Elmo's Christmas Countdown

Directed by:	Gary Halvorson
Written by:	Joey Mazzarino
Release date:	December 23, 2007
Running time:	44 minutes
Rating:	TV-G
Available on:	DVD Apple TV Google Amazon Video Fandango at Home

Elmo's Christmas Countdown is an ABC Christmas special, based on the PBS series Sesame Street, that premiered on December 23, 2007. It was filmed in July 2007 with the working title of Elmo's Christmas Spectacular.

The title card to the PBS version, aired as a regular Sesame Street episode

The special was later re-edited as Sesame Street Episode 4427, broadcast on PBS on November 27, 2013. This version was edited to remove the commercial fade-outs and a few lines of dialogue, and also included a shortened version of Elmo's World: Happy Holidays! as the episode's Elmo's World segment.

Synopsis

The story is told by Stiller the Elf to Stan the Snowball, recounting the year Christmas almost didn't happen. Stiller recalls that Oscar the Grouch had been researched as the one who had more Christmas joy than anyone else. As such, he plans to give him the official Christmas-Counter-Downer, without which Christmas can't happen. When he throws it away, the windows on it vanish, and it's up to Elmo to save Christmas once again.

Songs

• "It's Almost Christmas"
• "I Hate Christmas"
• "Carol of the Bells"
• "I Want a Snuffleupagus for Christmas"
• "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
• Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite"
• "I Saw Three Ships"
• "Jingle Bells"
• "You Gotta Just Believe"

Notes

• Stan, impressed by the fact that Stiller not only narrates but actually appears in the story, says that he is "a big star, like the Grinch, Frosty, or that round-headed kid who picked out that crummy tree!"
• Though Caroll Spinney performed Big Bird for most of the special, during "I Want a Snuffleupagus for Christmas" when he says "No" twice during Anne Hathaway's verse, his vocals were provided by Matt Vogel.
• This is the only Sesame Street production to never use the original brownstone set, instead using a pop-up book like set akin to Stiller's narration in the framing scenes.

• 

  Thanks to Elmo and You

  Charles Blitzen signs off for CDN News was cut from the DVD Version

Availability

A year after the special's original airing, Genius Entertainment released it on DVD.

DVD (United States)Genius Entertainment
October 14, 2008

DVD (United Kingdom)Abbey Home Media
October 27, 2008

DVD (Australia)Madman Entertainment
2009

Holiday Double Feature DVDWarner Home Video
2016

DVDShout! Studios
October 10, 2023

Cast

Muppeteer/actor/actress	Character(s)
Kevin Clash	Elmo
Caroll Spinney	Big Bird Oscar the Grouch
Leslie Carrara	Abby Cadabby
Eric Jacobson	Grover Bert
Jerry Nelson	Count von Count
David Rudman	Cookie Monster Baby Bear
Steve Whitmire	Ernie
Martin P. Robinson	Mr. Snuffleupagus
Fran Brill	Prairie Dawn
Joey Mazzarino	Stan the Snowball Papa Bear
Jennifer Barnhart	Mama Bear
Ben Stiller	Stiller the Elf
Kevin James	Santa Claus
Alicia Keys	Herself
Jamie Foxx	Himself
Sheryl Crow	Herself
Tony Sirico	Himself
Steve Schirripa	Himself
Brad Paisley	Himself
Ty Pennington	Himself
Charles Gibson	Charles Blitzen
Anne Hathaway	Herself

Gallery

Screenshots

Stiller and Stan introduce the special.

Elmo makes his entrance.

Elmo and Sheryl Crow sing "It's Almost Christmas".

Elmo meets Stiller.

Stiller presents Oscar with the Christmas Counter-Downer.

Being the grouch he is, Oscar rejects the Counter-Downer...

...and he promptly destroys it.

Stiller realizes Christmas won't come without the countdown...

...and he freaks out.

Elmo makes a wish on a star for a Christmas miracle.

Abby arrives with the number 10.

The Counter-Downer begins to work its magic.

Jennifer Hudson performs "Carol of the Bells".

Bert found the number 9 in his oatmeal.

Charles Blitzen of the CDN reports on Stiller's setback.

Elmo tells Stiller everything will be okay.

Super Grover flies in to present...

...the number 8.

"IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!"

Big Bird and Anne Hathaway perform "I Want a Snuffleupagus for Christmas".

Stiller starts looking for a new job.

Big Bird found the number 7 for Elmo.

Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa star in The Bert and Ernie Christmas Special.

And Prairie Dawn is the director.

Stiller freaks out more over the missing numbers.

Ernie comes over to present a number he found.

Elmo and Abby think it's the number 6...

...but it's actually the number 5.

Elmo waits for number 6 to show up.

Elmo and Alicia Keys sing "Do You Hear What I Hear?".

Alicia reveals she found the number 6.

Charles gives another report about Stiller.

Elmo and Jamie Foxx perform The Nutcracker Suite.

Stiller has a hard time staying calm.

The three bears present numbers 4, 3, and 2.

Charles toots for Stiller.

To stay calm, Stiller does some elf yoga.

The Count performs "I Saw Three Ships" with Ty Pennington.

Grover and Brad Paisley perform "Jingle Bells".

Stiller admits to Elmo that he now believes in miracles...

...and he finds the number 1.

The Christmas Counter-Downer is finally complete.

The last box has a cookie, which Cookie Monster takes an interest in...

...resulting in him eating the Counter-Downer whole.

Stiller admits Christmas will never come.

"Don't you just love the holidays?"

Elmo tells Stiller to believe more.

Stiller enlists the viewer's help to believe with them.

Santa makes his grand entrance.

Santa talks with Elmo and the others.

Santa and the Muppets sing "You Gotta Just Believe".

Stiller thanks Elmo for helping him believe in miracles.

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

Stan ending the film.

Behind the Scenes

Videos

Sesame Street Jingle Bells with Brad Paisley and Grover

"Jingle Bells" with Brad Paisley and Grover

External links

• Muppet Wiki: Elmo's Christmas Countdown
• Elmo's Christmas Countdown at the Internet Movie Database
• Tough Pigs: Elmo's Christmas Smackdown