Hi-Ho: The best bits of Sesame Street

[kalowski]

I probably could have put this in Comedy Chat.
Wasn't it just the best?
Here's a few I love
Don Music rewrites Row Your Boat

Forgetful Jones sings Oklahoma

Put Down the Duckie

Over to you to remind me of this frigging amazing show.

[Gulftastic]

Possibly the peak of US kids TV

https://youtu.be/_ul7X5js1vE?si=XNUwV6_bDY5Ing9o

No idea how to post the screen shot link.

[kalowski]

Possibly the peak of US kids TV

https://youtu.be/_ul7X5js1vE?si=XNUwV6_bDY5Ing9o

No idea how to post the screen shot link.

Can you imagine seeing this for the first time? Amazing.

[touchingcloth]

Forgetful Jones sings Oklahoma

This is what I thought about when I saw the thread title. I must have been 8 or so when I saw it on the telly, and don't think I've seen it since but it's stuck with me to this day. It's possibly the only bit of Sesame Street content I can remember with any clarity - I can bring to mind snippets of the count counting or Oscar grouching or numbers and letters appearing out of the ground or whatever, but most of them are indistinct and probably polluted by things I've seen repeated and parodied elsewhere.

Good setup and gag, though, that Oklahoma! sketch. I've always loved sketch comedy and especially sketches with daft punchlines like that, and I wonder whether Kermit is responsible for that, in hindsight.

[extraordinary walnuts]

So classic

[Ferris]

I've watched a lot of Sesame Street in the last few years with my son and it's the only thing he watches that I actually enjoy watching with him.

The old stuff is better obviously, all Paul Simon and Johnny Cash, but even up to the 2000s it was great. Still sort of is.

[bgmnts]

Not a big Sesame Street fan but this is brill:

[Ferris]

Just realized I told a lie, I also unironically enjoy Bluey.

[letsgobrian]

Love any of the Bud Luckey animations and songs, but particularly this one:

[madhair60]

the end of this makes me laugh every single time I see it

[madhair60]

this is the most precious thing ever

[Huxleys Babkins]

Always felt sorry for the kids, having the illusion spoilt by having to act with the puppets. Like coming downstairs on Christmas Eve to find your mum putting the presents under the tree, but in front of millions of people.

[letsgobrian]

"Oh no, it's you!" The internal continuity of Mr Johnson continually encountering Grover in both restaurant and non-restaurant scenarios tickles me.

Similarly, Grover as a door to door salesman selling Kermit things he does not need.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

"No cookie, no guessing game with clues! Arrivederci, Frog."

Lovely bit of Canterbury style incidental music in this sequence. MIIIIILK!

[Brundle-Fly]

You'll all be singing it tomorrow.

[spaghetamine]

this is the most precious thing ever

glad to see somebody else posted this, it's lovely

[Ferris]

this is the most precious thing ever

My son does this. He understands its important to try and make people laugh (no idea where he's picked that up from) but little kids don't have enough frames of reference to do truly off the wall stuff so they just say something that doesn't make sense and hope for a laugh.

Ferris Jr typically plumps for "oingo-boingo" or "Mr potato-head" but the logic is the same. It's really nice/surreal to see it mirrored in another little kid actually, thanks for posting it.

Always felt sorry for the kids, having the illusion spoilt by having to act with the puppets. Like coming downstairs on Christmas Eve to find your mum putting the presents under the tree, but in front of millions of people.

Below a certain age they maintain the illusion. In the video madhair posted that I quoted above, the little kid absolutely thinks she's talking to a real Kermit the frog. It's very charming.

[Ignatius_S]

Always felt sorry for the kids, having the illusion spoilt by having to act with the puppets. Like coming downstairs on Christmas Eve to find your mum putting the presents under the tree, but in front of millions of people.

What puppet? This thread is about Sesame Street.

[Ignatius_S]

Saw this news story earlier - I've always liked Cookie Monster.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/04/cookie-monster-shrinkflation-sherrod-brown

[kalowski]

Some wonderful clips, guyse, keep 'em coming.

[touchingcloth]

The old stuff is better obviously, all Paul Simon and Johnny Cash, but even up to the 2000s it was great. Still sort of is.

It's still going? Belt my Kermit.

[touchingcloth]

Some wonderful clips, guyse, keep 'em coming.

This has sent me down a rabbit hole. The Sesame Street wiki has a page on John John, but more surprisingly it looks like it maintains a synopsis of every. Episode. Ever. https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Sesame_Street_Episodes

And, er, this https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sesame-street-john-john/

[Ferris]

It's still going? Belt my Kermit.

Honestly, it's obviously been sold to someone (Disney?) and they are using the IP to parp out the same high-fructose telly you can get anywhere. You'd never get a moment like, well, anything that's been posted here included in the likes of fuckin Mecha Builders for example.

The annoying thing is that my son prefers the new shit because it's big and loud and colourful, and that's what children like. Sesame Street was really unique by being knowingly a bit shonky and genuine and prioritizing that, rather than trying to challenge yer Blippis and so on.

The '70s-'00s incarnation wasn't a media product trying to compete. Now it is.

[Ferris]

Showed my son the "Cookie Monster" alphabet thing with Kermit and it's the funniest thing he's ever seen. His words, not mine. He is still laughing at it.

Thanks again @madhair60 for sharing it. I'm gonna be hearing random interjections of "cookie monster" a whole lot more I suspect.

[Dr Rock]

[kalowski]

You'd never get a moment like, well, anything that's been posted here included in the likes of fuckin Mecha Builders for example.

Holy bajesus.

[frajer]

Great thread!

James Gandolfini talking about getting scared is absolutely wonderful:

[letsgobrian]

Honestly, it's obviously been sold to someone (Disney?) and they are using the IP to parp out the same high-fructose telly you can get anywhere. You'd never get a moment like, well, anything that's been posted here included in the likes of fuckin Mecha Builders for example.

The annoying thing is that my son prefers the new shit because it's big and loud and colourful, and that's what children like. Sesame Street was really unique by being knowingly a bit shonky and genuine and prioritizing that, rather than trying to challenge yer Blippis and so on.

The '70s-'00s incarnation wasn't a media product trying to compete. Now it is.

It's still solely owned by Sesame Workshop (formerly The Children's Television Workshop). The things like Mecha Builders are extra material produced as part of the 5 year distribution deal with HBO Max rather than part of the show itself.

[Pink Gregory]

a-one two three
four five six
seven eight nine
ten eleven twelve
ladybugs came
to the ladybug's picniiiic

[notjosh]

Sensational thread. Somehow I've never really got into the Muppets, but I can happily sit up till the wee hours watching old Sesame Street. Just love how earnest and unaffected it all is.

Some faves...

Wonderful song with Buffy Sainte-Marie, which I firt encountered on Chauncey Gardiner's television in Being There. (Context: Big Bird is jealous because Buffy has had a baby and he thinks she loves them instead of him now).

Absolute ear-worm:

Maybe the saddest thing ever, when Big Bird learns about death:

And this is lovely and a must watch at the end of every Christmas day. Apparently the children joining in the sign language was a surprise for Bob, and you can see the joy on his face when he realises:

I have to go now there's SOMETHING IN MY EYE.