Changes: Elmo's Christmas Countdown

Revision as of 15:12, 28 October 2019

Elmo's Christmas Countdown is an hour-length Christmas special based on the children's television show Sesame Street. It premiered on Sunday, December 23, 2007, at 7:00 pm, on ABC. The special was filmed in July 2007 with the working title of Elmo's Christmas Spectacular.

The special was later re-edited as Sesame Street Episode 4427, broadcast on PBS on November 27, 2013. This version of the special 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 Oscar throws it away, the windows on it vanish, and it's up to Elmo to once again save Christmas.

Songs

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

Trivia

Stan the Snowball, impressed by the fact that Stiller the Elf not only narrates but actually appears in the story, says that he is "a big star, like the Grinch, or Frosty, or that round-headed kid who picked out that crummy tree!"

Availability

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

Cast

Actor / Muppeteer	Character
Kevin Clash	Elmo
Carroll Spinney	Big Bird Oscar the Grouch
Leslie Carrara	Abby Cadabby
Eric Jacobson	Grover Bert
Jerry Nelson	Count Von Count
David Rudman	Cookie Monster
Steve Whitmire	Ernie
Martin P. Robinson	Mr. Snuffleupagus
Ben Stiller	Stiller the Elf

Videos

Sesame_Street_Jingle_Bells_with_Brad_Paisley_and_Grover

External links

Jim Henson Productions and Related Shows

Specials
Sesame Street and related shows	Christmas Eve on Sesame Street • A Special Sesame Street Christmas • Elmo Saves Christmas • Elmo's World: Happy Holidays! • A Sesame Street Christmas Carol • Elmo's Christmas Countdown • "Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten" • "Christmas Special (Barrio Sésamo)" • Christmas with Ernie & Bert • "Jul med Jeppe, Marie og Elmo" • "A Christmas Present in Summer" • "Boot" • "Monster Monster Day" • Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas • "A Furchester Christmas" • "Holiday at Hooper’s" • Sesame Street: The Nutcracker Starring Elmo & Tango • "Yip Yip Tree Tree" / "The Snowman Scarecrow"
The Muppets	John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together • A Muppet Family Christmas • The Muppet Christmas Carol • It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie • "Christmas (From the Balcony)" • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa • "Ringing of the Bells" • Lady Gaga & the Muppets' Holiday Spectacular • "Single All the Way" • "Ho Ho Ho!" • "Christmas" (Muppet Moments) • "Santa Claus" (Muppet Moments) • "A Very Muppet Babies Christmas" / "Summer's Super Fabulous Holiday Surprise" • "It's a Wonderful Elf-bot" / "A Merry Litter Christmas"
Other shows and specials	The Jimmy Dean Show: Episode 114 • The Jimmy Dean Show: Episode 214 • The Jimmy Dean Show: Episode 314 • Santa Claus Routine with Arthur Godfrey • Christmas Reindeers • The Great Santa Claus Switch • Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas • "The Bells of Fraggle Rock" • The Christmas Toy • "Refrigerator Day" • Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree • "Mrs. Zabarelli's Holiday Baton" • "The Siberian Tiger and the Reindeer" • "A Berry Bear Christmas" • "Holidays" • "Hooblebumper Box Day" • "Oh Christmas Tree" • "Sid's Holiday Adventure" • "Cretaceous Conifers" • "Don's Winter Wish" • "The Annoying Orange Generic Holiday Special" • "Orange Carol" • "Joy to the World (Pajanimals)" • "War on Christmas (No, You Shut Up!)" • "A New York Christmas to Remember" • "A Song For Everyone" • "The Holiday Tree" • "Whitebeard/Coral Day" • "Traditions on Ice" • "Night of the Lights"

Albums

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street • Merry Christmas from Sesame Street • John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together • A Sesame Street Christmas • Elmo Saves Christmas: Holiday Favorites • A Green and Red Christmas • Bob! from Sesame Street: Christmas Sing Along • Holiday Classics . It's Christmas Time

