Beginning Middle and End (Classic Sesame Street)

[lolalove6252]

back in the days , i think people didnt shower to go outside

[miraiyouko]

I knew I recognized this style of animation from somewhere when I watched "Don't Go in the Basement." I followed a link to here- I automatically remembered this from Sesame Street. Thank you for having this up- I'll have to go through and watch more! :)

[laughingsal]

@miraiyouko you have a good eye to pick up on the style like that. glad you're enjoying the films.

[jajacob410]

did that chick in the background shoot herself in the head at 1:30?

[laughingsal]

@jajacob410 no, she's hitting her head with the side of a trash can lid.

[jbkitty91990]

@jajacob410 haha i think it was the trash can lid.

[LanceHertford]

Thanks to being raised in a Christian home, where everything not Christian was suspected of being "satanic", I was scared of this cartoon as a kid, and it made me feel weird. Now, I just find it badass.

[laughingsal]

@LanceHertford interesting!

[astridkitty1212]

Was this segment in the 80s or later in the 90s?

[laughingsal]

@astridkitty1212 it first aired in 1989

[GhostDogVI]

man how could i have forgotten this beast of a song..JAM LOL

[racheljane3]

It's a parody of Talking Heads--"And She Was" :)

[bitchingood]

Awww yeah! This was my jam! My cousins and I used to rock out to this. I even sang this with friends at my elementary talent show, complete with funky, colorful crazy outfits. Such wonderful memories!

[laughingsal]

@bitchingood wish I could see that talent show now!

[laughingsal]

@bitchingood wish I could see that talent show now!

[bitchingood]

@laughingsal That makes two of us, lol. My tech-geek aunt couldn't make it so that left my grandma and hippie dad, who couldn't operate a camcorder. So...yeah, all I have are sweet memories. It was really kooky though, we had our best triplet friends as the "beginning, middle, end" books! It was quite a few kids on stage, everyone had a part to play. We had our red head friend play Seymour, our teacher was Mrs. Pazini (Sp?), and even brought out a piece of steak when the singer mentions meat!

[laughingsal]

@bitchingood This is my all time favorite comment on my youtube videos.

[bitchingood]

@laughingsal Well, these are my favorite videos! They were so wild, catchy and educational. You are a GENIUS! You really made learning more bearable!

[bitchingood]

@laughingsal P.S-our Seymour even had striped PJs! That's how hard core we were! Lol!

[EffingL]

Lady, you practically raised me.

[laughingsal]

@EffingL funny funny funny-

[Hanochan]

This song makes me think of the song "you might think" by The Cars

[GameShowNetwork]

Seymour looks like Punchy, the mascot of Hawaiian Punch.

[jwace]

Is this a Sally Cruikshank animated pieces?  Many Paul Jacobs has got a unique voice...

[Peenut2k7]

...PTERODAYCTAL!?

[hell5309]

Why does Seymour wear his pajamas the entire time?

[laughingsal]

@hell5309 He's Hugh Hefner's nephew.

[hell5309]

@laughingsal What does that have to do with anything (if it's even true)?

[bitchingood]

@laughingsal LOL!!!XD

[kogcc]

I remember seeing this one day when i was in college and thinking it was one of the oddest, yet coolest things i'd seen on sesame street. (Yes, i would start my friday drinking in college at four o'clock watching sesame street.) I thought it was very David Byrne (of the Talking Heads) sound to it.

[dillybar888]

Paul Jacobs, the guy from National Lampoon's LEMMINGS? Great.

[psychgyul001]

I love how this story makes no sense at all. Classic!

[laughingsal]

@psychgyul001 yes that cracks me up too that it makes no sense but it's all about how stories have, uh, beginning, middles and ends. It was tricky coming up with the dancing book, chicken and egg idea for chorus.

[bitchingood]

Wow, this used to be my jaaam lol. For some reason, the guy singing this reminds me of the guy that sang "How did I get here?". Hmmmm.

[stophiemeister]

This so reminds me of the Talking Heads or something...

[genchandy]

This was my FAVORITE song when I was little!

[Catherineprescott]

sounds so much like Talking Heads - And She Was

[stophiemeister]

@Catherineprescott Yeah, I think that song was the inspiration :)

[BossZula]

This, Island of Emotion, Above it all and In with the In crowd were always my favorites!

I'd jam to them all day XD.

[laughingsal]

@BossZula you da boss!

[jwace]

@BossZula I always like those too...I also really like the "Part of the Whole" clip...although its only about 90 seconds...seemed longer when I was a kid...

