Sesame Street - the yo-yo master & lost kid

[erracht]

@jerseydevs2000 yeah, the weird-looking chimney on the house puffing the cloud of smoke made it real spooky even without the yo-yo guy's face on it.

[CelesteK]

Is that voice supposed to sound like Ray Charles?

[ceezee12]

You know what I'm now realizing was so great about watching Sesame Street as a kid in the 80s? You never knew what was going to come on next. Even though this was obviously made in the early 70s, they must have ran skits like this all the way through the 80s because I completely remember this. Watching SS in the 80s was like a mixed bag hodgepodge-it gave you the feeeling of going on an adventure and not knowing where you were going next.

[DoctorMezzo]

"ha-ha, yeaaaaaaahh" - The Eleventh Doctor stole that weird guy's line!

[zangazoo2007]

You'll never see SS as cool as this today.

[TheEmperorofthevoid]

Damn, I've been trying to remember this for years.....psychedelic and creepy

[jerseydevs2000]

Not sure which I was more scared of as a kid... the plastic house, or the yo-yo guy turning into a plastic house. O_O

[bigticket71]

0:58 to 1:04 is priceless!!

[MsPandaRosa]

The kid says "I don't like it here," but I bet he did check out this weird but friendly place again, once he realized it wasn't so strange as all that, the people may look funny but were quite happy to help him. Looks like it was fairly close to his home.

[JOM123456]

I always though the plastic house was creepy

[trashpicker1970]

the song lyrics sung match it totally-about being lost in your mind-using your imagination... love this type of animation....

[lovebeingamum40]

Wow!!!!! I loved this when I was little; it was so weird and scary, but amazing to watch as well!! I loved growing up in that era(the 70's!!!) So cool! Wonderful post...many thanks, "love2register"!

[Teobi1]

wow- i so remember this. Sesame Street in the 1970s was captivating.

[sunflowernoo]

Who needs drugs?? Especially if you saw this as a kid, LOL!

[jerryjuicebag]

I think the kid had a tab...of somthing. :O

[TackyRackyComixNEO]

…I too am lost @_@

[trashpicker1970]

i would have stayed there and played....

[Mojomatrix]

Odd that I developed a taste for mushrooms in college

[venushott]

these were the good ole dayz...no bullshit when we were kids just fun.

[AllTheCloudsArePink]

I want to eat this.

[CatalinaSafari73]

It's amazing how something that aired over 30 years ago still can be etched in your memory. I was lost on a road trip and could not figure out how to get back to the highway. Then I remembered yo-yo man's logic. I got back on the highway in no time...thanks yo-yo man and sesame street!

[BeatlesAmiYumi]

@CatalinaSafari73 Yep! Maybe the next time my family goes on a road trip and end up getting lost, we'll have to remeber the yo-yo master's clue as well. "Try to remeber everything you passed. But when you go back, make the first thing the last". Yeah, that would definatley work!

[unique74muzik]

this is my dude right here...he gets it in always!!! spaced out s--t!! #Classic

[lordnelson3]

When the kid first says, I think I'm lost and then the music turns insanely dark, it used to freak me out.

[jonstarbuck]

Lost kid at Burning Man more like

[rebrella]

The kid's voice is really cute. Anyone know the VA name?

[rang3r34]

I'd build a house like that if I was the world's richest stoner. Anyways, This was a classic!

[TwiPrime]

I know some people are good at knowing who voices some of these songs/cartoons. Who's the voice of the yo yo master? :D

[msm2you]

@TwiPrime Yo Yo Master was voiced by "Dizzy" Gillespie (who appeared on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show).

[jeremydunlap]

I would pay to attend a neighborhood association meeting in this town.

[quirpco]

uuuh yeah...that kid needs to lay off the mushrooms.

[Karlise13]

Soooo psychedelic! I love vintage Sesame!

[Ianprower]

Yellow Submarine: Non-Beatles Edition.

[toadian21]

HA HA Yeeeeeeaaaaah!! My favorite part!

[Vraya]

Far Out

[Drroxxette]

And that child grew up to be none other than Bootsy Collins.

