Knowing how to get to Sesame Street based on personal experience has become a celebrity right of passage over the past few decades.
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Famous guests to drop by and meet Big Bird, Elmo, Grover, Oscar The Grouch, Abby Cadabby, Two-Headed Monster, Murray Monster and other Muppets include the likes of Adam Sandler, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Ryan Reynolds, Robin Williams, Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, Emma Stone, David Beckham and Buzz Aldrin.
On the musical end of the spectrum, Sesame Street has hosted Destiny's Child ("New Way to Walk" shortened the degrees of separation between Beyonce and Bert & Ernie) plus Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monae, Ray Charles, Bruno Mars and Andrea Bocelli.
Beyond pop stars, rappers, rockers and soul singers, cameos on the show that brought us Cookie Monster have included a who's-who of country singers, from legends like Johnny Cash to contemporary star Maren Morris.
Read on to rediscover some of Sesame Street's best crossover moments with Nashville celebs.
1. Waylon Jennings
Jennings' appearance on Sesame Street's big-screen debut Follow That Bird (1985) gets a lot of attention online, but did you know that Hoss also appeared on the PBS series? He reconnected with voice actor Caroll Spinney, who'd sung duets on the album Sesame Country with Glen Campbell, Crystal Gayle and Tanya Tucker, for a sing-along about Big Bird's building blocks, "Wrong."
2. Johnny Cash
Cash dropped by Oscar's trash can to tell the story of a mean hombre named Nasty Dan. As the song title implies, Cash's leading man is Oscar's kind of guy. Wonder how non-Sesame Street Muppet Gonzo would've reacted to Cash's "Chicken in Black?"
3. Loretta Lynn
Lynn made a couple of guest appearances over the years on the series, including this opportunity from 1981 to sing "Count on Me" with The Count. Where do you think a singing vampire puppet ranks among Lynn's best duet partners: a list that includes Ernest Tubb and Conway Twitty?
4. Randy Travis
One of country music's all-time great vocalists took it to the Street, performing the songs "You've Gotta Ask Some Questions" and Telly duet "How Should I Tell You I Love You."
5. Mary Chapin Carpenter
Who's a better guest star to teach kids (and a star-studded cast of Muppets) about self-acceptance than Mary Chapin Carpenter, an artist known for both creativity and confidence?
6. Garth Brooks
Any list of best celebrity guests from Sesame Street should mention Garth Brooks. One of the top-earning recording artists in history taught kids a valuable lesson with "Different Friends" before returning with "We Make Music."
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7. Trisha Yearwood
Yearwood's appearance brought us "I'm Talkin' Love," a song about making the best of long-distance friendships.
8. The Chicks
Long before Ellen DeGeneres landed scoops about Gaslighter, the artists formerly known as The Dixie Chicks appeared on Sesame Street to "Sing No Letter Better" with Big Bird and friends.
9. Carrie Underwood
A blonde did have the most fun in this case. Instead of singing a kid-friendly country tune as herself, Underwood voiced parody character Carrie Underworm, singer of the "Worm Anthem" at the Squirmadega Car Race.
10. Maren Morris
For a more recent example of a country star kicking it with Big Bird, revisit Morris' addition to the Sesame Street playlist, "Oops! Whoops! Wait, Aa ha!" It teaches kids that it's okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.
11. Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Ballerini joined Elmo and Big Bird for a special performance as part of the show's Family Day programming. The country star sang about the different structures of families to make kids in any situation feel special.
12. Kacey Musgraves
Scooby-Doo guest and past Elmo collaborator Kacey Musgraves stopped by the Street in late 2021, where the cast helped the Grammy winner pick out a favorite color.
This story previously ran on June 22, 2021.
