Sesame Street - "Put Down the Duckie" - 1988

[jpro747]

i heard this song in coyote ugly lol!

[Milkyway62801]

3:14...its Harry Potter!!! LOL

[Milkyway62801]

3:14........its Harry Potter!!! LOL

[Milkyway62801]

yay i play the saxophone

[RoxyMoron101]

Its kinda amazing to think that Kevin Clash does the voice of Hoots and Elmo. his vocal range is amazing

[razorramone63139]

Ernie, I think it's time to admit you have a problem. lol

[NYGuy322]

I love Danny DeVito's energy when he's on camera during this song. You can tell he and Rhea are clearly enjoying every minute of what they're doing!

[NanMarTren]

Yeah, Jeremy Irons singing and dancing... Now that is a sight to see!

[iXloveXswatchwatches]

PEE WEE HERMAN :D 

[57babyboomer]

@teleny2 why do you have to be so nasty? this is an innocent program for children. Good grief..you try to watch something that is wholesome and brings back good memories and there seems to be a idiot out there who has to make such stupid remarks.

[teleny2]

Does this have something to do with masturbation, I wonder?

[blueburry26]

how does he automaticly know how to play it once he puts it down? I guess Cool Cats by trowing an object and blowing in the sax.

[berkeleyhome]

most memorable skit of all time

[SaiyanLady]

Madeline Kahn is so funny. She, Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman did so many Funny movies in their time. Look them up.

[DCPuppyGirl]

I sung this song with my mom when I was 4...I hope when I have kids I get to sing it with them as well.

[PrincessSMH]

I love this song, one of my favs for Sesame Street, I loved this song growing up!!

[southpawSara]

wow that's awesome... I used to love this clip, and it looks like your video is about the same quality as ours was

[musicmom169]

What a hoot! Thank YOU! Absolutely LOVE this number! My kids don't remember this but I sure do!!!

[WeAreBullets]

ooooooold Schoool ;D loved watchin this show growin up.

[ashleingh]

WHO WOULD DISLIKE THIS!

[berkeleyhome]

I wonder if all the famous actors and musicians appeared for free..I imagine some of them would stand in line to be part of Sesame St.

[HammerToFall13194]

Darn it, too much nostalgia in one video!!!

[TorquatoTheCat]

From when kids were not treated like morons.

[iluvvince07]

one word....EPIC!!!!!!

[grrlofthenorth]

This has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. Thanks for the post.

[becckii]

11 ppl got their duckys stolen and thats why they dont like this vid

[DimeraFan28]

In Case Anyone Forgot.....(clears throat).....Sesame Street Is Brought To You This Evening By The Letter E (for lifetime achievement Emmy) and the number 40, Happy 40 Years Sesame Street, and Many More To Come.

[donzig85]

Best Sesame Street Ever!

[DimeraFan28]

In Case Anyone Forgot.....(Clears Throat)....Sesame Street Is Brought To You Today By The Letter E (for lifetime achievemeant emmy) and the number 40. Happy 40 Years Sesame Street and Many More To Come.

[DConS81]

Wynton Marsalis couldn't even play, he was laughing too hard

[endofanerror85]

i find myself asking if that one was really for the kids ha ha or did i really just play it with my former self in mind

[StrGrlOllie]

Hoots the Owl is one of the most frightening creatures I have ever seen.

[djtrixen]

Hellz yeah... old school baby.

[Pteropus17]

I'm tired of seeing people obsess over the supposed hidden message in this song and ignore the perfectly wonderful lesson: At some point, you're going to have to place your security blanket aside and step outside your comfort zone to learn something new.

Additionally, 4:13 to 4:18 basically made my day.

Thank you for the fantastic upload.

[DConS81]

@Pteropus17

What hidden message?

[PGMEagle]

I use to love the sketch that came right after this were Kermit was asking Oscar what he liked about Public Television leading into the local station pledge drive.

[mohinderbauer]

This musical sketch introduced me to many experts of their chosen field, especially those who weren't as mainstream. I became familiar with great artists I would have never known (Celia Cruz, Itzhak Perlman, Pete Seeger, ). I don't know if this was CTW's plan, but they did a good job of exposing children to notable people (as well as regular celebrities).

[MissesKipperCat]

I love this song! It's amazing!! This is exactly why I LOVE the saxophone!

[lotten16]

wow, Jeremy Irons looks smoking hot

[BaneOfXistence4]

Haven't seen this since I was about 7 years old. I used to have this on tape an I would watch over and over again. The only person I knew was Pee-Wee Herman.

Long live Pee-Wee Herman.

I also do remember the LadySmith Black Mazambo because it was the most "out there".

