JUST TO MAKE THE COUNT HAPPY:

Just to make The Count happy:

Bringing Sesame Street to Cape Girardeau requires two 48-foot tractor-trailer units that will roll in from the previous show in Evansville, Ind. The trucks weigh nearly 30 tons.

The eight-person crew includes a master carpenter, assistant carpenter, master electrician, assistant electrician, master sound/assistant electrician, property master, wardrobe mistress and wardrobe assistant.

Once they arrive, 15 local stagehands will spend eight hours setting up the show, which uses more than 4,700 light bulbs and 20 miles of wire.

The 17-member Sesame Street Live casts, which travel by bus, include gymnasts, break dancers, roller skaters, all types of dancers, body builders, ice skaters, models and aerobics instructors.

Each of the four 1992-1993 Sesame Street Live productions will travel about 20,000 miles during the 10-month season.

Backstage, the wardrobe mistress and assistant will keep track of Bert and Ernie's size-15 shoes and Super Ernie's cape. Two local dressers will help the performers with the quick changes required by the show.

Big Bird's costume is made from 4,000 dyed turkey feathers, each one sewn to a piece of yellow organdy fabric.

Big Bird has only three fingers on each hand, while Cookie Monster has five and most other characters have four.

The costumes were created by Jim Henson Productions Inc. in New York City, along with the VEE costume shop in Minneapolis, Minn.