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1971 first edition album cover.

The Muppet Alphabet Album was the first Sesame Street album that was hosted solely by the Muppets without assistance from the human cast. It was originally packaged in a gatefold sleeve, featuring visualizations of each letter of the alphabet by Smollin Associates. The original package contained 26 small punch-out letter-shaped books illustrating the songs, plus a letter-shaping pipe cleaner, a blackboard and chalk. The songs from this album were also released on seven consecutively numbered 45-rpm, 7-inch records. The album was also released simultaneously on a "Carry About" boxed set of 45s. The LP edition reached #189 on Billboard's Top LP's chart in early 1972. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children, but lost to the cast album from The Electric Company.

The 1976 reissue dropped the inserts, and the gatefold contained new "Learn Your Letters" artwork which did not directly correspond to the content of the songs. In 1977, the album was reissued as part of the 3-LP boxed set, Letters, Numbers and Signs.

This album was reissued many times over the years on records, cassettes and 8-tracks, sometimes with slight title changes. More recently, a new CD and cassette edition was released, under the title Sing the Alphabet, with some minor changes (see below for details).

Track listing

Side One

1. The Opening - Cast
2. The Sound of the Letter A * - Big Bird
   Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
3. Oscar's B Sandwich - Oscar
   Music by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
4. C Is for Cookie * - Cookie Monster
   Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
5. Dee, Dee, Dee * - Ernie
   Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
6. E What's My Letter * - Guy Smiley and Prairie Dawn
   Written by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
7. Four Furry Friends - Grover, Herry Monster, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster
   Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
8. Two G Sounds * - Grover and George
   Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
9. Ha Ha - Harvey Kneeslapper, Herry Monster and Big Bird
   Music by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
10. I Stand Up Straight and Tall * - Grover
    Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
11. J Friends * - The Anything Muppets
    Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
12. K Herbert's Silly Poem - Herbert Birdsfoot
    Written by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
13. La, La, La * - Bert and Ernie
    Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
14. M-M-M Monster Meal * - Herry Monster and Cookie Monster
    Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
15. The Noodle Story - Big Bird and Oscar
    Written by Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo

Side Two

1. Would You Like to Buy an O? * - Lefty the Salesman and Ernie
   Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
2. P My Favorite Letter * - The Anything Muppets
   Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
3. The Question Song * - Grover and a Little Girl
   Music by Jeff Moss, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
4. The R Machine - Ernie and Bert
   Written by Jim Henson
5. Sammy the Snake * - Sammy
   Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
6. The Tale of Tom Tattertall Tuttletut - Herbert Birdsfoot and the Anything Muppets
   Written by Jerry Juhl, Muisc by Joe Raposo
7. U Lecture - Professor Hastings
   Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
8. Very, Very Special Letter - Big Bird
   Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss
9. The National Association of W Lovers * - Bert
   Music by Joe Raposo, Lyrics by Jerry Juhl
10. X Marks the Spot! * - Sherlock Hemlock
    Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
11. Y Just Because* - Grover and a Little Girl
    Written by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl, Music by Joe Raposo
12. The Zizzy Zoomers * - the Anything Muppets
    Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo
13. The Closing - Cast

* this track is known to have been performed on the show

Edits

On some later non-record editions of this album, the following section of dialogue has been cut from the end of side 2, after Big Bird says, "What's the alphabet?" and everybody groans:

Bert: Well, don't just sit there. Turn the record over and let's start again.

Big Bird: Hey, if they turn the record over, won't we all fall off?

Then the closing music plays, on all versions.

Other releases

LP1976 Sesame Street Records CC 25503 (reissue cover)	CassetteSesame Street Records C 5003	8-trackSesame Street Records T 5003	CassetteSesame Street Records C 79010 The Muppet Alphabet Cassette (reissue title)
LPAustralia Axis Records AXIS 6322	CassetteAustralia Axis Records TC-AXIS 6322	LPAustralia Summit Records 8002	CassetteAustralia Summit Records 8002
CassetteSight & Sound GNL-206	CassetteSight & Sound 62229	Cassette1987 MPI Production Sing-Along Pack	Cassette1990 Golden Music 4107 The Sesame Street Alphabet Album (reissue title)
CDJapan, 1991 Sony Records SRCS 5451 The Sesame Street Alphabet Album (reissue title)

Sing the Alphabet

Released in 1996, Sing the Alphabet is a retitled CD and cassette reissue of The Muppet Alphabet Album. The opening and closing dialogue tracks from the original album are included. The opening is combined with "The Sound of the Letter A", and the closing, which is combined with "The Zizzy Zoomers," omits some dialogue mentioning that this is a record album (see "Edits" section above). This version of the album opens with a new recording of ABC-DEF-GHI, sung by Elmo, and includes a lyric booklet.

This album was reissued on CD by Koch Records on March 4, 2008. The re-released album included the same track listing; however, it featured new cover art.

Credits

• Produced by Jim Henson
• Associate Producer for the Muppets: Diana Birkenfield
• Written by Joe Raposo, Jeff Moss and Jerry Juhl
• With the talents of Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson, Fran Brill and Jim Henson
• Original Concept and Design by Arthur Shimkin
• Visuals by Smollin Associates

Cast

• Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar
• Kevin Clash as Elmo (Sing the Alphabet versions only)
• Frank Oz as Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover and Harvey Kneeslapper
• Jerry Nelson as Herbert Birdsfoot, Sherlock Hemlock, Herry Monster, Sammy the Snake and George
• Fran Brill as Prairie Dawn and various Little Girls
• Jim Henson as Ernie and Guy Smiley

Uncredited

• Jerry Juhl as the Queen, with Jeff Moss and Joe Raposo as background characters

Other releases

Cassette1996 Sony Wonder LT 67747 LT 67748

CDAustralia EMI 72435 31857 2

CassetteAustralia EMI 72435 31857 4

CD2008 Koch Records KOC-CD-4475

See also

• Sesame Street Discography