[MiltownPunkette21]

This was a really interesting version! I don't remember Ladysmith Black Mazambo (sp?) being in this skit. And I noticed, in the beginning, some of your translations for the deaf are wrong. Can you edit that in any way?

[Kitsa1]

I like how Sean Landeta seems to forget the words before "if you wanna play the saxophone"...but then comes back in on "saxophone" :) ( 3:41 )

[Cobblepot27]

*SQUEEEE!* This was my favorite as a kid!

P.S. DeVito, Perlman, Candy, Simon? Win. Pee-Wee Herman? Epic Win. Madaline Kahn? Epic Epic Win.

Completely random dancing Jeremy Irons out of nowhere? For the Ultimate Epic Win!

[Voredragon2]

whos the voice for Hoots?

[labiamajoraxx]

@Voredragon2 Kevin Clash, the same guy who does Elmo

[Voredragon2]

@labiamajoraxx hey thnx man

[ExplorerDS6789]

I didn't learn until much later that this is the second version of Put Down the Duckie with celebritiy verses added in. Originally it was just Ernie and Hoots.

[declanappleseed]

Sounds a little faint.

[megan747]

wow. did not know sesame street made such a cool song!! (i think i was a bit young to fully appreciate sesame street's goodness :)

[theladywriter]

The other song I used to sing with my kids! At least the chorus.

[musicalqueen101]

This is such a specific memory from my childhood. But I don't remember Jeremy Irons being so cute! :D

[nikoru8407]

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, too? Wow! They were in the ending credits of MJ's Moonwalker....

[nikoru8407]

C'mon Ernie! Even Scar is telling you to put down the duckie! Put down the duckie!

[redsonja84]

LOL LOL LOL. Jeremy Irons. Not too intimidating here is he? ;)

[redsonja84]

@lotten16 OMG. I know. I lol'd so hard. I'm like 0_0

[charmangolakers1]

wow. i saw this when i was 2 years old. i've thought about it a couple of times but this is the 1st time i've watched it in 13 years. awesome memories

[Zarggg]

This episode aired when I was 7 and in my full "PBS before dinner" swing. They don't make edutainment like this anymore (not even on Sesame Street).

[xXBlinDXx12]

this is fuckin sick dude i thought seseme street always played baby songs lke all soft. i didnt kno they had a blues song

[CanadianRanger17]

Wow, all these big name stars sure do love Sesame Street.

[dawndelalune]

I love Ernie! lol

[bloofan06]

I love this! It's so hilarious to see those tough football players singing about a rubber duckie!!

[AngelGhostchild]

I remember this! This has run through my head a few times randomly over the years.

[alisonnicole84]

I remember this like it was yesterday!! How has it been 21 years? : /

[xelsiex]

I was just thinking the SAME thing...

[smittykins]

I first saw this on a "Great Performances" episode honoring Jim Henson, and I had it stuck in my head for DAYS. :)

[LawandOrderfan13]

Haha, I'm sitting here dancing and grinning like a lunatic. Thank you so much, I loved this!

[stebo11]

bug a busy bird

[loosenupx3]

anyone else GROW UP WITH THIS VERSION? am I the only one?

[LADYBUG198808SUMMER]

@loosenupx3 you're not the only one sweetie because I love it as well.

[TroyAcroyear]

I love the "Pop-Up Video" style that was used on this classic clip.

[oldbluescott]

Geez, everyone was so young in 1988. Jane Curtin used to be sort of hot. And is it just me, or has Danny DeVito's nose doubled in size in the past twenty years?

[bubblebear83]

Thanks for labeling the people.

[RolloSmokes]

You're quite welcome.

[gheefreak]

Sesame street consistently gets the most amazing people to cameo on the show. I don't know how they pull it off.

[RolloSmokes]

Big Bird gave them all an offer they couldn't refuse, I guess. Remember, this was before Elmo became the BMOC (big Muppet on campus).

[Phantomsbreath]

@RolloSmokes Hell, they had a lineup that was six years long for The Muppet Show.

[fjccommish]

Who ever heard of a Sax man holding a rubber duck?

[raynarayskye]

cute :)

[LilNYMama]

so tell me, mr. smokes - does your ducky squeak?

[RolloSmokes]

Haha...I guess you'll have to find that one out for yourself :)

[BigEvil4Life]

Jeremy Irons = Scar from the Lion King

haha out of the character here ;)

[jesusfreakrkg]

Madeline Khan was my favorite part of this!

[GryphisOne]

Why the hell did they put Pee Wee on there?!? Lol!

[jccw227]

At the time, Pee-Wee Herman was very popular. This was before his little incident.

[nopethesesharks]

sweet.

[Darkmarine40]

LAWL! I heard this at 6 flags today!