[TeamMountainGaming]

1 person had no childhood!!

[EffingL]

Oh my god, I think I remember this!

[jvetricek]

Anyone notice that his neighbour kills herself in the background at 1:28?

[laughingsal]

@jvetricek that's a misinterpretation, so weird, so frequently noted, but she's hitting her head with the garbage can lid because she can't believe what she's just seen.

[jvetricek]

@laughingsal Doesn't really change the fact that she has X's for eyes after doing it..

[genchandy]

I remember this when I was little.

It was so cool, I always danced to it!

I always loved it!

[DestructedPheonix]

I loved this as a kid. It's nice to know that this video still gives me a craving for frozen yogurt. Thanks!

[ashantifan1224]

These old sesame street clips with Sal's art really bring back memories...and they truly have deep meanings; especially this one and the one called "Above it All". They give me chills. The music is wonderful too. Today's stuff cannot compete. Thank God we're still able to watch these... <3

[frauleinvero]

These animations really did freak me out. 

[Cerberusalchemist]

AH!

Is this really how we try to rationally explain the narrative nature of existence to children? Was I socialized through something as crazy as this? That would explain an awful lot!

[LainQui]

perfect for teaching the writing process

[laughingsal]

@LainQui Glad it is, LainQui. I remember when I got the lyrics I thought, "how oh how do you illustrate beginning middle and end?" It seemed so abstract.

[CrazyGamerDragon64]

@LainQui Got that right! I love to write stories and this would be great for children who aspire to be authors and writers

[hamscher]

This is my favorite Talking Heads song.

What, you don't think it's more David Byrne than David Byrne?

LOL

[Catherineprescott]

@hamscher Sound so much like And She Was!

[Mssweetolive]

wow,i was looking for this song,like whoa.

[onlycatladyunder70]

i love love love this :) sesame street was my favorite staple children's show

[Nertrender]

Paul Jacobs kind of sounds like david Byrne. the whole thing reminds me of talking heads

[mrckb]

who the fuck came up with the end?

[Spamphie]

Surely the part where the guy goes back in time is the "middle" of the story and not the "end"?

[xpander2k]

Man, whoever sung this song was blowin!

[MsAlilala]

This is great! Brings back great childhood memories. Thank you Sesame Street for being such a great childrens program for so long!

[pokemon5621]

love this one

[Thornwolf227]

Sesame Street was a big part of my childhood and this animation in particular really resonated with me and is one I will always remember. It's so cool that I can finally compliment the person who drew it, thanks for being part of my fond memories!

[laughingsal]

That's really nice of you.

[jtomally9681]

@laughingsal I thank you for this as well. I even have this on my music/video device.

[boblipsz]

@laughingsal r these the original animations from Sesame st or the aduio from S.S with recreated animation?

[laughingsal]

@boblipsz these are the originals. I was sent rough tracks from the composers to get started.

[jtomally9681]

@Thornwolf227 You and myself, both.

[slapshot68]

Si cada historia tiene un comienzo, medio y un fin, y cuando más se puede volver y contarlo todo de nuevo that's in spanish at the chorus part explaining what every story has

[nextandykaufman]

i, for one, interpret it as a shotgun.

[lodmanizded4eva]

is it just me or does his neighbour (mrs bazini) shoot herself in the head with a shotgun, around 1.30?

we were watching this a while ago on a video that we taped, original piracy haha, and then we all screamed when we saw her shoot herself.

It probably wasn't suitable for children round then, but who cares! it was the 90's everything was messed up.

[laughingsal]

I never understood what this shotgun reference was about till your comment. What she's doing is clapping the side of the trash can on the side of her head because she can't believe what she just saw. Really. I'm the one who drew it.

[lodmanizded4eva]

it looks so much like a shot gun still, it looks like it has a trigger and everything and her eyes go all crossed so we all assumed that she killed herself but yeah it makes a bit more sense now, thanks

[cooldit1]

no, it was the trashcan lid. LOL.

[CaptainBugg]

I used to work at a place called Funscape back in the mid-90s. We had a CD-i system that played CD-ROM games. One of them was a Sesame Street CD that had a bunch of classic toons on it. This one was my favorite! Thanks for uploading it!

[TheGreatBanbeano]

I was just listing to a song by The Cars, and the melody reminded me of this song.  Of course after that, I had to obsessively for this song. Glad I found it, good bit of nostalgia. Its funny how the most random things can trigger your memory.

[anon27309]

These cartoons use to scare me as a kid, now I love them!

[laughingsal]

sorry for the nightmares!

