It was a container of milk.

December 7, 2007 5:06 AM

Important AskMe Follow-up: It was a loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter.

And the video is now online, among many other Sesame St. classics. Do a search for milk on the site, and you'll find the clip we spent o-so-many hours trying to track down.

posted by Otis to MetaFilter-Related at 5:06 AM (125 comments total)

I loved that one! As a white kid growing up in a white suburb in a white country, Sesame Street was pretty much my only exposure to US black culture.
posted by Meatbomb at 5:39 AM on December 7, 2007 [4 favorites]

Thanks Otis. That clip (the one with the little girl) was on YouTube for a while before it was pulled. Nice to see it again. There seems to be no trace of the alternate version, with the little boy and the pimp/drug dealer. Given their attitudes about Oscar's anger and Cookie Monster's gluttony, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that Children's Television Workshop isn't acknowledging the existence of that other version!
posted by chihiro at 5:46 AM on December 7, 2007

I LOVE THAT. Thank you.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:01 AM on December 7, 2007

OMG! That was such a cute little girls voice.
posted by oddman at 6:14 AM on December 7, 2007

Now I have closure. Thanks Otis.
posted by jazon at 6:45 AM on December 7, 2007

Help me out. I searched for milk. Now which video I am looking for?
posted by chrismear at 6:54 AM on December 7, 2007

chrismear, you want "I Can Remember".
posted by cog_nate at 6:58 AM on December 7, 2007

It's on page two, second from the top: "I remembered."
posted by chihiro at 6:59 AM on December 7, 2007

Sorry, didn't preview.
posted by chihiro at 6:59 AM on December 7, 2007

Thanks! That was neat.
posted by chrismear at 7:11 AM on December 7, 2007

Heh. I remember my sister always thought it was "a loaf of bread, a potato and milk, and a stick of butter."
posted by gubo at 7:12 AM on December 7, 2007

Wow. It was a girl? I need to re-examine all of my childhood memories now, thanks.
posted by Sk4n at 7:14 AM on December 7, 2007

*Reads chihiro's comment above*

Oh.

Phew!
posted by Sk4n at 7:17 AM on December 7, 2007

Seems a little young to be sent off to the store on her own, but cute nonetheless.
posted by purephase at 7:20 AM on December 7, 2007

Wow It was so short. My memory of that clip was soo vague, from reading the description, but I did remember it. Very weird to have such an old and vauge memory refreshed.
posted by delmoi at 7:48 AM on December 7, 2007

You've probably seen it, but I always thought this was amusing for those of us who remember Sesame Street before that damn upstart Elmo came to dominate everything. Grover is Bitter
posted by MasonDixon at 7:51 AM on December 7, 2007 [3 favorites]

Wow. I hate to self-link, but earlier this year this was bugging the hell out of me and I found a link on YouTube that someone taped off of the TV.
posted by Stewriffic at 8:01 AM on December 7, 2007

I'd love to watch it, but for some reason the Sesame Street site keeps crashing my browser.
posted by arcticwoman at 8:02 AM on December 7, 2007

Heh. I remember my sister always thought it was "a loaf of bread, a potato and milk, and a stick of butter."

My sister and I knew she didn't say that, but that's how we quoted it, anyway!
posted by interrobang at 8:08 AM on December 7, 2007

The animation style is awesome. Somehow reminds me of early Ralph Bakshi.
posted by The Bellman at 8:08 AM on December 7, 2007

Seems a little young to be sent off to the store on her own, but cute nonetheless.

Ah, for simpler times.
posted by chrismear at 8:19 AM on December 7, 2007

THANK YOU!
posted by lalex at 8:34 AM on December 7, 2007

Chihiro, if you're referring to this video, it's not on the official site, but does appear (as an easter egg) on the most recent "Old School" DVD release.
posted by evilcolonel at 8:54 AM on December 7, 2007

Rats. Here it is.

(mathowie, that "http://" that appears by default in the link box may be more of a hindrance than a help to those of us who copy and paste the url.)
posted by evilcolonel at 8:55 AM on December 7, 2007

There's also one there called "Remember the Loaf of Bread" (search bread) that's extremely similar to "I Can Remember." I bet a lot of you who can't believe how much your memories were off were combining the two in your heads.
posted by Partial Law at 8:56 AM on December 7, 2007

this has whet my appetite - what other early sesame street videos do I want to see?
posted by chickaboo at 8:59 AM on December 7, 2007

Speaking of the new Old School Sesame Street collection, this seems like a fine place to point out that a few weeks back I updated this question when I realized the sought clip would be on it. Unfortch, it looks like the Sesame Video site only has the updated Lost Dog clip, when they use a computer to make the flyers.
posted by lampoil at 9:12 AM on December 7, 2007

NO CARMEN ORANGE. IT IS A TRAVESTY.

