I animated/produced this in 1989 for Sesame St. The music was influenced by David Byrne, as I recall. It was very hard to think of images for the concept of "every story has a beginning, middle and an end." They sent the music to me, and I took it from there, design and animation. Thanks for your comments.
As i was reviewing with my daughter about the plot of a story, this song came rushing back to me. I am now 40, and i am so grateful that i grew up in a error where our kids tv shows were both entertaining and educational. I let my daughter listen to this song and i know it will her to remember the different parts of a story. Thank you so much for this beautiful memory of my childhood
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...
Time flies by so fast.when nostalgia hits, it hits really hard. I remember watching this and singing along while sitting on the living room floor, now I m watching the same clip with tears in my eyes as I remember my youth gone by.
Riding in the car last week I heard Louis Armstrong singing "Jeepers Creepers" and no idea why that brought tears to my eyes except music sometimes does that.
Well done, Sally. I have been known to answer the question, "do you know what he is doing now?" with "he runs a very successful frozen yoghurt stand". One day, someone will understand the reference and we'll be forever friends.
Hello , I love listening to all your songs featured in Sesame Street from the late 80s / early 90s , I was only a young child back then when I watched it on a regular basis and just hearing this catchy music now brings back many fond memories from those days , thank you very much for making them 😊
Sesame street still played this clip when I was kid growing up in the 2000s. I love how they kept these classic bangers for multiple generations of kids 😁
jzapert I remember I first learned who David Byrne was on Space Ghost Coast 2 Coast. It still cracks me up to this day - "David! You're bringing me down, man!" I had to be around 6 at the time.
Oh, nostalgia...I remember me and my sister listening to this I-don't-know-how-many-years before, when we were little. I found the video in 7th grade. Thanks so much! 😀
My wife cited this Sesame Street segment in her doctoral dissertation in rhetoric and composition back in '95. Luckily, I had been recording episodes for our child, so I pulled out the tape and transcribed the lyrics for her.
This song is brilliant. Everything from lyrics to animation to the music and singing. Forget it's "supposed" to be for kids, this is brilliantly layered too.
I'm 7 months pregnant and have been walking around my home for the last week singing the hook of this song out loud for all to hear. I'm 100% glad I found this and other classics so I can sing them to my baby when he arrives :-)
It's really interesting to hear how Sesame street reflects the popular musical styles of the decade in its songs. The waily affected voice, the synth melodies with angular sounding guitar riffs...so eighties. And all of those funky syncopated beats backing some of the animations from the seventies...truly awesome.
Been looking for this. All I remember was the smiling bed and the part where he sings, "here's where we get to the meat." Its a weird feeling of nostalgia but not quite; kind of like nostalgia-adjacent. Glad I found this and this nostalgia-adjacent feeling is finally resolved.
I love this cartoon SO MUCH!! It always made me laugh out loud, crazy seymour, the pteradactyl, the yogurt stand, the pajamas...absolute genius! I must have been 18 or so when I first saw it. The music is brilliant as well. This animation piece had been periodically cropping up in my head over the years and all I had to do was type "beginning middle end" in a youtube search box. Sally, thanks for sharing/creating this! :) You are truly one of the great masters of animation!
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.
@Carry the Lucumber What I think I remember is the full production from storyboards to final camera/video was about 3 months- had to read the track too, and send drawings off for "ink" and paint. (xerox). The animation itself I'd guess about six weeks, including a pencil test. I'd do a full cleanup of the drawings before sending them off, after the pencil test. Could have worded this more simply...
"Seymour flies way back in time / He goes into business with some cavemen / He runs a very successful frozen yogurt stand / He changes the entire course of history / He causes a major paradox in the space-time continuum / The fabric of reality is unravelled and the entire universe is destroyed..." Actually, I might have made those last three lines up... :-)
I remember one Friday in college, drinking beer and watching Sesame Street, and this popped on, and I was like: "Is David Byrne writing for Sesame Street now?"
This literally made my day to find this video! This and about 4 more Sesame Street songs still play in my head for going on 30 years now! Thank you for uploading this wonderful nostalgia!
There are millions of us out there. This was an ENORMOUS part of my childhood, and I am so thankful to have grown up during the time that I did, and that I was able to experience this. It has had an influence on my artwork and writing. I'm sure you must be honored to have been the animator... (:
Screenwriters and authors need to watch this video and learn from it. So many forget that stories have a structure, and for the love of god, let it end!
