Old School DVD set ideas

[minor muppetz]

One idea I was just thinking of: "The Blue Monsters" (or "True Blue"), featuring segments starring Cookie Monster, Grover, Herry, Rosita, and Beautiful Day Monster (and maybe others, though there doesn't seem to be many segments that star minor or one-shot blue monsters).

A good content list goes liek this:

• Me Gotta Be Blue
• Monsterpiece Theater: Chariots of Fur
• Little Richard: Rosita Song
• Grover and Erik: Fur and Skin
• Up and Down
• Spanish Word of the Day: Si and No
• Prairie Dawn adds/invites monsters
• Bert and Ernie: Through the Hoop
• Red and Blue
• Grover and the rival waiter
• Sesame Street News: first day of school
• Monsterpiece Theater: ABCD Blue
• Cookie and Beautiful Day Mosnter: here and there
• Grover and Herry: Here and There
• Kermit's B sounds
• Fuzzy and Blue (and Orange)

 

[muppet maniac]

How about, for us Sesame geeks, a "Banned from Sesame Street" compilation DVD - all the sketches that have either been cut from the show or pulled off after its airing.

Bits like...

*The street scenes of Episode 847, where The Wicked Witch of the West appears (1976)

*"See the Signs" Song (w/ Chris Brown and Elmo)

*The Anything Muppets' cover of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
(1969)

*An animated piece done by Maurice Sendak, which was shelved due to complaints about it being scary (mid-late 70s ish)

*The recent Hot/Cold song parody with Katy Perry and Elmo

*Snuffy's parents get a divorce

*The original version of "Imagination" with Ernie being scared by monsters

 

[minor muppetz]

How about, for us Sesame geeks, a "Banned from Sesame Street" compilation DVD - all the sketches that have either been cut from the show or pulled off after its airing.

Bits like...

*The street scenes of Episode 847, where The Wicked Witch of the West appears (1976)

*"See the Signs" Song (w/ Chris Brown and Elmo)

*The Anything Muppets' cover of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
(1969)

*An animated piece done by Maurice Sendak, which was shelved due to complaints about it being scary (mid-late 70s ish)

*The recent Hot/Cold song parody with Katy Perry and Elmo

*Snuffy's parents get a divorce

*The original version of "Imagination" with Ernie being scared by monsters

Somehow I think a "Sesame Street for Adult Collectors" migth be a better title. I feel maybe some Roosevelt Franklin and Don Music sketches and Baker films should also be included as well (though many are at sesamestreet.org so it's not like Sesame Workshop is against releasing them to the puplic... And who's to say that episode 847 and "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" don't have those sketches included, depending on whether the DVD includes the full episodes or just the street scenes?).

Maurice Sendak's segments (which were collaborated with Jim Henson as part of Henson's season two number films) are "Bumble Ardy" and "Seven Monsters". Bumble Ardy was included as a bonus segment on disc 1 of Old School Volume 2.

Maybe the scenes where Buffy and Maria breast feed would also make good choices, though I don't think they are "banned".

 

[minor muppetz]

I was thinking it would be interesting if there was a DVD spotlightig the various Muppet performers. Perhaps each section could include a mini-documentary on a performer followed by several complete inserts of their characters.

This would be a good line-up for a collection focusing on the original six:

Jim Henson

• Ernie and Bert: Jellybeans
• Kermit's Rectangle Lecture
• Henson #9
• What's My Part: Foot
• Rocks Number 12
• Five People in My Family
• News: The Invisible Man
• Ernie and Bert: Grocery List
• Guy Smiley: Air
• Twiddlebugs: Smoke Detector
• Everybody's Song
• I Wonder About the World Above Up There
• Computer #10
• Do De Rubber Duck

Frank Oz

• Bert and Ernie: Who Took Bert's Cookies?
• Grover and Herbert Birdsfoot: Help
• The Golden An
• Cookie Monster Rhymes Buy
• Super-Grover: Crossing the Street
• I Wish I Had a Friend to Play with Me
• Kermit and Grover: Long and Short
• Harvey Keeslapper: 4
• Monsterpiece Theater: The Old Man and the C
• Profesor Hastings: U Lecture
• Bert and Ernie: Purple Hand
• Kermit's Mystery Box
• Fuzzy and Blue (and Orange)

