guessing the seasons

I thought I'd start a thread where we speculate on what seasons each sketch was from. It may be hard to know if we guess correctly, but it'd be fun.

I will start with sketches from Sesame Street: Old School. I will list years and skecthes included in that set that I think were from those years. This isn't counting the season classic cuts (those are pretty much confirmed), and it doesn't count anything that I know or think I know premiered in those episodes (or anything that I might have forgotten about).

season 1:
Ernie, counter of numbers
two guys talk about the letter q
J-jump
Carol Burnett talks about the nose
Julius asks Jasper why he is holding one leg in the air

season 2:
Clap, Clap, Clap
Herbert Birdsfoots M poem

season 3:
Kermit and Joey recite the alphabet
Dee, Dee, Dee
Grover the Waiter: no spoon

season 4:
Kermit asks a girl about animal sounds
Fat Cat
Three of These Things (concerning kids playing sports)
Beat the Time

What do you think?

I would like to make some more guesses. Here is a listing of skits from various videos, with the year that I think they are from:

Learning About Letters
The Alphabet Song with Lena Horne - 1973-1974
C is for cookie - 1971-1972
Frances Fairy - 1969-1970
G-Gorillia - 1969-1970
Harry the Horse - 1970-1971
K-Key - 1969-1970
La, La, La - 1971-1972
Street Alphabet - 1969-1970
Kermit draws an M - 1971-1972
Mmmonster Meal - 1971-1972
O-Orange - 1970-1971
The R Wizard - 1969-1970
The Villian in the Pantima Hat - 1972-1973
Madrigal Alphabet - 1973-1974
The Prince Banishes the Letter P - 1975-1976

Learning About Numbers
Grover and John-John count a penny - 1972-1973
1-20 with four-armed man - 1971-1972
Two-Toucan Two-Steps - 1971-1972
Dollhouse - 1970-1971
Rollercoaster 1, 2, 3 - 1970-1971
123 Chickens - 1981-1982
I Just Adore Four - 1975-1976
Four Lions at my Door - 1971-1972
The Count hires Ernie to answer his telephone - 1975-1976
The Count works as an elevador operador - 1984-1985
Six Soccer Socks - 1973-1974
The Count counts flowers - 1972-1973
The King of 8 - 1970-1971
Martian Beauty - 1971-1972
Grover and John-John count backwards - 1972-1973
The Count counts honks - 1979-1980

Play-Along Games and Songs
Penguin dancing - 1971-1972
Herry and a boy play a blindfold game - 1981-1982
Beat the Time with Cookie Monster - 1973-1974
I Heard the Dog Bark - 1984-1985
One of These Things - 1969-1970
Lefty sells Ernie a painting of elephants - 1974-1975
Shape Patterns - 1970-1971
Over, Under, Around, and Through - 1970-1971

Learning to Add and Subtract
Ernie, Bert, and a girl count fingers - 1971-1972
a cowboy adds cattle - 1983-1984
Born to Add - 1979-1980
Gumball subtracting - 1973-1974
King Minus - 1973-1974
Cookie Monster steals Ernie's cupcakes - 1970-1971
five bears in bed - 1976-1977
They Can't Take That Away From Me - 1986-1987

Big Bird's Story Time
At Your Library - 1986-1987
Sesame Street News: Rupunzel - 1972-1973
Sesame Street News: Magic Mirror - 1972-1973
Sesame Street News: Three Little Pigs - 1972-1973
Imagine That - 1985-1986
Sesame Street News: Humpty Dumpty - 1974-1975

The Alphabet Game
Bayou Alphabet - 1984-1985
Dee, Dee, Dee - 1971-1972
Capital Letter H - 1969-1970
Sammy the Snake - 1971-1972
Wanda the Witch - 1969-1970
J Family Jambouree - 1977-1978
The Question Song - 1971-1972
Jazz Alphabet - 1973-1974

Here are my guesses...

Bedtime Stories and Songs
Dance Myself to Sleep - 1981-1982
The Count Sleeps Over - 1974-1975
Grover Pretends to be On the Moon - 1982-1983
If Moon Was Cookie - 1972-1973
The King and his Problem - 1971-1972
Snuffle Lullaby - 1981-1982
Everybody Sleeps - 1972-1973
Imagination - 1972-1973

Big Bird's Story Time
At Your Library - 1987-1988
Sesame Street News: Rapunzel - 1971-1972
Sesame Street News: Humpty Dumpty - 1975-1976
Sesame Street News: Magic Mirror - 1974-1975
Imagine That - 1985-1986
Sesame Street News: Three Little Pigs - 1971-1972

If Moon was Cookie is obviously from the 1980s. My guess would be the 1983-1984 season. Also, The Snuffle-Lullaby obviously isn't from the 1981-1982 season, as it shows Snuffy interracting with Gordon, and the adults didn't see Snuffy untill 1985. My guess is that it is from the 1985-1986 season, probably obvious since the video is from 1986. I think I've read somewhere that during the week that the adults first saw Snuffy, there was an episode where Gordon spent the night with Snuffy (or babysit Snuffy, or something like that). That plot sounds like one that would have that song.