2:11 "Snake! You can't do that! You've changed the future! You've created a time paradox!" It's okay though, because the universe where frozen yogurt existed as early as pre-history is probably much more advanced and happy than ours. If only I could hop over to that dimension...
This sounds exactly like a cross between Talking Heads "And She Way" and Thomas Dolby's (I don't think I spelled his last name right) "She Blinded Me With Science"!! This song would be a hit if either of these bands released this song as is. Great job on the piece!!!!
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!
Thanks. Actually the physical paints are/were quite amazing, still retain their full intensity many years later. Made by Cartoon Colour Company formerly in Culver City, and alas no longer in business.
@@sallycruikshank thank you so very much on getting back to my comment!-so i have read among the comments here for this segment for sesame street, you did this in 1989?---for "above it all" when did you do that one?-was it in the same timeframe?...the 1980's? or was it later?
I remember seeing some of these shorts on Sesame Street I really like the art style in them it reminds me of rocko’s modern life and these shorts predate rocko
I remember watching this on Sesame Street as a kid. Music is definitely influenced and probably based off Talking Heads - And She Was. I Remember always wondering why Seymour had yellow eyes, and loving those purple elephants walking at the start. Great memories 🙂
I haven't seen this in AGES! I knew there was some sort of parody based on this song but I never knew it. Even though it was made in 1988, the year before I was born, they used to show it alot when I first remember watching SS around 1991-92.
Unfortunately Sesame Street didn't save the original materials as far as I know. After the first few I made I kept all the film materials, was told they didn't want them.
That is just amazing! It was hard for me to come up with images for such abstract concepts, also the case for "From Your Head." I'm really shocked that youtube is posting an ad for the Mormon church at start of this piece- wow- they're making money off it and I'm not allowed to make money on it, and did not authorize them to include ads. geez.
Sally,I just wanted to say that your work on Sesame Street was always my favorite as a kid and has stuck with me all these years! I'm so glad they're on RUclips now so I can relive them - thanks!
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:)
This and "Above it all" were so awesome. There are a few clips from the old Sesame St. that have stuck with me all these years. Those two are a few of them.
GOSH !!! I think i saw this only once in... 1989... but I never forgot it !!! It obsessed me all these long years... until RUclips was created !!! Long live the Net !!
I remember this one from when I first saw it on sesame street years ago. Seymour always reminded me of Lamb Chop. What kind of animal is he actually supposed to be?
Sally Cruikshank Thanks! I always wanted to know that years ago, not just now that I'm seeing it again on RUclips. I think it reminded me of Lambchop because I I might have been watching that at the same time I saw this on Sesame street, but I don't remember.
Someone else mentioned that too. It's Mrs. Bazini hitting herself with a trash can lid because she can't believe what she's seeing. But when I stop at the frame I do see what you're describing..eek!
Likewise. I loved your work as a child. How wonderful to find you're posting on RUclips! Now I'm looking forward to looking through the rest of your channel. Thank you for all the happy memories!
Thanks for all these nice comments. Somewhere in the comments there's more info about who recorded it, I think. I just had a soundtrack to work with, never knew more than that. Sally
wow..bring back a lot of memories..i'm from the c'bbean and a lot of ppl liked SS from the 80s and 90s.The music synthicisers of the 80s is really cool n for a children show the music was really professional i must say..
When I first saw this neat skit, I recognized the animation. It was the same animation I saw for the openings for the movies Mannequin, Loverboy, and Ruthless People. I think you make the coolest animated characters and cartoons. :)
I animated/produced this in 1989 for Sesame St. The music was influenced by David Byrne, as I recall. It was very hard to think of images for the concept of "every story has a beginning, middle and an end." They sent the music to me, and I took it from there, design and animation. Thanks for your comments.
😯 Amazing! I absolutely loved it then and I love it now. ESPECIALLY THOSE CHICKS ❤️.
Awesome stuff, Sally
Brilliant
@@Sparkina Thanks and Happy New Year!
This song is a masterpiece to some of us!
I was getting too old for Sesame Street by 1989. 8-9 years old, but I stuck around for these great animations and songs!
Hey that's really nice.
As i was reviewing with my daughter about the plot of a story, this song came rushing back to me. I am now 40, and i am so grateful that i grew up in a error where our kids tv shows were both entertaining and educational. I let my daughter listen to this song and i know it will her to remember the different parts of a story. Thank you so much for this beautiful memory of my childhood
Oh that's lovely, thank you!
