| Category | Details |
| Title | Best Pet in the World |
| Season & Episode | Season 35, Episode 4058 |
| Lessons & Themes | Subjectivity of opinion, conflict resolution, and appreciating differences. |
| Key Segments | B.B. King sings "Letter B," Global Grover in Jordan, and the debut of the "Trash Gordon" closing. |
| Main Muppets | Zoe, Telly, Elmo, Baby Bear, Rosita, Big Bird, Snuffy |
| Human Guest(s) | Maria |
| Special Guest(s) | Joshua Bell, B.B. King |
| Letter & Number | B and 8 |
| Air Date | April 6, 2004 |
Parent's Guide
Cookie Monster and his mom chat about the letter B. B.B. King performs a song about the letter with the Muppet cast. You should use the B theme for a sound hunt around your house. The letter B makes a plosive sound. Kids love to copy this sound. Have your child find a boat or a bat. Point to a banana. Connecting a letter to a physical object is a great way to help kids develop their phonemic awareness. This step is key to helping your child learn to read.
Big Bird and Snuffy have a difference of opinion about a game. They pick between tag and hide and seek. They decide to think it through. They play one game first and the other second. They sing a song about working it out. This segment shows a step-by-step compromise. It's a good idea to encourage your child to use the "first then" strategy when they're in a disagreement. Play one game first. Next, let's try the other game. A script helps a child move from frustration to problem solving.
Zoe says her rock has a great imagination. She says Rocco's on a mission in a spaceship. You should still join the play, even if you don't see the imaginary object. When you validate a child's imagination, it strengthens their creative thinking. This is a great way to bond with your child.
Rosita teaches an elephant a Spanish word. She explains that "baila" means "dance." Physical action makes learning a language a piece of cake. Try saying "let us baila" instead of "let us dance." This makes a simple moment into a lesson.
The group steps in to stop a fight. They even set up a playdate for their pets. You should focus on the shift from competition to collaboration. A joint activity can turn a rivalry into a friendship.
The characters stop shouting. They're also considerate of their pets' feelings. It's also a good idea to teach your child to pause during a conflict. Just tell them to check the feelings of others.
Zoe and Telly are debating with Elmo and Baby Bear. They're always debating which pet is the best. Each child gives reasons why their pet is better. Maria steps in to break the deadlock. This is a great way for your child to learn about subjectivity. Kids often think there's only one right answer. Maria says that each pet is the best for its owner. Two people can have different opinions. Both people could be right. You can practice this by talking about favorite colors or foods. Emphasize that a personal choice is special. Another person's choice is also special. This helps build a foundation for empathy. It teaches respect for diversity.
Summary
Intro: My Favorite Sesame Street Moments: Joshua Bell
The first song that Joshua learned to play on the violin was the Sesame Street Theme. Following a clip of The Tokyo String Quartet. (cut from the DVD version) (cut from the YouTube version)
SCENES
Telly has a new pet now, a hamster. Her name is Chuckie Sue. Telly thinks that she is the best pet, athletic, funny, and can count to 20. But Zoe doesn’t believe that. She thinks that a hamster can not count. Zoe says that Rocco and Chuckie Sue were singing in their head.
Telly and Zoe are disgusting whether a rock has a head. Elmo says hi to Chuckie Sye than to Rocco. As Elmo learns about Zoe’s and Telly’s argument about their pets, he brings his own pet, Dorothy. For Elmo, Dorothy is the best pet. She can swim, breathe underwater, and imagine Elmo as any animal.
Zoe claims that Rocco can imagine too and she tells Rocco to imagine all of them in a spaceship. But unfortunately, no one can see Rocco’s imaginations except Zoe. They pretend that is not good to argue, it can upset their pets and they decide to stop. But Telly says he can stop if they accept that Chuckie Sue is the best pet.
As the argument continues, Baby Bear is coming in. He wants everyone’s attention. As he learns why they three arguing, he brings his own pet parrot, Ralphie. For Baby Bear, Ralphie is the best pet. He can make other animal noises.
Their argument is never-ending because they are feeling defensive towards their pets' honor. Maria is coming in and she says for every person is the best pet his own pet. At this moment they notice that the pets are saying hello to each other. So they decide to set a play date for their pets. The scene ends with the song "They’re the Best Pets".
Film
The Letter of the Day: B. The letter of the day is B, and Cookie Monster talks about this letter with his mother. She tries to get her son not to eat the letter of the day.
Animation: B for Boat
Celebrity
The Spanish Word of the Day: baila. Baila means dance and this is the word of the day. An elephant wants to dance to the music and Rosita informs him about the meaning of baila. (cut from the YouTube version)
Cartoon
Muppets
Journey to Ernie: Journey to Big Bird. Big Bird hides at the circus and Ernie seeks.
Ernie & Bert: Bert is playing checkers with his pigeon, Bernice, and Ernie are confused about that. He thinks that is amazing that a pigeon can play checkers but Bert does not think like him. He says Bernice has only beaten him in two out of ten games.
Global Grover
Cartoon
The Number of the Day: 8. The number of the day is eight. Eight bats show up and the Count reveals.
Film
Animation
Elmo's World: Bath Time
The Adventures of Trash Gordon
The Planet Mud: Muddy Mudons are attacking Trash Gordon and he gives them some apple pie a la mud. Sesame Street Episode 4058 ends.