Other than that, my guesses for the seasons for the other skits you guessed the years for are the same.

Here are some more of my guesses, listing skits from a few more videos:

Count it Higher: Great Music Videos from Sesame Street
The Ten Commandments of Health - 1978-1979
Do Op Hop - 1984-1985
Honk Around the Clock - 1981-1982
Z Z Blues - 1983-1984
Letter B - 1974-1975
Wet Paint - 1984-1985
Do De Rubber Duck - 1986-1987
Count it Higher - 1973-1974

The Best of Ernie and Bert
A Woman with a Tall Hat sits in front of Ernie at the movie theater - 1973-1974
Ernie and Bert go camping - 1985-1986
The Wrong Patient - 1970-1971
I Don't Want to Live on the Moon - 1982-1983
Ernie and Bert go to egypt - 1981-1982
The National Association of W Lovers - 1971-1972
Bert teaches Berniece how to play checkers - 1978-1979
That's What Friends are For - 1986-1987

Big Bird's Favorite Party Games
The Remembering Game - 1974-1975
Follow the Arrows - 1981-1982
My Furry Little Shadow - 1981-1982
(and if Oscar Says is a skit from the show, and not just created for the video, then I think that's from the 1987-1988 season)

Sing-Along Earth Songs
Ev'ry Bit of Litter Hurts - 1989-1990
Just Throw it My Way - 1991-1992
Air - 1988-1989
Water Pollution - 1977-1978
On My Pond - 1987-1988
Little Plant - 1987-1988
Box City Recycling Rap - 1991-1992
Oscar's Junk Band - 1990-1991
Keep the Park Clean for the Pigeons - 1989-1990
The Wasteroon Song - 1990-1991
What a Gift - 1992-1993

The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street
I Love My Elbows - 1988-1989
Carribean Amphibean - 1985-1986
African Alphabet - 1987-1988
Kermit and Joey recite the alphabet - 1971-1972
Do Op Hop - 1984-1985
Bein' Green - 1975-1976
Grover attempts to sell Kermit a weather machine - 1972-1973
Tadpole - 1986-1987
This Frog - 1977-1978

Here are the years that I think each sketch from The Sesame Street Special is from:

Monsterpiece Theater: The 39 Stairs - 1984-1985
Put Down the Duckie - 1986-1987
How I Miss My X - 1985-1986
Grover the singing and dancing waiter - 1985-1986
Sing Your Synonyms - 1986-1987
Jellyman Kelly - 1980-1981
Italian Street Song - 1987-1988

Here is what year I think each Harvey Kneeslapper sketch was originally from:

"Got an A on Ya?" - 1970-1971
"Do you know where I wanna B?" - 1970-1971
"Wanna C?" - 1970-1971
"D on you" - 1970-1971
bucket of confetti on door - 1970-1971
"Sticky Four" - 1970-1971
"I'd love 2" - 1971-1972
"can I keep an I on your hat?" - 1971-1972
"toys in the closet" - 1971-1972
"Mirror gag" - 1971-1972
"do you want one?" - 1972-1973
"away from" - 1972-1973
Ernie's merry men auditions - 1972-1973
"can I take a picture of U?" - 1972-1973
Sesame Street News: man in snow storm - 1973-1974
"Gimmie Five!" - 1973-1974
Harvey and the mailman - 1973-1974

Here are what years I think Lefty's segments were made (though all of the skits from the first season are confirmed at Mupet Wiki):

Lefty tries to sell an 8 - 1969-1970
Lefty tries to sell a U - 1969-1970
P and R - 1969-1970
Empty Box - 1969-1970
Air - 1969-1970
Stop Sign - 1970-1971
The Golden An - 1971-1972
Lefty recites the alphabet - 1971-1972
Would You Like to Buy an O? - 1971-1972
Invisible Ice Cream Cone - 1972-1973
Lefty gets carrots for his boss - 1973-1974
Snowman - 1974-1975
Painting - 1974-1975

I think the last 2 you mentioned were more early 70's than 1974-75.

I figured that because the video quality of those 2 are more dimmer than those from the mid and late 70's.

Watching the SS Unpaved shows, it was probably 1973 or 74 when the videotape they were using for the shows seemed brighter.

Here are my guesses for some of the Monsterpiece Theater sketches:

Upstairs, Downstairs - 1981-1982
Me, Claudius - 1982-1983
Chariots of Fur - 1983-1984
Sound of Music - 1983-1984
The 39 Stairs - 1984-1985
The Taming of the Shoe - 1986-1987
Gone with the Wind - 1986-1987
Guys and Dolls - 1989-1990
The King and I - 1989-1990
Fiddler on the Roof - 1990-1991
Twelve Angry Men - 1991-1992
One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest - 1991-1992
Dances with Wolves - 1993-1994
Little House on Prairie - 1994-1995
The Old Man and the C - 1997-1998