Sesame Street "Surprise" Song

[FrackleFan2012]

I would like to see those video clips, too.

Another Sesame Street "holy grail" was that The Count counting 12 eggs from a Season 13 episode. I remember a short clip of that street scene being shown, without sound, on "The Muppets: A Celebration of Thirty Years".

I wonder why Sesame Workshop hasn't released that clip on VHS/DVD nor uploaded it on their website and/or their Youtube account.

Also, I would love to see The Count's "The Transylvania Polka" from Episode 1052, more of Poco Loco's earlier appearances (1974- early 1980's), the Muppet flamingo's appearance from Episode 831, more of Shivers the Penguin's appearances, Woodrow Woodpecker's appearance from Episode 1120, the Waldo Woodpecker's appearance from Episode 854, more footage from the Sesame Street wrap parties (especially the ones that featured Muppets in them), and any Sesame Street outtakes and behind the scenes videos that haven't been shown to the public yet.

 

[minor muppetz]

It sure has been a long time since Sesame Workshop last uploaded any classic clips, though some classic clips were replaced with different-quality versions (though I haven't noticed the different quality), in some cases the beginnings or endings were cut (and in some instances beginnings that were previously cut are now included, not to mention some of the News Flash segments that were previously on the site with the late-1980s title cards now being on the site with the original cards).

It's been too long since the site last added any classic clips, though last time clips were added most of them were rare clips with characters who were hardly on the website at all, most likely for the sake of the Muppet section (though there's still no Leslie Mostly, Deena and Pearl, Dr. Nobel Price, Warren Wolf, The Mudman, or Shivers).

Having said that, I hope that whoever's in charge of adding clips to sesamestreet.org comes across this thread and adds the stuff we're all clamoring for. There's probably hundreds of clips that haven't been seen by the general public in years, possibly before video taping programs was common. As far as not-quite-rare clips go, I'm surprised that after all these years there's still no Miami Mice on the website or DVD (I would expect one on Old School Volume 4, if we get a fourth Old School and it continues past 1984).

 

[minor muppetz]

There's a few segments I've read about via fan memories but haven't seen any official sources that confirm them. If they exist, I want to see them (which would prove their existience, though I don't doubt they exist).

• Ernie looks out his window and sees Mr. Snuffleupagus, but when he tells Bert, Bert thinks he's imagining Snuffleupagus and tells him what an imagination is. Then Bert looks out the window and sees Snuffy, but when he tells Ernie Ernie tells Bert what he had just told him, leaving Bert unsure whether he saw Snuffy.
• Bob goes searching for Kermit the Hermit while apparrently on safari. When he finds the hermit, he tags him and says "tag, you're it!"
• I've recently seen a thread which claims there was a segment where Maria and David play characters who end up getting married. I can't remember all of the stated details, but I think it was said that they died or something immediately after marrying.
• Somebody on the forum once mentioned that the episode that came after episode 2096 (where the adults finally saw Snuffy) involved Snuffy adjusting to making friends with them, eventually leading to Big Bird being concerned that Snuffy was spending so much time with his friends as opposed to him.

And there's a few I've seen clips of that I want to see all of, at least to know the context:

• There's a clip in the opening montage in 20 and Stil Counting where Maria and Bob (I used to think it was Luis) are at a table, apparently on a date or something, and they give shocked facial expressions. I feel like I might have seen the whole scene as a kid, but can't remember anything beyond the brief clip.
• A clip in the Big Bird montage of the same special, where Big Bird comes across a one way sign. I assume the segment teaches the concept of "One Way".
• A clip that appears during the Oscar the Grouch montage in Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever, in which Oscar is in an oversized trash can and has oversized trash, as he sings a variation of "I Love Trash".
• A very brief clip that appears in the promo for Being Green (but like all the classic clips in that promo it doesn't appear at all in the video) where Cookie Monster screams while standing in front of Oscar's trash can. Actually I think I might know what it's from: I remember long ago somebody mentioned a segment where Cookie Monster was hungry and ended up eating Oscar's lid because it was round like a cookie, only for Oscar to get mad, until it started raining and Oscar realized that without the lid the rain would go inside his trash can. I can only speculate that that's the sketch.
• A clip that appears in Sesame Street Unpaved where Roosevelt Franklin tells his mom about a time when he couldn't spell. I've read about a season two sogn called "Roosevelt Franklin Spells His Name" and speculated that this was it, but then somebody at Muppet Wiki came across several season two guides which explained this scene in detail, which going by the description is definately a different scene, as it reportedly has Susan teaching Roosevelt how to read, and it takes place on the street and is part of the street plot in which Oscar opens his own postal service. Actually I'd like to see more Roosevelt Franklin sketches that take place outside of the classroom, particularly ones with his mother (it seems there's hardly any that didn't debut in the first season).

