ABC-DEF-GHI

"ABC-DEF-GHI" is a Sesame Street song sung by Big Bird, which was first performed in the show's first season and re-recorded several times. In skits featuring this song, Big Bird sees the alphabet (often, written on a board or a sign) and interprets it as a long word that he doesn't understand. He sings it aloud, pronouncing it "ab-ca-def-gi-jeckle-mi-nop-kwer-stoov-wix-iz," attempting to decipher whatever meaning this word may have. He is eventually reassured by the adults that "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ" is not a word but the alphabet.
==Performances==
Image	Year 	Description
 	1970 	Sesame Street 
Big Bird learns words by reading signs all over Sesame Street, and points Susan to a sign in the yard, segueing into the song.
 	1970 	The Sesame Street Book & Record
Sung by Big Bird, the opening and closing dialogue with Gordon and Susan is omitted on most subsequent album releases.
 	1970 	The Flip Wilson Show
Big Bird sings the song and dances with Flip Wilson, who tells him that the word can mean anything he wants it to mean.
 	1970 	Sesame Street Episode 0133
In Gordon and Susan's apartment, Big Bird stumbles into the kitchen and ruins Gordon's peanut butter and jelly making music groove. He shows off a card he found with the alphabet on it and sings the song.
 	1970 	Children's Christmas at the White House
Sung by Big Bird, synced to The Sesame Street Book and Record recording.
 	1971 	Evening at Pops
Big Bird performs the song with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.
 	1971 	Sesame Street Episode 0298
Big Bird sings the song to Snuffy after having written the alphabet on a blackboard, claiming it to be a word.
 	1972 	Sesame Street Episode 0402
When Susan asks some kids about the longest words they know, Big Bird responds by singing the song.
 	1972 	Sesame Street 
The song is retaped with Big Bird reading the alphabet signs plastered around his nest area. This version uses audio from The Sesame Street Book & Record. Excerpts of this version are seen in the specials Sesame Street Unpaved and A&E Biography: Sesame Street
 	1973 	Sesame Street Episode 0535
Big Bird sings this song with the signs plastered around the street, as David and the Kids watch.
 	1974 	You Will Be My Music
The song was covered by the Boston Pops, conducted by Arthur Fiedler. This performance was later included on Wish Upon a Star: All-Time Children's Favorites (1996).
 	1975 	Sesame Street 
An instrumental version of the song is used for an Ice Follies sketch in which Big Bird does a solo dance on the ice.
 	1970s	Plaza Sésamo
Abelardo sings the song at the grand opening of a local park in Mexico.
 	1980 	Sesame Street Episode 1446
In a classroom, Big Bird reads out the alphabet banner and tries to guess what it means. Audio from the original first season recording is used when Big Bird performs the song.
 	1983 	Sesame Street Live - Around the World
Performed by Big Bird
 	1986 	Favorite Songs From Jim Henson's Muppets
A new recording of the song, sung by Big Bird, performed in a different key and with synth percussion instruments.
 	1987 	Sesame Street 
The song is retaped again with Big Bird and two kids, Erica and Jessica, finding a scroll of the alphabet in his toy chest, which leads to a flashback sequence of him singing the song. The prologue is often removed on video releases.
 	1987 	Big Bird and the ABCs (Sesame Street Live)
Sung by Tee Hee and Big Bird.
 	1987 	Big Bird's Animal Alphabet
Sung by Big Bird.
 	1988 	Big Bird's ABCs
Sung by Big Bird.
 	1989 	Sesame Street Episode 2616
Sung by Elmo.
 	1996 	Sesame Street Episode 3457
Bird impressionist Michael Tweeter (Michael Jeter) does an impression of Big Bird by lip-syncing to the first verse of the 1987 recording.
 	1998 	Elmopalooza
Sung by Big Bird, as part of the "Songs" medley.
 	2000 	Sesame Street Episode 3875
Sung by Stinky the Stinkweed and Big Bird.
 	2000 	Evening at Pops
Sung by Big Bird in the closing medley
 	2003 	Sesame Street Episode 4031
Big Bird sings the song as part of "Karaoke Night at Hooper's," hosted by Alan.
 	2009 	Plaza Sésamo Episodio 1049
Abelardo Montoya sings the song after seeing Manuel and Daniela make some letters.
 	2014 	BBC Radio 4
Sung by Big Bird.
 	2019 	YouTube
An animated lyric video, using the recording from The Sesame Street Book & Record, was published on the show's YouTube channel in March 2019. The video features an animated cameo by Caroll Spinney.
 	2019 	Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Sung by Big Bird and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a part of a medley
 	2020 	The Sesame Street Podcast with Foley & Friends: Episode One: ABCs
Big Bird sings the first verse of the song in the episode.
==Publications==
*Sesame Street Songbook Vol. 1
*The Sesame Street Song Book (1971, 1992 and 2007 editions)
*Favorite Songs from Jim Henson's Muppets (1986)
==See also==
*Big Bird songs
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:Sesame Street Songs
Category:Alphabet