Sesame Street - 12 rocks in the desert

[martisco]

OK, so, I watched Sesame Street in the early '70s as a kid, remember this well and never paid it much mind at the time.

Now I'm an adult, and I'm watching this. And all I have to say is, WHAT. THE ACTUAL. FUCK.

This is, bar none, the weirdest shit they ever aired on Sesame Street.

[stegatops1]

I think they were playing on the myth of the "shifting stones" in Death Valley.....which appear to leave tracks. But this wasnt the weirdest shit on SS....dont forget this was the cycadelic seventies and anything goes!

Check out....."Daddy D" if you want a hard core seventies acid bath!

[JasonMC72]

Happy '12!!!!!!!!!!!!

[80zdude4]

The 12 was a mirage.

[speeta]

I'm very nearly certain Jim Henson produced this animation. He made short films and animations for Sesame Street early on in addition to Muppet performances, and it's in his style.

[TomTheDiameter]

If I was a 12 that unearthed myself from the sand, I would be cool!

[brooke050870]

Thank you so much for posting this! I am 40 and remember this from when I was very little!

[LiteracyLabyrinth]

Have been searching for this for years! Love it! Straight to favourites. I used to act out this scene with heaps of marbles when I was a kid. Knew the whole thing off by heart. That in itself is quite disturbing. XD

[dangard88]

The cool thing about this clip was that it kept you (as a child) thinking...it was in constant flux, with numbers being repeated throught, and as a result, the child LEARNS!

[TheDanbristol]

I used to get good and hyper whenever I saw this.

[ClarkieandStephen]

I like this as a kid, but I was kinda creepy too

[ptdnet]

Pure awesomeness. These dudes were smoking some serious pot back then!

[IrishFlukey]

@ptdnet They were obviously "stoned"! :)

[MeRiteUwRong]

The Rocks all go ''Argh''!! after No.11 gets into formation....after no.12 the rocks mob the number 12 like an army.....cool

I love the mysterous feel of this Sketch it always facinated me when i was little.

[thekingof8]

Man, I hate it when they edit out the last part.

[bigg3469]

"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12"

(Triumphful Epic Fanfare of Biblical Proportions)

One of my all time favorite Seasame Street animated segments of all time!

[whitecrow222]

wow! i totallt remember the rocks rolling around part-thank you for refreshing my memory....my mental SS file is now open again......thanks to all who post memories, my baby girl loves them too...

[deanster57]

i love this-tori

[Trund27]

11, RRAGH!

[d72jjpilc]

I think I vaguely remember this - the '12' 'yawning' as it comes up from underneath the sand and the 12 stones 'stacking up' to form a '12' sound somewhat familiar. Others who posted here have a good point - maybe one was thinking of Biblical rituals (e.g. casting lots) when this was written. Just my thought.

[Kevmike68]

It almost has a Biblical air about it!

[thekingof8]

It reminds me of the stoning scene from Life of Brian.

[005jonnybeez]

When we watched this we always laughed about the way the one says "n-dine", like Alvin with a cold!! :-) I always loved the one that says "six" & sounds like "slicks" too!! Great fun!! Hope this sticks around for posterity!!

[sortashaman]

This was also one of my favorites, esp. the soundtrack. The clock ticking is quite dreamlike and surreal.

[lilcherryblossom]

12RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA­AAAAAAAAAAAWOMG!!!!! ( I always love that part. ^.^ )

[milovy]

I do have to wonder what the adults were smoking when they thought up this segment.

[CygnusRoc]

This was one of my favorites on SS as a kid because of the animation and also because the rocks reminded me of doughnut hole treats :-)

[cjam12]

Awesome!!!!!! it's 12/12 today, my favorite day and my favorite number!!

[megarouge2001]

I remember this! Oh they're rocks! I had tought it was Kix cereal.

[alansochan]

I think this subliminally prepares children for the story of Jesus!

[Ahuebner2004]

the stones sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks.

[SidJustice1]

Thank God for YouTube; Prove the "nay-sayers" wrong! lol

[mstatz]

If you're 40, why does it say you're 28 on your channel?

[elwoodey]

Holy F!!!  I remember this.

Thank you youtube for digging up that which was completely forgotten.

And thank you SS for all the weird wonderful memories.

[newpageone]

I always loved how the 'crowd' goes apeshit at the end, 'TWELVE!!!! YEAAAAAH!!!'

