Funniest Wackiest Zaniest Sesame Sketches

[mupcollector1]

Jerry's little nebbish monster going "In in in for MWOOOOOORE" especially with that loud, pathetic clanking of the garbage pail essentially insulting him. That sells the skit. That and getting smashed and trampled.

Yeah, I would think that was some sort of sound editing error. Plus Richard Hunt's Janitor character's mop, the top falls off but he continues cleaning with the stick, sort of. Yeah, I think that Monster has a name. "Harry" (Not Herry Monster). The voice is hilarious. "Is this Sesame Street Fever?" (Not sure if it was an inside joke on the album or not, though I have a feeling that the Disco sketches are parodies of "Saturday Night Fever". Es specially Grover dancing to the Alphabet Disco (I watched that one tonight on my Old School vol 2 DVD set, lot of great gems on there ). I just love seeing Harry getting crushed by the door three times (School House Rock says Three is a magic number, it's so true to running gags as well) and even how the monsters are dancing, it's hilarious. I love the Red monster coming towards the camera at one moment and seeing Frazzle Boogying on the dance floor.

Trying too hard...

Hmm, I don't think it's in the matter of trying too hard. The wackiness just isn't there. Personally, I like the Cyndi Lauper parody "Kids Just Love To Brush" much better. (It's on my ipod, I love it Both as a Muppet fan and a Cyndi Lauper fan)
I won't necessary call "Disco Toothbrush" wacky. Nor Campy. But the music is really good. I think that's Jerry Nelson performing the monster. It's kind of like "I'm A Baby, Rock Me". Where it isn't the Muppeteers performing the voices (well in that case, Richard and Jerry doing background vocals). I've always believed that Muppets (and similar standard television / film genre puppetry style) work very well with Rock and Jazzy type music. Especially when they sing and dance. Sometimes better then actual humans.

One of the things I've noticed in the Disco numbers is how it's the same set. This has to be filmed perhaps in the same season or even the same week. I often wonder if these sets are saved or not. Obviously Ernie and Bert's apartment is a regular sketch at the time and is rebuilt and evolved. Though I'd love to see if some of the props in the sets are going to be at the Atlanta Puppet Museum or New York Moving Picture Museum "Jim Henson" wing exhibits at all. If anything, I really hope at least one of those weird poll thingies were saved. I don't know why I like them. Perhaps it's when Grover was hanging on to one of them for a second.

Let's see, I probably mentioned The Count going Shopping (for Fruits and Weggables *heard on the album version*) The clip online, the description said "The Count at his Nuttiest" I love how that's described. The sketch / song is wonderful. Just this looney that goes around counting "nice newspapers" at the newsstand while a cop is trying to track The Count down. And just hearing The Count getting really energetic about it, it's really great.

I was watching "Telephone Rock" on my Old School vol 2 DVD set and my favorite part is seeing Little Jerry and The Monotones rocking back and forth with the Telephone booth. It cracks me up every time and I can just imagination how much fun that was for the Muppeteers. To me The Muppets (both The Muppet Show and Sesame Street) a huge part of them was just pure anarchy, zaniness and silliness. Almost like letting all the animals out of the zoo, but it's also a combination of hippies, monsters and talking food. I think that with the combination of fast pace rock, jazz and disco music, the from time to time serious moments with the characters, and bad puns is what The Muppets were all about...to me, just my opinion. Though I think it's sad how crazy wild silly wacky comedy isn't hip anymore. I guess in some way I can compair myself to Animal (another great aspect of The Muppets, sometimes you can see yourself in these great characters), if it's too tame, "AAAAAAAAAHHH!"

I'm not sure if anyone put the clip online or not but I was watching this segment on my Old School vol 2 DVD of Oscar's Grouchy Cooking Show and He makes really bad Chicken Soup and he says it's called Chicken Soup because everyone's too chicken to taste it. Corny pun but it's quite amusing to me.

 

[Drtooth]

Another weird one...

I especially like how they don't even bother to question where the heck a cardboard cutout of them came from and what it was doing there... just trying to make them match.

 

[cjd874]

Jerry and Frank doing what they did best.
The ending is especially wacky, with Dr. Rainbrain running around like a maniac. And the Count is standing there nonchalantly, like "No big deal. I get to count backwards in Transylvanish, it's all good."

 

[cjd874]

I love the Disco moments. Disco is NOT Dead in my book, I listen to Shalamar.

I just love the musical score in this. To me, THIS IS GREAT MUPPET MUSIC

There's a few other great ones like "I'm a Baby, Rock Me" where the high chair dances on it's own and how they are all trying to squeeze into the shot while the camera zooms into the disco ball. And Grover dancing to the alphabet. "COME ON DANCE!"

I also like the SS disco segments. Heck, I own the "Sesame Disco" album from 1979! The ones that stand out are Grover's alphabet disco ("Are you ready for the KING, girls?") and Cookie Monster's Shaft parody, both brilliant performances by Frank Oz. "In and Out Disco" is very funny as well. I wonder if any or all of those monsters were made from Anything Muppets? I know that Frazzle was made from the pumpkin-style Muppet. And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how great the background music is for each skit.

 

[FrackleFan2012]

I wonder if any or all of those monsters were made from Anything Muppets? I know that Frazzle was made from the pumpkin-style Muppet.