Thanks so much for this update Otis.
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:15 AM on December 7, 2007

The Carmen orange always scared me.

Now I have the "Sugar Beets" song stuck in my head. Jesus, it's been buried in there for twenty-five years, i'd guess.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:26 AM on December 7, 2007

Seems a little young to be sent off to the store on her own, but cute nonetheless.

Sit down youngsters and let me tell you a story about the good old days...A magical time when the welfare and safety of children was of absolutely no concern to anyone. it was called the 1970's

Back then a note from mom was in reality a legally binding document that allowed minors to buy cigarettes and alcohol.

I still remember my list..."a loaf of bread, a container of milk, a stick of butter, and a pack of Benson&Hedges menthol 100's"
posted by billyfleetwood at 9:27 AM on December 7, 2007 [17 favorites]

Well, huh. That thread also mentions the "miiiiilk" song, which sometimes plagues me.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:29 AM on December 7, 2007

The Carmen orange is wonderful. Andy Warhol, on acid, singing. What's not to love?
posted by maudlin at 9:34 AM on December 7, 2007

The link also has the sublimely brilliant Martians and the Telephone clip. Videos like that make me realize that while Sesame Street was most definitely made for kids, there is a subversive surrealist humor that pervaded the program.
posted by quin at 9:36 AM on December 7, 2007

I also misremembered it as "a loaf of bread, a stick of butter, and a gallon of milk," which is just freaky weird.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 9:46 AM on December 7, 2007

I remember this clip very well, but I'm stumped trying to find it!
posted by Melinika at 9:51 AM on December 7, 2007

evilcolonel, your link has just BLOWN MY MIND. And it led me to Billy Jo Jive, who I had forgotten until this moment. I feel like Proust with his darned madeleines. Thank you thank you thank you!
posted by chihiro at 9:52 AM on December 7, 2007

Melinika, it's the link evilcolonel provided. YouTube calls it YoYo Master and Lost Kid.
posted by maudlin at 9:56 AM on December 7, 2007

Melinika, the YoYo Master is on youtube.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:03 AM on December 7, 2007

Whoops!
posted by oneirodynia at 10:03 AM on December 7, 2007

Thanks!
posted by Melinika at 10:10 AM on December 7, 2007

(Obligatory reference to pinball animation segment.)
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:24 AM on December 7, 2007

Jason Webley does a cover of that 123456789101112 song and it is excellent.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:26 AM on December 7, 2007

Does anyone actually say "container of milk" in real life? I'd say gallon, jug, or carton, but never container.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 10:31 AM on December 7, 2007

I had remembered it as a boy, too. But that clip brings back so many memories... quin, I also remember the "miiiiiilk" clip - but I always thought it came from Mister Rogers. There was that TV he had that sometimes played things, and I thought it was on there. But we all know how memory can be.
posted by bibbit at 10:37 AM on December 7, 2007

Does anyone remember a counting song from that era (not the one Jessamyn referenced, I don't think) that counts up to 10?
Um, yeah, that doesn't narrow it down too much, does it? Jeeze this is hard to describe. Let me try though.

In the 1-12 song the stress goes like this
One two three FOUR FIVE six seven eight NINE TEN eleven twelve.

The 1-10 one I'm thinking about goes like this:

one two three four five six seven eight NINE TEN. (1-8 is on one pitch, nine is up and ten is back where 1-8 were. 9 and 10 are twice as long as the other numbers)

Does that make any sense or ring a bell to ANYONE? Nobody ever remembers this but me.
posted by Stewriffic at 10:45 AM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

I say thing of milk.
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:47 AM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Actually, if we're going to talk about the counting thing, I should probably just link this explanation of a song I wrote instead of regurging my memories.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:49 AM on December 7, 2007

chihiro, I did the exact same thing you did. I melted the psychedelic Yo-Yo clip and the Loaf of Bread clip together into one crazy lost memory. So intense to see that YoYo one again. That crazy modern house he walks by used to scare the shit out of me, with the spacey noise it makes. That whole thing is very Blue Meanies, isn't it?
posted by chococat at 10:50 AM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Are you thinking of Jazzy Spies? It's always been my absolute favorite.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:51 AM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