[oiramapap]

The hippo girl is pretty hot.

[karolynruffin1]

Its funny how I didnt like this short because I imagined that was how a person perceived things when they are doped out...or sniffing glue as it used to be known. All trippy and ugly and weird. But when I am lost for real, I think about the lesson here (mental backtracking).

[67nairb]

This cartoon segment is kinda creepy, especially when the lost boy passes by the psychodelic plastic house.

[iDuBStePx]

BORING

[pazzensutra]

So bizzare, I love it. Haven't seen this since a kid in the 70's.

[ShaDeSlayerStone]

Oh I always waited for this one too!! Thanks for posting it.  It is really freaky seeing it after all these years!!

[algonquindot]

Was that hippo in the baby's bonnet smoking a bong?

[GoodAvatar]

Yea, kid, I'd say you're pretty fucking lost.

[bubblesmgee]

I actually did get lost as a kid, & I got home b/c my mom made me memorize my adress by the age of 4, she'd ask me, "what's ur adress", I'd repeat it every time she'd ask me

[bubblesmgee]

I think I remember this, I actually did get lost as a kid, & got home b/c my mom taught me my adress & made me memorize it by the age of 4, Seseme Street is the best education for kids

[susanooramen]

you call that yoyoing? bahahaha

[jjj1433]

Until now, when I am lost, I use this to find my way back, "But when you go back, make the first thing, the last..."

[wickedfeylady]

This reminds me of that movie "The Point".

Yup kid, you ARE lost, you're in the friggin' Twilight Zone by the looks of it. You don't like it here? Well, I don't really blame ya!

[poeticoldsoul]

@wickedfeylady I have to agree, I LOVE "The Point"...and I remember seeing that kid being lost on Sesame Street AND "The Point" as a kid...ahhhhhh memories :-P .

[thefirefighter2011]

from 1971

[antler3649]

def one of my favs...does anyone know the artist?

[YYZSkinhead]

Only on Sesame Street/The Electric Company would you have seen a psychedelic kids' cartoon featuring a spacey jazz soundtrack with a lead harp. The bass is awesome too.

[rubyrose456]

SO TRUE!!!!

[Rimpala]

Peter Max and Seseme Street :D

[KJAnsia]

Holy shit. What else is lurking in the cobwebbed recesses of my brain?

[ViperSRTnACR]

The guy at the end used to scare me as a kid...

[67nairb]

@ViperSRTnACR This was a creepy cartoon segment from SS, especially the plastic house.

[EABaddeley]

I remember receiving a very distinct message from this cartoon: DON'T GET LOST!

[Psuedo3D]

TVTropes describes this type as "Nightmare Fuel"

[Amithrius]

Guys..guys, you have to agree. Sesame street in those days was so so much more fun, entertaining and cool to watch. Not like the bland new version they call sesame street

[sunflowernoo]

I love these little psychedelic memories of my childhood, LOL!

[sunflowernoo]

I love these little psychedelic memories of my childhood, lol!

[MucusandPus]

Pure Sesame Street gold. Always in my SS top 10. I wish I lived in the plastic house (despite the fact that it's the most unnerving of the three landmarks).

[tsavoy1971]

I really like this clip, it brings back a lot of fun memories. But there was one animated sequence I'd really like to see posted. It had a kid in a box mounted on a unicycle following a series of "one-way" signs. If anyone has this clip and would upload it, I'd really appreciate it.

[KirstenChocolate]

At first I thought, "Oh man, this is gonna be weird."

But then, after watching the whole thing, I realise it's kind of cute.

[peiwende]

I've always loved this video.

[harmanl]

My all-time favorite Sesame Street cartoon!

[gskaloyan]

The yo yo master STILL scares me.

[bronxbebe]

Love this. As a kid, whenever this would come on, I would ALWAYS wait for the part where the weird guy disappears, laughs, and says, "Yeahhhhh." There was something about that 'yeah' that was like sugar to my ears... It still has an effect on me...

[toadian21]

You too!! Awesome!

[dariaE]

I agree totally. something about that muffled echo...

