Cowboy X

[YManCyberDude]

That one was one of my all time favs.... Thanks for posting it....

[erracht]

As a kid I found this sketch pretty stupid. And I still do.

[timepoet77]

Hard to believe that's the same guy who does "A Christmas Story", Jean Sheppard by name.

[YManCyberDude]

@timepoet77 … Really ?

[Broxalar]

Q234667H

[ShadesBelow03]

I couldn't imagine the show having something this witty and memorable now. The show is mere (but mindless) entertainment for kids these days.

[knowlife]

flick lives!

[MichaelBrookham]

At least we know one thing: Cowboy X could have been a brander, to brand horses and cattle. People usually use X's for that, don't they?

[maidenrulz1]

This skit was made LONG before Bush, Obama, or any of our current political figures. If it's commenting on anything, I think it's probably on Nixon and Vietnam, since that was happening in the early 70s when this was made. Cowboy X is Nixon, Sniddler's Gulch is Vietnam. Cowboy X even has Nixon's nose, LOL. But why make a political metaphor out of it? Just enjoy it for what it is-A classic Sesame Street skit!

[VivekRajcoomar]

i think this is a metaphor for the 2 party system of democracy.

[Mrnestorh]

This could easily be an allegory abut the current siuation in America. Snidler's Gulch (the USA) is terrorized by cowboy x (Bush republican administration) who is marking up their town with x's (declaring war without congressional approval, patriot act, shredding constitution). The solution? The little kid (Obama) simply asks him to stop.The cowboy x republicans comply, put obama in charge, and rebrand themselves as the Tea Party. The citizens of snidlers gulch really aren't very smart!.

[MsPandaRosa]

@Mrnestorh

Quite a lot to hang on a basic sketch about a x and a silly cowboy and a really dumb town.

[colleen4ever]

@Mrnestorh DON'T YOU DARE CRITISIZE BUSH, IM SICK OF IT!! I'd like to point out we were a lot better off with Bush. We had to go into Afganistan and Iran, we don;t NEED to be in Lybia! PLUS, you didn't see so many unemployed people under Bush, DID YOU? We were better with Bush!

[Smartboy8877]

Maybe what you are saying is that people in modern society need to lighten up and not take situations too seriously. Very interesting way of looking at things!

[efil4own1]

@hoopersghost: Sounds like something Gordon would do. :)

[007MrMagoo]

WooooHoooooooooo cowboy O. Problem solved.

[rockhopper10r]

That last line is just priceless!

[Smartboy8877]

@rockhopper10r

The last line always stuck with me too!

[LionessDeWinter]

"...and the citizens of Sniddler's Gulch lived happily

ever after, because they weren't really very smart." XD

It parallels the philosophy of modern society, does it not? XD

[Smartboy8877]

@LionessDeWinter

Are you saying that the people of modern society are not very smart?

[PandaMishima]

@Smartboy8877

Well, the Sniddler's Gluchers were happy with their solution, while if you look around, most us modern folk come across as pretty glum.

[moorey1971]

absolute classic

[67nairb]

When was was this segment on NOGGIN? NOGGIN was founded in 1999 and classic episodes of SESAME STREET and THE ELECTRIC COMPANY went on the air that year. Not anymore though.

[ezteev]

The narrator sounds like Jean Shepherd, the guy that wrote and narrated "A Christmas Story". It's gotta be him!

[tpellman]

@ezteev It certainly is. You can listen to radio show he did the night after he made Cowboy X in which he talks about the experience

[Bogframe]

@ezteev There's a good reason for that, it IS Jean Shepherd!

[4merF]

....that Orange kid must be Canadian!!....LOL

[4merF]

I meant that as a compliment....I'm Canadian too...we tend to be very globally polite....thank you...enjoy your day! ;)

[souse14]

nay Canadians aren't that S>M>A>R>T

XD

[4merF]

I'm smart enought to stop this quarrel by sending you a big H>U>G!!!! :)

[SnowbirdFlock]

@souse14 Hey, why didn't you return the favour, and send 4merF a hug? Probably because you're not Canadian, lol!

[yogafan6500]

Cowboy X rules!!!

