# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/21 "2005-06-27T16:39:05Z")
When I read the OP the description of the music made me think of the William Tell Overture AKA The Lone Ranger theme. But I don’t recall the video at all. ---
**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 27, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/22 "2005-06-27T18:42:35Z")
**jayjay** that is the one I was thinking of, but I’m almost certain I’ve seen the one the OP is thinking of, and the others mentioned here too. I loved all the details in the “number 12” counting animation, there was always so much going on in the backgrounds, that I wanted to watch it again to see what else was there. ---
**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, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/23 "2005-06-27T18:52:09Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > **jayjay** that is the one I was thinking of, but I’m almost certain I’ve seen the one the OP is thinking of, and the others mentioned here too. I loved all the details in the “number 12” counting animation, there was always so much going on in the backgrounds, that I wanted to watch it again to see what else was there. What’s really neat about it is that it’s the Pointer Sisters, which I never knew! ---
**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 30, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/24 "2005-06-30T23:36:40Z")
I am now using my one bump in hope of an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/25 "2005-07-01T13:33:47Z")
Can you try to describe the music more? Was it fast or slow? Was it a piano or an orchestra? Did it sound like 200 people playing or more like 40? ---
**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:** [July 1, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/26 "2005-07-01T13:34:56Z")
Slow, and a piano. I think. It was about 20 years ago, fyi. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/27 "2005-07-01T13:50:33Z")
Whatever it was you ain’t gonna see it anymore. Now Sesame Street is All Elmo, All The Time. ---
**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:** [July 1, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/28 "2005-07-01T13:54:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Whatever it was you ain’t gonna see it anymore. Now Sesame Street is All Elmo, All The Time. Otherwise known as $e$ame $treet. ---
**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:** [July 1, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/29 "2005-07-01T14:14:06Z")
:rolleyes: Ok, I get it. You don’t like it has become. Now, back to the topic, I have been googling this again, and I have found the following [Stump the Shark](http://www.jumptheshark.com/oldpages/stumpold3.htm) entry: > [@Mark](#): > > \Other SESAME STREET song/film favorites:\“1-2-3”- The one with the ball going thru all the wire loops. and **many** more! I am going to email him for more info, and point him towards this thread, and also search under this term, “1-2-3”, and see what I get. ---
**Author:** ![SafyreSchool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@SafyreSchool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SafyreSchool)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/30 "2005-07-01T14:17:20Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > 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. oh god i remember that skit… and someone later described it to a “T”. it was like they were building the spaceship. ---
**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:** [July 1, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/31 "2005-07-01T18:14:59Z")
I have been browsing seasame street fan sites, and no luck so far. However, I have found some amusing links. [Hooperfan’s homepage](http://members.tripod.com/~hooperfan/index-2.html) [http://www.code7r.org/inquiz/0602/koshss1bwr.htm](http://www.code7r.org/inquiz/0602/koshss1bwr.htm) ---
**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:** [July 1, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/32 "2005-07-01T21:43:45Z")
I have spent _way_ to much time on this, and I found some more info on it. [Sesame skit with balls on chrome tracks](http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=18180) It is dowloadable off a variety of p2p programs, under god knows what name, it used to be avalible on the web, but the link has gone down, it is avalible on the [Learning About Numbers](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001OGUQS/qid=1120255143/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_ur_1/103-2964822-0182265?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846), and it was made by frank oz. [http://www.ninjabynight.com/rc123.JPG](http://www.ninjabynight.com/rc123.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/33 "2005-07-01T21:51:44Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Did it go, “ONE twothree FOUR FIVE sixseveneight NINE TEN eleven twelve”? At the Museum of Science and Industry here in Chicago, there is a wonderful device called the Jollyball. It’s a huge marble maze built originally for the Swiss Tourism Board. The marble travels through the sights of Switzerland. This thing is hypnotic and I totally want it. (They said no. I suppose it’s too big for my apartment anyway.) Anyway, I couldn’t figure out how to describe it to my friend awhile ago. I ended up singing “ONE twothree FOUR FIVE sixseveneight NINE TEN eleven twelve” to her, adding “one of THOSE! But bigger!” She knew exactly what I meant. Yay! I love Sesame Street. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/34 "2005-07-01T21:55:45Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > [http://www.ninjabynight.com/rc123.JPG](http://www.ninjabynight.com/rc123.JPG) That is probably the reason I have a [Big Ball Factory](http://orgs.bloomu.edu/msc/Center%20Stuff/K'NEX%20Pictures/K'Nex%20Ball%20Factory%20(large).jpg). > [@Kyla](#): > > At the Museum of Science and Industry here in Chicago, there is a wonderful device called the Jollyball. It’s a huge marble maze built originally for the Swiss Tourism Board. The marble travels through the sights of Switzerland. This thing is hypnotic and I totally want it. (They said no. I suppose it’s too big for my apartment anyway.) I know exactly what you mean because I’ve seen that contraption myself. I even videotaped it in action! ---
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/35 "2005-07-02T04:12:32Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > [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. Thanks so much **jayjay** for the link to [www.milkandcookies.com](http://www.milkandcookies.com)! I’ve just spent a very pleasant afternoon looking through it. I just love the Gerald McBoing Boing cartoon. So many neat clips! ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/36 "2005-07-02T18:59:00Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > It got ground up into powder, which was dispensed into an ADULT hand. It did not get eaten. I believe there were different versions of the sketch (maybe with different numbers). I recall one version did end with the ball ending up to be a cherry on top of an ice cream cone, which a small girl then ate. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/37 "2005-07-03T00:32:32Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > It got ground up into powder, which was dispensed into an ADULT hand. It did not get eaten. > [@mobo85](#): > > I believe there were different versions of the sketch (maybe with different numbers). I recall one version did end with the ball ending up to be a cherry on top of an ice cream cone, which a small girl then ate. I also seem to remember another version where the red powder was added to a glass of water and mixed like Kool Aid before a boy drank it. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/38 "2005-07-03T02:21:48Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. I recall something similar on “Sesame Street”, with music from the overture to Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music”. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/39 "2005-07-03T02:55:18Z")
Pardon my flippancy, but I feel I must point out that perhaps the Sesame Street generation doesn’t need LSD or acid trips? The descriptions of these clips is pyschodelic-no mind altering needed. Remember crazy little super guy? (or something like that)–guy was a transfer on a plastic cup and zoomed around the kitchen doing I forget what… (I loved Electric Company, myself–Morgan Freeman was great!) Remember the silhouetted heads that would say “d”; “ock” “dock”? and stuff like that? Loved that! ---
**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:** [July 3, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954/40 "2005-07-03T03:02:40Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Remember the silhouetted heads that would say “d”; “ock” “dock”? and stuff like that? Loved that! That was Electric Company. Remember “Spider-Man! Where are you comin’ from? Spider-Man! Nobody knows who you are!” And “What about…Naomi?” And “HEY! YOU GUUUUUUUYSS!!” I loved EC… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-sesame-street-skit-overwrought-classical-music-satellites-stars-no/309954.md?page=3)