Sketches and Songs on Sesame Street videos

[GonzoLeaper]

Well, Steve Whitmire is credited on the video cover- and I'm pretty sure those were his vocals rather than Jim Henson's. (Though Steve did a good job.)
But the video sequence is probably the one you mentioned from Season 30- because it's definitely not the original version from 1969. And during the song, it jumps to clips of kids bathing and then jumps back to Ernie to finish up the song. I'd probably have to look at the Season 30 version of "Rubber Duckie" to tell for sure- but I'm pretty sure that this is Steve Whitmire singing "Rubber Duckie", using the new footage filmed for Season 30.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

At long last! The "Getting Ready for School" review!!!

Okay- here it is. The one that I've been putting off doing for so long, but I finally got around to it. And it's one of the more classic 80s releases- so you know there's good stuff on this one!

Here we go- the review for "Getting Ready For School"!!! (This is a "My Sesame Street Home Video" release and runs about 30 minutes. I thought it was interesting to note that the VHS cover actually states "Great Moments From Sesame Street with New Live Segments")

Video starts with classic Children's Television Workshop logo (you know, the blue letters that appear) and then the cartoon version of Cookie Monster eating the "My Sesame Street Home Video" sign.

Plot- Big Bird is standing by his nest and offers to tell you about school (because he's been there 3 days.) Big Bird admits being scared of school at first- but then he saw the alphabet at school and was comforted by it because of the familiarity it brought. Then he recalls the first time he saw the alphabet, leading into...

Classic Song- ABC-DEF-GHI (Big Bird standing outside of Mr. Hooper's Store with the green banner and pink letters of the alphabet hung up.)

Big Bird then reminds veiwers that there's numbers at school too.

Cartoon- Peacock counts his 20 feathers.

Big Bird says there signs all over school- like "School", "Exit" and "Bus Stop"

Cartoon- Man in blue cap builds a bus stop from out of a paper bag on a street corner. A big hand takes the bus and eats it.

Cartoon- Orange ball follows "Exit" signs through a maze of corridors and stairs trying to find the way out.

Muppets sketch- Anything Muppets do a cheer for school with a "School" sign in green in the background and Muppets wearing green shirts- each with a letter to spell out "school". (One looks like an early Roxie Marie without glasses-I'm guessing it's that similar lavendar head mold.)

Big Bird emerges from his nest area to tell you that you might already know some kids at school. He says that when he went there was a little girl who lives around the corner from the Fix-It Shop (pointing with his hand in the appropriate direction) and a bunch of kids he plays with in the park (and he points in the opposite direction for the park. So now we know what direction the park's in.) And of course, there's kids you don't know.

Song- The Count's First Day of School (Starts with Count by a park bench telling about his 1st. day of school and then flashes back to a young Count at school during the song.)

Big Bird tells us about teachers by pretending to be a teacher with Snuffy and kids as the students. Big Bird shows us that students should raise their hands to answer the question.

Song- Raise Your Hand (featuring Little Chrissy- but minus The Alphabeats)

Big Bird mentions that the alphabet will be there at school.

Live action sketch- Kids stand together to form the letters of the alphabet (and yell them out!)

Sketch- Same AMs cheer for school again.

Big Bird introduces guest speaker Snuffy, who goes to Snufflegarden. Snuffy points out that everyone makes mistakes.

Song- Everyone Makes Mistakes (Note- This is not the original version. Big Bird and Snuffy sing the song right there in the arbor area.)

Big Bird mentions the alphabet again.

Sketch- The alphabet is presented in many various means- paintbrush, pen, marker, printed, etc.- some by a live hand and some via cartoon, including some early computer graphics for "W" and "X", resembling "Space Invaders")

Sketch- Another AM school cheer.

Big Bird shows kids an easy way to put your coat on (with a girl to demonstrate) Big Bird then introduces David to show you how to tie your shoes.

