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There have been a variety of Sesame Street video games released for video game platforms. Most of the Sesame Street video games were published and developed by NewKidCo.

Video games

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland

Main article: The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (video game)

Alpha Beam with Ernie

Main article: Alpha Beam with Ernie

Big Bird's Egg Catch

Big Bird's Egg Catch (originally Grover's Egg Catch[1]) is a 1983 video game for the Atari 2600 developed by Atari and Children's Computer Workshop.[2]

In Big Bird's Egg Catch, the player controls Big Bird as he saves eggs produced by chickens at the top of the screen. These eggs travel down variously contorted chutes to land safely in the basket perched on Big Bird's head. Most eggs count for a single point, but a golden egg will periodically appear that is worth five points. When an egg is dropped, a number of points are lost. At higher levels, the eggs move faster, the chutes become more convoluted, there are more egg-laying hens, and the chutes may even flash invisible. "Turkey in the Straw", the song that plays during the egg-catching, also increases in tempo.

Periodically, Big Bird will exit the screen to count his eggs. During this stage, Big Bird is seen with his basket and numbers flash on the screen progressively faster as he counts. When the total is reached, a song is played and Big Bird dances. The game ends when too many eggs are dropped or a set number of counting sessions is performed.

Cookie Monster Munch

Cookie Monster Munch on the Atari 2600

Cookie Monster Munch is a video game developed by Atari and Children's Computer Workshop for the Atari 2600 and released in 1983.[3] The game was programmed by Gary Stark.[4]

The objective of Cookie Monster Munch is to guide Cookie Monster through a simple maze, collecting cookies and placing them in a cookie jar at the bottom of the screen.

Cookie Monster Munch used an Atari Kid's Controller (sold separately), although the regular keyboard controller would also work.

Cookie Monster's Quest

Cookie Monster's Quest has you play as Cookie Monster, as you wander around Sesame Street looking for your chocolate chip cookie, that you did not eat. [5] Along the way, you help your friends complete quests in this point-and-click game made around 2001. [6]

Count's Castle

Count's Castle is a video game developed by Atari for the Atari 2600. The game was never finished and was about 80% complete before development was stopped[7] and no prototype has been found. It was going to be a math based game.

Countdown

Sesame Street: Countdown is a platform game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Players control Count von Count as they search for a number. The number is chosen in a spinning wheel. Each time players collect the right number, which may be in the form of a number or a collection of items that add up to the number. When players begin, they may choose to move by jumping repeatedly or running.[8]

Elmo's Art Workshop

Elmo's Art Workshop is a CD-ROM game produced by Creative Wonders and the Children's Television Workshop. First released as Sesame Street Art Workshop in 1995, it was reissued by Creative Wonders in 1998, and Encore Software in 2002 and 2005. The game's activities allow users to draw, paint and create artwork. Elmo, who is only heard in voice-over, gives instructions throughout.

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Elmo's Deep Sea Adventure

Elmo's Deep Sea Adventure is a CD-ROM game. The game was developed by Mattel Media in 2000 and re-released by Sesame Workshop in 2005, and by Encore Software in 2006. Elmo invites users to join him on his deep sea submarine to explore shipwrecks, sunken cities and lost treasure. Oscar, Grover, Zoe, Rosita and Telly also appear. Skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision making are taught in three play modes, five activities, and two levels.[9]

Elmo's Letter Adventure

Elmo's Letter Adventure is an educational game for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation featuring Sesame Street's Elmo. It was released in 1999.[10]

Elmo's Number Journey

Elmo's Number Journey is an educational game for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation featuring Sesame Street's Elmo. It was released in 1999.

Players must guide Elmo through three areas, split into two halves each, collecting the numbers needed to answer the mathematical problems posed by each area's host. Play begins on Sesame Street, where the player must choose one of three difficulty levels and then proceed to Elmo's playroom to access a tutorial or talk to one of the hosts in order to access their area. The difficulty level determines how many problems the player must solve to proceed to the next area, and how many mistakes a player can make before game over. Unlike many video games, there are no enemies to defeat and no races against the clock, play revolves around choosing the correct answer to problems and navigating areas with different vehicles.[11]

The Nintendo 64 version of Elmo's Number Journey has been somewhat popular amongst speedrunners in recent years due to the game's short duration.[12]

Elmo's Preschool

Elmo's Preschool is a CD-ROM game developed by Creative Wonders and Children's Television Workshop in August 1996.[13] Elmo guides the user, who chooses to play in one of the five unique playrooms available.