Caroll Spinney

• The Sound of the Letter A
• Oscar and Kermit: Bus Stop
• Ernie and the U/V Salesman
• something with Oscar and Bruno
• something with Shivers the Penguin
• Everyone Likes Ice Cream
• Admiral Bird
• How Oscar Met Slimey
• Big Bird's Forwards/Backwards Home Movies
• Put It in the Trash Can
• The Anything in the World Prize Gam

Jerry Nelson

• The Song of the Count
• I Can't Help It
• Biff and Sully: Sully Supplies Music
• Simon Soundman Buys a Saw
• Nobody
• Sherlock Hemlock: S
• Grover's Restaurant: Tomato Surprise
• Two Heads are Better Than One
• Miami Mice: The Count
• Marshall Grover: Front and Back
• Sam the Robot Makes Orange Juice
• Frazzle's Emotions
• The Leslie Mostly Show: The Amazing Mumford
• Two-Headed Monster: Surprise
• Biff Labels Pictures
• Danger

Fran Brill

• Prairie Dawn Invites Monsters
• Little Bird: Imagination Game
• My Name is Zoe
• something with Countess Dahling von Dahling
• something with Roxy Marie
• All by Myself
• Zoe and Elmo: Share
• News: Alice in Wonderland
• Monsterpiece Theater: Little House on Prairie

Richard Hunt

• Proud to be a Cow
• Forgetful Jones: What's the Name of That Song?
• Don Music: Twinkle Twinkle
• Biff and Sully Get Angry
• Beginning, Middle, End
• Forgetful Jones Calls His Cousin
• something with Aristotle
• Up and Down Opera
• Two-Headed Monster: Juice Cartons
• Kermit and Gladys Switch Places
• Forgetful Jones: Brushing Teeth
• Party Line with Leo
• one of Richard Hunt's Elmo performances

I think that looks like a good list. If it were a two-disc set I'd have disc 2 represent Kevin Clash, Martin Robinson, Camile Bonora, David Rudman, and Joey Mazzarino (and maybe Brian Meehl). I tried to exclude some of the stuff that I frequently include on wishlists, and only included "double-dipping" where I felt was neccessary (like "Do De Rubber Duck" because it has all three of Jim Henson's main SST characters, and "Fuzzy and Blue" because it had two of Frank Oz's main characters). I do wonder if it was right for me to list some of Jim Henson's films, when the point is to spotlight the performances of the performers. I would have liked to have listed some of Jerry Nelson's one-shot performances, but he has performed so many recurring characters I chose against it.

 

[minor muppetz]

Another great release idea: "Classic Storytime & Nursery Rhymes!"

Ideal line-up:

• Sesame Street News: The Pied Piper
• The Magic Apple
• The Boy, The Girl, and the Jellybeans (part 1)
• The Boy, The Girl, and the Jellybeans (part 2)
• The Boy, The Girl, and the Jellybeans (part 3)
• Sesame Street News: Sleeping Beauty (turning into a frog)
• The King's Nose
• Monsterpiece Theater: The Old Man and the C
• Sesame Street News: Mary Had a Little Lamb
• Miss Muffet Play
• Snow White and Six Dwarfs
• The Cursed Prince
• Monsterpiece Theater: Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves
• Sesame Street News: Ali Baba
• The City Mouse and the Country Mouse (part 1)
• The City Mouse and the Country Mouse (part 2)
• Home Run on the Range
• Two-Headed Monster Story
• Hey Diddle Diddle
• Twinkle Twinkle
• Ernie's Merry Men Search
• The King Banishes the Letter P
• Monsterpiece Theater: The Taming of the Shoe
• Kermit's Three Bears Rehearsals
• Ernie portrays Old King Cole
• Sesame Street News: The New Three Little Pigs Story

 

[minor muppetz]

Breaking my new years resolution to only post wishlists for confirmed Sesame Street DVDs, here is an idea that I had: "Sesame Street At the Movies!" (or "A Day at the Movies") I would have it be hosted by Murray Monster and Ovejita (why hasn't Murray hosted a video yet?), at a movie theater. The inserts would be a balance of classic and non-classic.