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Italic title}}
-{{title|image=Elmoschristmascountdown.jpg|director=Mike Nawrocki|writer=Phil Vischer|release=December 23, 2007|runtime=44 minutes|rating=TV-G|available=DVD}}
-'''''Elmo's Christmas Countdown''''' is an hour-length Christmas special based on the television show ''[[w:c:muppet:Sesame Street|Sesame Street]]''. It premiered on Sunday, December 23, 2007, at 7:00 pm, on [[Wikipedia:American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. The special was filmed in July 2007 with the working title of '''''Elmo's Christmas Spectacular'''''.
+{{title|image=Elmoschristmascountdown.jpg|director=|writer=|release=December 23, 2007|runtime=44 minutes|rating=TV-G|available=DVD<br>[https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/sesame-street-elmos-christmas/id398193180 iTunes]<br>[http://www.amazon.com/Sesame-Street-Elmos-Christmas-Countdown/dp/B005ZX5ZLQ/ Amazon Instant Video]}}
+'''''Elmo's Christmas Countdown''''' is an hour-length Christmas special based on the children's television show ''[[w:c:muppet:Sesame Street|Sesame Street]]''. It premiered on Sunday, December 23, 2007, at 7:00 pm, on {{w|American Broadcasting Company|ABC}}. The special was filmed in July 2007 with the working title of '''''Elmo's Christmas Spectacular'''''.
+[[File:4427.png|thumb|250px|The title card to the PBS version, aired as a regular ''Sesame Street'' episode.]]
+The special was later re-edited as ''Sesame Street'' [[w:c:muppet:Episode 4427|Episode 4427]], broadcast on {{w|PBS}} on November 27, 2013. This version of the special 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 ''[[w:c:muppet:Elmo's World|Elmo's World]]'' segment.
 ==Synopsis==
-[[File:ChristmasCountdown.jpg|thumb|250px]]
+[[File:ChristmasCountdown2.jpg|thumb|250px]]
 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 Oscar throws it away, the windows on it vanish, and it's up to [[Elmo]] to once again save Christmas.
+==Songs==
+* "[[It's Almost Christmas]]"
+* "[[I Hate Christmas]]"
+* "[[Carol of the Bells]]"
+* "[[I Want a Snuffleupagus for Christmas]]"
+* "[[Do You Hear What I Hear?]]"
+* "The Nutcracker Suite"
+* "[[I Saw Three Ships]]"
+* "[[Jingle Bells (song)|Jingle Bells]]"
+* "[[You Gotta Just Believe]]"
+==Trivia==
+* Stan the Snowball, impressed by the fact that Stiller the Elf not only narrates but actually appears in the story, says that he is "a big star, like [[the Grinch]], or [[Frosty]], or [[Charlie Brown|that round-headed kid]] [[A Charlie Brown Christmas|who picked out that crummy tree]]!"
 ==Availability==
 A year after the special's original airing, [[Wikipedia:Genius Products|Genius Entertainment]] released it on DVD.
+<gallery widths="200" captionalign="center" bordercolor="transparent" position="center" spacing="small" hideaddbutton="true">
-===US releases===
+Elmo's_Christmas_Countdown_DVD.jpg|{{Gallery note|DVD (United States)|Genius Entertainment<br>October 14, 2008}}
-<gallery widths="200" captionalign="center" bordersize="none" position="center" spacing="small">
-Elmo's_Christmas_Countdown_DVD.jpg|{{Gallery note|DVD|Genius Entertainment, 2008}}
+Elmoschristmascountdownukdvd.jpg|{{Gallery note|DVD (United Kingdom)|Abbey Home Media Group<br>October 27, 2008}}
+Elmoschristmascountdownaustraliandvd.png|{{Gallery note|DVD (Australia)|Madman Entertainment<br>2009}}
-</gallery>
+Sesame_Street_Holiday_Double_Feature.jpg|{{Gallery note|DVD|Warner Home Video<br>2016}}<br>Part of the ''Holiday Double Feature DVD'' with ''[[Christmas Eve on Sesame Street]]''
-===International releases===
-<gallery widths="200" captionalign="center" bordersize="none" position="center" spacing="small">
-Elmoschristmascountdownukdvd.jpg|{{Gallery note|DVD (United Kingdom)|Abbey Home Media Group, 2008}}
-Elmoschristmascountdownaustraliandvd.png|{{Gallery note|DVD (Australia)|Madman Entertainment, 2009}}
 </gallery>
 ==Cast==
+[[File:ChristmasCountdown.jpg|thumb|250px]]
 {| class="wikitable" border="1"
 ! Actor / Muppeteer
 ! Character
+|-
+| {{w|Kevin Clash}}
+| [[Elmo]]
 |-valign=top
+| {{w|Carroll Spinney}}
-| Kevin Clash || [[Elmo]]
+| [[Big Bird]]<br />[[Oscar the Grouch]]
+|-
+| Leslie Carrara
+| Abby Cadabby
 |-valign=top
+| {{w|Eric Jacobson}}
-| Carroll Spinney || [[Big Bird]]<br />[[Oscar the Grouch]]
+| [[Grover]]<br />[[Ernie and Bert|Bert]]
 |-valign=top
+| [[Jerry Nelson]]
-| Leslie Carrara || Abby Cadabby
+| [[Count Von Count]]
 |-valign=top
+| {{w|David Rudman}}
-| Eric Jacobson || [[Grover]]<br />[[Ernie and Bert|Bert]]
+| [[Cookie Monster]]
 |-valign=top
+| [[Steve Whitmire]]
-| Jerry Nelson || [[Count Von Count]]
+| [[Ernie and Bert|Ernie]]
 |-valign=top
+| {{w|Martin P. Robinson}}
-| David Rudman || [[Cookie Monster]]
+| [[Mr. Snuffleupagus]]
 |-valign=top
+| {{w|Ben Stiller}}
-| Steve Whitmire || [[Ernie and Bert|Ernie]]
+| [[Stiller the Elf]]
-|-valign=top
-| Martin P. Robinson || [[Mr. Snuffleupagus]]
-|-valign=top
-| Ben Stiller || Stiller the Elf
 |}
+==Videos==
+[[File:Sesame Street Jingle Bells with Brad Paisley and Grover|250px|center]]
 ==External links==
 * [[w:c:muppet:Elmo's Christmas Countdown|Muppet Wiki: Elmo's Christmas Countdown]]
+* {{imdb title|1077081}}
-* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077081/ ''Elmo's Christmas Countdown''] at the Internet Movie Database
 {{Muppets}}
@@ Line 53: / Line 81: @@
 [[Category:Originally aired on ABC]]
 [[Category:Santa Claus filmography]]
-[[Category:Released in the 2000s]]
+[[Category:2007 releases]]
-[[Category:Warner Home Video]]
+[[Category:Musicals]]
+[[Category:Shout! Factory]]
+[[Category:The Nutcracker]]
+[[Category:Santa's Elves filmography]]