(Stewrific, that was to you.)
posted by oneirodynia at 10:52 AM on December 7, 2007

cortex, I remember that counting one. At first I thought it was the one with the orange ball going around and around some big contraption and the kid grinds it up at the end, but that's not it.
posted by chococat at 10:54 AM on December 7, 2007

oh shit, cortex this one?
posted by chococat at 10:55 AM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Oh, just for fun, Grace Slick supposedly does the vocals on that one. They were recorded in San Francisco at Imagination Inc., the same people who do the pinball number count.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:56 AM on December 7, 2007

Oneirodynia, thanks for pointing me to Jazzy Spies. I checked it out, though, and I don't think that's it. I then got distracted looking at other Sesame Street clips with "10" in them. No luck there, either. Oh well. The pinball one is way more cool.
posted by Stewriffic at 10:58 AM on December 7, 2007

CHOCOCAT! That's the One! That's the one! I didn't listen to it all the way through, but the last iteration of 12345678NINETEN is it! Whee! Thank you so very much.
posted by Stewriffic at 11:00 AM on December 7, 2007

I remember when I was a kid thinking sesame street was so boring because it was filled with little cartoons like that, where literally nothing interesting happens and you're not sure what you were supposed to get from that other than the obvious "you should remember stuff." obviously now I've learned to appreciate what a great thing sesame street is for kids to grow up with, but still. I remember "1 2 3 4 5, 6 7 8 9 10, 11 12" a lot better than I remember the 22nd President of the united states. (Which was Grover.)
posted by shmegegge at 11:00 AM on December 7, 2007

I should read AskMe more often. That was one of my favorite segments on Sesame Street and it still runs through my head occasionally.
posted by sleepy pete at 11:01 AM on December 7, 2007

Stewriffic...was the counting song set to a giant flashing pinball machine? I remember that ditty, too, and for some reason the pinball machine thing comes to mind.
posted by phatkitten at 11:02 AM on December 7, 2007

Oh bah, it looks like chococat beat me to it. Stupid work getting in the way of my Meta commenting.
posted by phatkitten at 11:05 AM on December 7, 2007

PhatK--naw, that was the one Cortex referenced. Here's the pinball one, for reference.

Mine was some other random one, which Chococat found for me.
posted by Stewriffic at 11:06 AM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Oh, sorry Stewriffic I mistook your comment for cortex. Glad that's the one you were looking for.
posted by chococat at 11:07 AM on December 7, 2007

CHOCOCAT! That's the One!

AHEM, Yes, that is also Jazzy Spies- they did every number.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:10 AM on December 7, 2007

Oops. I'm clearly checked out this afternoon already. Sorry, oneirodynia! You deserve mad, mad props for getting that.

(hitting self on head)
posted by Stewriffic at 11:14 AM on December 7, 2007

Would you like to buy an O?

It'll cost you just a nickel.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:38 AM on December 7, 2007

Now someone just find me the song "I'm a baby ga ga goo goo wakka wakka."
posted by IndigoRain at 11:46 AM on December 7, 2007

Ten tiny turtles on the telephone was always my favorite. I still know every word.
posted by triggerfinger at 11:47 AM on December 7, 2007 [2 favorites]

One two three, four five six, seven eight nine, ten eleven twelve ladybugs came to the ladybugs' picnic
posted by cog_nate at 11:51 AM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

NEVER SPEAK OF THE ORANGE AGAIN.

That thing scared the crap out of me.
posted by eamondaly at 11:52 AM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

OH MY GOSH IT'S ON YOUTUBE!!!!!!!!!!! I've only been looking for this video for 4 years!!!!!!
posted by IndigoRain at 11:53 AM on December 7, 2007

Here's the milk song. Strange how well I remember it. I must have seen it a thousand times.
posted by triggerfinger at 11:54 AM on December 7, 2007

Ten! Chocolate! Layer cakes! (Splat!) These are great.
posted by steef at 12:07 PM on December 7, 2007

Word. Nicely done, Otis.
posted by gleuschk at 12:25 PM on December 7, 2007

Scary? No. This one was scary. IF GROVER WANTS OFF, YOU LET HIM OFF.
posted by cmyk at 12:26 PM on December 7, 2007