My preferred segments would be:

• Super K Cereal (they show television commercials at movie theaters now, so why not?)
• Sesame Street News mash-up, in the style of a newsreel (some segments might be heavily edited, and a narrarator would provide transitions)
• American Monster Classics: A Streetcar Named Monster
• The Summer of Snuffy
• Bert and Ernie watch "The Picnic"
• Robert DeNiro Imagines
• Liam Nielsen in The Count's movie (I know it's Transylvania ... something)
• Grover's Concession Stand
• Sneek Peek Previews: Fiddler on the Roof
• High 12
• New Pinball (presented as an animated short)
• The Geefle and the Gonk (presented as a "b-movie")
• True Mud (presented as the main feature)

And I would have four bonus Monsterpiece Theater segments: Chariots of Fur, Gone with the Wind, Dances with Wolves, and Dr. No.

 

[minor muppetz]

I was thinking, how about a DVD of the various multi-part Ernie and Bert sketches, with other segments between them?

A good line-up:

• Ernie's Barber Shop, part 1
• Long Time No See
• Ernie's Barber Shop, part 2
• I'm Going to Get My Hair Cut
• Ernie's Barber Shop, part 3
• Geometry of Circles
• Cookie Monster uses Ernie's phone, part 1
• Kermit reads the word TELEPHONE
• Cookie Mosnter uses Ernie's telephone, part 2
• Grover shows how to use a telephone
• Cookie Monster uses Ernie's phone, part 3
• Telephone Opera
• Cookie Monster uses Ernie's phone, part 4
• Kermit News: Rumplestilskin
• Bacon and X, part 1
• Grover's Restaurant: Bacon and Eggs
• Bacon and X, part 2
• Typewriter: X-x-ray
• Bacon and X, part 3
• Erasing and Counting Backwards
• Bacon and X, part 4
• Erasing and counting backwards (repeat, but only because part 4 wouldn't make sense without it beign shown before and after)
• Bacon and X, part 5
• Monsterpiece Theater: Upstairs, Downstairs
• Banana in Ear, part 1
• Carrot do's and don'ts
• Banana in Ear, part 2
• A-alligator
• Banana in ear, part 3
• Milk Song
• Ernie's four-part milk segment (mentioned in CTW Archives files... it mentions each part leading to speciffic segments, can't remember everything intended to follow each part, but know that Jazz #8 and Greeblies are amogn those following certain parts)
• Henson #9
• The Count Sleeps Over, part 1
• Teeny Little Super Guy: Sleep
• The Count Sleeps over, part 2

And here's an idea I call "Reading Words". if I was in charge I'd have it hosted by Murray Monster on location, maybe with Elmo assisting or making an appearance as well.

• Letter of the Day: D (Don't and Do)
• Typewriter: D-Daisy
• D-dog
• Wanda Falbo: Dog
• Kermit and Grover: Yes
• Forgetful Jones and Daniella: Yes
• Herry's No Joke
• Kermit and Grover: No
• Forgetful Jones and Daniella: No
• Two-Headed Monster: Cheese
• Super Grover: Bus Stop
• Say the Word
• The Bus Stop Salesman
• Two-Headed Monster: Honk
• Typewriter: V-vaccum
• Kermit: Taxi
• Cookie Monster: Amour
• Cavemen Invent Exit
• Grover: Me
• C-cat
• Chip and Dip and Boy: CAT
• Typewriter: I-ink
• Two-Headed Monster: Feet
• Grover and Monotones: Walk
• A New Way to Walk (original, with introduction)
• Walk on Grover

That would be a good way to have Murray host a video (I'm a little surprised he hasn't hosted any video releases, though in the past two years only a few videos have had new footage) and include a good deal of classic content. it'd also get a good number of classic Two-headed Monster and Typewriter segments released, and it'd include plenty of Kermit, Grover, and Ernie.

