Added: 5 years ago
From: laughingsal
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  • For some reason, it seems that this among other Sesame Street clips used to scare the crap out of me.

  • This song reminds me of Laura Branigan's "Gloria". Sally, were you inspired by Laura Branigan to do this short?

  • @astridkitty1212 No, I don't know who Laura Branigan is, but maybe the composer did.

  • @laughingsal Laura Branigan was a famous 80s singer whose most famous song. "Gloria", sounds a lot like this. Did you just draw the art for this sing and have a musician write the music? I am so touched that I can talk to someone like you. I remember this from my childhood, which was in the 80s! ;,)

  • @astridkitty1212 All the songs were composed and a rough track recorded before they were sent to me to storyboard (image concepts) and then animate. It's the ideal situation for animation, having a track to animate to.

  • @astridkitty1212 And she died in 2004 of a brain aneursym.

  • omfg man i was STONED. when i saw this last night xD

  • This song is going to be stuck in my head all day...

  • @darkwee009 Good to know that I wasn't the only one it's lyrics made a deep impact on memory wise...lol

  • 80's Sesame Street had some sick tunes.

  • I was born the same year as Sesame Street (1969), so I had long since graduated from the show when this aired, but I remember seeing it with my nephew when he was little. They were still doing great stuff then.

  • Joey Ahlbum = 1980s Animation God

  • @TheGrungeGamer The same goes for Sally Cruikshank. They are the 2 that make animation awesome.

  • I was thinking there was no WAY this video would actually be on YouTube, but here it is! My God, I must have been 6 years old.

  • best song ever lol

  • Rotten Dove!

  • This used to terrify the crap out of me.

  • DakariKingMykan, I don't know who sings it but I think if you can stand reading thru all these comments that someone once posted who it was.

  • Ohh... who sings this... I have to know...ohh!

  • Gahhh... so frustrating

    If only I knew who was singing those words I could use this song in my next Teen Titan Idol.

  • nifty comments, and herzenverbrecher, interesting what you say about attention span. People send me their animation now and I'll look at the time length, and think, "4 minutes, you've got to be kidding."

  • Wow so you're the animator for this? So cool. Wow, I have to say... they don't make them like this anymore. And I can't believe I had this kind of attention span as a kid. I wonder what happened to cartoons these days? Not enough creative, pushing kids to grow up faster. I miss this sort of thing.

  • Everything was going fine until she was shot down by the Air Force and Homeland Security after she flew into restricted air space.

  • I miss it when educational television DIDN'T talk down to you. This is absolutely brilliant. Beautiful animation, beautiful message, beautiful song.

  • @evilmidget thank you!

  • @laughingsal i have this guy who is trying to find out who sings this. do u know?

  • @evilmidget Message? This is about kids learning above and below.

  • @sabertooth1980 an argument could be made for a self-esteem message

  • @Revinita Explain.

  • @Revinita Simply the whole premise of not being brought down by anything around you

  • i've been singing the lyrics to myself all day and I haven't seen this since it first came on TV when i was 4!

  • @reniebeanie84 I've been deeply moved by all the responses to this short, which I was never that keen on, but I understand how childhood memories can last a life time.

  • I am absolutely stoked that Sally uploaded this, I emailed her, and she emailed me back and I was flipping out. I was like omgg it's the above it all lady!! ;-) Sally you're wonderful.

  • Unfortunately she ended up flying into restricted air space and was shot down by the military.

  • I can't describe how excited I am to find this video! When I was eight I was so obsessed with this clip that I once tried to sit with my eyes closed and think about it for as long as possible because I thought that would make me have a dream that night that I was actually in the video.

  • oh my gosh!

  • hahah

    i used to think the animals looked scary D:

  • OMG this was my favorite thing on Sesame Street. I was 2 the year it premiered and this would make my morning!

  • good morning!

  • the best part is starting at 1:20

    the choir the animation and the text of the song together beeing a piece of art that actually makes me cry ... thx for uploading!

    every single one of your animations is just beautiful and so much fun to watch, is there any chance of you doing new hand-drawn animations?

  • thanks for nice words. not likely I'll do anything hand drawn again, and I can't find the line I like in various software. Flash is bossy, Photoshop sort of grubby. (Just in terms of how it interprets my drawing line.)

  • remember growing up in the late 80s and early 90s watching this! Im 24 now .priceless moments, thanks for uploading this!

