what if there was a multi-part Sesame Street documentary?

[minor muppetz]

And here is how I would make the Grover episode be shown:

*Talk about Grover's origins
*the original Near and Far
*talk about Grover changing from gray green to blue, and his regular team-ups with Herbert Birdsfoot, Kermit, Mumford, and the kids
*Herbert Birdsfoot talks to Grover about his shadow
*Grover the plumber
*Mumford's rabbit trick
*Grover and John-John talk about love and count a penny
*talk about Grover's job as a waiter
*Grover the waiter: bacon and eggs
*talk about Super Grover
*Super Grover: telephone booth
*Monster in the Mirror
*talk about Global Grover
*Global Grover: France
*talk about Grover's Monsterpiece Theater roles
*Monsterpeice Theater: The Taming of the Shoe
*What Do I Do When I'm Alone?
*Extreme Makeover: Home Addition

 

[D'Snowth]

Wow, you've really been think this out, haven't you? Those are some nice ideas, though.

 

[minor muppetz]

I've been thnking of ideas like this for a long time. Heck, back in 1999, I had an idea for a Toonheads-style Henson series, featuring themes involving the Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, the creature shop, and other stuff.

I was thinking that such a Sesame Street series should be a half-hour, but looking at my lists, including what skits should be included along with narraration (I didn't mention specific clips for montages, such as when a narrarator speaks), it seems like all of that wouldn't fit a half-hour, especially if there are plenty of complete sketches. Then again, Toonheads occassionally had hour-long specials, and I don't see anything wrong with follow-ups to certain episodes so that more can be included.

But here is more content for certain "episodes".

episode 9. animation
*a brief introduction talking about how the show has always featured animation
*information about Bud Luckey, including three of his complete sketches: Two-Toucan Two-Steps, The Alligator King, and That's About the Size of It
*information about Cliff Roberts, and four complete sketches, including one Jasper and Julius sketch
*information about Sally Crushnik, including three complete sketches
*information about Mo Williems, including three complete sketches, such as Suzie Kabloozie singing Every Kitty Sleeps
*information about Tee Collins, including three complete sketches: Wanda the Witch, Nancy the Nanny Goat, and X-xylophone (his only three sketches mentioned in his Muppet Wiki page)
*information on Bruce Canyard, including three complete sketches: The Nobel Ostrich, If You've Lost Your L, and something else
*information about classic cartoon characters making occassional appearances, with three complete sketches: The Pink Panther and K, Batman crosses the street, and Superman talks about the letter D
*a few additional segments: Pinball Number Count #2, Typewriter: A-airplane, and Lillian, Big Sister

episode 11. Kermit the Frog
*information about Kermit's beginnings on Sam and Friends, and info about him being one of the worlds most famous Muppets (hopefully Disney would allow for clips from the movies and The Muppet Show; heck, hopefully Disney would allow for a Kermit-themed show), and then talking about how Kermit has been featured alot on Sesame Street.
*Kermit's W Lecture (perhaps the screen can flip when part one ends and part two begins)
*Kermit and Professor Hastings talk about parts of the body
*information about Kermit's signature song, Bein' Green (with brief clips from all three versions)
*Bein' Green with Lena Horne and Kermit
*information about Kermit's team-ups with Grover
*Kermit and Grover demonstrate up and down
*Grover attempts to sell Kermit a nose warmer
*information about Kermit's job as a news reporter
*Sesame Street News: Pinnocchio
*This Frog
*Kermit and Elmo talk about hapy and sad
*Kermit has Cookie Monster test out a machine in order to get a cookie
*If I Were
*Kermit, Shola, and Fanny demonstrate "next to"
*Kermit and Grover demonstratelight and dark
*information about how Sesame Workshop now owns the Sesame Street Muppets, and how Disney owns Kermit, leading to a clip from Kermit's last Sesame Street appearance
*clip of Kermit and Al Roker reporting on the hurricane on Sesame Street

