmas show, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. The special incorporates many elements of the classic story "A Christmas Carol". To win round the typically grouchy Oscar into the Christmas spirit, celebrity guest stars portray the ghostly visitors. Anne Murray appears as the Ghost of Christmas Past, who shows Oscar his childhood; Imogene Coca plays the Ghost of Christmas Present; and Dick Smothers is the Ghost of Christmas Future. The special also includes a crippled kitten named Tiny Tim, to whom Oscar grows sympathetic. The theme of Oscar in the role of Scrooge would be revisited almost 28 years later in the direct-to-video special A Sesame Street Christmas Carol. The book Street Gang talks a bit about this special, stating: “Paul Firstenberg was CTW's executive vice president in 1978 when Christmas Eve on Sesame Street was produced. One of his most baffling decisions (which included selling off interest in cable television that would later be valued in the hundreds of millions) was to sign a deal that same year for A Special Sesame Street Christmas, with independent television producer Bob Banner. Banner, whose roots in variety television went back to the Garry Moore and Diana Shore shows of the 1950s, had a track record of working with Henson and the Muppets from his days producing The Jimmy Dean Show. CBS bought the idea even though there was one in the works for PBS. When executive producer Singer questioned the wisdom of competing specials, Firstenberg said, "If we proceed with two shows, maybe one will make it to air." Said Singer, "Can you imagine the mentality? He had a complete lack of understanding of the show."”
- The special features only three of the Sesame Street Muppets - Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, and Barkley. (A different Barkley puppet was notably used, making him a gigantic five foot tall dog.) It also features several celebrity cameos and guest stars, including Leslie Uggams, Imogene Coca, Henry Fonda, Michael Jackson, Ethel Merman, Anne Murray, and Dick Smothers. In 1979, the special was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Children's Program. However, it lost to Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. The special incorporates many elements of the classic story, A Christmas Carol. To win round the typically grouchy Oscar into the Christmas spirit, celebrity guest stars portray the ghostly visitors. Anne Murray appears as the Ghost of Christmas Past, who shows Oscar his childhood; Imogene Coca plays the Ghost of Christmas Present; and Dick Smothers is the Ghost of Christmas Future. The special also includes a crippled kitten named Tiny Tim, to whom Oscar grows sympathetic. The theme of Oscar in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge would be revisited almost 28 years later in the direct-to-video special A Sesame Street Christmas Carol. The book Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street talks a bit about the special, stating:
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