[tyrese3745]

There also a version without the "chipmunk" voice. Jim Henson used his normal voice in the same clip.

[mstatz]

That version was created by someone from youtube. There was never a version like that ever aired on Sesame Street.

[tyrese3745]

How???

[mstatz]

They captured the audio, slowed it down, and dubbed it in the video again. They cut and spliced the audio segments (the counting from one to ten) so it would match up with the video.

[GuanoLad]

This used to creep me out a bit as a kid. I didn't like the way the crowd swarmed the little pebbles. I've never liked crowds, I wonder if this is why.

[sodapop81]

I've always loved the voices in this one :)

[LiteracyLabyrinth]

Have been searching for this for years! Love it! Straight to favourites. I used to act out this scene with heaps of marbles when I was a kid. Knew the whole thing off by heart. That in itself is quite disturbing. XD

[brightbite]

This is what New Agers do with their crystals. LOL

[dd1985]

I always loved this video!!! I'd always pretend I was part of the huge group of rocks. Good stuff.

It kind of reminds me of the large gathering at the beginning of "The Warriors."

~Can you dig it!? CAN YOU DIG IT!? CAAAN YOUUU DIIIG IT!!!???~

*WILD CHEERING*

[mstatz]

I'm surprised you remember it looking at your age. You were two or three when thy quit airing this.

[dd1985]

My mom taped a few episodes for me. Glad I still have them, haha!

[Snoopy2299]

Glad to see this clip is back, one of my favorites.

[KraZvEgGyBuRgEr]

I've been looking for this one. Thanks.

[icecirkut]

my all-time favorite - have been trying to re-find this for many years. thank you!

[tonyc10011]

I haven't seen this in 30 years but remembered it instantly...classic.

[quirpco]

I was never freaked out by this...this kind of animation is an art, taken over by all that CG crap.

[lisvender]

I used to think I was the only one who was freaked out or distressed by certain Sesame Street sketches. I wonder why the creators of these things thought that kids would like them?

[cherrystar]

I don't get it...never did. Oh well, some things we just aren't meant to get. Allow me into the 12 cult lol

[chemicalcarlos]

This is exemplary of how the animations on Sesame Street warped my mind and made me what I am today.

[cabbagehead8]

Is it me or do they look like munchkins to me? I just like doughnuts.

[quirpco]

Yes, I thought the same thing.

[tellshiar]

You have the best posts.  I forgot about this one, and this one's sound effects creeped me out too as a 4-6 year old. This reminded me of a 1970's cartoon called "Jot" which was about a character who was a dot. I don't know if you remember. Love that old school Sesame Street.

[raposofan]

This 38-year-old remembers Jot! PS, the sound when the 12 disappears always brought me to tears when I was a kid - and it still does now. Thanks, mstatz!

[videoguy100]

I remember this one, though it scared a bit, especially when the rocks cheered, the sound before the voiceover says "12", and the sound as the number disappears. I just couldn't stand the volume. All in all, not a bad segment to me. Great post.

[mstatz]

I'm sorry the volume to all my posts are not very clear or loud. I recorded them over 21 years ago in SLP (super long play) mode on an early 80's VCR WITHOUT cable.

[videoguy100]

I was referring to the volume of the sound effects I mentioned; they were so LOUD that they almost pierced my eardrum.

[MIKECNW]

still I can't quite understand the meaning of this one. It's almost like they're honoring a fallen soldier or something.

[leviathon74]

Why am i still spellbound by that vid after 28 years :S

[Ian16545]

Why was it pulled? Kids getting epilepsy?

[wattamack4]

No the person who origionally posted this got suspended.

[fatfacedmole]

WHOA! I havn't seen or thought of this for 25 years yet it all came flooding back!

[wattamack4]

I haven't seen this in ages!Please keep it up!

[kll510]

I remember this one so well. It was one of my many SS favorites. Watching it now as an adult it's pretty bizarre, but still good.

[WillWatchAnything]

Major childhood flashback here. I've been looking for this one thank you so much for posting it.

[grecomic]

...and so began the cult of 12.

[tamalli]

lol!

[glowworm2]

this is so cool and bizare at the same time

[PooBuS]

One of the coolest old school ss vids of all time.

[ISNorden]

Amen to that; this is a five-star clip if any Sesame Street clip deserves it!