[Oncillaa]

now I only had nightmares because it look like the neighbor (however you spell her name) shoots herself in the head when she looks over the fence.

[erinbroadley]

@laughingsal

they scared me too! i don't know why! this one scared me the most. i think it was the singer's voice. i liked above it all though. i used to sing it all the time.

[TEHVANDAL]

yea this one in particular freaked me out haha. the drawing style (especially that bed with that face, and seymour) and the music itself sounds kind of organy which as a kid made me think of phantom of the opera

but here i am, 21 and looking up sesame street vids. glad i found this one. ive thought about it a few times over the years searching.

[Rockinprncess]

@anon27309 I agree.This one was always too odd for me! I love going down memory lane though!

[ceredigio]

According to Muppet Wiki this song was first shown in Episode 2679 aired on February 8, 1990.

[ASAMOAH24]

Brilliant!!!!

[chatqueen31087]

OMG I REMEMBER THIS ITS BEEN SO LONG!

[pop3ddan]

he runs a very successfull frozen yogurt stand..lol.. heard that so many times and never noticed that..so funny

[laughingsal]

you know I hated that lyric at the time but now I think it's funny too.

[jtomally9681]

Come on. Stuff like this is what kids should be watching instead of the crap out today. I still love this.

[SmrtyPntz92]

This sounds almost like "My New Computer" lol

[Ashkihyena]

Wow, this along with the Above It All and such videos bring me back, way back.

[Rcoaxum1]

This was one of my favorite music videos from Sesame Street ever!!!

[MissGenius3847]

Man the background music is so 80s

Nostalgia kicking me hard here :)

[JimmyBobism]

The background music is taken from And She Was by Talking Heads, so you'd be correct in your assumption :)

[punkyrubberducky4]

Very very very similar, a little bit different instruments though. And this is faster. But overall, you're right.

[SkeltonKid]

I always thought it sounded like a Talking Heads song.

[KatBeee]

i seriously think my obsession with this song as a kid directly influenced my love of all things new wave

[Pistone84]

Me too. I used to think they were playing this song on the radio when I was little.

[jtomally9681]

Yeah? So what?

[jackwolf131]

*** WARNING ***

Do NOT delete this video

[mrsDEJr]

This was one of my absolute fav songs!!!

[ddixon06]

OMG, childhood is CALLING! I miss this!

[BizzarreProductions]

I don't remember anything except for the chorus for some reason... O_o

[antarcticafreeze]

TALKING HEADS!!! LMAO!!

[Hondo20132]

I saw this in 2007, and according to the TV captions, the lady's name is Mrs. Mezzini.

[laughingsal]

captions got it wrong. I saw the lyrics at outset.

[steel4eva]

2:12 Seymour Smokes waaaaay too much!! AAAAH HA

[whitecrow222]

how old is this? i've seen it on ss like a week or so before digital tv rendered my set useless.....

[laughingsal]

It's from 1989. The digital tv thing will bite them in the back-- everyone will use computers to view tv.

[jtomally9681]

And is just as good as it was then.

[Hondo20132]

They actually aired this as late as 2007. I have that copy with more 'natural' color.

[wilek209]

I know; I saw it in that new episode :D

[KeikoTeddy]

This is gonna be my new ringtone

[angie0491]

HEY!!

my last name is FAZZINI!!

AWESOME

if you dont get it go to 1:25

[laughingsal]

finally a Fazzini makes it here! yay!

[angie0491]

:D yeah its so awesome!!!!

[chaojimbo]

1:30 That does not look like a trash can lid even though I know it is. It looks like an iron X.X

[inizzaf]

great video...shared this with Mrs. Fazzini and all the other Fazzini's!!! Very catch tune and great way to teach beginning, middle and end.!!! A true Sesame Classic....

[laughingsal]

glad yer in touch with the Fazzini family.

[jimbolaoo7]

YEAH I thought this was the music from And She Was by talking heads too!

[jtomally9681]

The newer Sesame Street is stupid. The older classics are way better.

[nurikospecial]

HE'S WEARING STRIPED PAJAMAS! >O

[cinbabes]

My kids, who are all adults now, watched this when it was new..>Sesame St is always very current, but their stuff becomes classic!

[jb142653]

Hilarious!

[thenewageriseth]

Again, BIG PROPS, laughingsal.

This song is based on the Talking Heads song, right? XD

[RedHandRecords]

I'm thinking And She Was...

