When I started my micro-series section in 2019, I thought I'd like to maybe include a few shows-within-shows, and at least a couple of those were recurring sketches on Sesame Street. Of course, the show started in 1969 (six years before I was born), and it's still going today. So there were undoubtedly sketches from before my time (some of which I may have seen later in reruns/recycling in later episodes), and lots of sketches from long after I stopped watching the show. And even some of the segments I did see when I was a kid (late 1970s to mid 80s) I either wouldn't remember now or wouldn't care about. But there were definitely some I do still remember fondly, so I'll list some of them here.
Billy Jo Jive
BCDB; Muppet Wiki; Museum of UnCut Funk; YouTube
This is the main thing I wanted to include in my micro-series section, perhaps because it has the least intrinsic connection to Sesame Street. It's based on a series of children's books I've never read. It's from the late 70s/early 80s, and definitely has the Blaxploitation vibe from that era down (but without feeling exploitative). Billy Jo Jive and his partner, Smart Susie Sunset, are young detectives who take on cases involving kids their own age. (Though not all of the cases really seem like jobs for detectives, but more just giving clients advice, or whatever.) I'm not sure what else to say. Except Susie seems more knowledgeable than Billy Jo. Anyway, the series is fairly nostalgic, and reasonably fun, in a simplistic fashion. And I feel like it must have been at least partly an inspiration for later shows, such as Fillmore. (Maybe.)
Monsterpiece Theater
Muppet Wiki; Wikipedia; YouTube
This series was a parody of Masterpiece Theatre. It was hosted by Cookie Monster, calling himself "Alistair Cookie," a name that parodied Alistair Cooke, who was the host of "Masterpiece Theatre" at the time. (I always found that rather clever.) The episode that I mainly remember is "Me, Claudius," though I'm sure if I rewatched old episodes on YouTube or something, a lot of them would probably be familiar to me. Anyway, the series was amusing and now it feels nostalgic.
Sesame Street News Flash
Muppet Wiki; Wikipedia; YouTube
Kermit the Frog dressed in a trench coat and acted as a roving reporter, covering stories about fairy tales and nursery rhymes, or whatever. I don't remember it well, but I'm sure I must have found it amusing.
Super Grover
Muppet Wiki; Wikipedia; YouTube
Grover dressed as a superhero (with a cape and helmet), and tried to help people with their problems. He could fly, but he sucked at landings, and at problem-solving in general. I really don't remember anything specific about this, except at the end of the introduction by a narrator, he would always say "And I'm cute, too." This definitely isn't one of my favorite recurring sketches, but... I felt it was worth mentioning, I guess.