 

[Mike74]

There's a few segments I've read about via fan memories but haven't seen any official sources that confirm them. If they exist, I want to see them (which would prove their existience, though I don't doubt they exist).

• Ernie looks out his window and sees Mr. Snuffleupagus, but when he tells Bert, Bert thinks he's imagining Snuffleupagus and tells him what an imagination is. Then Bert looks out the window and sees Snuffy, but when he tells Ernie Ernie tells Bert what he had just told him, leaving Bert unsure whether he saw Snuffy.
• Bob goes searching for Kermit the Hermit while apparrently on safari. When he finds the hermit, he tags him and says "tag, you're it!"
• I've recently seen a thread which claims there was a segment where Maria and David play characters who end up getting married. I can't remember all of the stated details, but I think it was said that they died or something immediately after marrying.
• Somebody on the forum once mentioned that the episode that came after episode 2096 (where the adults finally saw Snuffy) involved Snuffy adjusting to making friends with them, eventually leading to Big Bird being concerned that Snuffy was spending so much time with his friends as opposed to him.

And there's a few I've seen clips of that I want to see all of, at least to know the context:

• There's a clip in the opening montage in 20 and Stil Counting where Maria and Bob (I used to think it was Luis) are at a table, apparently on a date or something, and they give shocked facial expressions. I feel like I might have seen the whole scene as a kid, but can't remember anything beyond the brief clip.
• A clip in the Big Bird montage of the same special, where Big Bird comes across a one way sign. I assume the segment teaches the concept of "One Way".
• A clip that appears during the Oscar the Grouch montage in Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever, in which Oscar is in an oversized trash can and has oversized trash, as he sings a variation of "I Love Trash".
• A very brief clip that appears in the promo for Being Green (but like all the classic clips in that promo it doesn't appear at all in the video) where Cookie Monster screams while standing in front of Oscar's trash can. Actually I think I might know what it's from: I remember long ago somebody mentioned a segment where Cookie Monster was hungry and ended up eating Oscar's lid because it was round like a cookie, only for Oscar to get mad, until it started raining and Oscar realized that without the lid the rain would go inside his trash can. I can only speculate that that's the sketch.
• A clip that appears in Sesame Street Unpaved where Roosevelt Franklin tells his mom about a time when he couldn't spell. I've read about a season two sogn called "Roosevelt Franklin Spells His Name" and speculated that this was it, but then somebody at Muppet Wiki came across several season two guides which explained this scene in detail, which going by the description is definately a different scene, as it reportedly has Susan teaching Roosevelt how to read, and it takes place on the street and is part of the street plot in which Oscar opens his own postal service. Actually I'd like to see more Roosevelt Franklin sketches that take place outside of the classroom, particularly ones with his mother (it seems there's hardly any that didn't debut in the first season).

Wow, never knew there wer SO many "holy grail" clips out there; again, I'm not sure the SURPRISE song will ever see the light of day again because it's not what SS is nowadays, but I guess I can always hope....

 

[FrackleFan2012]

There's also more "holy grails" like these.

. A segment featuring a young Miles kissing one of the Honkers that was shown during the opening montage of "Sesame Street: 20 Years and Still Counting"
. Rufus's (the white dog who appeared in "Hey! Cinderella") appearance on Sesame Street
. The unaired "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" episode
. The Sesame Street Test Shows
. Big Bird, The Count, and Meryl Sheep hosting The Today Show from November 14, 1988
. Big Bird's pet Triangle, Pointy's appearance from Episode 307
. Countess Dahling von Dahling's appearances, along with her dog, Masha
. Any footage of the Sesame Street Cast Tours from 1970
. Any footage of the Sesame Street LIVE! (1973 album)
. Any more of Warren Wolf's appearances
. Any Sesame Street deleted scenes that haven't been shown to the public yet

That's just 11, 11 "holy grails" I have listed. Ah! ah! ah!
But there's a lot more "holy grails" we have to count. Over 4000 episodes of Sesame Street have been produced and we're still finding a lot of them. We hope many of them get uploaded to Youtube anytime soon.

