Sesame St S5: Highlights

The Twiddlebugs plan a zoo trip.

The Twiddlebugs plan a zoo trip.

In this one, their seemingly straightforward goal is to go to the zoo, yet they run into a host of complications, first being that, on foot, the few blocks will take them 3 days to accomplish, and, as the daughter, Tina, reminds her daddy, Thomas, and mama, Tessie, she has school tomorrow. Her suggestion is that they swim to the zoo, an idea they all very enthusiastically attempt to do until realizing that they aren’t getting anywhere because there isn’t any water. Next, after spotting some birds overhead, Thomas suggests they fly there, which they try to do before realizing that, without wings, they aren’t going to make it.

 

Humorously, when each of these attempts fails, the realization is made by the kids, not the befuddled parents. That’s when the brother, Timmy, points to their matchbox car and asks what it is, and once Thomas answers, they all realize in unison that they can take the car to the zoo! Which they do…sort of, each taking a side and pulling it along with them, rather than hopping in and driving it. Which, of course, means they’re actually only creating a more difficult walk for themselves!

 

The next two clips on the set are “Jazz Alphabet” and “Hamburger Bun Factor,” both of which are self-explanatory, the first being an alphabet cartoon set to jazzy music and the second being footage of a hamburger bun factory. And then we come to the lovely “Madrigal Alphabet,” in which the alphabet is charmingly brought to life by various cartoon animals posing in different positions to form the various letters, set to a very Renaissance sounding tune. It reminds me a great deal of a Victorian children’s book.

 

 

And speaking of children’s books, our next sketch is another Sesame Street fairy tale, this time read by Bob and starring Cookie Monster, entitled “The Monster’s Three Wishes,” which–much like the David/Maria desert island sketch–tells the story of a protagonist who finds himself the temporary master of a Genie who will grant him three wishes (and looks very much like Bip Bipadotta/Mahna Mahna), however in Cookie’s case, rather than rubbing a bottle or lamp, he actually squeezes the Genie out of a giant-sized toothpaste! Again, it’s good to know that Cookie takes care of himself despite his generally unhealthy eating habits.

 

Speaking of which, Cookie decides that what he wants more than anything in the world is one million cookies, however he realizes that he won’t have any place to store them, so his plan is to make his first wish a truck. Which he does, and the genie delivers for him…sort of, giving him a tiny toy truck that fits in the palm of his hand, much like Mabel the Genie in the island sketch gave David a tiny boat. But, armed with two more wishes, Cookie knows he can deal with the issue, this time requesting a bigger truck. You might be able to guess where this is going. Because, yes, it’s bigger, but it’s still just a larger toy that couldn’t possibly fit one million cookies. Finally, Cookie goes for broke and asks for the biggest truck. The Genie might find the third truck request a little strange, but he does indeed give Cookie a massive-sized truck.

 

Cookie gets his wishes...sort of.

Cookie gets his wishes…sort of.

Mollified, Cookie then prepares for his final, greatest wish when the Genie stops him. He’s already had 3 wishes! He counts out each one for Cookie to illustrate. “Me good at eating,” a sad Cookie responds. “Me not so good at counting.” That’s when Cookie realizes there’s only one thing for it: he’s going to have to “EAT TRUCK!” which he does. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” a stunned Genie responds as he observes the carnage. “This is really weird.” That it is, Genie. That it is.

 

Meanwhile, the sketch itself operates on at least 5 levels: (1) it’s a clever twist on the classic fairy tale in which a greedy couple wastes three wishes on silly things; (2) it underlines the concept of big, bigger, and biggest, definition and scale-wise; (3) it teaches the importance of clarity, much as the “New Rubber Duckie” sketch did; (4) it even has a bit of a counting lesson/reiteration woven in there; and (5) it’s just plain fun, arguably the most important element of a successful Sesame Street bit.

 

And speaking of fun, our next clip is one of the early episodes of that famous Sesame Street superhero…”Faster than lightning…stronger than steel…smarter than a speeding bullet…” It’s…SUPER GROVER!! (“And I am cute, too!”) And this one is especially nifty, as it plays more with Super Grover’s alter-ego, “mild-mannered doorknob salesman,” Grover Kent, than the sketches usually did, here specifically satirizing the Clark-Kent-going-into-a-phone-booth-to-change-into-his-Superman-attire trope. Rather than flying onto the scene and crashing as per usual, here he encounters a little lost girl and decides to thrust his unwanted help upon her, as he is wont to do. This time around, however, the girl realizes what she needs almost instantly: to place a phone call at the nearby booth. In a fun bit of almost-dark humor, however, Grover practically pushes her out of the way in order to rush into the booth and change…in order to help her. Naturally he can’t help her until he’s in his superhero outfit!

 

Super Grover, mid-change.

Super Grover, mid-change.

And it takes him 3 tries to get it on, each time raising the girl’s hopes that she can finally place her crucial call, only to have them dashed again when Grover dashes back in. The first time, he realizes he’s forgotten to take off his hat and glasses and the second that he’s forgotten his helmet. Finally, he’s done, emerging from the booth and announcing his arrival, but the little girl pays him no heed, running inside the booth to call her mother to pick her up. But that isn’t good enough for our helpful hero, who decides to lift the telephone booth with her inside it and carry her that way home to her mommy! “I am taking you home!” he declares. “Where is home?”

 

As you might expect, the scene is very funny on its own, Grover’s impetuousness and can-do, never-say-die spirit perfectly wedded to Super Grover’s incompetence. He’s never any actual help at all, but he’s going to do his darndest despite the odds! And you have to love him for it, even if the kids in the sketches never do. In addition to that, however, it’s also a bit trippy today because, as I’ve mentioned previously such as in the classic “I Can Remember” cartoon, it’s strange to see a little girl being allowed by herself out in the big city and calling to ask her mom to pick her up, not to mention, of course, the outrageous lack of cell phones. And it’s slightly uncomfortable today to see Grover removing said little girl from her spot against her will, even if he is trying to help.

 

The day after tomorrow: more Season 5 highlights!

 

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