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Sam and Friends BookI don't know if anyone has brought up this topic before, but I've just been curious about the animated opening sequences to Sesame Street that have been seen right at the start of each episode from season 1 lasting until the end of season 6.
During the entire first season, the opening sequence was created by Jim Henson using stop-motion animation, and featured two clay characters (that were each seen in two separate segments from the show's first year). A light green unicorn walks across a pink landscape not too soon before a blue man wearing a hat emerges spelling "Sesame Street" as he runs and cartwheels across the screen. The letters form together as an arched sign, and the episode number appears. Then the two characters walk through the arch, as if they're heading to Sesame Street. This entire sequence is accompanied by some spooky-sounding synthesizer keyboard soundtrack.
Starting in season 2, the animated openings are done by Cliff Roberts, who has contributed many animations to the show during the early years.
The only of these sequences that I'm familiar with are these of the following -
Would anyone happen to remember any other animated sequences. Everything I've mentioned and described is all I remember.
During the entire first season, the opening sequence was created by Jim Henson using stop-motion animation, and featured two clay characters (that were each seen in two separate segments from the show's first year). A light green unicorn walks across a pink landscape not too soon before a blue man wearing a hat emerges spelling "Sesame Street" as he runs and cartwheels across the screen. The letters form together as an arched sign, and the episode number appears. Then the two characters walk through the arch, as if they're heading to Sesame Street. This entire sequence is accompanied by some spooky-sounding synthesizer keyboard soundtrack.
Starting in season 2, the animated openings are done by Cliff Roberts, who has contributed many animations to the show during the early years.
The only of these sequences that I'm familiar with are these of the following -
- An oval is drawn with a zig-zag line across it making it look like a cracked egg. The egg hatches a big yellow bird (not the one in particular we're familiar with, mind you) who's holding a box. A blue bird holding a top hat pokes out from the box. A white pelican peeks its head out from the hat, opening its large bill to reveal a tiny orange bird. The bird sings out some multi-colored music notes which form into "Sesame Street". After this happens, the episode number then appears.
- A hand drops some seeds into the ground, which grow into a dozen colorful flowers. The words "Sesame Street" appear (in the same colors as the flowers) and then we see the episode number appear in the center of a large red-petaled flower.
- A strongman carrying a mallet strikes a large gong, which falls out of its frame to reveal "Sesame Street" behind it. The man hits the letters with the mallet, prompting an echoing sound of a gong to be heard as the episode number appears, leaving the man looking confused.
- A woodpecker pecks out "Sesame Street" one letter at a time in random order into the bark of a tree (the music and sound effects fit in perfectly with this particular scene). When finished, a worm peeks out of one of the letters shushing the woodpecker, before being pulled out by the bird's beak. "POP!" - the worm is released from the tree, as the episode number appears. The worm pecks the woodpecker's head, causing the latter to fall off the branch with a soft thud.
- Set to a vibrating cymbal sound, a suspicious-looking character approaches a trash can sitting in the center of a sidewalk. He empties its remains one by one (revealing items such as a potted flower, a TV set, a lamp with no shade, and half of a watermelon to name a few) before attaching his shoes to the sides of the can (to resemble tail-fins of a rocket). During that entire scene, the background music, supplied by Joe Raposo, sounds like an altered version of the Sesame Street theme song. The man hops into the can, lights a fuse (that just happens to appear on the side) with a match, stretches out his hat (making it the rocket's nose) and then blasts off. Smoke curls into the words "Sesame Street", then the episode number appears.
- A man seen from a side view (looking sort of like Alfred Hitchcock) blows up a red balloon, one breath at a time. Joe Raposo's music backs up the sequence with the tune of the "Sesame Street" theme song. "Sesame Street" is suddenly seen on the balloon as soon as it becomes bigger. As the man's showing the balloon off to us, he accidentally releases air from the balloon, causing it to deflate. The man is still holding the balloon, so as its deflating, it's taking the man with it. The man falls far in the background. "THUD!" - the episode number appears.
- A man with a big black hat approaches another man, looking just like him, and speaks in high-pitched, garbled language (he's supposed to be telling the other man that he's lost). The other man points up, then we see a sign reading "Sesame Street". The lost man is seen walking in the back (looking both ways for traffic), and then disappears into the blank background. "Sesame Street" is replaced with the episode number.
- This one is REALLY great. A mad scientist is heating up some chemical in a test tube over a bunsen burner flame. He pours the liquid into a flask, which then travels through a series of tubes and gadgets. Raposo accompanies this scene with some "creepy" sounding music. The last component of the contraption inflates a large red balloon, which gets bigger and bigger, until it bursts out letters spelling "Sesame Street" along with the episode number.
Would anyone happen to remember any other animated sequences. Everything I've mentioned and described is all I remember.
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