[efil4own1]

At least when Cowboy X tagged things with X's, things didn't physically go all wrong. (Goats chirping, men's hairdos becoming women's, Paris Hilton getting a record deal...)

[ByoDyne]

My mom told me that after this came on I went around the house with a pencil and put x's on the walls,chairs, doors, everywhere. She was not happy.

[JasonMC72]

Cowboy X needs someone to play Tic-Tac-Toe with.

[See918]

Maybe this is how tic tac toe was invented.

[JasonMC72]

You and I share the same theory. It is very well possible that back in the 1800s Wild West, Tic-Tac-Toe might have been invented by the westerners. But why did they choose letters X and O instead of A and Z?

[See918]

I just read on Wikipedia that tic tac toe originated in Ancient Egypt.

[d72jjpilc]

I remember this, especially the line where the woman points and says 'Here comes Cowboy X now!' I also remember Cowboy X's hollers ('Yee-up-ee') somewhat! The residents of Schniddler's Gulch might not be very smart, but they could coin a new expression 'O Marks the Spot!'

:)

[d72jjpilc]

Oops, pardon my spelling - I meant 'Sniddler's Gulch.' I'm thus like Cowboy X, putting X's over the 'c' and the 'h.' :)

[eveningtsar]

When I was little I honestly thought the Os were supposed to be preferable to the Xs. ..

[PandaMishima]

@eveningtsar

I guess to the Sniddler's Gulchers they were :)

[Vook]

"And the citizens of Sniddler's Gulch lived happily ever after, because they really weren't very smart." XD

That's so great, even though I never found it hilarious as a little kid.

[GreenNismo]

believe it or not, the narrator is none other than Jean Shepherd, the narrator from the movie A Christmas Story

[tolpit]

is there really a town named sniddlers gulch?

[sahem62896]

I remember this!

I love the ending.... "The people of Sniddler's Gulch lived happily ever after because they weren't really smart."

[Akira625]

My memory is a bit fuzzy but do I recall there was once a Muppet on Sesame Street who was also known as Cowboy X. He was just a one-shot character who looked totally different than the animated Cowboy X.

[efil4own1]

I remember him! He alluded to this sketch, and Big Bird asked him for his autograph...a giant 'X'.

[hoopersghost]

@efil4own1: Cowboy O was a separate one-shot character in that very same episode; the two of them were quarreling over who had the right to "tag" Sesame Street with letters. Eventually, a third character (I forget who) got the two cowboys to cooperate by playing tic-tac-toe on a giant roll of paper.

[Smartboy8877]

@hoopersghost

I never saw that episode. It sounds very interesting! Do you know what season it is from?

[cne08]

X X X YIPEE X SO FUNNY LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

[sierranortel]

X X letter X yippy!

coboy X

hahaha

X's every where. Luv it

[bennyraven]

All RIGHT, Cowboy X!

[Maskedmutant]

How 'bout that? I'd forgotten all about this one! Thank you for posting it!

[circeannumber6]

OMG I remember this, but had forgotten the "not very smart" line AND it was Shep narrating? Very cool!

[See918]

The citizens of Sniddler's Gulch may not have been very smart, but at least they were polite.

[PandaMishima]

Which means they weren't completely hopeless. Oh well, maybe they like the letter O!

[BobThePizzaBoy]

Yes, it's Jean Shepherd! I actually know his son, he's a one cool dude!

[tesubcalle]

"That's so crazy, it just might work!"

BWA HA HA HA!! I always loved that line whenever it was used in kids' programming.

Oh, joys. I love this skit. Thanks for posting it!

[ebruceb]

All the voices of this cartoon are of humorist Jean Shepherd, extemporaneous radio broadcaster for 21 years in the New York area and 26 states. He wrote 23 stories for Playboy and did their Beatles interview. He created several television series and several movies including A CHRISTMAS STORY, about the kid who wants a BB gun. That's Shepherd's narration throughout the movie. EXCELSIOR!

[GunPoor]

500 stars and/or thumbs up

[beatnikside]

Great find. I've always loved this one. And unless I'm mistaken, that's the voice of Jean Shepherd -- the narrator of "A Christmas Story."