 

[minor muppetz]

I was thinking of a three-disc set idea last night (though I doubt Warner Home Video would release more than two discs). It would be more like 40 Years of Sunny Days and Best of Sesame Street Spoofs, where the classics and the recent stuff and in-between would be mixed, and could have any kind of title (I'm partial to "Sesame Street: The Ultimate Sketch Collection").

Disc 1 would be a variety of inserts from seasons 1-42, in order, and a number of early multi-part inserts as bonus features. Disc 2 would be themed around all of the show's recurring sketches, at least the ones that were never daily or semi-daily (not sure what kind of bonus to include here... Maybe any unaired installments of any recurring segments?). Disc 3 would be themed around all the short-form series (those long or slightly-long segments that are broadcast on their own internationally) as well as anything that was featured on a daily or semi-daily basis after the 2002 format change. Bonus features could include some of the international short-form series like Munchin: Impossible and Elmo's Back Yard (not sure if those exist in english yet), or maybe a street story (I'd also like to link some pre-2002 street stories together as bonus features somehow).

It would also be great to see some brand-new featurettes on the show, including new interviews. Featurettes on the show's characters, on the actors, on the 2002 format change, the international co-productions, the best-known songs, and more.

Like I said, if such a set happened I doubt it'd be three-discs. In recent years most Warner Home Video releases have been two discs or less, though the upcoming Looney Tunes Platinum Collection will be three discs. If I was in charge and the set had to be two discs, I'd ditch the third disc idea and include some of those short form series in the recurring segments disc (I don't think I'd include Elmo's World or Abby's Flying Fairy School, but I'd include Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures and Super Grover 2.o at least).

 

[minor muppetz]

Here's what I would do for a second volume of Best of Sesame Street Spoofs, styled similar to the first volume.

Disc 1: (I refuse to call it volume 3)

• What's my Part?
• Whistle, Whistle, Little Bird
• Cookie Disco
• Here is Your Life: Tooth
• Letter B
• Me Gonna Munch You Munch You Munch You
• Thinking of U
• Chariots of Fur
• That Grouchy Face
• Honk Around the Clock
• Miami Mice
• Ernie Loves Boat
• Squeal of Fortune
• Peligro
• Spaceship Surprise
• The Postman Always Rings Twice
• Wet or Dry
• Mysterious Theater
• Barn in the USA

Bonus Spoofs: All the other Miami Mice segments.

Disc 2: (like disc 1, I refuse to call it volume 4)

• The Add 'ems Family
• Colambo: Old Mother Hubbard
• Felines
• Little House on Prairie
• Super Morphin' Mega Monsters
• Furry Happy Monsters
• Joe Hundred Guy
• Don't Know Y
• Oscar's Bein' Green
• Grouch Eye for the Nice Guy
• Triangle Bob Triangle Pants
• Annie, Get Your Gumbo
• Scramalot
• A Streetcar Named Monster
• Pear
• Meal or No Meal
• American I
• Super K Cereal
• Spidermonster: The Musical

Bonus Spoofs: Hot 'n Cold, Trash Gordon clips

 

[minor muppetz]

This week I've been thinking of a great idea I'd call "Sesame Street Hall of Fame", two discs of many of the best segments that haven't been released on DVD (and there's still quite a few I didn't list below), plus some additionals I like or want to see. Mostly from seasons 1-24, though I'd include some stuff from seasons 25-38 and end each disc with a number of post-season 39 segments.

Disc 1:

• Rubber Duckie (the truly original version from season one)
• Grover: Near and Far (season 6 version)
• Teeny Little Super Guy: Danger
• Super Grover: Boxes
• Geometry of Circles (not sure which one, not that it's easy to describe them individually)
• Because We're Friends
• Miami Mice: Ernie
• Counting is Wonderful
• Henson #9
• James Taylor: That Grouchy Face
• Just Happy to be Me
• Billy Jo Jive: Bad News Barton
• Roosevelt Franklin: Black History Month
• Snuffy jumps on Big Bird's trampoline
• Detective Series: Hippopottomous on Trampoline
• I'm Square
• Jazz #8
• Bert and Ernie: Sandbox Game
• My Pollywog Ways
• We Coulda
• Monsterpiece Theater: Chariots of Fur
• Kermit News: Pinnocchio
• Super Morphin' Mega Monsters
• Typewriter: M-Magic
• The Amazing Mumford: Disapearing Cookies
• Grover Serves a Burger
• Cecile: Brushin' Down the Doggies
• The American Revolution: National Bird
• Kermit's Mystery Box
• Mystery Guest
• Forgetful Jones: Brushing Teeth
• Bert and Ernie: Banana in Ear Part 1
• Milk Song
• Bert and Ernie: Banana in Ear Part 2
• Pinball Animation #5
• Bert and Ernie: Banana iin Ear Part 3
• Count and Cookie Monster Co-Operate
• That's Love
• Luis: Agua
• Things That I Remember
• Abby's Flying Fairy School
• Murray Has a Little Lamb
• Super Grover 2.0
• OK GO: Three Primary Colors
• New Pinball #12
• Spider-Monster

Bonus Features:
From the Vault:

• This Way to Sesame Street
• Rarities from Season One: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", Buddy and Jim: Light Bulb, Forward and Backwards with the Anything Muppets, E Claymation, Ernie Skips, Kermit's Radio, Before and After Song, G for Grover, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" with Oscar.
• Rarities from Season Two: Larry and Phyllis: Posters, Prairie and Herry: Shoe Sizes, Seven Monsters, Ernie and the Candy Salesman, Bob Meets Sherlock Hemlock, Baby Monster Learns the Word "Is".
• Rarities from Season Three: Luis imagines he's a mailman, Harvey Kneeslapper Pranks Molly, Big Bird and Snuffy's "Sorting Song", Wally and Ralph: Glue, "The Sound of the Letter A", Superman Tom/ Superman David.
• Rarities from Season Four: Grover Serves the Count, "Nobody" with Mr. Snuffleupagus.
• Easter Egg: "Crack Monster" cartoon (though considering how scary this apparently was, maybe it'd be best not to make it a hidden feature)

Disc 2:

• Kermit and Elmo: Happy and Sad
• Bert and Ernie: The Count Sleeps Over Part 1
• Suzy Kabloozy: Somebody Come and Play
• Bert and Ernie: The Count Sleeps Over Part 2
• Billy Jo Jive: Missing Dog
• Billy Joel and Marlee Matlin: Just the Way You Are
• Grover the Messenger
• The King's Nose
• Fay Ray: Animal Disguises
• Kermit News: Mary and Her Little Lamb
• Abby Scratches Elmo's Back
• Teeny Little Super Guy: Crossing the Street
• Baby Bree Teaches Traffic Safety
• Caveman Days: Taking the Kid to School
• Mysterious Theater: The Case of the Missing Cat
• The People in Your Neighborhood: Dentist and Bus Driver (season 1 version)
• Monsterpiece Theater: One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest
• Little Miss Count Along
• Red and Blue
• Guy Smiley: Air
• Roosevelt Franklin's Friends Recite "Trying" Poems
• Two-Headed Monster: Same and Different Part 1
• Gimmie Five
• Two-Headed Monster: Same and Different Part 2
• Write it Down (vaudeville version)
• Two-Headed Monster: Same and Different Part 3
• Grover and Simon Soundman: Chicken Sandwich
• Ernie Breaks the Cookie Jar
• Everybody Needs a Friend
• Super-Grover: Computer
• Up and Down Opera
• Eleven Cheer
• Spies: One of These Things
• Ernie and the Air Salesman
• The Earmuff Salesman
• Abby's Flying Fairy School
• Elvis Costello: A Blue Monster Ate My Red 2
• Super K Cereal
• Summer of Snuffy

Bonus Features:
Viral Videos: "Share It Maybe" and "What We Are Anthem".
From the Vault: Segments with rare characters, including Professor Hastings, Sam the Robot, Bruno the Trashman, Rodeo Rosie, Deena and Pearl, Leslie Mostly, Ferlinghetti Donnizetti, Aristotle, and Dr. Noble Price.