Stewriffic, for what it's worth, I remembered it too.
posted by Lucinda at 1:01 PM on December 7, 2007

From looking around from this post, I finally found we are out of sweet rolls! (Electric Company) And I totally forgot about this Sesame Street cartoon: it ain't bad to get mad.
posted by limeswirltart at 1:19 PM on December 7, 2007

Oh please, please, please, beloved Sesame Streeters of yore, help me find the three film clips I have had niggling at me from in the back of my mind for 30+ years:

- Young siblings on a farm, helping grandma bring in vegetables to make lunch. I seem to recall several tomatoes grouped on top of a hay bale, and even at my young age, I vaguely thought "huh, I didn't think tomatoes came from hay."

- Group of kids running around an urban street setting, looking for spare change. I remember one of them fishing a coin out of a sewage drain. Then they ran off to a store where there was a bank of candy and gum machines outside (and possibly an ice cream bar dispenser?). The sound of the coins going into the slots and the *clunk* of the metal doors opening and shutting was very satisfying, for some reason.

- Happy-sad classical guitar (Segovia?) over a film of a flower blooming in the rain. I used to do a little toddler ballet dance in the living room whenever that one was on. Help me do the toddler ballet dance in my office!
posted by scody at 1:22 PM on December 7, 2007

scody: is this your flower video?
posted by nixxon at 1:39 PM on December 7, 2007

Oh my god, I'm completely having flashbacks to nightmares I used to have when I was little. The YoYo Master and the Lost Kid in particular is almost exactly like a recurring dream I used to have, when I was like 5, about being lost. Gah!
posted by sutel at 1:46 PM on December 7, 2007

nixxon: yes! Thank you!!

*does toddler ballet dance in office*
*explains to coworkers*
*coworkers of a certain age join in*
*younger coworkers smile indulgently, back away slowly*
posted by scody at 1:55 PM on December 7, 2007 [2 favorites]

I think that Yo-Yo Master clip is why I love Peter Max so much. I'd totally forgotten about it.

See, this? This is why I love Metafilter.
posted by cmyk at 2:09 PM on December 7, 2007

You've probably seen it, but I always thought this was amusing for those of us who remember Sesame Street before that damn upstart Elmo came to dominate everything. Grover is Bitter

For me, it's Grover who will always be the cute furry monster. Elmo deserves to be spit-roasted.
posted by Deathalicious at 3:37 PM on December 7, 2007

It was a loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter.

Weren't these the ingredients that Marlon Brando had to remember for his picnic with Maria Schneider in Last Tango in Paris?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:44 PM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

But no "Teeny Little Super Guy" segments! Rats!
posted by 6:1 at 5:06 PM on December 7, 2007

Teeny Little Super Guy
posted by IndigoRain at 5:29 PM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

"According to an earnest warning on Volumes 1 and 2, “Sesame Street: Old School” is adults-only: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.” via - might need to login
posted by rtha at 6:43 PM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Oh, this makes me so happy. I went to the Five Point Cafe in Seattle a couple weeks ago. It's your basic, 24 hour dive diner place, but with more friendly cocksucking chatter. They were out of:

bacon, tomatoes, white bread, potatoes (of all kinds, apparently), chicken, soup (again, all kinds), 9 grain bread and meatloaf. I think I might be missing one or two items. Also, the waitress helpfully suggested two kinds of tea, which they were also out of. I really wanted to give her a twenty and send her to the corner market. All I could think of was Grover and his perpetually grumpy diner in the Out of Food sketch. Seeing that sketch again was so very cathartic.

It's too bad they don't let you link to specific videos. I'd like to send it to everybody who had to listen to my drunk ass bitching about the no potatoes debacle.
posted by diamondsky at 7:20 PM on December 7, 2007 [3 favorites]

Ernie had some great songs like "Rubber Duckie," and "Put Down the Duckie."

Of course, "Dance Myself to Sleep" puts all other Sesame Street segments to shame.
posted by sambosambo at 7:42 PM on December 7, 2007 [1 favorite]

Whenever I can't sleep, and I try to count sheep, I always think of this Bert & Ernie clip.
posted by Lucinda at 8:24 PM on December 7, 2007

My daughter never had any interest in Sesame Street when she was a toddler (and I'm glad for that, honestly. 20 minutes of Elmo's World? WTF?) However, we'll sit and watch old clips on YouTube, and she loves those. Teeny Little Super Guy is her favorite, but I'm looking forward to showing her the rest of these tomorrow.