 

[minor muppetz]

Wow, never knew there wer SO many "holy grail" clips out there; again, I'm not sure the SURPRISE song will ever see the light of day again because it's not what SS is nowadays, but I guess I can always hope....

I don't think it's because it's not what Sesame Street is nowadays. After all, you could say that many of the episodes released on the Old School DVDs and iTunes "Sesame Street Classics" are not what Sesame Street is now and obviously those were released (I had wondered if the first two Old School volumes are still in print, as I hadn't seen copies in stores for years, but then volume 3 has promos for both volumes so they must still be in print).

There's quite a few things that were taken off the show for having objectable content that have officially resurfaced on Noggin, sesamestreet.org and on DVD, including the baker films (all ten of them are on sesamestreet.org), Cookie Monster eating a pipe, Don Music segments, and Roosevelt Franklin segments. I wonder if there is anything objectable that Sesame Workshop hasn't made available because the company doesn't want fans to see, and would cut out of episodes if they were made available to the fans (I've noticed that Sesame Workshop has not made "I Want a Monster to Be My Friend" avilable since it was banned from the show, though the clip has surfaced on YouTube).

 

[Mike74]

I don't think it's because it's not what Sesame Street is nowadays. After all, you could say that many of the episodes released on the Old School DVDs and iTunes "Sesame Street Classics" are not what Sesame Street is now and obviously those were released (I had wondered if the first two Old School volumes are still in print, as I hadn't seen copies in stores for years, but then volume 3 has promos for both volumes so they must still be in print).

There's quite a few things that were taken off the show for having objectable content that have officially resurfaced on Noggin, sesamestreet.org and on DVD, including the baker films (all ten of them are on sesamestreet.org), Cookie Monster eating a pipe, Don Music segments, and Roosevelt Franklin segments. I wonder if there is anything objectable that Sesame Workshop hasn't made available because the company doesn't want fans to see, and would cut out of episodes if they were made available to the fans (I've noticed that Sesame Workshop has not made "I Want a Monster to Be My Friend" avilable since it was banned from the show, though the clip has surfaced on YouTube).

Which opens up the whole argument/questions as to why things are banned or considered objectionable now as opposed to years ago.....

 

[Drtooth]

Here's something. There are well over 4000 episodes of Sesame Street. There's got to be hundreds, if not Thousands of sketches, and to comb through that mighty catalog is a daunting task. And I'm sure a LOT of sketches about Surprise are just labeled "Surprise" or they have very specific names only Sesame Workshop knows. Even if we were to request them, I'm sure they have no idea what we're talking about.

SW has been good about some of the rare sketches, and we're very thankful about it. But some are just obscure and weren't shown many times when they were shown. Personally, I want to see the original version of the proto-Little Jerry Surprise as well, and I've been asking for that for years. The cut up Hebrew dub (that omitted the American human cast members) is long gone. There's the fan cut that tried to sync the album version to that footage, but that's about it. This new Surprise thing I've never even heard of.

 

[minor muppetz]

I doubt the majority of segments that teach the concept of surprise are just labled "surprise". Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd like to think that the segment talked about her would be labled something like "Cast Surprise Song" or "Surprise (with cast)" or something like that.

The Muppet Wiki talk page has scans from a number of CTW Archives documents, including every page from something called "first season show content", which lists practically every insert from the first season as well as listing all the episodes they appear in (well, all the first season episodes). I've looked at these pages many times, and have seen many intriguing-sounding segments (such as "Ernie makes a friend") that I'd put on my holy grail list. I'd like to see pages from "second season show content" or later to at least see if those kinds of lists included segments from previous seasons that got repeated.

Those "first season show content" documents do list segments that are hard to figure out if you don't instantly know what they are. In fact there's a great deal of segments I saw listed that I was intrigued by, only later realizing that they were in episodes that had guides on the wiki that showed pictures from every segment (that Noggin didn't cut). For example, there's several listed as "Poverty A", "Poverty K", "Poverty X", and so on, I didn't know until later that the titles referred to the animation company "Poverty Pictures". And there were quite a few listed with titles like "Muppet (insert letter or number here) tag". I later realized that "Muppet A Tag" was the segment with monsters looking at the letter A, while "Muppet C Tag" was the sketch where monsters look at a letter C and whisper the letter to each other (it would have been more helpful if they replaced the word "Muppet" with "monsters").

