What sketches scared you as a kid?

[mupcollector1]

The one that scared me as a kid was the animated segment from the 90s or late 80s of computer animated fish counting down, suddenly this Sand Tiger Shark comes on screen looking sort of realistic with demon eyes with a deep voice "ONE!", I would always hide or shut my eyes if I see that and can't wait until it's all over, sometimes I would forget it's the same segment and my heart would start racing in fear. Then of course feel a heck of a lot better when Ernie and Bert would come up next lol They were always my favorites on Sesame, that and the Honkers, Dingers and the Yip Yip Martians.​

 

[wiley207]

Yeah... this thing...

There was no call for that to be on the show ever, and I can't believe they hid an entire episode because The Wicked Witch of the West was considered too frightening, but this was deemed perfectly fine. There is nothing fun or educational about that sketch. It's just jarring, and disturbing, even as an adult.

(watches the sketch)
Yow, that animation is pretty freaky! And that mutant rabbit wasn't even running after them, he was just WALKING!
The fast rock/drum music is actually pretty cool, though! Except when it went silent when the mutant rabbit went by the trees.

 

[wiley207]

I think when they showed the sketch w/Ernie "the world's greatest counter of numbers" again , they cut out Bert running into the camera. (I'm pretty sure it unnerved a lot of kids.myself included!)

Heh, I always thought that would often be cut because they were worried kids would imitate Bert there, because of how he banged his head on the table several times (ala Don Music!) before running into the camera and out the apartment!

 

[mupcollector1]

(watches the sketch)
Yow, that animation is pretty freaky! And that mutant rabbit wasn't even running after them, he was just WALKING!
The fast rock/drum music is actually pretty cool, though! Except when it went silent when the mutant rabbit went by the trees.

YIKES! That Raggy Rabbit is scary looking. Almost as bad as the first Snuffy back in the day. The rabbit is like in the combination of Yellow Suberine, Underground Comics and a Wet Saggy Dog with Rabbies. WOW, Shocked that this was on Sesame. WOW. lol This was 70s Sesame right? Thank God I grew up with 80s and 90s Sesame so I didn't witness this. lol Again, WOW!

 

[crackmaster]

I think when they showed the sketch w/Ernie "the world's greatest counter of numbers" again , they cut out Bert running into the camera.
(I'm pretty sure it unnerved a lot of kids.myself included!)

Heh, I always thought that would often be cut because they were worried kids would imitate Bert there, because of how he banged his head on the table several times (ala Don Music!) before running into the camera and out the apartment!

What happens in the sketch, Muppet dude?

 

[wiley207]

What happens in the sketch, Muppet dude?

Ernie's great counting thing is slowly driving Bert crazy. At the end, Bert just finally snaps, he yells and runs to the table and bangs his head on it several times, then runs toward the camera screaming, then we can hear him run out and slam the door!
I could see a reason why they'd cut that ending would be because they thought kids would imitate Bert's actions, like kids imitating Don Music's head-banging.

 

[Benji2]

Bear with me, it's my first post. What a place to start!

I think these all would have been mentioned at least once over the last decade, but here are my nominations anyway (in no particular order):

1) The sound of B with the Beautiful Day Monster - especially the last few seconds where BDM makes that unearthly 'BBAAAHH' and the screen goes white.

2) The Scanimate floating face counting to 10. Still looks and sounds disturbing now. But the Scanimate effects were brilliant for their time.

3) Kermit reporting on the wicked witch and the Magic Mirror: the beardy face in the mirror scared the life out of me (can't remember who it was - Jerry Nelson?)

4) The 'Danger' sketch with the word 'DANGER' getting into all sorts of bad situations (falling off a cliff, emerging from a darkened room), and the very creepy voices that went with it

5) Another 'Danger' sketch - the armless walking baby coming up (creepy enough) to the 'Danger' sign and imagining all the dangerous situations the sign is alluding too (especially the tentacled alien)

6) The number 1-20 drill parade, that '0' drill segeant was so horrible and shouty and scary.

7) Seem to recall being frightened that the cartoon 'M' that ate everything on the dinner table, including the screen, would come after me next.

8) +1 for the red hot 'I' beam and the menacing voice that came with it.

 

[wiley207]

3) Kermit reporting on the wicked witch and the Magic Mirror: the beardy face in the mirror scared the life out of me (can't remember who it was - Jerry Nelson?)

8) +1 for the red hot 'I' beam and the menacing voice that came with it.

Yes, the Magic Mirror was indeed Jerry Nelson. I do kinda remember the mirror weirding me out a bit with his live-action human face.

The "I Beam" never had a menacing voice in it, but it's likely it was added at one time.

 

[Benji2]

Yes, the Magic Mirror was indeed Jerry Nelson. I do kinda remember the mirror weirding me out a bit with his live-action human face.

The "I Beam" never had a menacing voice in it, but it's likely it was added at one time.

The eerie purple lighting on Jerry's face didn't help.

I might have gotten the 'I Beam' mixed up with the 'Saxophone' clip - having seen the youtube clip of 'I Beam' it would have been the ominous music that did it.

 

[ISNorden]

There were some SS cartoons that really scared me when I was little. I always ended up running out of the room whenever these started. ... [snippage]

The Yakity, Yakity, Yak where this yak would get mad and charge at the TV breaking it. I had nightmares about him too.

Add that one to my "scary moment" list too; I was terrified of anything charging at the screen, especially with a huge noise like the yak made.

The V cartoon where a bat zooms into the screen and changes into a vampire. And the whispering music was scary too.

Very ominous music indeed, the stuff nightmares are made of. Still, the vampire in that clip was enough to scare my pants off when I was a girl; so were the villain and the vigilantes chasing him.

Wanda the Witch who made that scary cackle in the end.

"Witches who wash their wigs on windy winter Wednesdays are wacky." [SFX: chorus of cackles from bald-headed witches dancing round a cauldron-washtub]

An Agua cartoon where a scary fire monster appears and makes threats in Spanish. But is then destroyed by rain.

Right!

NARRATOR in VOICE-OVER: Todo el mundo necessita agua (Everyone needs water)

OMINOUS-FACED FLAME: Yo soy fuego, yo no necessito agua (I am fire, I don't need water...famous last words!)


Speaking of terrifying Spanish cartoons on Sesame Street: does anyone else recall one with a tiger illustrating the letter T? The cartoon began innocently enough, with the tiger lecturing and pointing to an easel, on which pictures of various T-word objects appeared. After showing tigre (himself!), toro (charging at the screen with the T superimposed on his face ), tomate, and televisión, the tiger draws a blank (no pun intended). "T es para...para..." Then a shark appears on the easel and says ominously: "¡T es para tiburón [shark] ... torrentia [a downpour begins to flood the screen, and the shark jumps out to chase the tiger]... y tormente [which can mean either "torment" or "storm" IIRC; bad news for the tiger either way]!"