# 70s Sesame Street shorts that freaked you out **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2002, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769 "2002-10-11T03:32:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TheOnlySaneOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@TheOnlySaneOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOnlySaneOne)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/61 "2002-10-12T19:39:51Z")
Okay, this wasn’t in the seventies, much more recent, but the Humpty Dumpty muppet from the show scared the bejeezus out of me. _shudders_ What, with the overlarge teeth, bushy eyebrows, and the fact that he kept breaking…_shudders again_ ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/62 "2002-10-12T21:09:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Greywolf73 \* > \*\* > Does anyone remember the cartoon skit about “Fred”? He sang a goofy song that went something like, > “My name is FRED > I eat BREAD. > I sleep in a BED” > \*\* My name is FRED They call me FRED And every night I go sleep, I go to… I go to… \ (off-camera voice yells) BED! ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/63 "2002-10-12T21:49:53Z")
The ones that sorta weirded me out were the instrumental bits that had the kids running in slow motion using some cheesy camera effect to make them look like there were psychadelic trails all around and behind them. I guess they were just supposed to be “bumpers” between the pre-recorded skits and the live action segments, but a lot of the times they would feature the retarded kids sorta flailing around and I would always wonder if there was supposed to be some hidden lesson or meaning behind them that I wasn’t getting. Very surreal at any rate. For some reason I hardly remember Electric Company at all, even though I know I watched it because I remember the theme song and everything. I remember always being mad because although Spiderman was always in the group shot at the beginning, he was hardly ever on the show. I was a major Spidey freak when I was a kid and would always yell “SPIDERMAN!” when they showed that group shot. ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/64 "2002-10-12T23:34:55Z")
There was one short involving some puppets that I have never figured out. The whole tone of it was surreal. Does anyone else remember this one: there’s a desert background, and there’s a puppet walking along, sort of looking tired, and the puppet says, “Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge…” And then another puppet runs by very fast at that point, saying,“Zip, zip!” The trudging puppet stops, looks around, then sighs and starts trudging again, accompanied by that same monotone chant, which is again interrupted by that same bird-like puppet zipping by at the same point in the song… and it seems to keep going on and on… There was just something mesmerizing about it that would make me freeze, and I hated it because it was incomprehesible and nightmarish. I quit watching Sesame Street because of it. And of course, I had nightmares about it. I once said to my SO, “Some of the stuff on kids shows can get really creepy, like this one bit I remember that gave me nightmares…” and he interrupted me, saying, “Trudge, trudge?” and that really freaked me out. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/65 "2002-10-13T02:07:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SpazCat \* > \*\*My favorite was the one where Ernie and Bert went fishing. \*\* I read this as “My favorite was the one where Ernie and Bert went fisting.” at first. :smack: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/66 "2002-10-13T02:13:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scott evil \* > \*\*OK this one made me cry: > > “One, two, two little cats…” The little kitties in the dollhouse. Then the dollhouse collapses or something. Poor kitties. ☹ > > Anyone remember that one? \*\* Wow. I thought I was the only one! Why did this make me cry? All that happened was that the kittes knocked over some milk. I think I was crying because they were so naughty. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/67 "2002-10-13T02:42:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fairblue \* > **Does anyone else remember this one: there’s a desert background, and there’s a puppet walking along, sort of looking tired, and the puppet says, “Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge…” And then another puppet runs by very fast at that point, saying,“Zip, zip!” The trudging puppet stops, looks around, then sighs and starts trudging again, accompanied by that same monotone chant, which is again interrupted by that same bird-like puppet zipping by at the same point in the song… and it seems to keep going on and on…** And then, eventually, the “Trudge trudge” muppet would get fed up with the “Zip zip” muppet, and the next time “Zip zip” whizzed by, “Trudge trudge” whacked him really hard and knocked him down. Then “Trudge trudge” was sorry, and, petting little “Zip zip,” said, “Pacify … pacify …” Then “Zip zip” woke up, and asked, “Compromise? Compromise?” Whereupon the two of them started walking side-by-side, alternately going “Trudge trudge trudge trudge” and “zip zip”. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/68 "2002-10-13T03:11:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fairblue \* > There was one short involving some puppets that I have never figured out. The whole tone of it was surreal. > > Does anyone else remember this one: there’s a desert background, and there’s a puppet walking along, sort of looking tired, and the puppet says, “Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge. Trudge, trudge…” And then another puppet runs by very fast at that point, saying,“Zip, zip!” The trudging puppet stops, looks around, then sighs and starts trudging again, accompanied by that same monotone chant, which is again interrupted by that same bird-like puppet zipping by at the same point in the song… and it seems to keep going on and on… I remember this one quite well. I liked it…but then, the surreal has always appealed to me. My brother and I used “zip” as verbal shorthand for “hurry up”, and “trudge” as a complaint when we were walking somewhere we really didn’t want to go. My Dad even called us Trudge and Zip occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/69 "2002-10-13T03:31:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Man Who \* > **The Geekle and the Gonk.