# What was this Sesame Street Skit? Overwrought classical music, satellites, stars, no **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954 "2005-06-26T21:04:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/1 "2005-06-26T21:04:49Z")
I can remember a Sesame Street skit from when I was younger, (Or was it the Electric Company? Zoom, maybe?) In it, I saw stop-motion, or maybe time lapse photography of pictures of satellites, stars, planets, and maybe machinery, (marbles dropping through tubes?) while the most hypnotic song played in the background. I am quite tone-deaf (Damn you, step-on-the-musical-square puzzles in Console RPG games), but I think the music went kind of “Bumpity bump bump bump, bumpity bump bump, and repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/2 "2005-06-26T21:27:49Z")
Did it also have numbers in it? Sort of like a pinball machine at times? ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/3 "2005-06-26T21:30:03Z")
I don’t think so, but it has been years. What are you thinking of? Come to think of it, numbers, in what format? ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/4 "2005-06-26T21:33:21Z")
I used to love an animation that played that had numbers, it was counting up to 11? I think, it had a space theme, and sort of a contraption like the ones you see in Tom and Jerry cartoons (forget it’s proper name) with a ball rolling through several scenarios, the “camera” follows the ball past various numbers, at one point it shows a pinball machine in it, but I can’t really recall anything else about it. I want to say it played on Sesame Street, but I’m not certain. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/5 "2005-06-26T21:34:50Z")
You know, I think that was it, except that it was live action, not animated. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/6 "2005-06-26T21:36:21Z")
Maybe you’re thinking of an homage to what I rememebered then? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/7 "2005-06-26T22:19:21Z")
Did it go, “ONE twothree FOUR FIVE sixseveneight NINE TEN eleven twelve”? [Here’s](http://www.milkandcookies.com/links/7850/) a link to a remix of the song I’m thinking of, with a video made from the original footage from the show. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/8 "2005-06-26T22:24:04Z")
That was a nice video, but like I said, it was live action, and also, there was no vocals. Thanks anyway. It sounds like what **Zabali\_Clawbane** is looking for, though. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/9 "2005-06-26T23:20:38Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Did it go, “ONE twothree FOUR FIVE sixseveneight NINE TEN eleven twelve”? > > [Here’s](http://www.milkandcookies.com/links/7850/) a link to a remix of the song I’m thinking of, with a video made from the original footage from the show. I wonder if a pinball manufacturer has thought of designing an actual machine based on that short. As for the “Seseme Street” short you’re thinking of, did it feature a red ball on a track going through a type of Rube Goldberg-contraption while demonstrating the number 3? From what you’ve described, that does seem a bit like it. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/10 "2005-06-27T02:34:58Z")
This sounds like one of those things they used Philip Glass music for. It’s vaaaguely familiar. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/11 "2005-06-27T02:45:51Z")
**jayjay** , I’m dying a thousand deaths over that video. Thank you so much. While you’re at it, do you remember the skit that had the alphabet, with really soft music and ethereal voices, and letters that got morphed into each other by turning into little animals that would change position and turn back into a letter? About midway through the rhythm was broken up by two mice doing a little country dance step. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/12 "2005-06-27T03:03:53Z")
Okay, I know exactly what you’re talking about, so you didn’t imagine it. I can just see that satellite spinning around…now it’s going to bother me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/13 "2005-06-27T03:33:06Z")
Here’s a [list](http://fieldk.home.att.net/sesamestreet.htm) of some other great skits you may have remembered, but not that specific one… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/14 "2005-06-27T04:03:44Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > **jayjay** , I’m dying a thousand deaths over that video. Thank you so much. While you’re at it, do you remember the skit that had the alphabet, with really soft music and ethereal voices, and letters that got morphed into each other by turning into little animals that would change position and turn back into a letter? About midway through the rhythm was broken up by two mice doing a little country dance step. I remember that! The only thing I specifically remember about it was that the “S” was a snake, and maybe that the “K” was an acrobat (or two), though. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/15 "2005-06-27T09:56:42Z")
Hmm…this isn’t the one that had the montage that included some footage of a Voyager (maybe Pioneer 10) probe, and a few shots of an anamatronic endoskelleton that had a pair of fake teeth (with gums—not unlike dentures) in it’s “mouth”? And did the music sound a little like the “I’ve got no strings” song from Disney’s _Pinochio_, played on a muted trumpet? ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/16 "2005-06-27T13:33:54Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I wonder if a pinball manufacturer has thought of designing an actual machine based on that short. > > As for the “Seseme Street” short you’re thinking of, did it feature a red ball on a track going through a type of Rube Goldberg-contraption while demonstrating the number 3? From what you’ve described, that does seem a bit like it. Yep, yep, yep - I remember this. Comedy Central’s recently been doing a riff on this little skit with some South Park commercials (not sure if they’re still airing, however; that commercial might be over now). It’s a red ball, bout an inch or so in diameter, that rolls along a metal track. As it rolls along, it makes flags go loopy and falls through hoops and such. And doesn’t it get ground up into some candy at the end, which a kid dispenses into his/her hand and eats? I seem to remember this. No clue about the stars and satellites, however. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/17 "2005-06-27T13:46:25Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > Hmm…this isn’t the one that had the montage that included some footage of a Voyager (maybe Pioneer 10) probe, and a few shots of an animatronic endoskelleton that had a pair of fake teeth (with gums—not unlike dentures) in it’s “mouth”? I am not sure about the skeleton, but maybe. [/QUOTE] And did the music sound a little like the “I’ve got no strings” song from Disney’s _Pinocchio_, played on a muted trumpet? [/QUOTE] No, a little more repetitious. > [@Mirror Image egamI rorriM](#): > > Here’s a [list](http://fieldk.home.att.net/sesamestreet.htm) of some other great skits you may have remembered, but not that specific one… Good site, but like you say, it isn’t it. > [@NDP](#): > > As for the “Sesame Street” short you’re thinking of, did it feature a red ball on a track going through a type of Rube Goldberg-contraption while demonstrating the number 3? From what you’ve described, that does seem a bit like it. Was there a child’s voice saying the word “three” once in a while? There might have been, or it might have been another skit. I can not remember. Snickers: That is most defiantly not it, but it sounds cool. I have looked for it on [http://www.southparkstudios.com/](http://www.southparkstudios.com/) and on [http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml](http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml) to no avail. Anyone have any idea where, besides cable, I can see this commercial? ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/18 "2005-06-27T15:34:31Z")
How come none of you are at my [birthday party](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=322763) ? ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/19 "2005-06-27T15:37:18Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > And doesn’t it get ground up into some candy at the end, which a kid dispenses into his/her hand and eats? It got ground up into powder, which was dispensed into an ADULT hand. It did not get eaten. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/20 "2005-06-27T16:09:41Z")
I didn’t look at the link, but my guess is it’s the song “That’s About the Size of It.” "Oh, the big become the little when you see it back a bit That’s about the size of it. That’s about the size Where you put your eyes That’s about the size of it." etc. The cartoon gave different POV’s moving out to see the earth, from space, the solar system the galaxy and then turning into lines on the skin of an elephant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954.md?page=2)