[jjj1433]

@bronxbebe Me too, til now I remember this when Im lost, "When you go back, make the first thing, the last"

[mitisfleas]

And they wonder why my generation is screwed up....

[KairuHakubi]

Was that Isaac Hayes? XD

[cmanning26]

I've loved this cartoon ever since I was little, but to this day it STILL creeps me out.

[whitecrow222]

i love this one....i've had dreams like this- maybe this cartoon is why! lol...

wish animation was still this good..old SS had some wonderful animation on it- i've favorited many of these..nothing today even gets near good as the old stuff was..

[angelgirl7473]

wouldnt want to sneak a peek inside My mind...

that dudes laugh give me goosebumps everytime..

[angelgirl7473]

if i seen What that kid did... i Would REALLY want to get Out there....

[andyjay729]

Just turn left at the Sea of Holes, then hang a right at Pepperland, but watch out for Blue Meanies!

[RichardX1]

@andyjay729 My thoughts exactly!

[snocogirl]

Freaky !!!

[AnkhHero]

I watch this video at least one time everday.

[jackwolf131]

wouldn't this be a good idea for a pinball game?

[wlbaz]

Funny thing...I remember watching this when I was little and thinking the yo-yo master was voiced by Ray Charles. But it does sound like Dizzy Gillespie.

[phoneke]

Ahhh...I miss these times.Just another example of why the 70s were so much cooler. Even the cartoons were like inadvertent joints laying on a table. Unlike the kid shows now... all safety belted, soft and yellow caution stickerd.

[deemoe7301]

This clip gave me chills because it bought me back to '77 when I first saw it.

You will never see any cartoon today that could match the high standards of this one pychedelic clip...

and thats with computer animation. What a Wonderful, wonderful

imagination seasame street had back !then!!!

[winnipegskyscraper]

I've been waiting to see this one for years and years. They have a terrific series called Sesame Street Old School on DVD right now, and i bought volumes 1 and 2, and while they had lots of great old clips that you never see anymore, this one really was the holy grail of clips for me...so thank you very much for posting it. heres to hoping its on volume 3.

[mrsjr78]

Sesame Street used to be Funk-tastic.

[RCast]

This cartoon is even creepy now than it was back in the '70s especially the house.  I often wondered what the inside of that house looks like.

[funk556]

when i saw this as a kid i always wanted to see it again. WOW thank you youtube!

[MsOctober78]

I was born in '78 too. They don't cartoons like this anymore. Damn, I miss those days.

[jgwest1]

Wow, I have been looking for this specific cartoon for hours... it used to really disturb me as a kid. (Born in '78!) I used to run out of the room when this one played. Now I can see the psychedelic influences - reminds me of Peter Max and Yellow Submarine.

[serenityseeking]

LOL!

[dannyaudio]

holy shit memories

[ancientloredude]

This was always one of my favorite because of the weird creatures. They do not make anything this creative anymore.

-seeing this for the first time in over 30 years.

[d72jjpilc]

This sure has psychedelic overtones, like the 'Psychedelic Alphabet' and 'Psychedelic Countdown.' No offense, I hope. I remember when the yo-yo master 'transformed' himself into those things, like the clock, water fountain, and building. I also remember the music that accompanied the boy going back and retracing his route. Thanks for posting!

[jackmanslightpepper]

If I were that kid, I'd be scared as hell!!!

[mcnoobert]

ya kid those werent 'nerds' you found in yer dad's closet!

[JonasClark]

Bizarre and slightly creepy now, but awesome when I was a kid! All the hippie-ish stuff in the 60s Sesame Street and more psychedlic stuff in the 70s were attempts by the show to appeal to urban demographics, just as it used hip hop and breaking in the 80s. Most kids' shows did happy, cute, cartoony sets and themes, but Sesame Street worked with references from popular culture, like psychedelic designs, to help kids feel 'at home' during the lessons. And it worked.

[rammgrrl]

Looks like a fun neighborhood.

[WeMustBeStopped]

I have never forgotten the words to the end of this in 30 odd years...thanks so much for posting.