** Wow. Thanks for all the info guys. I have so little knowledge of this damn short because I wouldn’t stay in the room long enough. I think my nervous system developed a reflex arc that initiated a flight reflex automatically as soon as I saw that dark landscape and heard the first few notes of the damn theme. My mom told me that she actually called the PBS affiliate a few times telling them not to show the damn skit. I remember when Noggin showed old school Sesame Streets I’d wonder exactly how I would react to seeing that short two decades removed. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/70 "2002-10-13T06:19:08Z")
> [@](#): > > ## Originally posted by Bullwinkle Does anyone remember the melon with the rubber band mouth singing the Habanera from Carmen? > > No. I don’t remember that. I refuse to remember that. I don’t remember all the parts of her face rolling into place assembling themselves. I don’t remember the fact that she was an orange, not a melon. I don’t remember the first-generation electronic synthesizer musical accompaniment. And I certainly don’t remember those freaky eyelashes of hers! La la la la la, I can’t hear you, I’m not listening!! > > … > > That was one of my favorites. Her hair was a mop top and when she hit the hight notes, it would rise above her melon head and spin. Yes, but as Tracer said, it was an orange. However, what I remember most about the short was that unlike the other shorts which, no matter how trippy they were, were always about something educational like numbers or the alphabet, this one had no apparent educational purpose at all. It was just some goofy animated short about an opera-singing orange. ---
**Author:** ![TigoleBitties](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@TigoleBitties](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TigoleBitties)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/71 "2002-10-13T06:30:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DrFidelius \* > \*\ ***kingpengvin** wrote: > > The baker was portrayed by JeanPaul Jenack, a long-time acquaintance of mine. He has been active in childrens circus projects for the past twenty years or so, produces juggling equipment, and writes poetry. He has given up on teaching me to ride a unicycle. \*\* Dr please tell your friend, that he made a small toe headed boy that turned into me laugh a lot as a kid and I love him for it. He did a excellent pratfall (though in all fairness I did feel bad that he always had some kind of trouble and wished he would make it once). ---
**Author:** ![meyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@meyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meyer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/72 "2002-10-13T10:28:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ZipperJJ \* > \*\*The only thing that seriously freaked me out about Sesame Street was the skit when Bert and Ernie are in a Egyptian tomb and the mummy comes alive (well not really a mummy, but another Ernie with a pharoh’s headdress on) and starts talking to one of them and I would seriously freak at this every time. > \*\* My God, but this skit freaked me out when I was a kid. As a matter of fact, I have a fear of Egypt and all things Egyptian to this day that I can’t possibly believe could be coincidental. The other thing about Sesame Street that upset me was Snuffleupagus. It always bothered me that he never showed up for anyone other than Big Bird. And nobody ever believed him - that worried me. They had so little trust in him, demanding proof for everything he said. I don’t think it ever occured to me that he was imaginary. Despite all this free-form anxiety, I still loved the show enough that I told my Mom I couldn’t go to morning kindergarten because it didn’t fit in with ‘my schedule’. My schedule consisting of her setting the oven timer for 11 AM and me waiting for it to signal that Sesame Street was beginning. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/73 "2002-10-13T15:43:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by meyer \* > **The other thing about Sesame Street that upset me was Snuffleupagus. It always bothered me that he never showed up for anyone other than Big Bird. And nobody ever believed him - that worried me.** For the 10th (or 15th?) anniversary of the Street, they had an episode where all the grown-ups finally saw Snuffelufagus. I can still remember Big Bird crying “Food! Food!” to summon all the adults when Snuffy showed up. > [@](#): > > **They had so little trust in him, demanding proof for everything he said. I don’t think it ever occured to me that he was imaginary.** Aha! I thought there was a reason people these days were willing to believe in ghosts, UFOs, homeopathic remedies, and other unproven pseudoscientific craptrap! It’s because everybody feels sorry for Big Bird. ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/74 "2002-10-13T16:55:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\* > And then, eventually, the “Trudge trudge” muppet would get fed up with the “Zip zip” muppet, and the next time “Zip zip” whizzed by, “Trudge trudge” whacked him really hard and knocked him down. > > Then “Trudge trudge” was sorry, and, petting little “Zip zip,” said, “Pacify … pacify …” > > Then “Zip zip” woke up, and asked, “Compromise? Compromise?” > > Whereupon the two of them started walking side-by-side, alternately going “Trudge trudge trudge trudge” and “zip zip”. \*\* GAH!!! It’s even more freaky than I remember. :::shudders::: Thanks for dredging that up. Excuse me while I go hide under the covers for a while… ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/75 "2002-10-13T17:02:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bullwinkle \* > Does anyone remember the melon with the rubber band mouth singing the Habanera from Carmen? OH - MY - GOD - YES! :eek: > [@](#): > > Let me see if I can remember: > > We all live in a capital I, > In the middle of the desert, in the center of the sky, > And all day long we polish on the I > (can’t remember this line, darn it!) > > Rubbing it here and scrubbing it there, > Polishing the I so high in the air > > And as we work we sing a happy tune, > It’s great to be so busy on a busy afternoon, > And when we’re through with the day’s only chore, > we go into the I and we close the door > > Capital I, capital I, > Capital I, capital I. Those poor bastards. I’d rather work in a Kathie Lee sweatshop. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/76 "2002-10-13T17:07:20Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally posted by scott evil > > > > OK this one made me cry: > > > > “One, two, two little cats…” The little kitties in the dollhouse. Then the dollhouse collapses or something. Poor kitties. > > > > Anyone remember that one? > > Wow. I thought I was the only one! Why did this make me cry? All that happened was that the kittes knocked over some milk. I think I was crying because they were so naughty. What made me cry was the song. Sad (or even just wistful) music started getting to me at a very young age. I used to cry whenever I heard “Nadia’s Theme” (theme from Y&R appropriated by Nadia Comaneci (sp?) for her routine at the '76 Olympics). I called it my crying song. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/77 "2002-10-13T17:28:50Z")
Ah, Sesame Street. I am a tad old, but I would watch it with my little sister nevertheless, back when it first came out. I too felt terribly bad for the hapless baker. Not only was I afraid that he’d be gravely injured in a fall, I had been carefully taught not to waste food. How could the Sesame Street people justify all that waste? A dozen delicious chocolate cakes? 10 coconut creme pies? 7 strawberry tarts? The idea of all of that going to waste just appalled me! (I was such a conscientious pre-teen.) I always loved the Milk song, and “Everybody Sleeps” and the kids who painted on glass (with Pablo Picasso!) and frankly, I thought it would be neat to live and work in a Capital I. (I guess I wasn’t imagining that they were some kind of enslaving I cult.) But the one thing that always got me, and can now make me cry if I catch even a bar of it when channel surfing past Noggin: > [@](#): > > D, D, D, D. > Daddy dear, oh daddy dear, > do dogs have dreams, do ducks have ears? > Do dragons dance, why do gophers dig holes? > Do gophers dress up in their dirty clothes? > > Dogs dream of meat and their dreams are delicious. > Ducks do have ears but they don’t do the dishes. > Gophers dig holes to hide their candy bars, > Dragons don’t dance and they don’t smoke cigars. > > Daddy dear, oh daddy sweet, > do dandylions roar, do daisies have feet? > May I have a drink of water and a dish of tadpoles? > Daddy how deep is a doughnut hole? > > Dandylions roar and your daddy is deaf, > The daisies drank the water and the tadpoles left. > Your eyes are drooping darling daughter and you’re dizzy in the head; > The toads are eating dinner so it’s time to go to bed. > > Little dolly go to bed. ---
**Author:** ![Roadwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Roadwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadwalker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/78 "2002-10-13T18:42:40Z")
Anyone remember Sam the Machine? ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/79 "2002-10-13T21:00:51Z")
_Steady, Freddie! Steady, Freddie! Freddie, don’t you fret!_\*\* and so on, about some cartoon boy who cringed at the thought of monsters (Frankenstein’s monster, Wolfman, et al), and ended up sitting in a movie theatre full of them. The part that threw me was at the end of the song, he’s sitting in the movie theatre surrounded by monsters, and one of them (Wilfman, mebbe?) repeatedly stands and sits in a very jerky animation, singing some alternate line (Whoa-whoa! Yeah! something like that) to the main song. Bejeeber-scarings to a young kid, that was. One song I did NOT like from Sesame Street was the “Sweet Sue” song (_Don’t let her go, Sweet Sue, to the sweet shop_…), implying this girl had no self-control and would eat everything in the andy store. Being one of the the few heavy kids in elementary school, I (and the others) would get teased unmercifully with this song. As well, the one girl in school named Sue (who was NOT fat) didn’t care for the song, either. \*\*Thankfully, I have put the rest the lyrics out of my mind. Woe and my wrath betide any who post the rest of them. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769/80 "2002-10-13T21:13:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Roadwalker \* > \*\*Anyone remember Sam the Machine? \*\* I remember his head being made out of two opposing cymbals, like a hi-hat, and his voice sounding like he had a serious audio problem. He would always say “Machines are perfect … are perfect … are perfect,” like a stuck record, and then somebody would whack him on the side and he’d say, “Thank you!” The only two sketches I remember with Sam the Machine were:[ol][li]Sam offered his services as a pencil sharpener, only to grind the pencils down so far as to be less than an inch long each. When Susan (?) insisted that she didn’t want a little pencil, she wanted a big pencil, Sam broiled and toiled and finally produced a pencil about two feet long and an inch thick.[/li] Sam offered his services as a telephone, but no matter what number anyone dialed, he would reply, “You have dialed a wrong number, please dial again.”[/ol] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/70s-sesame-street-shorts-that-freaked-you-out/131769.md?page=5)