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The game sold more than 150,000 units by January 1997.[13]

Elmo Through the Looking-Glass

Elmo Through the Looking-Glass is a CD-ROM game. The game was developed by Creative Wonders and Children's Television Workshop in 1998 and later re-released by Encore Software and Sesame Workshop in 2004.

It was first released as Reading Adventure. When it was re-released the name changed.[citation needed]

In this game, Elmo goes through the looking-glass in his room to find the little red monster he sees there. Skills emphasized include object identification, visual discrimination, vocabulary, matching, and reading.[14] In 1998, this game was included in the two-disc Elmo's Reading: Preschool and Kindergarten CD-ROM set, along with Elmo's Reading Basics.

The name is inspired by Alice Through the Looking-Glass.

Elmo's ABCs

Elmo's ABCs is a video game developed by Bonsai Entertainment Corp. and published by NewKidCo. It was released on the Game Boy Color in 1999.[15]

Elmo's 123s

Elmo's 123s is a video game published by NewKidCo. It was released on the Game Boy Color in 1999.[16]

Get Set to Learn!

Get Set to Learn! is a CD-ROM game. The game was developed by Creative Wonders and Children's Television Workshop in 1996.[17] This game promotes the thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for learning.

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Grover's Music Maker

Grover's Music Maker (originally called Monkey Music[citation needed]) is a video game for the Atari 2600 developed by Atari in 1983 but never released. The game was programmed by Stephen Keith and Preston Stuart and uses the Atari Kid's Controller.

The game has several songs pre-programmed into it that children can listen to as Grover dances across the stage. Players can also make their own songs by pressing different buttons on the keypad.

Grover's Travels

Grover's Travels is a 1998 CD-ROM game developed by Encore Software and Children's Television Workshop. In this parody of Gulliver's Travels, users join Grover as he meets Big Bird, Elmo, Mr. Snuffleupagus and more. There are six activities designed to teach numbers, shapes, sound recognition, story comprehension and emotions.

Let's Make a Word!

Let's Make a Word! is a 1995 CD-ROM game developed by Electronic Arts and Children's Television Workshop.

Guy Smiley welcomes users to his latest game show. Big Bird, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Rosita, Zoe and the Two-Headed Monster also appear. There are 6 different "word experts", and four locations filled with words, and over 300 words in this game to choose from.

The game was reissued by Creative Wonders, including as part of the two-disc Kindergarten Deluxe CD-ROM set, and later by Encore Software with different packaging.

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Music Maker

Music Maker is a Sesame Street CD-ROM released in 1999 by Sesame Workshop and Mattel Interactive.

Elmo, Bert and Ernie, Grover and Cookie Monster lead kids into a music activity center of eight games and activities. The game also includes newly recorded and mixed versions of Sesame Street's greatest hits including "Rubber Duckie", "C is for Cookie" and "Elmo's Song" among others.

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Pals Around Town

Pals Around Town is a computer game published by Hi-Tech Expressions in 1987 and programmed by Children's Television Workshop. It was released for the Atari, Commodore 64, and the IBM PCjr in cartridge form.

The basis for the game was strictly educational. The player could pick a character (Sesame Street characters available included Bert and Ernie, among others) and could interact with various objects in a variety of settings. Two such settings were a school classroom and an outdoor playground. Some items that could be interacted with included a fishbowl and a globe.

Oscar's Trash Race

Oscar's Trash Race is a video game for the Atari 2600 developed by Atari and was released in 1984.[18] The game was programmed by Christopher Omarzu[citation needed] and uses the Atari Kid's Controller.

The goal is to help Oscar the Grouch and the little Grouches collect trash in a race. It was meant to give practice in numerical skills and directional concepts.

Search and Learn Adventures

Search & Learn Adventures is a 1997 CD-ROM game. The game was developed by Creative Wonders and Children's Television Workshop in 1997, and re-released in 1998, 2000 (by Mattel Media), and 2004 (by Encore Software). Sherlock Hemlock guides users as they find the clues to solve puzzles and mysteries. Concepts emphasized are safety, healthy eating and recycling; skills developed include critical thinking and problem-solving. There are more than 20 activity combinations and multiple skill levels.