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...
B
Time flies by so fast.when nostalgia hits, it hits really hard. I remember watching this and singing along while sitting on the living room floor, now I m watching the same clip with tears in my eyes as I remember my youth gone by.
Riding in the car last week I heard Louis Armstrong singing "Jeepers Creepers" and no idea why that brought tears to my eyes except music sometimes does that.
@@sallycruikshank
I guess maybe You were scared ,in the movie they said that he comes whenever that song plays.
M
I watched this as a boy. I am now pushing 40 and sharing it with my kids. They do not have kids entertainment like this anymore.
There was a great producer at Children's Television Workshop for many years.
Well done, Sally. I have been known to answer the question, "do you know what he is doing now?" with "he runs a very successful frozen yoghurt stand". One day, someone will understand the reference and we'll be forever friends.
Ha!
One of my FAVORITE bits from Sesame Street growing up! Thank you, Sally!
I just like the fact that Seymour is still in his pajamas throughout the whole story. Maybe it was Casual Friday. 😊
Haha good one!
You know what else has the hero in his pajamas the whole time? The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! Great minds think alike…
I'm happy for seymour
His ending/beginning and his life of comfort
Hello , I love listening to all your songs featured in Sesame Street from the late 80s / early 90s , I was only a young child back then when I watched it on a regular basis and just hearing this catchy music now brings back many fond memories from those days , thank you very much for making them 😊
Oh you're so welcome. I sure wish they would still play them but it's a very different show these days.
Sesame street still played this clip when I was kid growing up in the 2000s. I love how they kept these classic bangers for multiple generations of kids 😁
I wish they still would run them.
Oh man, this places me right back in my 8 year old self that's glued in front of the tv.
Ha. Enjoy that peanut butter sandwich!
This just randomly popped in my head today, wow the nostalgia hit me hard.
The nostalgia here is more than I asked for and I am grateful.
The style of the song resembles Talking Heads, but it sounds like Danny Elfman imitating David Byrne.
Rick Clark m
yep exactly it was groundbreaking
Paul Jacobs has quite a unique singing voice.
Or like Andy Partridge
This sounds like a song that The Talking Heads would have recorded! TOTALLY AWESOME!
Michael Williams Or maybe Devo.
+Michael Williams It was purposely done as a David Byrne imitation, I read somewhere
I was going to say that it reminds me of 'And She Was'!
jzapert I remember I first learned who David Byrne was on Space Ghost Coast 2 Coast. It still cracks me up to this day - "David! You're bringing me down, man!" I had to be around 6 at the time.
Reminds me of Prince
Oh, nostalgia...I remember me and my sister listening to this I-don't-know-how-many-years before, when we were little. I found the video in 7th grade. Thanks so much! 😀
My wife cited this Sesame Street segment in her doctoral dissertation in rhetoric and composition back in '95. Luckily, I had been recording episodes for our child, so I pulled out the tape and transcribed the lyrics for her.
This song is brilliant. Everything from lyrics to animation to the music and singing. Forget it's "supposed" to be for kids, this is brilliantly layered too.
That's so nice, thank you. It's pretty sophisticated, I agree.
I'm 7 months pregnant and have been walking around my home for the last week singing the hook of this song out loud for all to hear. I'm 100% glad I found this and other classics so I can sing them to my baby when he arrives :-)
iluvgr8music2 so sweet- good wishes on your delivery- enjoy!
I think about this song all the time. So glad it was easy to find here so I can applaud the animator directly 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Oh that's so nice!
I remember watching this on _Sesame Street_ as a child.
It's really interesting to hear how Sesame street reflects the popular musical styles of the decade in its songs. The waily affected voice, the synth melodies with angular sounding guitar riffs...so eighties. And all of those funky syncopated beats backing some of the animations from the seventies...truly awesome.
WOW, I remember that song in my good old elementary school days, and i was younger!
omg this one too, did you animate my whole childhood?
Your name relates to my last name Cruikshank.
I love this so much.Theme is up-tempo,so terrific.
Thanks Sean!
Hi and you are welcome, Miss Sally.
M
Been looking for this. All I remember was the smiling bed and the part where he sings, "here's where we get to the meat." Its a weird feeling of nostalgia but not quite; kind of like nostalgia-adjacent. Glad I found this and this nostalgia-adjacent feeling is finally resolved.
nostalgia-adjacent is an interesting concept.
