Product Details

• Actors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson, Sonia Manzano
• Directors: Jim Henson, Bob Schwarz, Eva Saks, Jim Martin, Jon Stone
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Live, NTSC
• Language: English, Spanish
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sesame Street
• VHS Release Date: February 6, 1996
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630227608X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,784 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Variety and simplicity, August 13, 2001

By 

Stefanie N (Schuyler, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sesame Street - Learning About Letters [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you are looking for an introduction to letters for your child, this is a wonderful video. Through entertaining skits and a variety of visuals, the Sesame Street Gang go through the alphabet while coming up with words that begin with each letter. The sequence of photos of street signs and billboards which zero in on each letter in order is a real favorite with our 28-month old and has led to his interest in street signs and letter recognition in our own neighborhood. The pace is leisurely enough for toddlers who are just learning sounds, yet contains enough music and animated sequences to capture the attention of squirmy kids--if you happen to have one of those. Please note: There is no Elmo in this video, which to my mind is a plus but may be a disappointment to rabid Elmo fans.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL video for teaching the alphabet!, August 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sesame Street - Learning About Letters [VHS] (VHS Tape)

My 24-month-old son has a speech delay. He knows only about 15 words, even though he's been receiving speech therapy. Imagine my surprise, then, when he started holding up his alphabet blocks this week and saying the names of several letters out loud! I've been playing this video for him every morning while he eats his breakfast, and he's obviously been learning. He can say the names of about eight letters, and can identify most of the rest by pointing if I ask him to. He's now pointing at letters everywhere ... on the box of diaper wipes, in his books, everywhere ... and saying the names of the letters out loud. He loves this video, and so do I. It reminds me of the Sesame Street shows I used to watch when I was a child. (Put it this way ... I like this video so much, I'm buying a second one in case the first one wears out!)

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the ABC bunch!, April 11, 2005

By 

tenforanickel "tenforanickel" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sesame Street - Learning About Letters (DVD)

This is the oldest, and probably the best, Sesame Street ABC video currently available on DVD. Big Bird and Telly Monster take us on a tour of the alphabet, illustrating each letter with a word. Intercut with this material are a variety of classic filmed and animated pieces. These include...

* Leana Horne sings the alphabet song
* Cookie Monster sings "C is for Cookie"
* An animation in which a fairy illustrated words beginning with F
* Kermit shows us how to draw the letter M.
* Cookie and Herry sing an M song about all the tasty food that begins with M.
* Ernie and Bert sing the L song.
* An animation in which a wizard transforms himself into things that begin with the letter R
* Letters Everywhere ( where the individual letters of the alphabet are identified in street signs -- a definite highlight for most toddlers )
* An animation illustrating the letter V in which a villian tries to steal a vase.
* A sweet, low key alphabet animation in which the letters are transformed from a variety of illustrations.

...plus some additional minor animations for letters such as G, H, K & O

The video ends with Luis reading a story about a king who banishes the letter P with predictible problematic results.

The fact that the entire alphabet is recited several times in different and entertaining ways makes this the most thorough, and likely most effective, Sesame Street ABC video. It's also notable that the video packs a great deal of quality material into a mere 30 minutes.

One final note, the video pre-dates Elmo which will be a plus or a minus depeding on your and your toddler's tastes.