[bigbangtayo]

real good

[nathp89]

My parents, brother and I still remember and sing this song sometimes...

Awesome video RolloSmokes =D

[Wildvine123]

From a far doesn't Jeremy Iron look like Rob Paulson again from a far

[OhGodIPooed]

lol i love duckies

[downgrade101]

oh yeah!!! good times! i'm a Sesame Street graduate and seeing clips like this from the old days just makes my day!

[cliftonkid]

The greatest song. ever.

[dsblain]

I think that's Kevin Clash as Hoot...

[stubert311]

did ernie just put the ducky on a viper?

[gaelicbutterfly]

What a great vid. Loads of memories. To Moonyman616: check w/your local PBS station they might know where you can replace the tape...

[moonyman616]

Does anyone know where I can get this? I have it on VHS but I seem to have misplaced it years ago. This was and still is one of my favorite Sesame Street specials. Brings back a lot of great memories.

[Monbrax]

I loved this as a kid!

[JPSK]

Oh my gosh it's John Candy~!

[RolexTharsus]

YES! It's John Candy aka GOD.

Nice to see Jane Curtin too

[iheartryanstyles]

Squee I remember this I always liked the songs where celebrities appeared

[timelord49]

whats with that one person singing in another language? i don't even know what language that was.

[RolloSmokes]

Dude, it was Spanish.

[timelord49]

that sounded nothing like spanish.

[iPAANDAA]

it really was spanish, even i understood it. lol. just look up Celia Cruz, she was a very famous spanish singer.

[jujifina]

yup sure is spanish this was my favorite just because she appeared calia cruz! a very big artist!

i have this on video cassette

[loosenupx3]

I had it on video cassette too...damn I might just buy it again..just for old memories...lol i remember THIS version

[RehkUhLehk]

Yes that was Danny Devito, Paul Simon and all the rest! That was great. This makes me smile, no doubt... :)

[RehkUhLehk]

Was that John Candy... :)

[Shiek927]

ROFLMAO, Danny Devito, I wasn't expecting him

[singer77]

I sang this song a lot when I was little.

[luvnanas1]

I WAS BORN 1988 KOOOOOOLLL

[MiyazakiA2]

Oh god, this made me smile. I love Paul Simon and Pee-Wee. XDDD

[Contralto04]

this song was the reason i started playing saxophone

[devanaire]

I don't blame u! The show is one of the greatest shows, if not the greatest kid show ever!

[atennis]

Oh my GOODNESS!!!! This is so incredibly nostalgic. ^_^

[darkmuse19]

Who ARE these people, and what were they paid to do this? I want to belive that they said "a cameo on Sesame Street? Don't bother with money, I'll do it for free!"

[bppics]

they did it for free. that was the whole point of it. because it was so closely related to the muppets, it was officially the greatest PR they could get short of having tv ads for themselves

[darkmuse19]

Hmm, good point.  I would do it for free too, but simply because I love Sesame Street.

[Captaingamecube]

yay! even pee-wee took part!

[Matty73]

Wyntom Marsalles, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Paul Simon. Top fucking Notch. (Guess this was filmed at the same time Graceland was being made. )

this is available on the retro collection of sesame st dvds btw. we bought it for our kid (and ourselves of course) :) Great vid. Has James Taylors Jellyman Kelly etc on there too.

[RapidRPM]

Sesame Street has some weird looking residents. How do you get to Sesame Street?

[Bullit2400]

john Candy and Paul Simon too wow this takes me back

[wolfenklaue]

I'd love you forever if you could post the full special this was a part of!

[brcbrtn]

GarfieldVsSnoopy: He's the tall,skinny guy with the beard whoo sings, "Put down that ducky!" Jeremy was Scar in The Lion King

[Madamow]

@brcbrtn and he was Simon in "Die Hard With A Vengeance"

[tarak1028]

It's about letting go of your security and stepping outside of your comfort zone to learn something new. You can always go back to where you started if you need to, but you'll never move forward if you don't let go of a few things for a while.

I wasn't aware Jeremy Irons was in this. That's very cool =)

[sonicrings1]

funny song lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SilverEspeon26]

I remember the lady with a duck on her head. LOL!

[RealTime88]

Madeline Kahn. I remember her too. She was on a show on CBS called Cosby. She died in 1999 during their 3rd season. I remember they talked about how great she was in the first episode following her death. She was very funny and very talented. I miss her.

[shazamkid]

what's wrong with that, that guy said that it's a drug thing when it's a kid's song.

[shazamkid]

that's messed up, you're saying "the duckie" means drugs,this is a childerens song.

[jazzybee1]

well what's wrong with that?

[GarfieldVsSnoopy]

Which one is Jeremy Irons?

