Michael Wermuth, Jr. - Well, about a year and a half ago, I wrote an article on the top ten Sesame Street inserts that have not been released on any commercial video format. Unfortunately, all those segments are still unreleased. But, despite that, I’ve decided to make a second top ten list.
A great Monsterpiece Theater segment starring Prairie Dawn, teaching the concepts of “on”, “under”, and “in” (the last of the Monsterpiece segments hosted by Alistair Cookie).
One of my favorite performances by Bip Bippadotta (Sesame Street's answer to Mahna Mahna). I like the black background used here, and it’s probably the only time we see Bip’s legs.
A good lesson in telling the truth, Ernie eats a piece of cake that Bert was saving for desert. But when Bert states that he was saving two pieces for desert, Ernie makes up a story about a monster eating the cake and planting the evidence on Ernie. Bert doesn’t believe this, and then Beautiful Day Monster comes in and does exactly what Ernie had just told Bert.
A funny parody of Special K and Alphabet Cereal, only for the letter K. It includes great performances by Leslie Carrara Rudolph and Joey Mazzarino. It's very funny how the kids need the letter K to spell words. I certainly hope it gets included in the upcoming “Best of Sesame Street Spoofs” DVD release.
6. My Pollywog WaysI recall this one being shown a lot, so it’s a wonder that this song has not yet been released on video or even online. Kermit sings about growing up from a pollywog to a frog. The music is really good.
A very recent sketch where Grover appears as a game show host, and gets Mr. Johnson to participate in his game. In the game, Mr. Johnson has to supply an object that starts with the letter G. Mr. Johnson doesn’t want to play and admits he has no G objects, but wins by accident for being a gentlemen. But the prizes are G objects Mr. Johnson has no use for.
This is one of the best numbers from Little Jerry and the Monotones, right up there with such great songs as Mad and Telephone Rock. This is a rare Sesame Street segment to involve explosions, something that the Muppets are otherwise known for.
Kermit has been told that Old MacDonald has spotted a spaceship, but it turns out he mistook a red Frisbee for a spaceship. But then the Martians arrive inside a spaceship. A funny twist ending.
Yeah, I mentioned this infamous number which won’t be shown on Sesame Street. And I don’t really expect it to be released on an official Sesame Street DVD (the upcoming “Best of Sesame Street Spoofs” release would be a great release to include it on). But maybe someday there will be a DVD of Katy Perry music videos, and if we’re lucky the company releasing it will negotiate to include this as a bonus feature (after all, it is on Katy Perry’s YouTube channel).
The original non-celebrity version of Monster in the Mirror has been released commercially three times, but the version with celebrities added has not. And I prefer that version. By now I’m convinced that there’s problems with one or more of the celebrities involved in getting this on a commercial release, if there’s not issues in getting clearances for the use of The Simpsons characters. Thankfully this version is available at sesamestreet.org, YouTube, and Hulu, but it would be great if this version eventually gets a DVD release someday.
The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
