What is your favorite Sesame ABC's?

[Soo!-per Grover]

I also like the kids forming the alphabet sequence. It's really quite amazing to watch. I would think it would have taken all day to organize and re-organize and re-organize (26 times) all those kids! And yet, I watched for tell-tale shadow movement and darkening of the light, and there wasn't much. I wonder how they filmed it, exactly.

I also admire their inventing 26 different things for the kids to do. release ballons, throw confetti, run off in all directions, run off follow-the-leader style, etc.

 

[mikealan]

I also like the other alphabet animation where letters were made in pieces of technology.

The old version has the typewriter, now the new version has the computer!

They did typewriter for T-Z, now they used the computer to make the new format of T-Z, but with old audio.

 

[rjschex]

MY TOP 10 ALPHABET SKETCHES:

#10. Country/Urban/Latin

#9. various media communication: from stone carving to computer

#8. "Alphabet Jungle"

#7. Sign Language

#6. Bird bursts uppercase letter balloons to reveal lowercase

#5. Madrigal--especially right after "S", when the snake does a figure 8

#4. "Rube Goldberg-esque"--starts with baseball going through window, progresses along a white room

#3. Surreal watercolor--dreamy voice sounds kinda like a subdued Skip Hinnant, doesn't it?

#2. Brassy jazz music; begins with arrow swerving toward center of screen, followed by 26 small explosions and all letters on yellow background; letters and colors transform.
(Example: the "g" turns into a yin-yang, spins around, and becomes an "h")

#1: MY MOST FAVORITE OF ALL TIME:
The "zooming in" (live) film from 1969 or 1970.
--Dig that flute-and-guitar light jazz music.
A: from a graffiti heart carved into a tree trunk
B: "BOOKSTORE" sign
C: "CON EDISON" manhole cover
D: "DRUGS" (neon sign)--wonder if this is still in circulation!
E: "DEAD END STREET"
F: Just an "F" in a square; don't know what from
G: "GRAND OPENING" banner
H: "HOTEL" (painted vertically on brick building)
I: a raised, beveled "I", supposedly in the word "ENGINES"
J: more tree graffiti
K: "FRANK" carved into wooden bench
L: "HOTEL ST." above "...ESTA..."
M: "U.S. MAIL"
N: "RENT" vertically
O: ONE WAY sign
P: WET PAINT sign
Q: "STARDUST BANQUET"
R: "RADIO" hanging sign
S: STOP sign
T: TELEPHONE
U: "CUB" (scout troop ad)
V: "COLOR T.V."
W: DON'T WALK sign
X: "NO EXTRA CHARGE" neon window sign
(a nearly identical sign appears in the "Lost Dog" film segment)
Y: part of the "YL" suffix on a 1966-edition New York license plate; the plate has a February 1970 expiry sticker; a leaf partly obscures the "Y"
Z: "CHILDREN'S ZOO"

 

[ssetta]

Wow! I had forgotten about some of those! Especially 10, I thought I was the only one who remembered that!

 

[camillachick]

This thread may be old but seeing it make me remember a lot of segments I had forgotten. Here is an alphabet no one has mentioned:
Two cartoon construction workers are breaking for lunch. One opens his lunchbox and discovers a tiny man in a tux playing piano. The tiny man sings a few letters, then the worker shuts the lunchbox quickly. He gets curious and opens it again, a few more letters are sung, then he shuts it. His coworker looks curious and so they open the box again. Eventually the men sing along to finish the song. The worker with an actual lunch in his box says," You're lucky Morton. All I ever get in my lunch are peanut butter sandwiches."
I always thought this one was hysterical!

 

[Mokeystar]

Yeah, my fave of all times is the "zooming-in" in and around New York City one. I made my first trip there this summer and nearly died with joy when I saw a manhole cover with "ConEdison" on it.
Has anyone seen the "updated" version of this clip... It was filmed in the nineties. Same concept, different music, and different city. (The new one was filmed in my home town.

 

[Vic Romano]

Of course, a million renderings of the alphabet on the Street cannot compare to my beloved Letter People (who borrowed Henson's puppeteering aspects on their TV show...which looked low-budget but I don't think it really was). Basically all the Letter People puppets were hand-and-rod puppets (think Kermit, Floyd, etc.) with the exceptions of Mr. M, Mr. F (who was a combination live hands/hand-and-rod), Mr. Z, Mr. G, Mr. W, Mr. Y (who went from a hand-and-rod to a live-hands), Mr. R, and Mr. X, who were all live-hands puppets (think Rowlf, Ernie, or Fozzie Bear). It was a terrific show! (And yes, Byron, if you're reading this, my girlfriend said she will copy the Letter People videos I have...she just wants to wait until her aunt--who has 2 VCR's--goes off to Vegas for a spell.)

OMG, youse' guys remember that! It rocked! Except the "T" for "Teeth" guy, he gave me nightmares. Are there any sites about them?

Anyway the African alphabet with Kermit singing with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I guess they recorded it and then the puppets did LBM's part. Man, I love that song.