  • acid inspired...

  • Comment removed

  • Happy 40th Anniversary Sesame Street!

  • what if bert met a dinosaur?

  • It's really funny how you never understood the meaning of most of the segments as a child and then, when you're grown up, INSTANTLY understand what Jim Henson and Co probably wanted the parents to teach to their children. (I doubt any child could have deciphered the figurative meaning of most of the segments) I guess it was a strategy to get parents to watch it with their children. (Like the jokes Grover, Cookie, Ernie, etc quips... ala The Muppet Show)

  • OMG!!! I totally remember this song from Sesame Street...I remember the minute I stepped foot in my front door after school the next move I made was to turn on the TV to watch SS...I feel so old now (I'm 22) but what good memories...good times!!! Thank you Sesame Street!!

  • Hahaha, so do I! I'm 24 and I still remember the words to EVERY single song, lol. I caught myself singing the Cecile theme song (the singing rubber ball?) and started youtubing all the old songs.

  • Great stuff, great song...Sally brings a certain humor to everything that makes it that much better

  • Thanks JoeyPencils. Keep em sharp!

  • I was in my 40s (!) when I first saw this. I was walking through the room where someone had left the TV on and I was immediately caught up in this "uplifting" song! I searched in vain to find a vhs copy in the store soon after. For some reason it really gave me an upbeat mood.

    I was reading an article about Sesame Street just recently and it suddenly occurred to me to check out YouTube. And there it was! Thanks so much.

  • another wonderful comment. thank you.

  • This is my favorite Sesame Street segment!!

    When I was about 12 ('98), and my life was not going so great, my little brothers were watching Sesame Street and this came on. I felt powerfully sentimental for the 80s and my own California childhood the instant I saw it.

    It transports me back to a perfect happy time in my life and almost makes me cry.

    Thanks so much for posting it!! It still hits a sentimental chord today. And I sing the song to my baby daughter sometimes. :)

  • What a touching comment and anecdote, it really moved me to read this.

  • I REMEMBER THIS!!! It made me happy to see it again :)

  • man, i remember this... watching sesame street used to kick ass when i was a litle kid because of stuff like this.

    back when it was still sesame street, and not the "elmo show" like it seems to be now...

  • Damn right!!

  • *Sigh* Sesame street is nothing like this today!

    I remember when I was little I had a dream that I was a superhero after watching this!

    Man sesame street just sucks today I wish it can be like the past again! :(

  • It's a different world, and Sesame St. is no longer a shared part of childhood as it was for a few decades (before dvds and computers)

  • oh my goodness, i think this is what started me thinking i could fly when i was a kid!!! haha, love the post! good childhood memories here!

  • you just need a propellor fez

  • This video gave me nightmares as a kid...then as I grew up I watched it again I had a dream I had superpowers.

  • The effect this segment had on so many continues to amaze me. At the time it was one of my least favorite and I wondered why it got so much play time.

  • laughingsal: That's the magic of sesame street =) back in the day, although sadly, today's sesame street is stupid :(

  • in some ways it is, in some ways it isn't. There isn't much to do these days so enjoy it while it lasts.

  • That seems to happen a lot with artists. They can look at something they made and think, "This sucks." But, others will look at it and think, "This is awesome!" I think part of the appeal of this cartoon is the catchy song, and just the visual of the flying alligator that gets burned into your childhood mind.

  • @InvaderPet

    And the wonderfully wacky, goofily friendly world she inhabits. Where an octopus can blink at you in confusion, a mouse can prance across the floor, and even the sail on a boat can flash a somewhat drunken-looking grin at you.

  • @Marbles471 Isn't it awesome? xD

  • hahahahaha i had the same feeling i was on the 8th grade but it did bother me hahah but i like it now

  • Sweet mother of Earth! I remember this cartoon! It was so awesome back in the day!

  • before awesome was a common word!

  • Very true

  • laughingsal: This tune sounds very similar to the song Gloria by "can't remember her name", is this song based off that? Btw, this song is great, thnx for upload! ;)

  • YEAH!

  • SereOf... I just got the music as a tape to work from and never knew the backstory.

  • This makes me think of the Talking Heads song And She Was.

  • OMG! I remember this very well!

  • I too have been searching forEVER! haha! I can not believe my eyes and ears!

  • ha ha ha ha I talked to Sally herself and asked her to post it...because this was the ONLY sesame street commercial i remembered.

