What are the lamest, Dullest, and Worst Non-Muppet segments?

[Drtooth]

Unofficial poll time. What (non-muppet) skits do you think were lame, unappealing, pointless, dull, and just plain bad? I want to see the worst of the worst compiled here, and I want to see what everyone else thinks. And no sweeping generalizations about certain years of the show. I want specifics. Groups of recurring skits are okay.

Note- you can add more current ones if you'd like, but I want this to include the entire history of the show.

Here are a few ones I really think stunk-

Hello Mr. Clock, time to tick Tock... the skit's about 36 seconds in, right after the pinball number count bit. No thought was put into it, it looks very lazily done, and the music is just flat and repulsive.

Do the Veggie/ Fruit Dance. There's nothing fruit or vegetable about this one. Other than names, of course. And cheap beyond cheap, they used the same thing twice.

Unknown title, cheaply produced segment with kids running around with certain letters and a lousy MIDI sounding score plays while tone deaf singers go "Da Letter M... M. M. The Letter M."

And for the dullest segment... well, that would have to be film footage of flowers with a classic music piece playing. I never liked that one. it always drove me crazy as a little kid, waiting the countless minutes for it to end.

 

[Oscarfan]

I actually liked the "Tick-Tock" segment. Most of the newer bits, to me, are the wrost ever. Prime examples include those Hip-Hop number segments from this past season and those fruit/veggie songs from season 36.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Well I have to say I adore the film of the flowers with the classical music, and also the infamous "Hey Cow, I See You Now", lol. Even though I loved the SS Muppets, those mellow live action segments are also a big part of my childhood memory.

But anyway, non Muppet segments that I didn't like...I have to say a lot of the cartoon segments on the Old School Vols 1 & 2 bored me. Either they're a little dull or a little too kiddie for me. There are some cartoon segments I have fond memories of, but I think they must have happened later on.

 

[Drtooth]

Well I have to say I adore the film of the flowers with the classical music, and also the infamous "Hey Cow, I See You Now", lol.

Hey Cow I see you now is too unintentionally funny to be lame. Maybe if they didn't keep repeating the same lyrics over and over three times. But I like it.

But any specific animated sequences you want to point out?

Another just plain bad segment? the Philip Glass colored disks thing. What is the point of that? And exposing children to the terrible music of Phillip Glass? FOR SHAME!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I actually liked that Tick Tock thing for some reason.

On word. "It's time to play" Or was that more like four?

 

[Son of Enik]

Darth Alphabet...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Hey Cow, I See You Now" is my all-time favorite non-Muppet segment (I think my signature proves that).
Anyway, the one I liked the least? I'd have to pick James Earl Jones doing the alphabet. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Jones is a terrific actor, but that segment just goes on too long.

 

[MrsPepper]

...also the infamous "Hey Cow, I See You Now"

Oh no, you beat me to it! That was mine.

 

[ISNorden]

My Bottom Five list...

I agree with the "Fruit/Veggie Dance" and "It's Time to Play" nominations 100% and for most of the same reasons. Here are my own nominations for worst non-Muppet material:

5. Any celebrity spot which has the featured people just counting or saying the alphabet--with no other words/actions. Most kids who watch Sesame Street wouldn't know the stars in those spots from a stranger in their hometown; and a deadpan recitation is likely to bore kids and adults equally no matter who does it.

4. A couple of kid-narrated cartoons that showed the consequences of a bizarre change: "If I had George Washington's face and he had mine, then my face would be on dollar bills and his would be in nursery school." (Well, duh...) "If we celebrated Valentine's Day with chickens instead of hearts, we'd say, 'I love you with all my chicken.'" (No, we'd find some romantic-looking bit of chicken behavior and use that expression instead.)

3. The "food jingle" cartoons from Season 36. Do toddlers really need an artsy song telling them broccoli is nutritious and looks like a little tree, when they probably hear the same comments at home? And "Grapes, grapes, grapes, grapes..." repeated for 20 seconds feels a little too much like Elmo's infamous "topic songs"...

2. Suzie Kabloozie and Feff's "Let's see what the judge says!" number recognition spots. Since a judge's number card in real life is a rating, some kids who see a lot of sports on TV will think "That cat must HATE the number of the day!" sometimes.

1. The "eat your colors" letter segments with Jane Tuesday and her brother. Just once, I'd like to see kids on Sesame Street reacting more typically to fruits and veggies; doesn't the same show teach expressing feelings honestly? And do the producers really want a generation of kids saying "Oh no, Mommy forgot to feed me something red today"?

 

[Drtooth]

5. Any celebrity spot which has the featured people just counting or saying the alphabet--with no other words/actions. Most kids who watch Sesame Street wouldn't know the stars in those spots from a stranger in their hometown; and a deadpan recitation is likely to bore kids and adults equally no matter who does it.

I think the Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, and Pee Wee Herman segments are exepmpt from that rule. bill and Richard especially did something interresting and funny with them.

4. A couple of kid-narrated cartoons that showed the consequences of a bizarre change: "If I had George Washington's face and he had mine, then my face would be on dollar bills and his would be in nursery school." (Well, duh...) "If we celebrated Valentine's Day with chickens instead of hearts, we'd say, 'I love you with all my chicken.'" (No, we'd find some romantic-looking bit of chicken behavior and use that expression instead.)

Other than the George Washinton playing with blocks, I agree 100 percent.

3. The "food jingle" cartoons from Season 36. Do toddlers really need an artsy song telling them broccoli is nutritious and looks like a little tree, when they probably hear the same comments at home? And "Grapes, grapes, grapes, grapes..." repeated for 20 seconds feels a little too much like Elmo's infamous "topic songs"...

Some were alright, but, and I'm glad you brought the Grape one up, they were the dullest and most pointless thing ever. The Grape one was just annoying. i know they were going with a Sports chant feel, but it came off quiet and stupid.

2. Suzie Kabloozie and Feff's "Let's see what the judge says!" number recognition spots. Since a judge's number card in real life is a rating, some kids who see a lot of sports on TV will think "That cat must HATE the number of the day!" sometimes.

Total waste of Mo Willems. Dude is hillarious, and one of my favorite animators... if you haven't seen it before, search online for "the man who Yelled". But those were intended as an introduction. They've been using them as actual number segments.

1. The "eat your colors" letter segments with Jane Tuesday and her brother. Just once, I'd like to see kids on Sesame Street reacting more typically to fruits and veggies; doesn't the same show teach expressing feelings honestly? And do the producers really want a generation of kids saying "Oh no, Mommy forgot to feed me something red today"?

The Jane Tuesday stuff wouldn't bother me so much if her brother didn't act like Crayon Shin-Chan, thankfully without the Mr. Elephant ( if you know Shin-Chan, you know what I'm talking about, if not, I ain't explaining it too you).

 

[Fozzie Bear]

For me, it will always be that horrible cow song from episode one.

I didn't feel like drinking milk after that, but I felt like jumping in a river wearing concrete shoes.