And in some cases segments were just listed as "Muppet tag" or "Film" or whatever under a grouping of segments from educational subjects. For example, the "over, through, around" film from the first episode was listed in a grouping of segments on that subject merely as "film", and a listing of various "near and far" segments listed the original segment with Grover as "Muppet tag".

But aside from occasionally listed certain segments as "muppet tag" or "film" or whatever under a listing of segments from whatever subjects they teach, it pretty much avoided listing multiple segments with the exact same title. In some cases there are multiple segments with the same title and then a number listed (I think they were usually roman numberals, haven't looked at the scans in awhile). Such as three films titled "Noises", listed as "Noises #1" and so on. The various "F Cheer" and "K Cheer" segments were listed like that as well.

And then there's the "People in Your Neighborhood" segments, which were listed with numbers and then, in parenthesis, listed what jobs were focused. For example, the first version was listed as "People in Your Neighborhood I (postman and fireman)".

I wonder if Sesame Workshop has/had guides that contained descriptions as well as titles. Though many of the titles were descriptions, with not much to say beyond the title descriptions. I also wonder what they did with the many songs that have been remade over the years (I guess give them titles like "Imagination #2" and so on). Of course many segments have been listed with many different titles over the years, in those CTW Archives guides, DVD chapter stops, sesamestreet.org listings, and so on. Jim Henson's "Number Three Ball Film" seems to be listed by many titles depending on the source (including "Henson Ball", "No. 3 Ball Powder", and "Henson Ball High Wire #3"). Heck, Jim Henson's Red Book seems to list most of Henson's number films from the second season by the numbers they teach as opposed to more detailed titles.

I often wish there'd be some kind of official guide listing every insert with titles, descriptions, and full listings of episode appearances. It would probably be very expensive, not sure how much interest it would have for casual fans, and very well could involve watching the full episodes (of course I'm sure many of us would jump at the opportunity to watch all the master tapes and keep track of what's in what episode, especially the first two decades, in addition to checking Muppet Wiki for the majority of episodes from the past two decades).

Back on the subject of holy grails (to me), Muppet Wiki mentions that there are 13 Teeny Little Super Guy segments (cited from the creator's website), but only lists 8 segments. I don't think any additional segments have surfaced since I read that there are 13 TLSG segments, but interestingly, while none of the additional five segments are on sesamestreet.org, all but one of the segments listed on Muppet Wiki (the danger segment) is on the site.

 

[minor muppetz]

Another segment that is sort of a holy grail in english is part 3 of the three-part "Bert and Ernie: Banana in Ear" sketch. I don't know of any episodes with part 3, that's the only part that's not on sesamestreet.org, and it seems many fans only remember parts 1 and 2... But part 3 has shown up online in sweden.

Part of me feels like many of the segments that were pictured/quoted in the Sesame Street Learning Kit books were holy grails before a handful of season one episodes were released on iTunes (and I'm sure more were holy grails before Noggin). Until episodes were added on iTunes, I don't think any of us had sketches like Bert having Ernie guess what happens next, Ernie thinking he has magic glasses, or Cookie Monster using Ernie's phone. Not sure how badly others wanted to see those sketches, but I think the phone segment might have been the biggest "holy grail" of the ones mentioned. Somebody actually posted a video on YouTube asking if anybody had that segment, showing a few pictures from The Sesame Street Book of People and Things.

And there's at least one segment that appears in those books that still hasn't shown up online or in the hands of collectors. In The Sesame Street Book of Puzzles, there's a segment where Ernie is upside-down on the ceiling about to pour a glass of milk. Bert tells him that he can't pour milk when he's upside down, but Ernie does without problem. It looks like a weird segment, and I often wondered WHAT it was supposed to be teaching. The CTW archives "first season show content" mentions it as part of a four-part segment involving Ernie and milk. According to those documents, it was only broadcast once in the first season, and parts 1-3 all led to different segments (including Greeblies and Jaz #8). Concerning all that, I assume it wasn't shown often. Oh, and those files list segments under different educational topics, these milk segments were listed on a page marked "miscellaneous insert tapes", so I guess if it does teach something, it wasn't part of any of the shows main curriculums from the first season.

I wonder if all of the segments from the Sesame Street Learning Kit were rarely if ever shown in the decade before Noggin was introduced. As a kid I had The Sesame Street Book of Puzzles, and the only segments from that book that I saw on the show as a kid are "Ernie and Bert: Before and After" and "Ernie and Bert: Jellybeans". I remember thinking it was cool that those segments were on the show, but hadn't really wondered if the others were on the show or why the book would only contain a few things from the show.