[chickennuggetmobile]

awesome!!!

i can see danny devito

[Flyersfan424]

Best song ever!!!!

[ruckusninja1]

the duckie is a metaphor for drugs

[jazzybee1]

its dutchie

[harmoniousvideo]

I love how this video has all those celebrities. Sesame Street was always very good at that. It's fun to see the ducky traveling around on the train and rocket. It reminds me of a story I heard about rubber duckys saving the planet. I saved it in my 'favorites.'

[narutojames225]

GO GIANTS LOL

put down the ducky

[weeniedogfan]

My eldest son ( who's 18 now )used to LOVE this song along with his little brother. They'd go bonkers evrytime this skit was played. It's a shame that some of those cameos are no longer with us; Madeliene Kahn, Celia Cruz, Joe Williams. Ladysmith Black Mombazo are awsome!

[RealTime88]

I'm 20 and I loved this when I was younger. The Muppets have always been cool to me. And the celebrities they have sung with have been awesome. I loved the African choir that sang they were awesome.

[mamaindigo4]

It's Ladysmith Black Mambazo and they are truly amazing. When my 13 year old was little it was her favorite part of this video. We had to rewind it over and over again until it broke. Thank heaven for DVDs.

[davidvanwell]

great song i remember this from when i was little but i forgot Pee Wee Herman made an cameo in it.

Also does anyone know why and when Hoots the Owl character was taken off the show.

[TherealRNO]

davidvanwell: Hoots and most of Kevin Clash's other characters were removed once Elmo rose to superstardom and Kevin himself was promoted to directing much of the show.

[shazamkid]

i love hoots the owl.

[cat221987]

is that john candy at 1:26...im almost certain it is....love that guy...well should say loved :(

[kittyprydex]

Every time my ADD gets really bad, I tell myself to "put down the ducky" so I "put down" whatever is distracting me from what.... i'm.....  shiny.....

[idolfreaks343]

My baby, now 14, used to rock out to this song. I played for him today and he still rocked out. Put down the ducky!!

[LanakilaIesu]

Ladysmith Mambazo have got to be among the coolest guys on the face of the earth to have been involved with Sesame Street the way they were, in this and a few other productions. :)

[eto127]

Ahhh, wave of nostalgia. This was my favorite song of alllll time when I was a little kid. I love when ernie throws the duck and starts wailin' on that sax, haha

[dudetocartman]

joe williams was great on "Birdland Jump"!

i saw him sing Birdland jump a yr b4 he died!

was he great on that song everyone?!

[dudetocartman]

Who was that african american in the blue shirt on 1:58?

jw, b/c i seen him in some episodes

[0lfo]

joe williams

[rawisericho]

I'll tell ya what this is missing, some f**ing Guy Smiley!

[rawisericho]

Straight up classic.

[rals08]

Yay! Go Mets and Giants!

[ColdArtist5000]

He Threw The Duck

[christophu23]

greatest song ever

[CharmingDimentia]

Yay! This and the Manah Manah song are my favorites!! Woohoo! (No. I'm not a 6-year-old...... I just like the songs..... GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?!)

[Gangsta547]

Who wasz that african singin group, i want to know there name?

[SarahMullinsxo12]

For anyone mean keep your opinan to yourself because some people like it! By the way it was excellent I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

[SROMoore]

yes i love this vid DEFINITELY A THROWBACK

[Teqsinterrier]

Since when do 3-5-year-olds have such long attention spans?...

[blackstallion239]

this is indeed a classic. Thanks for the upload!!

[castrointhestreets]

amazing. sooo good! and straight out of my childhood...i was six.

[SoulMusic121]

Haha when I was a kid, I had no idea who Pee Wee Herman was, but I recognized Keith Hernandez and Mookie Wilson immediately. Oh, for the Mets to win the World Series again...

[ThePrimary]

hahaha that was excellent

[shinyglass]

oh i remember, that dude at 2:04 in the blue chair used to freak me out, lol. i was freaked out by some really odd things as a kid

[shinyglass]

man this song used to freak me out, i dunno why.

[sapphires1994]

i may remember seeing hoots the owl on sesame street when i used 2 watch it in the late '90's and early 2000s, but i'm not sure.

[wiley207]

Hoots the Owl is back on the show now. His eyes look a little different now, but he's still the same owl. At last year's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the Sesame Street float, Elmo and Hoots were pretty close next to each other, maybe cause Clash was operating both puppets at the same time?

[zhelder]

When they first introduced Hoots on Sesame Street, he instantly became a favorite character of mine. Why?

Because he talked just like Goriddle Gorilla from The Great Space Coaster.

Of course years later I learned that Kevin Clash performed both characters.

Kevin should've used this voice for Elmo too.