Also, my husband thinks I'm nuts because of how excited I got about this thread. Thanks for the update!
posted by Ruki at 9:21 PM on December 7, 2007

My son is the same way - hates watching the new Sesame Street, but I can park him in front of the computer for hours watching my favorite clips from when I was growing up. And as far as I'm concerned - the lessons back then were easier to understand and more important as well. Though I did have nightmares well into my teen years that giant cats were going to bust in through the windows , but it was totally worth it. When my son asks how I got so smart, my answer is always "Sesame Street." That encouraged him to start watching it recently.
posted by Iamtherealme at 10:46 PM on December 7, 2007 [2 favorites]

While we're sharing links, Metafilter introduced me to this clip of Mr. Wonder performing Superstitious.
posted by Green With You at 11:38 PM on December 7, 2007

scody, are you looking for Mrs. Wilson's garden?
posted by donnagirl at 12:52 AM on December 8, 2007

I love these Sesame Street posts so much. I tried searching for the chomp chomp chomp thing on youtube with no luck. You know what I mean. It chomped the entire screen! The coolest thing my 4/5/6 year old eyes ever saw. Plus, I loved it when we got spanish versions of Sesame Street, it was such a spinout, and I've known the spanish word for water 'agua' (and I say it in a deep guttural voice when I say it out loud) ever since. I love the thing that someone up there ^ pointed out which was a disclaimer about vintage Sesame Street not being suitable for toddlers today. If it was good enough for my mental health be sure and certain that I'll be passing on the madness to the next generation. My kids love this because it is very weird. All kids love weird.
posted by h00py at 4:56 AM on December 8, 2007

diamondsky, that sounds suspiciously like a ripoff of The Cheese Shop.

Customer: It's not much of a cheese shop, is it?
Owner: Finest in the district!
Customer: (annoyed) Explain the logic underlying that conclusion, please.
Owner: Well, it's so clean, sir!
Customer: It's certainly uncontaminated by cheese.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:04 AM on December 8, 2007

Indigo Rain, is this the baby clip you're thinking of?
posted by Bookhouse at 7:11 AM on December 8, 2007

scody: is this your flower video?

The most amazing thing about that youtube clip? The comments. They're from some bizarro-world youtube NOT populated by semi-literate homophobic twelve-year-old boys. Not sure how that happened, but I suppose Sesame Street brings out the best in people...
posted by dersins at 7:28 AM on December 8, 2007

Dersins, same thing is true for the Carmen Orange one. Intelligent discussion? On youtube? The mind boggles.
posted by kamikazegopher at 9:28 AM on December 8, 2007

For many years if I was going to the store and asked my wife if she needed anything her response was "a loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter". She remembers that bit the same way other people remember their favorite song lyrics.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 11:11 AM on December 8, 2007

*younger coworkers smile indulgently, back away slowly*

My daughter just gave me the same look over Teeny Little Super Guy. *sigh*
posted by Space Kitty at 11:57 AM on December 8, 2007

Donnagirl, yes! I'd misremembered it as kids on a farm, so that's why I could never find it... thanks!

I'm totally making beets, carrots, tomatoes, and corn for lunch.
posted by scody at 12:13 PM on December 8, 2007

When that Yo Yo Man started changing, I had the weirdest sensation. It wasn't deja vu exactly, more like remembering a nightmare really...those glasses, he keeps changing...ahhh! I think this must have really freaked me out as a kid.
posted by stinkycheese at 12:17 PM on December 8, 2007

Bookhouse - no, I already found it. " Me: OH MY GOSH IT'S ON YOUTUBE!!!!!!!!!!! I've only been looking for this video for 4 years!!!!!!"
posted by IndigoRain at 2:17 PM on December 8, 2007

"My name is Finch...David Finch."
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 2:27 PM on December 8, 2007

I love the thing that someone up there ^ pointed out which was a disclaimer about vintage Sesame Street not being suitable for toddlers today. If it was good enough for my mental health be sure and certain that I'll be passing on the madness to the next generation. My kids love this because it is very weird. All kids love weird.

I think the disclaimer is silly, too. But I think it's less about it being weird and more about modeling behavior. I think all shows are way more careful about that these days.