I love this cartoon SO MUCH!! It always made me laugh out loud, crazy seymour, the pteradactyl, the yogurt stand, the pajamas...absolute genius! I must have been 18 or so when I first saw it. The music is brilliant as well. This animation piece had been periodically cropping up in my head over the years and all I had to do was type "beginning middle end" in a youtube search box. Sally, thanks for sharing/creating this! :) You are truly one of the great masters of animation!
Oh man, the nostalgia! This randomly popped into my head! 😊❤
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.
@Carry the Lucumber What I think I remember is the full production from storyboards to final camera/video was about 3 months- had to read the track too, and send drawings off for "ink" and paint. (xerox). The animation itself I'd guess about six weeks, including a pencil test. I'd do a full cleanup of the drawings before sending them off, after the pencil test. Could have worded this more simply...
If only the producers of modern television had watched this as a kid.
I hear you.
"Seymour flies way back in time / He goes into business with some cavemen / He runs a very successful frozen yogurt stand / He changes the entire course of history / He causes a major paradox in the space-time continuum / The fabric of reality is unravelled and the entire universe is destroyed..." Actually, I might have made those last three lines up... :-)
Love love LOVE the talking heads vibe going on here
Thank you, Sally Cruikshank!
Aww thanks Todd.
the guy who did the animation for this is a freaking geniusXDDD
I remember one Friday in college, drinking beer and watching Sesame Street, and this popped on, and I was like: "Is David Byrne writing for Sesame Street now?"
Haha guess they were channeling him.
This literally made my day to find this video! This and about 4 more Sesame Street songs still play in my head for going on 30 years now! Thank you for uploading this wonderful nostalgia!
so nice!
Thank you. Ms. Cruikshank. You are a huge inspiration to me, and I'm really glad to have this access to your work on-line.
There are millions of us out there. This was an ENORMOUS part of my childhood, and I am so thankful to have grown up during the time that I did, and that I was able to experience this. It has had an influence on my artwork and writing. I'm sure you must be honored to have been the animator... (:
I loved this as a kid. It's nice to know that this video still gives me a craving for frozen yogurt. Thanks!
Hmm, kind of appropriate that the parody of a song about tripping on LSD is so tripped out.
Sally Cruikshank, you're the best when it comes to animation! I salute ya' for your hard work!
Screenwriters and authors need to watch this video and learn from it. So many forget that stories have a structure, and for the love of god, let it end!
Love your comment, and I agree.
this song is addictive!!! i can't stop playing it...
I've been looking for this for years! ❤️
Glad you found it.
2:11 "Snake! You can't do that! You've changed the future! You've created a time paradox!"
It's okay though, because the universe where frozen yogurt existed as early as pre-history is probably much more advanced and happy than ours. If only I could hop over to that dimension...
SNAAAAAKE!
B
Thanks for all your nice comments. It's so amazing to me to realize so many children were affected (word?) by my work.
Yes!!! These were great, some of my favorites ☺️ the music and animation are perfect compliments!
@@heidij2839 Thanks Heidi J
I love everything you did! I'm 37 now and still think about these songs and cartoons. Thank you for work!
@@Jerkparking Thanks so much!
This sounds exactly like a cross between Talking Heads "And She Way" and Thomas Dolby's (I don't think I spelled his last name right) "She Blinded Me With Science"!! This song would be a hit if either of these bands released this song as is. Great job on the piece!!!!
Xxx
I7
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!
I love when teachers use my work in class, thanks for posting
I just love to read comments from grown kids who remember this. Thank you.
Easily my favorite out of all those segments.
So nostalgic to me.
the paints/ colored inks for all of your works of these animations Ms. Sally Cruikshank they held up quite well!-so bright and vivid!
Thanks. Actually the physical paints are/were quite amazing, still retain their full intensity many years later. Made by Cartoon Colour Company formerly in Culver City, and alas no longer in business.
@@sallycruikshank thank you so very much on getting back to my comment!-so i have read among the comments here for this segment for sesame street, you did this in 1989?---for "above it all" when did you do that one?-was it in the same timeframe?...the 1980's? or was it later?
@@vaughnkopacz2196 "Above It All", "Beginning Middle and End" and "In and Out Club" were all completed in 1989.
