Pigs singing the Happy Wanderer

[MartyMuppets]

You know, I had never noticed that before. But now that you mention it, you're so right... it is incredibly cute! This song has such a positive and upbeat feel to it, that message in those lines seems to come through very clearly, too. Of course, with that upbeat and positive feeling in this song, it's pretty ironic that there were so many unsure and nervous moments that the pigs felt in it.

Precisely Caroline. The whole thing is a big ironically laughter-inducing tragic twist on what is supposed to be such a merry joyful happily cheery sort of song.

Incidentally I have also wondered if the running gag of Wayne and Wanda in Season One may have subtily influenced the inspiration of this sketch as well. It is sort of like a drawn-out Wayne and Wanda song gag, isn't it?
Just imagine Kermit or whoever introducing the pigs the way Sam always used to introduce his favourite singing duo whispering as the curtain opens "You guys had better get it right."

And if Wayne and Wanda had been in the audience during the John Denver episode they could have said this between themselves afterwards:

Wanda: Well, we certainly couldn't have done better ourselves.
Wayne: Yes, at least they kept persistently trying their best to conclude their number despite their misfortune. And they did finish it. Anyway sort of.
Wanda: That's right. We never finished any of our unlucky numbers. And since there's only two of us we probably never would have made it through to the final verse.

 

[Skye]

I can imagine the Muppeteers discussing this with the writer(s) saying things like:
But wouldn't the two of them have been tied together like climbers generally do?
Yeah. What happened with the rope?
Thus the inspiration for the goat. And finally the trio concept to make the dialogue more simpler and natural instead of one talking to himself and all the rest of it fell into place.

Yeah, totally. I love to think about how sketches came to be, and I think it's really interesting to think about how the Muppeteers and the writers came together to make magic like this happen!

That's a cool idea of yours that it would be like Wayne and Wanda! It's a very good possibility that they may have influenced our pigs' sketch here. And "Wanda" in your post had a very good point. It was helpful that there were three pigs... made them last longer!

 

[MartyMuppets]

As a thought for further discussion do you think the skit worked best with the pigs or could they have used human what-nots?
I don't think any other type of muppet would have been successfully usable except maybe the dogs at a rough pinch?

What do you think?

 

[crazed gonzo fa]

Not quite sure. I think it would have been funny with what-nots but it's great the way it is.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Funny thought just crossed my mind. If they had dressed up three what not dogs in happy wandering gear they might have made the screams sound exactly like doggie howls.

 

[Skye]

Well, I was going to say that having them as pigs is funnier, just because of the way they handled it and they did such a good job at making it awesome. But, I do love the dog idea, too! That would've been very funny, too. Though, I must admit that the screams of our piggies are very good and quite entertaining, too.

 

[MartyMuppets]

Well the moral of the story is don't listen to horoscopes. As a Christian, I believe they're all rubbish and they cause more problems than they solve.

If that poor foolish pig hadn't been sucked into horoscope predictions he wouldn't have been so upset and maybe he might have noticed the goat and alerted his buddies and together they might have been able to fight him off.
However being distracted by his own fears the other two didn't know about the goat either until it was too late for any of them to do something to scare him off of attacking them. This is mere speculation of course. But he may have been intimidated by the numbers of a trio fighting him off and felt discouraged from sending the boulders down since he wasn't able to whittle their strength of arms down one at a time.

That's a very good moral Marty.

And that's a very good speculation. That certainly could have worked to fight the evil goat off. But maybe the goat still would've thought the boulders could take care of the three of them anyway.

I seriously think you are probably right about that Caroline. Especially if he was dead set keen on protecting his territory.

Actually I think it's rather funny to imagine the pig on the end turning around desperately leaning up against the mountain side during the chorus and crying out, "Hey fellas! A goat has just chewed through my rope and he's trying to make me fall! HELP ME!"
So his pals go to his rescue, the one at the very highest point reaching out and grabbing the back of his shirt collar and hauling back while the one in the middle lashes out at the goat with the pick he was using to help him climb while the three of them shout things such as "Get lost" and "Leave us alone"
The one on the end maybe even kicking at him alternately to their pal's pick.

And eventually when the goat apparently gives up and runs away the other two make sure their pal turns around slowly and carefully without losing his balance and they take the pieces of rope and tie them firmly together again making sure they are adequately secure. He is very grateful to still be alive because he had had a feeling something was watching them hence his nervousness. Anyway the middle one just finishes verifying the rope is secure again and is saying, "We'd better watch out for that goat while we're climbing from now on," when suddenly there is a strange sound.
"What's that rumbling noise?" cries the distraught pig on the end.
Then they all look up and scream as they see the boulders rolling towards them. And the three pals are all turned into ham pancakes on the mountain side.
And the evil goat is laughing with glee.

Yes that is a funny thought to me but I'm glad they didn't notice him. Else we would've lost two thirds of our musical comedy.

 

[MartyMuppets]

BTW For a little bit of trivia I've found out that you can sing the classic Christian hymn Amazing Grace to the tune of The Happy Wanderer.
I noticed this awhile ago when I was thinking about our fun sketch at work at St.Vincent de Paul's welfare center where I sometimes sing hymns as I work.
I pointed it out to my friend Lynnie Adams as I sang the lyrics

Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see.

Lynnie said it's true. The lyrics do fit the melody of Happy Wanderer spot on.
Then I told her and here's a suggestion for a good chorus (Amazing Grace itself doesn't have any chorus at all, but here's what I thought of)

Halleluh
Halleluh
Halleluh
Hallelujah,Hallelujah
Halleluh
Halleluh
Was blind but now I see.

Hallelujah means Praise God and fitted in well with the chorus Valderi etc.

Lynnie thought that was very clever of me

 

[MartyMuppets]

For another BTW this sketch has reminded me of a single picture gag I saw in a British comic once.
Three mountain climbers are ascending a mountain but you can't see the one on the end for his rope has come loose and he's screaming loudly YOOOOOAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
The middle one is looking down but the one up front doesn't even turn his head but says with a big smile. "That's very lovely yodelling Jack."

 

[MartyMuppets]

You know, I'm imagining your wolf scenario, and they should've put something like that in the sketch! That would've been pretty funny, too. Like, the wolf down at the bottom gathering up the pigs, and then an "Uh-oh" or something before he runs off and then the boulders hit. Of course, the sketch is wonderful as is, but that added thing could've been very entertaining!

And you know my friend, when I was recently thinking about this past post you made it dawned on me exactly how morbidly dark this would have made the humour of the sketch in the end.
I mean think about it. The big, bad wolf with the first two pigs motionlessly slung over his shoulder and he throws the last one over his shoulder too when he lands licking his chops and saying "Yum Yum Yummy."
Thus implying that they truly had fallen to their doom and were now lifeless bodies.

But naturally the Wolf crying out '"Yikes" and running off with them a split second before the boulders landed would have provided some sort of light relief to conclude on.
It would have been later on perhaps that many of us realized that the Big, Bad Wolf had escaped with his life to enjoy making a tasty feast out of the Three Little Pigs.