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Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster

Main article: Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster

In January 2010, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced plans to make Sesame Street games for the Xbox 360, which will use the Kinect accessory. The title was announced on February 15, 2011 as Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, and was released on October 11 of that year.

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Kinect Sesame Street TV

Main article: Kinect Sesame Street TV

Cast

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Sesame Street A-B-C and 1-2-3

The box art for the compilation of Sesame Street A-B-C and 1-2-3.

Sesame Street A-B-C and 1-2-3 are two educational video games for the NES. They were re-released as a compilation cartridge titled Sesame Street A-B-C and 1-2-3.

Sesame Street A-B-C

Sesame Street A-B-C is an educational Nintendo game featuring two educational video games.

The goal of Ernie's Big Splash is to create a series of connections, which include pipes, waterways, sea animals, and some of Ernie's friends including Oscar the Grouch, Bert, Grover, and Cookie Monster that will help Rubber Duckie to make his way to Ernie's bathtub. The game teaches basic logic, directions (North, South, East and West) and sequencing.

In Letter-Go-Round, the goal is to find the correct letter, spell words, and finding the missing letter of a word. There is also a mode where the player has to make a 'secret' word, by finding the correct letters. This game teaches letter recognition, word recognition, capital and lowercase, and spelling.

The video game was published by Hi Tech Expressions, for ages 3 to 6.

Ernie's Big Splash, one of the mini games present, was originally a stand alone title released for IBM PC DOS in 1986,[19][20] but later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System with other new mini games in 1990. On NES, it was released on the cartridge Sesame Street ABC, supplementing Letter-Go-Round. At some point in time, the game was released for the Unisys ICON operating system, a platform commissioned by the Ontario education system. No copies of this format exist, as the last ICON computers and software were destroyed in the early-2000s.[citation needed]

Sesame Street 1-2-3

Sesame Street 1-2-3 featured two different games: "Astro-Grover," and "Ernie's Magic Shapes", and was released for the NES in 1989.

In Ernie's Magic Shapes, you had to match the right symbol to a base symbol. This game teaches shape and color recognition, and is the only game in the NES line-up of Sesame Street games, that has a tutorial mode, so players can learn how to play.

In Astro-Grover, Grover and his little aliens buddies called 'Zips' teach basic math like counting, adding, and subtracting. Some games include finding the correct number to answer a question, or trying to find a group of the correct number of Zips.

It was developed by Rare and published by Hi-Tech Expressions.

Sesame Street: Big Bird's Hide and Speak

Sesame Street: Big Bird's Hide and Speak is a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. It was the first NES game to feature a digitized voice, in the form of Big Bird. This game stars Big Bird and co-stars Little Bird, and features Bert, Ernie, The Count, Grover, and Elmo.

The game was developed by RSP Inc. and published by Hi Tech Expressions.[21]

All four sides of the D-pad move Little Bird to the next window clockwise; A and B Buttons both choose a window. The center buttons (Start and Select) exit to the game select screen.

The game's objective is to choose the correct character or letter, with six different levels. The first two levels are based on simply choosing the window instructed by Big Bird, while the next two needed memorizing since the windows close. In the fifth level, the player has to spell the three-letter word instructed by choosing the right letters. In the last level the player must attempt to spell the most number of different words before a time limit, the letters in the windows change after a new word is created.[22]

Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival

Main article: Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival

Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival is the first of four Sesame Street games targeting the Wii and Nintendo DS to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with a PC version also available. It was developed by Black Lantern Studios and released in 2010 alongside Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure. The Nintendo versions utilize motion controls and are packaged with special Wii Remote and Nintendo DS stylus jackets that are intended to make them comfortable to use for young children. This game teaches basic math.

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Sesame Street Counting Cafe

Sesame Street: Counting Cafe is a Sega Genesis game published by EA. Players learn how to count numbers with Grover as he tries to count, climb, and jump while collecting food items for counting. Bert has a tendency to throw an egg in the mass and alter the order.[23]

North America was the only region in which the game was released; it uses the American English language.

Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure

Main article: Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure

Sesame Street: Elmo's A-to-Zoo is the second of four Sesame Street games targeting the Wii and Nintendo DS to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with a PC version also available. It was developed by Black Lantern Studios and released in 2010 alongside Cookie's Counting Carnival. The Nintendo versions utilize motion controls and are packaged with special Wii Remote and Nintendo DS stylus jackets that are intended to make them comfortable to use for young children. This game pairs knowledge of the alphabet with an overview of animals.

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Sesame Street: Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece

Main article: Sesame Street: Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece

Sesame Street: Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece is the last of four Sesame Street games targeting the Wii and Nintendo DS to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It was developed by Griptonite Games and released in 2012. As with Ready, Set, Grover! and the Nintendo versions of Elmo's A-to-Zoo and Cookie's Counting Carnival, this game utilizes motion controls and is packaged with special Wii Remote and Nintendo DS stylus jackets that are intended to make them comfortable to use for young children. This game intends to teach about musical instruments and using them to play songs.

This was one of the final videogame appearances of Jerry Nelson's voice of Count von Count before Nelson passed away in August 2012 of the year this game was released.

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Sesame Street: Letters

Sesame Street: Letters is an interactive Sesame Street computer game that was originally developed by the Children's Television Workshop in 1991. it was reissued by Creative Wonders in 1994, and The Learning Company or Knowledge Adventure in 2001.

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Sesame Street: Numbers

Sesame Street: Numbers is an interactive Sesame Street computer game that was originally developed by the Children's Television Workshop in 1991. it was reissued by Creative Wonders in 1994, and The Learning Company or Knowledge Adventure in 2001.

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Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover!

Main article: Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover!

Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover! is the third of four Sesame Street games targeting the Wii and Nintendo DS to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It was developed by Griptonite Games and released in 2011. As with the Nintendo versions of Elmo's A-to-Zoo and Cookie's Counting Carnival, this game utilizes motion controls and is packaged with special Wii Remote and Nintendo DS stylus jackets that are intended to make them comfortable to use for young children. This game teaches the basics of personal health, exercise, playtime and relaxation.

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Sesame Street: Sports

Sesame Street: Sports was published by NewKidCo and was released on PlayStation and Game Boy Color in 2001.[24]

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The Three Grouchketeers

The Three Grouchketeers is a 1998 CD-ROM game released in 2005 by Encore Software and Creative Wonders.

This game is a parody of Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel The Three Musketeers. Telly, Zoe and Grover are on a quest to find King Oscar's missing Royal Pig. Each has a unique talent: Telly knows about shapes, Zoe is good with animals, and Grover reads very well. They must cooperate to complete their tasks.[25]

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References

  1. ^ "DP Royal Archives - Coke Wins: The True Story". www.digitpress.com. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  2. ^ "Big Bird's Egg Catch". GameFAQs.
  3. ^ "Cookie Monster Munch for Atari 2600". MobyGames. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  4. ^ "Cookie Monster Munch". AtariProtos.
  5. ^ "Geo plays cookie monster quest". YouTube.
  6. ^ "Cookie monster%27s quest - Bing".
  7. ^ AtariProtos - Counts castle
  8. ^ "Sesame Street Countdown « Just Games Retro". justgamesretro.com. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  9. ^ Elmo's Deep Sea Adventure - Kids Software Review
  10. ^ Elmo's letter adventure at GameFAQs
  11. ^ "Elmo's Number Journey Review". Discovery Education. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  12. ^ "Elmo's Number Journey". Speedrun. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Sesame Street Elmo's Preschool CD-ROM Reaches PC Data'S TOP 10". creativewonders.com. January 27, 1997. Archived from the original on January 21, 1998. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  14. ^ "Elmo Through the Looking-Glass". Kids Software Review. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  15. ^ Elmo's ABCs at GameFAQs
  16. ^ Elmo's 123s at GameFAQs
  17. ^ Get Set To Learn! at GameFAQs
  18. ^ Oscar's Trash Race at GameFAQs
  19. ^ Soap in the Bathroom: Ernie's Big Splash Archived October 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "Ernie's Big Splash (1986) - PC Game".
  21. ^ Big Bird's Hide & Speak at GameFAQs
  22. ^ "Retro video game review big birds hide speak nest". voices.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  23. ^ "Manufacturer's Product Description". Tripod. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  24. ^ "Sesame Street: Sports". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  25. ^ "The Three Grouchketeers". Kids Software Review. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
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