Coming to a 2-disc DVD set from the Sesame Street Workshop and SHOUT! Factory Kids is an amazing journey down the road of SESAME STREET 50 YEARS AND COUNTING.

Grover starts everything off with a song and dance of Fuzzy & Blue but that isn’t the only bit of fun because there is always Singing in the Weather! Ernie and Elmo spend fun time introducing us all to our faces.

Cookie Monster becomes the Cookie Rabbit and teaching us all about the letter C. Big Bird sings the iconic and memorable song Somebody Come and Play (and I still know the words!). Kermit the Frog joins the fun and gives clues as to what is in the mystery box. The Count is introduced with his own counting song!

We are introduced to the people in the Sesame Street neighborhood. There is the amazing story of pie and Upside Down Abbey. Biscotti Karate teaches Cookie Monster how to listen and his fun rendition of Hey Food with his mop top friends.

On the second disc, Snuffleupagus and Big Bird get together as the big yellow feathered friend encourages his friend to put on his running shoes and do a marathon. While visiting the grown up table, Big Bird hands out pictures of all his adult friends including Mr. Hooper and it is a lesson in death. They openly talk of good memories and all while letting sadness be okay and ‘just because’. It is the most moving episode I’ve ever seen of Sesame Street.

Olivia and Gordon and the rest of Sesame Street don’t believe Big Bird when he tells them of his friend. They keep referring to Snuffy as his imaginary friend but Big Bird has a plan to get them all to meet. Bird Bird and Elmo do their best to try and bring everyone together.

The Amazing Mumford is getting ready for the wedding of Maria and Luis helping everyone dress up for the day along with flowers, decorations and excitement. Everyone is dressed in their finery to help their friends celebrate love and their big day.

Bob’s brother Minneapolis, Bob and Big Bird talk about archaeology looking for things that are old and the Golden Cabbage of Snuffertitti! After telling the story they are all on the hunt for the prize. It’s an adventure into history and back again.

There is a big street celebration as a new playground makes so many people very happy. The Commission of Fun & Games stops the party because there hasn’t been a dedication ceremony and she’s upset. Everyone wants to hear the speech and convinced the Commissioner to do a ribbon cutting and give her announcement! Oscar the Grouch has an opinion about it all as well.

Abby, the fairy god-child, is the newest addition to Sesame Street as her fairy family has just moved in. Missing her friends, all she wants is new friends to keep from being lonely. Enter Snuffy and Big Bird who are more than happy to play with Abby inviting her to the games at Mr. Hooper’s store.  Enticing her with the song Everybody Needs a Friend song and dance.

The Count von Count is attending the event The Nobel Prize for Counting and has won an award for the World’s Greatest Counter. The problem is that the Count is isn’t anywhere to be found and the people giving him the award aren’t very patient.

Elmo and Abby introduce Big Bird to their new friend Julia and they are on a painting spree with awesome pictures. Julia has autism but Big Bird doesn’t understand what that means. Elmo and Abby teach him that she is a lot of fun, she just does things in a different way but it makes her no less a good friend.

The special guests include Ricky Gervais, Sara Bareilles, Janelle Monae, Amy Poehler, Josh Groban, R.E.M., Patti LeBelle, Phil Donahue, Jose Ferrier, Solang, the delightful Madeline Kahn and the icon Jeff Goldblum.

SHOUT! Factory has grown into a tremendous multi-platform media company. Releasing new animated features such as the exquisite Long Way North, and the epic fantasy Beauty And The Beast. Also their own original horror film, Fender Bender gives fans a good scare. For more of what SHOUT Factor has to offer please visit www.shoutfactory.com.

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit media and educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities they serve.

SESAME STREET 50 YEARS AND COUNTING is not only a wonderful journey down the street but shows the progression of teaching children around the world. I remember introducing my own kids to the show and now they are doing the same with their own children.

It isn’t just a series that teaches letters and numbers although that is an amazing part of the series. Sesame Street teaches friendship, family, love, fun, new games, weddings and promises, death, songs, dancing, and all out joy of getting to know one another and making differences not so different after all and every bit of it with celebration.

Sesame Street has given generations a place to go that is safe, fun and speaks to us in a way that is comforting. In a world that is sometimes confusing and a bit scary, this is the one place we know may not have all the answers but talking it out means understanding and compassion. For more fun and learning please visit www.sesamestreet.org.

With five and a half hours of goodness along with never-before-seen outtakes with Jim Henson means this DVD is amazing look at five decades of one of the most beloved children series ever – that continues on today.

In the end – they will always tell you how to get to Sesame Street.

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