Song- "Dandy" David (as he calls himself) demonstrates tying a little girl's laces in a song to teach you how to tie your shoelaces. Herry shows up on 2nd. verse and repeats after David, so he'll learn too. At end of song, Herry asks David to tie his shoes, but David points out that he doesn't wear shoes. Herry tells him he collects shoes and pulls out a box full of them!
(David wears a bowler hat and a blue vaudeville-type suit in this song.)

Big Bird recommends asking a grown-up to rewind video so you can watch song again if you didn't get it. Snuffy shows how he ties his shoes (those big blue ones, which look familiar to me from other scenes) by blowing hard through his snuffle. Big Bird then reminds you about the alphabet.

Sketch- Girl shows Grover how to sing the alphabet (and she says "C" twice! once in the right place, and then in place of "G".) She gets stuck at "W" and Grover wraps it up for her.

Big Bird invites you to write him a card and tell him how you're doing in school as he points to his mailbox by his nest. (I wonder how many kids took him up on this.)
The Sesame Street closing music starts to play as Big Bird's talking, but it stops suddenly when Big Bird says, "Wait! Wait! Did I tell you about the alphabet?" Then he says, "Yeah, probably. Well, bye bye!" And the music resumes as the credits start rolling on the animated slate that Cookie Monster is holding.

(Interestingly, it looks like the credits list most all the cast, at least for the Puppeteers. Caroll Spinney is highlighted as Big Bird, and then most all the other puppeteers are listed too. And the humans are listed, even though most of them (all but David) didn't show up on the video! Linda Bove as Linda, Northern Calloway as David, Bob McGrath as Bob, Sonia Manzana as Maria and Alaina Reed as Olivia are all listed.)

Concluding thoughts-
This is a great video! Most every song and sketch included are classic Sesame Street clips! We don't get the original version of "Everyone Makes Mistakes" but it's still fun to see Big Bird and Snuffy singing it. And there's Big Bird's classic (probably signature) song- "ABC-DEF-GHI" and a Count classic- "The First Day of School". And some great cartoons- I loved the orange ball and particularly the guy building a bus stop out of a paper bag as a kid. And I can't forget the "Raise Your Hand" song- Little Chrissy is always fun. And the kids forming the alphabet... and it was fun seeing David sing his song about tying your shoes...
Like I said, most everything on here is great! I'd definitely recommend it- I'm sure it'll bring back some great memories!

 

[minor muppetz]

Great review! If Roosevelt Franklin sketches were still being shown at the time that this video was released, I wonder if it would have included any Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School sketches (of course, since the video features so much focus on the alphabet, Roosevelt Franklin's Alphabet might have been more likely).

 

[minor muppetz]

I find it strange that the video has more human cast members credited than who actually appear in the video, especially Olivia. This and I'm Glad I'm Me are the only 190s My Sesame Street Home Video releases I haven't seen, and none of the other releases credit more humans than needed. Heck, some of the early releases don't even credit Jim Henson (unless you count the "Starring Jim Henson's Sesame Street Muppets" credit as a credit for Jim Henson). Maybe there was a sketch planned for the video that got cut from the final release.

It's interesting that the video focuses more on learning concepts (especially the alphabet) than sketches that take place in school. There are at least four Sesame Street News sketches that involved school that could have been included (depending on when they were made). And this video should have included the sketch with Kermit and Joey reciting the alphabet either before or after ABC-DEF-GHI; Big Bird mentions seeing the familiar alphabet sees like a natural for this release. And this is the only 1980s Sesame Street video release to not include Ernie.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Yeah- I keep thinking of that "School in the Afternoon" sketch (the one that parodied soap operas), but I'm not sure if that was made before 1987 or not. I'm pretty sure the Caveman First Day of School could've been included though. Oh well- there's still a pretty nice selection for what we got.

I wouldn't have minded seeing the Kermit and Joey reciting the alphabet sketch either. That's definitely a classic!

And the whole thing about Big Bird emphasizing the alphabet got to be a running gag on the video. He'd keep asking if he'd told you (the viewer) about the alphabet yet. But just in case, watch this video!