  • i've been looking for this forever! i only had a vague memory of it to go on and finally! the fruits of my numerous google searches! awesome.

  • google is so amazing!

  • if you put this on mute and play the talking heads song and she was they fit together PERFECTLY

  • Fun. Actually a secret animators all know is that you can put almost any track on and mute the original, and some things will seem to sync perfectly!

  • I agree with gdwarning35. This song is a very good fit.

  • so do you create all these songs or do you just find them and make a cartoon. and are you famous

  • The songs were composed and recorded by CTW, and then I animated to them.

  • she flies like Super Mario 64 in the sky

  • scary scary stuff.

  • Wow, seems like LSD had a major part in this video.

  • do you think people use drugs to get back their childhood imaginations?

  • I wish I had a fez propeller

  • so do I!

  • They actually still show it, because last time I saw it, it was last year and watching this again makes it look like SupperMan!! going for a joy fly

  • This brings back so many memories! Thanks for a great post!

  • They don't make stuff as good as this anymore. =[

    I miss it so much!!

  • I used to dance this song when it came on!

  • It's funny that it seems long now, with the way youtube shapes our sense of how long things can be. At the time I thought it was too short!

  • @laughingsal

    It was pretty typical Sesame Street length, going by the hundreds of clips on YouTube. Even the average Bert and Ernie skit was about 2 minutes, 45 seconds---just like this song. Somehow they do seem longer when you actually watch them, though.

  • @Marbles471 I agree, when i watched sesame street as a kid it used to feel like three hours sometimes

  • wow, ive been looking for this for a long time! was it this long?

  • yay!!!! this was my favorite sesame street song. at last I have found u. didn't realize back then it was so long tho hahha..it's like a music video :)

    above below it all!

  • This explains my odd fascination with keyboard heavy synth pop.

  • lol so fucking 80s. ah yes proud to be born in the 80s

  • @oblongfan1 I was born since April 1986 & I'm proud of it as well, dude ;D

  • @TheGrungeGamer im an april kid of 86 as well. (highfive!)

  • play talking heads- and she was with this....it fits nearly perfectly lol

  • Why is sesame street so bad these days? I miss the 90s...

  • Ahhhh! I loved this song when I was a kid. Thanks soo much for uploading it! Where did you get it?

  • This blows my mind.

  • This style of cartoon always freaked me out for some reason, but I love this song SOOOOO much. Thanks for sharing!!!

  • This song is going to be in my head for days.

    Thanks for sharing this! Sweet childhood memories for me....

  • am i the only who gets chills when they see something nostalgic?

  • I feel that way when I see "That's About the Size" an early Sesame St piece that is sometimes on youtube but often yanked.

  • I love this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!

  • sesame stree has there own beta video player with tons of stuff if your interested

  • I get chills too!

  • Yea me too lol. I can honestly say sesame street contributed to the happiest times of my childhood.

  • thanks it reaminds me of bufflo

  • i love it very much thanks for the meromries

  • I can't think of her name, but the fez is familiar.

  • So many memories...thanks for posting!

  • Thanks everyone!

  • Such an interesting skit. Love it.

  • I'm so happy to have found this. I think it's funny the baggage and message people put with this song because when I first saw it when I was little it taught me exactly what it was meant to -- about things above and below. I love the animation. Thanks Sally!

  • I've been wanting to see this skit again for years! It was one of my favorite Sesame Street songs. They always wrote such catchy songs!

  • i know this contains spiritual value as to what to expect in the after life

  • mmm kinda interesting i might 2nd that but what is that thing a gator??

  • geez brings me back so many years in the past! (wow) the music was so awesome and wholesome and refreshingly special!!!

  • Haven't seen it in years! Five stars!

  • That was a great cartoon laughingsal I think I was about 10 or 11 when I first saw it.

    I'll bet you're a beautiful woman as well.

  • That was always one of my favorite SS cartoon skits. So heavenly sounding. :)

  • this in well done stereo

  • Ahh this was one of my favorites

  • I've always loved this one!!

    I thought the message it brought with it was sort of religious. Or spiritual, sort of. Like, humans think they're above it all, but there's always some higher power...

    I never thought of it as just above and below, but like in terms of superiority.

    I love this one though, it's beautiful, and the music is great.

    Good job with the video! I love all your stuff.

  • what a lovely comment- thanks very much.

  • Jeez, Sal. You've been making stuff since I was born. As a fan and student of animation, I really admire your work!