I'm watching Volume 2 right now, and one of the first segments is Go Ahead and Touch, which shows film of kids visiting a petting zoo with a song with lyrics: "Go ahead and touch, go ahead and feel. Don't think too much about the way you feel. You might never have the chance again, and you'll have to remember when you were afraid to feel something warm and rich and real. Don't be scared. Don't be shy when something beautiful catches your eye."

The 1970s optimism and "carpe diem" philosophy is heartwarming, but I don't think many kids' shows today would run a segment with the message, "if you see something you like, touch it right away or you'll always regret it! If you have any doubts, just ignore them and get your hands on it." Especially when the visual example is animals (even in a petting zoo, where touching is obviously allowed).

Of course, it also just had this segment, which made me laugh out loud even though I was anticipating the punchline. Talk about the perfect balance of education and entertainment.
posted by lampoil at 2:35 PM on December 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

While we're sharing links, Metafilter introduced me to this clip of Mr. Wonder performing Superstitious.

Um... what about Stevie Wonder singing the Sesame Street theme song? Did someone post that and I missed it?
posted by spiderwire at 6:20 PM on December 8, 2007

[previously on MeFi, of course]
posted by spiderwire at 6:38 PM on December 8, 2007

I remember this skit, and of course I've been remembering it wrong all these years. Thanks for the memories!

Anybody remember the "golden AN" skit? Classic the way these muppets are dressed and the way they speak.

I miss Sesame Street. I really do.
posted by ashbury at 9:45 PM on December 8, 2007

Since we're all out trying to find lost clips - please help me with 2 I've been trolling for for what seems like years - "Sing After Me" with Grover and Madeline Kahn, and a weird animated clip about a weird fairy godmother and "L, L, I Lost My Letter L." The Grover one used to be on some MK fan site that is now defunct and I can't find it anywhere.
posted by ikahime at 10:19 PM on December 8, 2007

This thread has me wondering if kids today would even understand the concept of being sent to the store by themselves. I was five when I started fetching stuff from the corner store two blocks away. The local newspaper recently reported that that store was closing. The proprietor noted how he used to know all the kids, because they used to come buy candy and stuff for their moms. He said no one goes to the corner store anymore. It made me sad. I can't imagine ever sending my own kids to a store two blocks away, at least not at five. I guess my kids will never understand this ad.

On the other hand, maybe kids do go to the store, but are lost without the guidance of Sesame Street. Canadian TV regularly shows a commercial where a little boy is sent to buy gouda at the cheese shop. "Gouda, gouda, gouda," he chants. When he gets home, he hands his mom some wrapped cheese. "Havarti?" says his mom. See, kids today need the old Sesame Street, so that they see how important it is to remember. (Ahem, I might have mixed up gouda and havarti in this story!)
posted by acoutu at 11:03 PM on December 8, 2007

Here's the "Sing After Me" clip on YouTube -- that was one of my favorites from my Sesame-Street-watching years, too.
posted by not me at 11:57 PM on December 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Reminds me of my first FPP.

There are tons of golden Sesame Street clips on Youtube. We've all only scratched the surface.
posted by louche mustachio at 3:23 AM on December 9, 2007

There were some fantastic illustrative clips (along the lines of How Crayons are Made) about the wonders of sugar made from sugar beets. There was also one about apple juice (I vividly remember the apples being pushed through a rolling press, and apple juice draining into a vat).

Does anyone know where I might find these clips? I've been looking for them FOR YEARS!
posted by numinous at 1:08 PM on December 9, 2007

I love the variety of Sesame Street clips in this thread that people remember vaguely and fondly, but at the same time slightly creeped them out as a kid.

I have one that I half-remembered for years until finding it on YouTube recently. Definitely gave me a weird vibe when I was little, but now I think it has to be my favorite Sesame Street clip...

Smokey Robinson gets molested by a giant letter U
posted by Squee at 3:41 PM on December 9, 2007

Oh, man, that site is great!
But I think it's missing one of my favorites: Heeeeeeere fishy fishy fishy.
posted by salvia at 4:44 PM on December 9, 2007

Has anyone mentioned the Sesame Street Sounds Archive? Good stuff. It'll take you right back...
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:18 PM on December 9, 2007

Stewriffic asked about a counting-to-ten song.
That sent off a bank of rarely used neurons in my head. I was fascinated by one of these counting-to-ten series: the one that always ends with a baker falling down a flight of stairs. I think I may have cried the first time I saw the baker take his fall. I haven't been prompted to even think of it until this thread. (Among the others that have been pointed out.)