All of the monsters except for Frazzle and the purple female monster are made up of AM Monsters. The purple female monster is made out of a Lavender AM Muppet.

 

[Drtooth]

Jerry and Frank doing what they did best.
The ending is especially wacky, with Dr. Rainbrain running around like a maniac. And the Count is standing there nonchalantly, like "No big deal. I get to count backwards in Transylvanish, it's all good."

I have to apologize to everyone and myself, especially myself, for not being the one to have mentioned this skit before hand. I'm pretty disappointed in myself for letting that opportunity slip by, but by Toutatis, someone else mentioned it and it's as glorious as it sounds.

First off, just the design of Dr. Rainbrain is enough to put it over the top. Frank's performance makes you bounce off the wall just as much as Rainbrain does. But his descent into madness when The Count tells him he just wanted to count down is just as batcrap insane as the mas scientist in the sketch. Something about the Count's completely fake Transylvanian numbers just ices the cake.

I'm not missing the opportunity for this next sketch...

Now, I could go on and on about how the airplanes constantly disrupt the reporter, or that Telly is in top form screaming his lungs off, but what really sells this skit is the little Roosevelt Franklin looking kid, who completely gives up trying to talk to the reporter starts making faces and mugging the camera. Too bad it seems this version is cut off. Just... that face...that face. It's irresistibly funny.

Oh, and no video, not very happy I can't find it, but that claymation skit about the chair that keeps bumping into inanimate objects (himself an animate object that shouldn't be) and repeatedly saying "excuse me" until he finally finds his glasses, exclaims "See yuh later" and never appears on the show ever again.

 

[mupcollector1]

Frank's Dr Rain brain always cracks me up "and one crazy scientist". The airport one is another one of my all time favorites. One of the things that I've noticed in general is that wacky comedy isn't really around anymore. It's like from the beginning of slapstick film until whenever, it was a mix of vaudeville and cartoony gags. But today's culture seems to be more attracted to realistic entertainment and comedy. Totally not my cup of tea. I prefer that good ol' Tex Avery energy.

I'm not sure if I mentioned but I've really liked some of the early Elmo sketches where Elmo used to be this pain in the neck character who always wants to play with Mr the Frog (aka Kermit of course). Like the one where Kermit needs to deliver a package and it smashes on the ground or the post office closes or both. I got to see it again. I liked the one with Prairie Dawn in space and Elmo is a Police Officer and then a farmer that brings a cow along (I think the cow was performed by Marty Robinson I think). And there was another Prairie Dawn one I remember, Grover staring in a remake of singing in the rain. Prairie was a pretty good straight man character where more spontaneous Muppets can play off of her like Ernie with Bert or Grover and Mr. Johnson. I think the only time I found Rosita funny was a moment where she thought she could fly and she always lands on Prairie.
It's interesting how some of the characters that started out being gag characters would later end up being non-comedic characters who become more like Big Bird, child like characters for the children audience to identify with and learn through.
I think I posted a thread awhile back on character's ages because there's a couple that I strongly believe to be adult like Kermit, Count Von Count, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster and especially Grover. But it's interesting how one moment he's being tucked into bed by his mother and the next he's either Super Grover solving problems (after it's solved) or working in some place where Mr. Johnson would go. Anyway, Mr. Johnson is cursed. First it was Harvey Kneeslapper, now it's Grover. Then again Kermit was bugged by Grover a few times right? How many Grover salesmen sketches where there? One of my favorites is the one where he gives Kermit teeth and educates the audience about the tooth comb and eating crunchy things like bananas.

Wasn't there a few professor Grover sketches too that were kind of like that where he gives off wrong information? I was watching one of my old school DVD sets and seeing the one where Maria's head is on a table, when Grover's head comes up to Maria, it makes me wonder how big in size are these Muppets. Grover's head is almost the size of a human head. It always amazes me.

 

[Drtooth]

Three superb bits about sneezing...

 

[mupcollector1]

I might have mentioned before but it seemed like the style of Muppet humor at the time was crazy and wild silliness. I think Frank Oz quoted they were irreverent and anarchic. This was Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. With the addition of great character personalities, harmony positive moments, etc. The craziness was kind of The Muppets bread and butter for awhile. Sure they couldn't do their classic Monster eats a Muppet or explosions much on Sesame Street but could do on The Muppet Show. It's something that's not there anymore, I've mentioned it before it's calmed down quite a bit on both ends The Muppets and Sesame Street. Even Looney Tunes isn't about explosions and classic cartoon violence. It seems like wacky wild slapstick isn't hip anymore in the mainstream. Personally I don't think silliness can ever be accomplished within the art if it's toned down with dialog. Just my opinion, Call me old fashioned but this is the Sesame Street that I known and loved.

Speaking of Looney Tunes, here's a reference from Ernie I've always loved.

I love the props that are used in this
Also was this one of the final Ernie and Bert sketches performed by Jim and Frank?

I think the Cave Person Days clips were already posted. I just love Bert with one tooth.

 

[mupcollector1]

I haven't this one in years! Since my childhood. It's so much fun to find these gems again.
The part that cracked me up the most is where Bert announces the name "WINDOW" and the musical sting choir music and Bert is looking around in amazement. Perhaps it's corny but I find it really hilarious. I think Campy humor was also another great element to The Muppets style.