  • and I like your screen name- thanks!

  • makes me feel 7 years old and innocent.....

  • You think ths song could be about knowing your place and not trying to aspire to rise above capatlist socitey whilst still looking down on those who dont contribute (i.e unemployed)? Probably just a song about an alligator who hallucinates

  • It was supposed to illuminate the spatial concept of above and below but it seems to have delivered hidden baggage!

  • The fact that I interpretted that message from this song prob says more about me than anything or anyone else! Still a kick ass little cartoon though. The memories!

  • hmm, I pretty much got those messages too, even as a kid. Sesame street taught so much..XD

    No wonder you hear people groaning about what kids watch these days..

  • thank you very much miss sally i relly love it

    love katie

    p.s can you find out who vioced the brid

  • Is this song a parody of Laura Branigan's Gloria because it sounds sooo much alike.

  • I don't know that song, but I think others have referred to it. When I did the animation, the song was already recorded.

  • I so remember this!

  • "As above, so below." -Hermes Trismegistus

    Metaphysical axioms in children's programming, now that's fscking cool.

  • woooooooooooooooooooow i remember whem i've first saw this i was like what 5 or 6 and i still remember the words!

  • i was below he was above lol what is that doing in a kid's song that's on a kid's show

  • who vioce the brid i relly want to konw

  • Yeah...nice seeing it again! I remember snippets of it, too. Nice job!

  • This is the video from Sesame Street that stuck with me. It's great seeing it again!

  • is this an "uncut" version?

  • That's old school right there.

  • THANKS AIGAN MISS SALLY

  • it is wonderfull

  • i love it very much i have been looking for it for a long time thank you for poasting it for me

    love

    katie

  • i love very much it makes makes cary

  • I actually cried during the dove part; I dont know if it was the choir or whatever, but it warmed my heart.

  • i love it

  • It's been a long time - since I was a little kid - but for some reason never forgot it. Thanks for posting.

  • Sally congrats on over three thousand views on this fabulous video!!!! :) I LOVE this and I watch it almost everyday!! You're definately my hero!

  • omg i'm going to make out with you for uploading this.

  • Thank you for this! I like the dove the best. He,s so hansome. :D

  • Thank you so much for posting this. I have been looking for this for years.

  • One of my favorites! Does this come in German?

  • Thank you, Ms. Cruikshank, for posting this. I would like to say of all the sketches you made, this one is truly my favorite. I remember seeing this ever since when this first aired, which was when I was four. I like the part with the dove, sun, and the clouds. The dove's voice was very sensational, and the background choir during this part was inspiritional. Thanks again.

  • i remember this, i love the song so much....cuz, some days i feel "above it all" when i'm over the moon happy about achievements....thanks

  • A mistake on the transfer that I've been meaning to fix.

  • What's with the long ending?

  • continuing...I haven't seen the show in a long time. They would send me a song in demo form, I'd then provide a storyboard, then get a finished song, and go away and animate the whole thing. It was a nice arrangement.

  • Hi Marbles471, It was never easy to get work with Sesame Street, because there was an abundance of independent animators at the time, and very few opportunities for them to work. I started getting songs to animate when a new producer came on who liked my work and contacted me, in 1989. She's no longer in charge of animation though. continued...

  • I always loved this! I remember seeing it for the first time on what was probably its first airing. (I was 6.)

    Ms. Cruikshank: If you're still reading these, thank you for this. I've always wondered something---did Children's Televsion Workshop commission this, or did you contact them with the idea? I'm curious how they go about getting specific animators for different spots.

  • I loved this one as a child! Possibly also because of the funky female character. Heck I still love this one. Thanks for revieving it. Great song too, I had to save it to my favorites.

  • That's a cool video I see it before.

  • Thanks for your nice comments. Vhunter, that's an interesting interpretation of the song, I like it! It's from 1989.

  • one thing I love about this sketch (apart from the witty animations and catchy theme tune) is the moral of it - that no one is 'above it all' (someone will always be higher up than you, hence the dove, clouds and the sun), and that things below are to be respected, and not deemed beneath one's dignity. :)

  • If someone will always be higher than you, and someone will always be higher than them, &c, by process of elimination, wouldn't someone eventually be 'above it all'? And conversely, someone would also have to be below it all-- someone with nearly 7 billion people doing better than he/she is.

  • I agree! You really have to be in heaven to