 

[minor muppetz]

I've read that there are plans for a new DVD titled Ready for School, but it doens't appear to be a retitled re-release. Elmo appears on the cover, and it sounds to me like he didn't appear in the video. Baby Bear is also on the cover, and he wasn't even around yet. The only way that could be a rerelease would be if (oh, no!) some sketches were replaced with newer segments (like in Sleepytime Songs and Stories). Or maybe Elmo and Baby Bear are jsut used as selling points and not actually in the release (whjat a great world this would be).

 

[GonzoLeaper]

No, Elmo is definitely not on "Getting Ready for School"- Believe me, even if I'd just noticed him as a character in the background somewhere, I probably would have mentioned him.

But yeah, if this is a DVD version of this 1987 video, then they're probably just using Elmo as a selling point to today's kids. (Though the video starred Big Bird and Snuffy pretty much- and kids today should know who they are too!)

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Let the Games begin (with a new review!)

Sesame Street video- "Slimey's World Games" (1996 video- 30 minutes run time)

(Back of VHS cover has a "Sesame Street Games" logo on it, featuring Big Bird, Elmo and Cookie Monster. And it's nice to see Oscar and Slimey prominent on the VHS cover. In fact, there's a nice big picture of Slimey on the back.)

Video starts with commercial for then current videos, and then has that little clip with Katie Couric hailing a taxi cab and saying, "Sesame Street and step on it please." Then comes the classic blue letters Children's Television Workshop logo and the cartoon Cookie Monster eating the "My Sesame Street Home Video" sign. Then we have a colorful title screen logo for "Slimey's World Games." I thought it was interesting that we seem to have a congruent of two different formats on this video for the logos and all. Perhaps it was a transitional stage.

Plot- Announcer (portrayed by Tim McCarver), wearing his "Worm TV" shirt, says it's time for "Slimey's World Games"- where Slimey's competing in the Worm Summer Games. Slimey and Oscar (his coach) are there with other worms and grouch coaches in Wiggly City, GA. The human announcer does it up just like the Olympics, announcing the Parade of Worms to start things off. He announces the worm from France, the worm from Kenya, the worm from Italy, the worm from China, and the worm from Sesame Street- Slimey! (Slimey is mentioned as the only one to compete in both Winter and Summer Games- but he lost all the events in the Winter games and got gold medal for falling down the most.
(The stadium was pretty neat- even had the advertisements all over the place- like "Pupas 'R' Us")
The Sesame Street gang is seen cheering Slimey on, as they watch on TV at Hooper's Store. (Mr. Hanford, Luis, Selina, Big Bird, Telly and a boy and girl are all there.)
Oscar berates the announcer for talkinga bout Slimey losing, but he says it's part of his job. Oscar says he's proud of Slimey and Slimey's proud of himself. And announcer announces commercial break.

Song- Get On Up (Everybody Move) - (live action- both kids and adults moving around, dancing and jumping.)

Back to the Games- Big Bird asks the TV where Wiggly City is and of course the announcer replies with "Why, just north of Atlanta, GA, Big Bird." The Goodworm Blimp gives us an overhead view. (The Games are said to consist of Track and Field, Diving and Gymnastics events.)
Track's up first-
1st. event- 1 yard dash - Slimey starts out dead last, but manages to pull ahead and come in first!

Live action clip- Girl explains how her handicapped father races in a wheelchair and a wheelchair race is held- pretty much everyone ties!

Back at the Games, it's the Over, Around, Under and Through Hurdles Race- Slimey gets a good lead and gets first (and maybe even sets a new world record!)
Oscar gets interviewed about the race- but he keeps getting upset when the announcer mentions Slimey's previous losses. Then the announcer informs us that the Circle Throwing Event is next after these messages.

Song- Around and Around (live action kids run over, under, around and through while adults nap.)

Cartoon- Dog chases cat around and through and over and even under a dog house.

