Something I noticed about The Count

[SesameMike]

My memory may be consolidating more than one show, but this was from the mid-1970s.

One day, The Count entered the Fix-it Shop kind of dejected. Luis was busy and really didn't want to be bothered, but Count still gave a short list of things that were bugging him. One complaint was "My dog Huba (sp?) won't eat his dinner." But his biggest upset was that he didn't have anything to count. While Luis was too busy to help, he did show Count to his new electronic calculator (one of those larger, vintage Texas Instruments models) and instructed him to keep adding 1 to a number to get higher numbers.

After the break between street scenes, Count appears to still be dissatisfied with the calculator solution, because he still is really not counting anything. Finally Luis asks him why he can't just count by itself -- he has to count "something". Count answered (please note I am making these up, but the idea is the same) "It's like Abbott without Costello. That's 1 reason! It's like peanut butter without the jelly. Ha, that's 2 reasons!" And so forth, as his sadness subsided as he continued counting. Note that by about 7, it was "It's like Hank Aaron without a batty-bat". Hmm, Count knows about popular culture, as this was taped shortly after Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record.

 

[Redsonga]

The Count to me was always like that crazy uncle that no one understands but everyone loves anyway at family reunions . He's happy because he lives sort of in his own world and always finds something about it he can love and count...

 

[ISNorden]

More proof that the Count cares about people, not just numbers: Sometime during the 80s or 90s, I watched an episode that had Maria suffering from a severe headache. The Count offered her several bits of (legitimate) advice on how to get rid of it, which she followed at first. A few minutes later, though, Maria suspected that the Count was listing the cures just for the sake of counting them--and went away feeling angry. She was wrong about the Count's motives this time, believe it or not; he ended up counting "one--one unhappy misunderstanding" to himself before he and Maria finally made up.

 

[Count von Count]

The Count is Happy because no-matter what he all-ways has something to Count, and counting makes him happy.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

The Count is Happy because no-matter what he all-ways has something to Count, and counting makes him happy.

That's a good point. It's like how being grouchy makes Oscar happy and being happy makes him grouchy. As long as he is grouch, he is happy.

 

[Count von Count]

No that's a mind teaser-IlikeMuppets (It's like how being grouchy makes Oscar happy and being happy makes him grouchy. As long as he is grouch, he is happy.)

 

[muppet baby]

Is it just me, or is the Count rarely (if ever) upset about anything? Out of all the characters on the show, he seems the most content, the most mellow (errr... so to speak), and the most constantly happy (or at least content).

Clearly this has a lot to do with his counting passion, as there's always something to count. Like that immortal sketch where he's at a picnic, and the ants steal all his food. He's too busy counting the ants to care the food is gone.

Is there any time where he was extremely upset about anything?

Hey that is really a good point to make about the count not really geting up set about anything , that is a very wonderful observation .
His counting passion that really seems to be his life .
It really distracts him i think from the world around him . haha That maybe a lesson that we can take from keke , i mean keep us distracted to a " point " of course haha i mean we can not hide from everything haha , but it is nice to have some things to keep us mellow so we can be happy a lot of the time to just enjoy life .

Life is wonderful so glad for it .

I love how a lot of the muppets are very mellow and content and enjoy life to point and really big constent Joy to everyone who loves them .

Teaches everyone a life long lesson of Joy . I noticed this about the Cast of Sesme street most of all the muppets everyone enjoys things and has Joy no matter what they are the best at that .

 

[Convincing John]

There's another clip out there (late 1980s) about what different people do on their birthdays. The Count has a verse where he's counting presents. He has them spread out on what looks like a coffee table...only with a lid and handles.

Here's that birthday clip that shows the Count's coffin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5lBuB-zp4

Convincing John

 

[Drtooth]

Here's that birthday clip that shows the Count's coffin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5lBuB-zp4

Convincing John

If you'll excuse the horrible pun, it's more like a Cofin Table.

Oh well, as long as it doesn't have Meatloaf's corpse in it... (Rocky Horror reference).

 

[wilson]

The Count got kind of upset when Cookie Monster ate the apples he was counting, and Cookie also felt upset too, until they agreed to count the apple cores (leading into a funny scene with Cookie imitating the Count's laugh, and they both circle each other going "AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"

That was absolutely outstanding. I think absurdist humor is awfully difficult to do effectively, and to me, this is a classic example of the Muppets' genius. They didn't try to force absurdity, it just fit incredibly naturally with those two characters. And it was hilarious.