episode 12. Roosevelt Franklin
*information about how Roosevelt Franklin was created
*Roosevelt Franklin Counts
*Roosevelt Franklins Days of the Week
*Same Sound Brown
*information abotu Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School
*Roosevelt Franklin teaches his class to spell poision
*information about The Year of Roosevelt Franklin album
*Roosevelt Franklin teaches his class the importance of excercise
*the departue of Matt Robinson, and whetehr he continued to voice Roosevelt after he stopped playing Gordon (this should settle to us fans once and for all if somebody took over the role of Roosevelt)
*Roosevelt Franklin teaches his class traffic safety
*info about Roosevelt being taken off the show due to being seen a sa negative stereotype
*Roosevelt Franklin talks about famous black people in history

episode 19. parodies
*talk about how the show has had many parodies over the eyars. Perhaps each sketch could have an introduction, explaining the parodies, and maybe even showing clips or stils from the source material
*Miami Mice: The Count needs to be at the space station
*Monsterpeice Theater: Upstairs, Downstairs
*Extreme Makeover: Home Addition
*Don't Know Y
*Furry Happy Monsters
*U Really Got a Hold on Me
*What's My Part?: Foot
*The Add'Ems Family
*Ernie loves his boat
The Dr. Feel Show: Dr. Feel meets Dr. Phil
*Hey Food

 

[D'Snowth]

I admire that, actually; I used to think up of ideas like that for shows all the time. The more I think about it, the more I've love to see something like this come into fruition.

 

[minor muppetz]

Believe it or not, I actually thought up a "season 2" episode guide last night. So here are episodes 27 through 52. Some are follow-ups to first season episodes.

27. Jim Henson and Frank Oz
28. Big Bird
29. William Wegman
30. Celebrities
31. Animation 2.0
32. Bob
33. Jerry Nelson 2.0
34. Herry Monster
35. Guy Smiley
36. Elmo's World
37. Plaza Sesamo
38. The Imaginary Snuffleupagus
39. Ernie and Bert 2.0
40. The Many Jobs of Grover
41. Oscar the Grouch
42. Zoe
43. Monsterpiece Theater
44. Buddy and Jim
45. David
46. The Alphabet 2.0
47. Numbers 2.0
48. Sesame Street News
49. Around the Corner
50. The Old West
51. The Marriage of Luis and Maria
52. Cast of Thousands

That last one, "Cast of Thousands", will focus on many different characters, sometimes with a complete sketch, sometimes with just clips over narraration. This would make a good season closer (and then there could be "Cast of Thousands 2.0", "Cast of Thousands 3.0", etc).

But the first one would begin with an introduction, talking about how Sesame Street has many characters, showing various clips. Fist, there would be clips and mentions of the main characters, and then it would start featuring some of the more minor characters. This montage would also feature a number of clips with big groups of characters or crowds, such as Ernie and the Muppets in the bathtub during Do De Rubber Duck, the Mupets in the closet from the same number, the Muppets in the audience for the headball, scenes from some of the skits where Ernie and Bert are at the movies, Ernie's surprise party for Bert, clips from Prairie Dawn's pageants, and possibly some more.

An introduction would be like this: "You probably know Big Bird, Elmo, Zoe, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Bert, Grover, Telly, Oscar, Susan, Gordon, Kermit, Mr. Hooper, and Bob, but do you know Herbert Birdsfoot, Larry and Phyllis, or Professor Hastings? Well, over the years Sesame Street has had literally thousands of characters, and we'll salute some of the lesser-known characters tonight! It's a "Cast of Thousands"!