Song- Simple Pleasures (live action girl tries to throw a frisbee for a dog to catch at the beach, but doesn't work well. Finally succeeds with a ball though. All this is done to the tune of what I initially decided was Bobby McFerrin-like whistling and singing...and then I noticed his name in the credits, so I'm guessing I was right! )

Back at the Games- it's the Circle Throwing Event (Slimey vs. Worm from Kenya- I noted that the other countries' worms don't all have names except for when the coaches cheer them on and sometimes the announcer names them.) Big Bird questions the announcer twice and again he answers Big Bird directly. Slimey beats the Kenya worm (though he throws himself along with the circle.) Oscar gets upset when the announcer says he must be a happy grouch after Slimey's win. Then the announcer says they'll be back after this...

Song- I'm in Great Shape (live action kids jumping and dancing around with red, green, yellow and blue foam shapes (triangle, circle, square, rectangle, etc.)

Mr. Hanford doles out lemonade as the Games start back up.
Balance Beam event- Slimey goes first (and doesn't make a mistake!) - Perfect score! 5 fives!
The announcer keeps trying to get Oscar to admit he's happy and of course he won't- though the Sesame Street gang is as we see them cheering.

Song- Reach Your Hand Up High (live action kids reaching up for things with their hands. If I'm not mistaken, I believe you can hear Olivia's (Alaina Reed's) voice singing this song.)

Cartoon- white and black spotted dog and a girl in half blue and half yellow leotard and an alligator dance on a red background and a black ground.

At the Games- it's time for the Diving Event! Lo Mein (the Chinese worm) goes first and tries to make a capital letter L. (But doesn't quite succeed) Slimey tries to dive and look like a lower case l. Slimey does well and winds up splashing the announcer with water.

Song- You Can Get Right Up (live action kids and adults helping themselves and each other up.)

At Hooper's Store, Telly asks how many medals Slimey won in all. They tune back to the Games for the closing ceremonies to find out. (Slimey won all the medals!) Slimey gets 5 gold medals in all- but can't hold them all on his neck! (Poor Slimey! ;-))
Back at Hooper's Store, the gang is now chanting "Sesame Street!"
At the Games, Oscar gives a nice speech about "believing in yourself, keep trying and never give up. Now scram!" (as he tells the announcer)- Sesame Street gang again cheers at Oscar's speech.

"Get on Up (Everbody Move)" plays as credits roll over clips from video. And then there's a special offer for Sesame Street magazine and Sesame Street Parents magazine!

Concluding Thoughts- This is a pretty fun video. The Olympics games are always fun and a Sesame Street version is neat. It doesn't seem like the guys on Sesame Street were utilized much, but I guess they couldn't do much more than watch the TV and cheer on Slimey. Oscar and Slimey get to star in a big way, so that's pretty neat. And there are a few memorable songs on here- mainly the "Simple Pleasures" and "Reach Your Hand Up High" songs. And the "Around and Around" song- that was one of my favorites when I was younger. It's still a lot of fun now that I identify some with the older people wanting to take a nap! (But these kind of songs keep me young and keep my energy flowing!)

There could have been some more exercise-themed stuff on here- like that 80s favorite "Let's All Exercise" (that song's running through my head now that I mentioned it) or Grover doing pull ups or something- but it seems that this video was more focused on different ways to move and it did pretty good on covering that theme.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Regarding the "Ready for School" DVD that is coming out this summer, I noticed on Amazon that it is listed as being 60 minutes long. The "Getting Ready For School" video is only 30 minutes long, so more than likely this DVD is a totally new project.

 

[minor muppetz]

I don't know how likely this would be, but it would be great if Getting Ready for School was included as a bonus feature on the Ready for School DVD. I think I've read that Ready for School is an all-new DVD special involving Elmo starting school. Hopefully it will include sketches from the show. There are plenty of school-related skits that could be used.

Of course, if it's 60 minutes long, and a retitled rerelease of Getting Ready for School, it could be the same video with 30 minutes of skits added. Or maybe the street plot from Abby Cadabby's first day of school added (I don't think there is an Elmo's World segment about school yet that could be added). And there are plenty of alphabet segments that could be added (though it's interesting that so much focus was given on the alphabet, while counting was only brought up once). Yeah, I'm dreaming...

I hope that the Ready for School and Kids Favorite Country Songs DVDs at least have bonus segments.