[CorinthianAndi]

Of course,I'm talking about the shorts from WAYYY back(the Classics)I really don't no much about S.S. now,besides that it is totally lame and seems to be out to promote Elmo.Sorry,but it's the truth.

[jb142653]

This was before Elmo altogether or before he really became popular. I remember seeing this in the early 90's~ before Sesame Street became mainstream and sold out!

[CorinthianAndi]

Man.thanks sooo mcuh for posting this.you have NO idea how big of a Sesame Street fan I am.Any little S.S. short I can find means a lot to me.And this(and about a thousand other short)is my absolute favorite!haha:)

[jb142653]

I LOVE that Seymore opens the successful yogurt shop-that's so random!

[lucky17me]

I totally forgot about this clip. Thanks so much for posting cartoon gold.

[vjmanzo]

I remember this!!

Hearing it now, it reminds me of bad Bowie

[vjmanzo]

and the Cars for that matter

[Tube4Christ]

Wow I remember this now... awesome thanks for the post!

[jackwolf131]

I mean thanks for posting

[jackwolf131]

...for posting

[jackwolf131]

Somehow, I hope some sound engineers would superimpose this into stereo. But I don't know how yet

[laughingsal]

I don't either.

[jackwolf131]

Thanks for posting :)

[adislimz]

OMG I used to dance to this.....lol Thanks for this ;-) u made me smile

[moldypotatochip]

Holy cow, this was my absolute favorite thing from Sesame Street as a kid! Thanks for posting it ^___^

[laughingsal]

ha- are you a chip off the old block?

[OtherBrother09]

I've added this song to my playlist, right before Jerry Nelson's "In My Book" and Bert's recent rendition of that song.

[OtherBrother09]

I'm a big fan of classic Sesame Street. Your work helped make it great. This song is definitely going on my Sesame playlist. I'm setting up my channel so I can share it with my niece, who's due in two months. Your work will be one of the first things we share together. :)

[lemuelgulliver2000]

What a nice memory from my childhood. I liked it then and I like it now. Thanks for the smiles!

[laughingsal]

you're welcome.

[gandhi328]

I really liked this one when I was a kid! Especially the pterodactyl taxi :)

[realar]

Just one of the many greats done by Sally Cruikshank.

[oingoboingofanatic]

Brings me back! :) Nice Vid

[laughingsal]

oingoboingofanatic, be sure to view my film "Face Like a Frog" with music by oingo boingo under pseudonym.

[Nockyout]

I used to sing this song when I was little.

[laughingsal]

A lot of words to remember for a little Nockyout!

[RedLightBulbs]

And there it is! I've loved this cartoon since I was little.

[laughingsal]

that's nice, makes me happy.

[fredreek]

wow i really like your illustrations.

[laughingsal]

thanks!

[PMID85]

This song/ video will be with me till I die whether I want I want it there or not.

[laughingsal]

That makes me feel downright evil!

[jackpeanut123]

BA i love how he opens a frozen yogurt stand

[jackpeanut123]

this was on yesterday

[chaojimbo]

"Yes every story has a, beginnin' middle and an end! And when it's over, we can go back and tell it all again!" Song is catchy

[laughingsal]

That lyric line was incredibly hard for me: to find appropriate images.

[chaojimbo]

I don't get the "to find appropriate images" you just put. Im only 12 and I like Sesame street rofl xD

[laughingsal]

well the ideas of beginning, middle and end are very abstract. I had to think of a way to illustrate them. It was the first Sesame St. piece I did. They sent me the lyrics on a piece of paper and I had to go from there. Once I started thinking about dancing books and eggs to chickens I had something to build it on.

[captaintakemeshoppin]

Childhood memory alert!

[leapyearfish]

I've been looking for this video for the longest time. The only words I remembered were "he's wearing stripped pajamas!" lol

i love it

-sandra-

[laughingsal]

wow, you found it based on his striped pajamas! Funny!

[indigoquill]

The melody had been stuck in my head for years, never knowing where it came from.

You can totally hear the Talking Heads influence.

Ah, childhood. How I miss ye.

[jonimichelle2007]

lmao..i just sung this 3 minutes ago..

omg...so many beautiful memories!

[RWappin]

Oh my god I'm 4 years old

[BuddyBoy600]

I just saw this on PBS Kids Sprout this sunday. BTW, I love this song! I always thought the signer is David Byrnes of The Talking Heads.

[HalieHomicide1]

Hey sally,what is mrs.Fazinii doing at 1:30? it makes my friend and i crack up everytime! haha

[laughingsal]

She's hitting herself in the head with the trash can lid. But others have asked too so it must look like something else.