[ebruceb]

Yes, it's Shepherd's voice. He not only narrated A CHRISTMAS STORY, he told the original stories on the radio, published them in Playboy and then in his books, and co-created the movie. He appears as the man who tells Ralphie that the end of the line to see Santa is much further away.

[cpmisalive]

I've been looking for this clip for ages - LMAO - it has a kind of political futility about it.

[whammer0411]

When I was like 3 I pretended I was cowboy X...put x's all over the house. Needless to say Mom put a stop to it...I got some Xs on my behind...lol

[ISNorden]

That's probably one of the reasons Sesame Street doesn't show clips like these..."glorifying vandalism and graffiti", someone probably said. Nowadays, if Elmo's World weren't dominating the show, every classic clip would need "don't try this at home" disclaimers to keep people like your mom from protesting.

[TheBoogieWoman]

OOOH! Someone please strangle Elmo! Yikes! I better keep quiet or I might be arrested for plotting terrorism. Really though, I can't stand that little red menace. Sesame street was so much better when I was growing up and I'd rather my daughter watch the old ones.

[Maskedmutant]

Actually, it's funny you & ISNorden bring up the subject of Elmo & vandalism; when he 1st appeared in the early '80s, B4 he got so sickengly sweet, Elmo was known (in 1 show) as "Max the Magnificent" who was writing his name everywhere on Sesame Street in chalk, making everyone angry - in that episode, he was a non-innocent, streetwise monster;

[Maskedmutant]

finally, Big Bird pointed out the error of his ways 2 him & he apologized 2 everyone, cleaning up the remaining graffiti, thus preventing everyone from killing him

[PandaMishima]

Would someone point out that they did simply ASK Cowboy X not to stamp Xs all over town? And he did agree, sort of...

[Maskedmutant]

funny you should mention that - see my comment below

[Impugn1]

This was probably banned because it gives the message that pacifism is not the way to solve your issues. Since that sort of message is verboten by the lefties that run PBS and Sesame Street...well, Orwelled out of existence.

How many lefties would just as soon "Ask Al Queda/Iran/NKorea/etc... to 'stop'"?

[ianra]

Or maybe branding animals is barbaric and they didn't want kids to have imagines of super-hot metal being used to sear a mark into skin.

[Impugn1]

Shut up and go eat a hamburger.

[PandaMishima]

Way a sec, in this case pacifism DID solve the issue--Cowboy X DID agree to stop marking the town with Xs! He was nice about it too--he just switched to Os! "And the good citizens of Sniddler's Gulch lived happily ever after, because they really weren't very smart!"

[jezzabellesauce]

No kidding. He didn't shoot anybody, rob anybody or anything like that. He's just an benign lunatic. Maybe they should have just put a straight-jacket on him.

[cwegers]

Or made him President

[jezzabellesauce]

lol!

[Impugn1]

I had a buddy whose parent banned him from watching Sesame Street when he was a kid. The reason? He got some paper plates and some whipped cream and mimicked the "Chef At The Top Of The Stairs" guy...you know, "Ten coconut cream pies...[falls down steps with pies]".

Heh.

[PandaMishima]

Considering the mess that no doubt entailed, I could understand that.

[WaddaWhinner]

Yeah because responsible parenting is just too damn much to ask. Gimme a freakin' break (sigh). Why just tell the impressionable little thespian that "I know that looks like fun we don't do that at home"..... How hard is that? Seemed to work for my folks when ever I got carried away trying to recreate some cool-looking but admitedly stupid TV stunt.

[SidJustice1]

Yeah, my father didn't trip over the foot rest because he saw Dick Van Dyke do it on his show. Saying SS is not for children today is so hypocrtical. Considering what is on tv for kids today.

[culpit]

I liked how one of the citizens shouted, "Throw him in jail!"

[ISNorden]

Oh heck yeah...the little things you notice thirty-odd years later are sometimes the funniest parts of a sketch.

[briareos02]

Actually, that's a pretty good suggestion! Why didn't they just throw him in jail?

[PandaMishima]

They didn't want to be mean, just wanted him to stop making Xs all over town.

Okay, so their solution wasn't the most brilliant...

[Marbles471]

"And the citzens of Sniddler's Gulch lived happily ever after, because they weren't really very smart."

El. Oh. El.