Here's a look at some of the stars who have spent sunny days on Sesame Street, which begins its 35th season this month. —Amy Bonawitz
JULIA ROBERTS, 1991 The night before her appearance, Roberts was out at a premiere "till 2 or 3 in the morning," says Kevin Clash, the puppeteer for Elmo. Not that she was any less perky. "Boy, was it hard to keep her from giggling," says senior producer Carol-Lynn Parente.
JIM CARREY, 1993 For a segment on emotions, "Jim said, 'Wouldn't it be great if I was so happy that my feet just took off from the ground?'" says Clash. Says Parente: "[In the first few takes] his feet get a little carried away and some set pieces went flying."
QUEEN LATIFAH, 1993 Latifah's rap skills were tested when writers gave her a mouthful of lyrics for a "Letter O" rap. "It was a rough shoot because she didn't have a lot of time," says Parente. "But she learned it on the spot and got through it piece by piece."
DENZEL WASHINGTON, 1989 His role as a Sesame Street "grouch poet" would earn him more kudos at home than the Oscar he received the following year. "I remember his comments about his kids now finally thinking of him as a big shot," says Roscoe Orman (Gordon).
BEN STILLER, 1999 Stiller was a cutup as a piece of cheese in a sketch about friends and neighbors. "It was hard for him to keep a straight face," recalls Parente. "He had these oh-so-sexy tights on. You have to be manly to wear cheese-colored tights."
ELLEN DEGENERES, 1996 "The girl can dance," says Clash, who remembers DeGeneres boogying all over the place in a segment about sharing. Recalls Parente: "It was one of the first times we used a remote-control Elmo, so she was able to dance around with him."
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