Seven Little Monsters FOUND

[Drtooth]

(Posted on the youtube clip thread)

Here's a rare animation from Jim Henson and Maurice Sendak, "Seven Monsters":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JLJCbIkNFM&feature=channel_video_title

The longest lost of long lost Sesame Street skits, the supposedly unaired Maurice Sendak cartoon that was considered too creepy for kids.

Oddly enough, decades later, it was deemed safe enough for a cartoon of its very own
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH_ZctLxIM4

Note the fact in the theme intro, 5 drinks all the water out of the pool, much like he does in the original sketch, and the fact that 7's removable head doesn't seem to bother anyone no, as it's more to a comical extent. Also, for program's sake, 2 of the monsters turned into girls, and the bull looking one becomes a fuzzy green reptile that looks suspiciously like the DIC animated King Koopa.

As for the sketch it self, I DO see where the freakiness comes from. Not so much the antics of the monsters in the begining of the cartoon... but this segment at the end where they somehow turn their house into a hideous face and run around...

Yeah... that could very well have disturbed kids. Had it ended differently, I'd've said... are you crazy? But I could see running away from the TV and hiding under the furnature at an early age from that.

 

[The Count]

So what monsters do we have involved in this?

 

[Drtooth]

So what monsters do we have involved in this?

Maurice Sendak's 7 little Monsters, of course. All named 1 through 7. Films' a little grainy to make anything really out. But I can vouch that #2, #5, and #7 look almost exactly the same as their 2002 cartoon counterparts. Basically the same kind of Monsters that we know better as "Wild Things," as in the book with the same name.

 

[The Count]

Ah, okay, thanks buddy. Still trying to fill up my monster roster.

 

[Drtooth]

If you would like

1- Sort of griffin -like... lionish face, wings, bird feet... in the 2002 series it was a Peppermitn Patty-ish tomboy girl.

2- shaggy hair and a very long nose

3- furry and had horns... in the cartoon series he has a Howling Mad Murdoch tendency to have different personalities.

4- Goatlike... looks like King Koopa with a Hat in the cartoon show

5- Fatter than the others, has horns and a bulbous nose

6- looks like an ogre... not as hairy as the others, still has horns, was also changed to a girl in the cartoon series. The most radical of all character design changes. She spoke with I guess I'd call it a younger Jewish woman from the 1950's accent.

7- Sort of Frankenstein like, but with a tuna can shaped head and horns... his head's basically a screw that goes into his neck socket.

I'd say 2, 5, and 7 didn't change from this animation to their show. And the show is pretty interesting if you ever check it out.

 

[The Count]

Extra thanks for the info on the individual monsters as it gives me a few ideas. The only problem I see at the moment is are Monsters 1 and 6 similar or different enough from Critters 3 and 8 in the Jim Henson's City Critters thread?

 

[D'Snowth]

All I know that in the 2002 cartoon, Colin Mochrie voiced one of the monsters (2 I believe), while his wife Debra McGrath voiced the little old lady they lived with.

 

[Drtooth]

Extra thanks for the info on the individual monsters as it gives me a few ideas. The only problem I see at the moment is are Monsters 1 and 6 similar or different enough from Critters 3 and 8 in the Jim Henson's City Critters thread?

Pretty different as they're all pretty tall monsters. And pretty much flesh tone-ish in color in this version. Print's very faded so I can't really tell. They're also a bit more human like than the Jim Henson Muppet like City Monsters.

All I know that in the 2002 cartoon, Colin Mochrie voiced one of the monsters (2 I believe), while his wife Debra McGrath voiced the little old lady they lived with.[/url]

Yeah. it was number two. I don't know of any of the other voice actors, though. I remember it being a very good show. I watched the one where they all tell stories a few months ago. 7 told some very nonsequitor thing that was hilarious.

 

[minor muppetz]

I'm glad this has turned up. I've been wanting to see this ever since I first read about it (and knew of Jim's involvement). It's good, though I think I like it more for it's rarity. I wouldn't say it's Henson's best, but I think it is better than Bumble Ardy (and the Queen of Six, King of 8, and Henson computer animation shorts). But I prefer the other former Henson holy grail "Baker #1".

The red book site noted that this segment had cannons, cited as "innappropriate for childrens television", and I don't see how firing cannons is innapropriate for a children's show (alright, maybe for an educational childrens show like Sesame Street, but cannons often appear in cartoons). And I was a bit disapointed with the size of the cannons, though I wasn't expecting the monsters to be giants.

The large monsters appearing ina villiage of little people somehow reminds me of games like Pikmin and Lemmings.

 

[D'Snowth]

I disagree, I think King of 8 is one of Jim's greatest earlier animated pieces... Queen of 6 I wasn't entirely impressed with, it seemed more like an attempt to recreate something that didn't need to be recreated.