Herbert Birdsfoot

jasontarkus

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I can’t list every sketch he was ever in - but I can list one that no one else seems to remember. It’s actually my favourite Herbert Birdsfoot sketch of all time!! (It must be early to mid 70’s vintage.)

It is a three part sketch where Grover & Herbert are talking about the ‘AN’ family - i.e. words that end in the letters ‘AN’. In the case of the three sketches the words are RAN, CAN & FAN.

In each sketch Herbert spells the word while Grover demonstrates what the word means.

The funniest sketch is the last one - FAN - where Grover turns on a fan which produces a hurricane force wind. They both go sailing off the screen after which you hear an enormous CRASH!!

First Herbert….

“TURN OFF THE FAN GROVER!! - TURN OFF THE FAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!" (*CRASH*)

Then a few seconds later Grover goes sailing past the screen yelling…"HEEEEERBBBBBB!!!!!" (*CRASH*)

Does anyone have this sketch??
 

Ziffel

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Wow I haven't thought about that sketch since I saw it over 30 years ago. I definitely recall that fan and Grover yelling, "Herb!" as he was being blown across the screen.
The Ernie borrowing a vacuum cleaner from Herbert skit is a great one. I also liked the one where Grover is afraid of his shadow and Herbert educates him on what shadows are. Grover closes the skit with his classic line, "Oh I am so EMBARRASSED!" Then there's the one where Grover demonstrates for Herbert how he can count blocks. But he does not know how to count oranges! And the one where Grover gets his mouth stuck shut with peanut butter. Herb helps Grover but then it gets stuck again. Those are the Herb skits that are pretty clear in my memory.
A few others I recall somewhat are:
(1) Herbert has some cookies located in some kind of contraption he invented. He configured it so The Cookie Monster would have to do some things on order to get to the cookies. I think one thing involved a pulley. I think Cookie Monster eventually figured out what to do. In any case, I remember the ending. He said, "Monster think of better way to get cookies." Then he smashes the contraption. The camera then shows a perturbed Herbert. I recall the music too, but can't describe it by typing. It was four beats.
(2) I believe it was Grover that was with Herbert in this one. Grover was holding something like a weight that said help on it. But it was pretty heavy for him and he yelled, "Help!" Herbie comes on the scene and says, "You need help?" Grover says yes. So Herb gives him another weight that says help. Grover yells help again and Herb comes back and says, "You need more help?" and gives him a third weight that says help. I remember this happens until Grover is holding four weights. But I forgot what happens after that. I think maybe Grover fell down, but not sure.
(3) This one I hardly recall what happens at all. All I remember was Herbert was standing next to Grover and Grover wasn't ready to do what Herb wanted. So Herb was a little annoyed and frustrated and said, "Okay, we'll wait." I think this may have been a two part sketch.
Those are the Herbert Birdsfoot skits I can think of right now. There is also that one on the record where he sings the high, middle, low song with Ernie and Bert. On the show I think the song was done with three anything muppets.
 

Censored

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jasontarkus said:
I can’t list every sketch he was ever in - but I can list one that no one else seems to remember. It’s actually my favourite Herbert Birdsfoot sketch of all time!! (It must be early to mid 70’s vintage.)

It is a three part sketch where Grover & Herbert are talking about the ‘AN’ family - i.e. words that end in the letters ‘AN’. In the case of the three sketches the words are RAN, CAN & FAN.

In each sketch Herbert spells the word while Grover demonstrates what the word means.

The funniest sketch is the last one - FAN - where Grover turns on a fan which produces a hurricane force wind. They both go sailing off the screen after which you hear an enormous CRASH!!

First Herbert….

“TURN OFF THE FAN GROVER!! - TURN OFF THE FAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!" (*CRASH*)

Then a few seconds later Grover goes sailing past the screen yelling…"HEEEEERBBBBBB!!!!!" (*CRASH*)

Does anyone have this sketch??
There was also a street scene where Herbert is with Big Bird at the nest. Big Bird tells a story of the 'AN' family that seems to exasperate Herbert. I believe Herbert made a few street appearances. At that time, "street muppets" and "skit muppets" were pretty much interchangeable.
 

Ziffel

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One that I am about 99% sure that Herbert Birdsfoot also appeared in (but only recall about 50% of how the skit goes!) had a guy making a delivery of something or things to whom I think was Herbert. The guy kept wanting Herbert to just sign for it so he could get back in his truck and go. But Herbert kept insisting on something first. I just remember how funny it was with the delivery muppet getting so frustrated. "Will you SIGN this??!!" He also kept saying that another guy in his delivery truck was sitting there laughing. At one point he turns to the unseen man in the truck and says, "Okay I see you laughing! Now knock it off!" I forgot how the skit concluded. I think Herb does eventually sign.
 

Daffyfan4ever

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Ziffel said:
One that I am about 99% sure that Herbert Birdsfoot also appeared in (but only recall about 50% of how the skit goes!) had a guy making a delivery of something or things to whom I think was Herbert. The guy kept wanting Herbert to just sign for it so he could get back in his truck and go. But Herbert kept insisting on something first. I just remember how funny it was with the delivery muppet getting so frustrated. "Will you SIGN this??!!" He also kept saying that another guy in his delivery truck was sitting there laughing. At one point he turns to the unseen man in the truck and says, "Okay I see you laughing! Now knock it off!" I forgot how the skit concluded. I think Herb does eventually sign.
Yes, that was mentioned before. That's about the only sketch with Herb that I remember.
 

mikebennidict

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Ziffel said:
One that I am about 99% sure that Herbert Birdsfoot also appeared in (but only recall about 50% of how the skit goes!) had a guy making a delivery of something or things to whom I think was Herbert. The guy kept wanting Herbert to just sign for it so he could get back in his truck and go. But Herbert kept insisting on something first. I just remember how funny it was with the delivery muppet getting so frustrated. "Will you SIGN this??!!" He also kept saying that another guy in his delivery truck was sitting there laughing. At one point he turns to the unseen man in the truck and says, "Okay I see you laughing! Now knock it off!" I forgot how the skit concluded. I think Herb does eventually sign.
check out the similler threads below and if it's not there i'll type it up.
 

Ziffel

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I don't see it in any of those threads listed below. I had looked through all the Herbert threads I could find yesterday too before I posted this. Daffyfan said it was mentioned before but I haven't come across it. It might have been brought up at a different thread. Any additional details on this skit you can provide will be great, thanks mike.
 

mikebennidict

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Herbert has and ET and this deliveryman has these other letters. a W,S, and M well each time the man wants him to sign the paper Herbert wants him to make the sound of the letters he brought off the truck as Herbert makes the ET sound. obviously the man doesn't like this. after the man delivers the last letter he looks to the left yelling that enough Charlie turn around I see ya smiling! this could be you instead of Me you know!? finally after helping Herb sounding the last word he's intriged, sorry of i speleld that wrong and tell charlie probably the truck driver to come over and he how great this delivery they made was.
 
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