Thanks, Metafilter, for taking me for a ride in the wayback machine. I think I'm gonna hurl, but in a good way.
posted by not_on_display at 5:55 AM on December 10, 2007

(Also the series with the number painter: "Gotta paint a seven.") Which, thanks to the Muppet Wiki, I've confirmed that I remembered correctly: Mad Painter was indeed Paul Benedict. From the Jeffersons.

It's been a productive morning for me!
posted by not_on_display at 6:12 AM on December 10, 2007

Hi! This question popped back into my head today, because it turns out that The second volume of Sesame Street Old School (1974-1979) does contain the "Lost Dog Flyer" reel. I myself can't wait to see it again.

I'm thrilled!! I'm so excited to get my hands on this. Thanks so much for mentioning this here.

Though it's not as old school as Lost Dog, I must again link to my favourite barely educational Sesame Street clip – Monsterpiece Theater: Twin Beaks. While it conveys that 'twin' means 'two of the same', it's really just a ridiculous Twin Peaks in-joke clip for parents watching along. (David Finch.)
posted by avocet at 6:41 AM on December 10, 2007

We All Live in a Capital I
In the middle of the desert
In the center of the sky.

Rubbing it here and scrubbing it there.
posted by isopraxis at 1:33 PM on December 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

Rubbing it here and scrubbing it there.

I'd totally forgotten about this one until right now. Need to find a way to get that song on my iPod. Thanks!
posted by Lucinda at 4:58 AM on December 11, 2007

Wow, this post has released a flurry of wonderful memories for me. As with the How Crayons are Made segment that I linked to earlier, I was always partial to those shorts that featured factories and modes of production, or that illustrated some process of How Things Come to Be.

Most of them are accompanied by the music of Joe Raposo...a name I had not known until recently, but who nonetheless served to provide a soundtrack for most of my childhood. Thanks Joe!

Here are some clips I’ve come across that played a HUGE part of shaping my childhood worldview:

• Gathering Coconuts
• Pottery
• Bees & Honey
• Making a Saxophone
• Making Steel Drums
• Peanut Butter Song
• Hamburger Bun Factory
• Making Pizza

These also stick out in my mind:

• Splish Splash (one of my favorites of all time!)
• Philip Glass’ Musical Scores Segments: One, Two, Three, & Four. (These mesmerized me.)
• Bunny in a Suitcase (from Pinwheel - does anyone else remember this segment?)
• Captain Vegetable
• Messy Baby Eats a Cookie (This has remained SO VIVID in my memory since I was a tot!)

The Toys, Robots, and Satellites short used to scare the holy hell out of me, though.

Also, $5 to the first one to find a video/MP3 of the Sugar Beet song. I MUST SEE THAT CLIP AGAIN.
posted by numinous at 12:28 AM on December 12, 2007 [2 favorites]

numinous, thanks so much for finding that peanut butter clip. I loved that so much as a kid! I think I shed 30something years just watching that again. Does anyone remember the chomp chomp chomp thing I mentioned above? I've looked but my searching skills are crap and I can't find it. Please hope me!
posted by h00py at 5:52 PM on December 12, 2007

h00py - I'm glad you enjoyed that video as much as I did!
And per your request for the "CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP" bit, it wouldn't happen to be the short animation An M Comes to Dinner, would it?
posted by numinous at 6:50 PM on December 12, 2007

That wasn't it (although I loved it nonetheless and wallowed in memories) but the end of it was similar to what I'm thinking of. It was just a blank screen (either completely white or completely black, I can't remember) and there was this loud CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP voiceover as the screen was being eaten by something that turned it to either black or white, depending on which colour screen it was originally. I use that CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP often, and I'd leave to see the original again. Speaking of which, I've been singing 'which came first, the chicken or the aaaig' randomly since I was a wee one, and what an absolute spinout to see it again.

Have I mentioned that I was hooked on Sesame Street when I was a kid? I know I'm being subtle about it ;) All I wanted when I was tiny was to visit Romper Room (I maintained for years that I had; alas it was just a dream) and Sesame Street.
posted by h00py at 2:00 AM on December 14, 2007

Monsterpiece Theater Presents: Twin Beaks
posted by shakespeherian at 6:01 PM on December 26, 2007