Episode 5401

Picture	Segment 	Description
 	COLD OPEN 	Elmo tells the viewer about friends.
 	SCENE 1 	Elmo looks at all of his Sesame Street friends on the community mural. Elmo then overhears some friends talking to each other...
 	SCENE 1 cont'd	Elmo walks in on Rudy, frustrated in his game of Simon Says, forgetting he has to say "Simon says" for Abby or Tamir to follow his requests. Then, reporter Grover appears with an unplugged mic to ask: "Can they be friends?" Reporter Grover asks Tamir what grade he is in, to which Tamir answers second grade. Grover points out that the other three are in preschool, meaning they are completely different ages. "Can they be friends?" Grover asks. Grover assumes not, but the four friends tell him otherwise: that, in fact, they can still be friends. They like to do lots of things together, such as making art, gardening, dancing, and (as Rudy points out) singing. Everyone joins Rudy in a song, but not before he says, "Simon says."
 	SCENE 1 cont'd	At the laundromat, Nina and Gordon are listening to a baseball game on the radio. When the Swallows hit a home run after the Ostriches fail to catch a ball, Gordon cheers, but Nina responds in disappointment. Then Grover, talking to a nonexistent camera asks: can they be friends even though they cheer for different teams? Once again, Grover is caught off guard when Gordon and Nina say yes, they both like baseball, funny movies, jokes, and singing. Nina and Gordon then lead a song about how they're always there for each other.
 	SCENE 1 cont'd	Rosita and Ji-Young are riding around (Rosita on scooter, Ji-Young on skateboard) when Grover shows up once more. He asks again: can they be friends even though they ride different things? Rosita and Ji-Young once again demonstrate how despite being different in some ways, they can still be friends. After all, they both like riding, playing the guitar, and singing. The two sing a song about how no matter what they ride, they ride side-by-side. During the song, the prior six friends join along. Grover asks one last time: people (and monsters and fairies) who are all different, "Can they be friends?" His query is met with a resounding yes...except from Oscar the Grouch.
 	Insert 	Celebrating Me, Celebrating You, Celebrating Us!Dorien and Gabrielle are making drawings. Gabrielle draws a puppy, roller skates, and a dragon (because she likes stories with dragons in them). Dorien draws his parakeet, skis, and a laughing face (because he likes funny stories). Even though their drawings are different, they show they both like pets, sports, and stories. They then exchange drawings.
 	Muppets 	Elmo and friends sing and clap as they find out the letter of the day - F.
 	Celebrity 	Joined by Elmo, Abby, and Cookie Monster, Ariana DeBose sings about "What Friends are For."
 	SCENE 2 	Elmo talks about all his friends, such as Oscar, who swears Grouches don't have friends. Elmo brings up Slimey and Grundgetta, the latter of whom Oscar says he is not friends with, but rather they just like to complain about the same things. Elmo thinks that's sweet, and Oscar's objection is interrupted by the Foodie Truck...
 	Muppets 	Cookie Monster's Foodie TruckCam orders some Vietnamese spring rolls to share with his friends. Contrary to Cookie Monster's belief, a spring roll is not a spring with two rolls attached. In order to complete the recipe, they need to travel to the farm to obtain some Mung bean.
 	Muppets 	Elmo and Abby pose as astronauts and sing about finding the number of the day by counting Martians. Today, there are 20.
 	Cartoon 	Sesame Street Nature ExplorersElmo, Tango, and Gabrielle find a monarch butterfly in Grandma Nell's garden. The butterfly flies away, and Elmo and Gabrielle try to get it to come back. They chase the butterfly and discover that the butterfly prefers different kinds of flowers over others. Nell teaches them that those flowers (coneflower, milkweed, and blazing star) are liked more because of the nectar. They plant those flowers in the garden, and the butterfly (with some friends) returns.
 	SCENE 3 	In front of the mural, Grover explains that friends are different in many ways but also the same in many ways. Elmo asks, "Can they be friends?" Grover says, "Hey, that's my line" and answers yes. Grover then tells the audience, "See you next time on Sesame Street!" to which Elmo responds, "That was Elmo's line."
==Supporting cast==
*Tyler Bunch as the radio announcer 
==Notes==
*New Muppet character Joey makes a cameo appearance in the laundromat while Nina and Gordon listen to the baseball game.Sebastiano Ricci on Instagram
==Gallery==
5401-ElmoGrover.jpg
5401-groupwide.jpg
5401-GordonGroup.jpg
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
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Category:Sesame Street Episode Season 54