[kevseb66]

"TRIPPY" to say the least.!!! What's so funny is to find out so many people found this one wierd and scarey as a kid just like I did. It also convayed so well the panic you would feel as a kid if you got lost. "I want my mommy"!!!

[BuddhaBLADE]

this is very twin peaks

[sunbunn]

This freaked me out as a kid, but in a good way.

and I still love this.

[angelgirl7473]

i wouldnt want to sneak a peek inside my mind!! sheesh LOL it would be scary

[OldSkoolBoysRule]

Ha Ha ! Yeah ! !

[toadian21]

I love that part!

[wickedfeylady]

That guy is really scary, he looks like a Yellow Submarine character. I would run from him

[OldSkoolBoysRule]

I didn't see it as a kid , but DAMN , the drugs must have been good back then !

[jimmysherriff]

Funny I should be watching this now at the age of 36 but I never forgot this little clip and I think its priceless. I mean, I watched Sesame Street here in England and even my dad claimed it was better than some of the english children's programmes because he thought it was more educational than UK childrens tv but I don't think that was completely true.

Also remember a hippie song that taught kids about the letter 'M'!

[trentb1]

LCD at its best

[blackout010]

If I were seeing stuff like what this kid was seeing, I wouldn't think I was lost... I'd think I'd been drugged!

[watro1]

Without a doubt - one of my favorite cartoons on Sesame street. I love watching this clip, and I was way too young to be high at the time :D

[matero30]

They oughtta coduct a study on how these segments affected our generation. I was just commenting on the strange feelings I had watching this as a kid and then read almost my own words in some of yall comments.

I remember the sense of a weird, not quite right other nature things had while I sat alone watching these things...

[klaatu42]

He's lost in a 1960s record jacket.

[NathanMosaic]

Whoooo...They Yo-Yo Man!

That dude freaked me out when I was a kid.

Sesame Street had some twisted segments back in the 70's-80's! These young bucks now don't know what they missed. This clip & "A Stick Of Butter" were some of my favorites from back in the day.

[nitwit45]

lol, ditto!!

[MissPsychoisPsycho]

Man this used to scare the unholy hell out of me as a kid, I'm twenty-nine years old now and I have NEVER forgotten this clip. I've spent ages trying to find this . It used to make me feel all weird and alone as a kid. It's no wonder I've got abadonment issues, but I guess it did it's job of letting you know there was danger out there in the world. Fuck marijuana,Sesame Street was the gateway drug.

[ndru02]

As an adult I just see it as arty crap, but when I saw it as a kid it kind of "unsettled" me, especially the "plastic house". Its a bit like all that sad clowns art that was so popular at the time.

[Lucadance]

The voice of the yo-yo man is the same actor who did some of the "School House Rock" video's he was the voice of "I'm a bill" Wish i could remember his name.

[love2register]

Jack Sheldon did the bill's voice, but this isn't him.

[wotmeworry333123456]

okay......who was it??? man, sounds the chef from that cartoon show.!?!?!?

[nearkuri]

It was Dizzy Gillispie.

[lesmcluffalot]

I remember this. Very cool.

[TitoAGoGO]

Man...they just don't make 'em like that no more.

We live in a completely different world.

[alsacelorrainian]

The world does get more weirder every day!

There should a modern up-dated skit like this!!!

[Sassydear]

Oh man that's great! I love that song at the end too.

[ghettoutlaw]

this one was creepy the lost feeling..

[sisterjanet4]

i love these mega trippy ones!!!!!

[Tuffadandem]

WOW...I remember this clip..somehow I found it a bit scary though

[celticepona]

Still remember this one after all these years...I wonder if all those child psychologists who created this stuff back in the day had any idea of the impact these clips had on us into adulthood!

[mustangscout]

I was looking for this for SO long! Oh this one is Good! Up top with make a stool for me and the pinball song...and of course martians trying to figure out the telephone..."coooow. Yip yip!"

[12milly69]

This trips me out today the way it did 31 yrs ago!!! Never forgot this one...too bizarre! Damn being a kid in the 70's was so cool!!!