And the following characters would be discussed:
Herbert Birdsfoot (the sketch where Herbert Birdsfoot and Grover count to 20 would be shown in full)
Professor Hastings
Larry and Phyllis
Deena and Pearl
Teeny Little Superguy (the sketch where he teaches street safety would be shown in full)
The Typewriter (three sketches would be shown in full: F-fly, N-nose, and Z-zoo)
Rafael (a clip from his first scene would be shown in full)
Petey (a clip from his introduction would be shown in full)
Uncle Wally
Kingston Livingston III (Just Happy to be Me would be shown in full)
Little Jerry and the Monotones (Proud would be shown in full)
Sinister Sam
Willy
Hiroshi
Mr. Noodle (a full clip from his segment of the Elmo's World: Drawing skit would be shown)

And the show would end with the original What's the Name of That Song?

 

[minor muppetz]

This is what I would make for the contents of some of the performer-themed episodes that I haven't listed. Obviously, the scenes between skits would discuss their Sesame Street work and contributions, and also talk about the characters before the clips are shown.

Frank Oz:
*Bert teaches Berniece how to play checkers
*The Ballad of Casey McPhee
*Super Grover: Apple
*The Golden An
*Professor Hastings talks about the letter Y
*Harvey Kneeslapper: "Do ya want a sticky?"
*Sesame Street News: The Pied Piper
*Pick Your Pet
*Drawing shapes on-screen
*Sesame Street News: Prince Charming looks for Cinderella
*Number Three Ball Film
*I Whistle a Happy Tune

Jerry Nelson:
*Sherlock Hemlock and the case of the half-eaten sandwhich
*Herbert Birdsfoot talks about M (and W)
*Herry and John-John count to 20
*The Batty Bat
*Two-Headed Monster: Honk
*Nobody
*Mad
*How Many Birds will fit on a Wire?
*Lucky 13
*Grover the waiter: hamburger
*This is my J
*Don't Waste Water
*Has Anybody Seen my Dog?

Jerry Nelson 2.0:
*The Count counts fan mail
*I Can't Help It
*Simon Soundman teaches Bert how to make tuba sounds
*Farley buys a hat
*Sesame Street News: Magic Mirror
*Grover the waiter: Russian Resturaunt
*The Amazing Mumford's subtraction act
*Z Z Blues
*Susan and Gordon meet Sam the Robot
*Mysterious Theater: circle search
*It's Zydeco

Richard Hunt:
*Don Music writes Yellowstone Park
*Biff and Sully share a drink at Hooper's Store
*Up and Down with Placedo Flamingo and Ernie
*one of his Elmo performances
*Kermit directs Forgetful Jones in Oklahoma
*Proud to be a Cow
*Sesame Street News: The First Day of School in History
*Disco D
*Two-Headed Monster: Run
*Letter B
*I'm a Real Cowboy
*Mary had a Bicycle

Jim Henson and Frank Oz:
*Ernie makes a clay sculpture of Bert
*Lefty attempts to sell Ernie a painting
*Breakfast Time
*Sesame Street News: The Princess and the Cookie
*Grover attempts to sell Kermit a nose warmer
*Beat the Time: Grover
*Beat the Time: Cookie Monster
*Pick Your Pet
*Lulu's Back in Town
*Sesame Street News: George Washington chops his fathers cherry trees down
*Kermit and Professor Hastings talk about parts of the body
*As I Was Going to St. Yves

 

[D'Snowth]

Pretty cool, though if I were going to do performer-themed episodes like this, I'd include a little more behind-the-scenes clips with them, but that's just my thinking.

 

[minor muppetz]

Pretty cool, though if I were going to do performer-themed episodes like this, I'd include a little more behind-the-scenes clips with them, but that's just my thinking.

Yeah, behind-the-scenes clips and stills could be shown between clips, and maybe over narraration (I would have the episodes include some sort of images of the performers if the episode is about them). I wonder how many behind-the-scenes clips of Jim Henson performing on Sesame Street exist (I know that behind the scenes footage was shot for the sketch where Ernie and Bert build a snowman, but was any additional behind-the-scenes footage of Jim on Sesame Street shot?).