[Eddie62070]

Right on!!!

[12milly69]

Oh Yeah!!!! I've never forgotten this one !!!!! Funny how it still has the same effect on me as it did 31 years ago...loved it then , love it now, thanks for the memories!!!!

[uofmrules1]

Now THERE'S a neighborhood to live in! LOL

[DrunkenNin]

worrrrrddddd

[Doza130]

HA HA!! Yeah!

[Annton07]

This one used to spook me out when I was a kid. Cool to watch it now, though!

[LafawnduhDynamite]

Oh my gosh I forgot all about this one. Wow.

[jademm]

This was the freakiest Sesame Street "commercial" ever made. Nowadays, you have to wonder if someone was tripping on acid when they first created it. LOL!! Still love it despite the weirdness...

[Nathan1097]

Wow. This was definitely one of the freakiest things on SS when I was a kid.

[usaTrini]

Who sang this piece.

[smoothie6ft3]

That voice sounds more like Jack Sheldon(School House Rock)

[qiput]

now on dvd?! my prayers have been answered

[jaw872]

SCARY!

[CelesteK]

"Try to remember everything you passed but when you go back make the first thing the last."

[toadian21]

you forgot the "HA HA... yeah!!" the best part.

[PalePrudence]

The plastic house scared the crap out of me as a kid

[vardamir26]

Lol, same here. Then again the whole segment scared me.

[semuk]

Haha, was it just me that pick up Issac's voice? aka Chef from South Park.

[jacktojack69]

The voice could well be Charles Mingus, too! I wonder..anyone let any light in on the subject?

[avonee1976]

I think there was something in the water in the 70s that made us think things like this were cool!

[tod4533]

could be

[cornwallthedragon]

What's with the window pane on the plastic house? BTW thank you for uploading this classic bit of animation.

[DivaLasVegas27]

This used to scare the living SHIT out of me as a child. As if we weren't scared enough of getting lost. That purple bastard is so scary!

[PetLadybug]

i agree - some of the SS skits used to scare me a bit too - i love seeing them now (like 30+ yrs later)

definitely some drug trips going on in the production department

[MsTexas73]

I wasn't scared of it...Of course I watched scary movies back then like they were nothing.

[Robonabicycle]

man this is cool :-)

[loraine20tt]

still scares me ! :P

[VirgoGal74]

Love this! It used to trip me out and scare me at age 4-5 back in 1979. Never realized how psychedelic it was! What the heck is the thing in the background when he starts back home? It looks like a floating human-butterfly hybrid. WEIRD!

[LB030377]

thats what I thought until I paused it. Its just a giant butterfly with a dude dangling from it by his hands.

[mackler]

LSD

[ignominious79]

the animation is similar to that of "Yellow Submarine"...

[BillDezynski]

I was just going to say that

[aramanth]

Oh my God! Thank you thank you thank you!!! I have had that "Behind your Face" song rattling in my head for at least 3 decades!!! I thought I was crazy! Thanks for posting this!! Too funny!

[vampeal7]

I wonder who voiced the yo-yo guy, sounds like a higher pitched Issac Hayes, or Scatman Currothers.

[Isoquant]

I don't know, but I recognize his voice from some of the "Schoolhouse Rocks" skits.

[MsTexas73]

the I'm Just a Bill dude.

[MasterEiji]

sounds like Dizzy Gilepse (sp?).. that famous jazz trumpeter..

[Snoopy2299]

This one was too creepy.

[jrjinsa]

I saw this in the 70s...the "plastic house" has since confused me. Love the design and style of it, but "plastic"? LOL, very trippy.

[usernamenhoj]

wow if you could see into your mind

[melman74b]

This was one of my favorites - I learned to pay attention and recognize landmarks from this film

[wiliamthesilent]

wow. this explains a lot. very reminiscent of harry nilsson's 'the point!' who made th music for this?

[bwgary]

That yo-yo man was always creepy.

[ardalsgirl]

I remember this, trippy! :)

[Akira625]

Totally tripped-out sketch. Now I realize what's missing in modern kids shows: psychedelia.