@@sallycruikshank i truly value your input on these fabulous animations!...any works for the future by chance?
@@vaughnkopacz2196 no.
I remember seeing some of these shorts on Sesame Street
I really like the art style in them it reminds me of rocko’s modern life and these shorts predate rocko
I feel like Joe Murray has a similar animation style to Sally Cruikshank’s.
I remember watching this on Sesame Street as a kid. Music is definitely influenced and probably based off Talking Heads - And She Was. I Remember always
wondering why Seymour had yellow eyes, and loving those purple elephants walking at the start. Great memories 🙂
Great memory!
I miss old day sesame street sad
Thanks for your lovely comments. It's been such a surprise to me to realize and discover the audience these musical shorts I made actually had.
This is parodying the Talking Heads' "And She Was"....I can tell 😉
I remember this one! Very very VERY Talking Heads. Thanks for posting it!
I haven't seen this in AGES! I knew there was some sort of parody based on this song but I never knew it. Even though it was made in 1988, the year before I was born, they used to show it alot when I first remember watching SS around 1991-92.
Old sesame street was the best! i miss this style of animation
I DO TOO! THANKS!
The first Sally Cruikshank video on Sesame Street.
Episode 2556 Season 20 (1989)
Unfortunately Sesame Street didn't save the original materials as far as I know. After the first few I made I kept all the film materials, was told they didn't want them.
no wonder I loved this stuff so much when I was a kid this is great
Hey, thanks!
no thank you I've wanted to see this for years it's very cleaver
so well written
Awesome dancing books ^_^ Great childhood memory.
That is just amazing! It was hard for me to come up with images for such abstract concepts, also the case for "From Your Head." I'm really shocked that youtube is posting an ad for the Mormon church at start of this piece- wow- they're making money off it and I'm not allowed to make money on it, and did not authorize them to include ads. geez.
Sally,I just wanted to say that your work on Sesame Street was always my favorite as a kid and has stuck with me all these years! I'm so glad they're on RUclips now so I can relive them - thanks!
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:)
The song sounds like a cross between The Talking Heads and David Bowie. Your animation is, of course, still very awesome and inspired.
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.
I miss this era of sesame street...
This and "Above it all" were so awesome. There are a few clips from the old Sesame St. that have stuck with me all these years. Those two are a few of them.
You don't know how long I was looking for this clip! I love it! Thanks a bunch!
Does anyone else feel like they are listening to the Talking Heads?!?
Yes, It's a spoof of "And There She Was" by The Talking Heads. And The Talking Heads are a Canadian Rock Band.
Youko Miyamoto
To be honest I .like this version more lol
Splutter.... They're American with a little bit of British splashed in there.
@@BuddyBoy600alt Not to be nit-picky, but it's "And She Was", with no "there".
Your animation style is so amazing. It kinda frightened me as a child, but I loved it too.
GOSH !!! I think i saw this only once in... 1989... but I never forgot it !!! It obsessed me all these long years... until RUclips was created !!! Long live the Net !!
That lyric line was incredibly hard for me: to find appropriate images.
my favorite. i'm so glad youtube has the old sesame street stuff
I feel like my earliest memory that jump started my consciousness was seeing this when I was 2 or 3.
That's so nice.
I remember this one from when I first saw it on sesame street years ago. Seymour always reminded me of Lamb Chop. What kind of animal is he actually supposed to be?
Sort of an abstract dog who wears pajamas!
Sally Cruikshank Thanks! I always wanted to know that years ago, not just now that I'm seeing it again on RUclips. I think it reminded me of Lambchop because I I might have been watching that at the same time I saw this on Sesame street, but I don't remember.
Just one of the many greats done by Sally Cruikshank.
This cartoon is usually what pops into my head when I think of you and your animation!
glad yer in touch with the Fazzini family.
Someone else mentioned that too. It's Mrs. Bazini hitting herself with a trash can lid because she can't believe what she's seeing. But when I stop at the frame I do see what you're describing..eek!
lmao..i just sung this 3 minutes ago..
omg...so many beautiful memories!
Likewise. I loved your work as a child. How wonderful to find you're posting on RUclips! Now I'm looking forward to looking through the rest of your channel. Thank you for all the happy memories!
oh man this takes me back to the good old days...bout 5 yrs ago,lol!yes i watch sesame st right up to 21
Roxanne, thanks for this amazing message and all best inspirational luck to you with your writing and artwork. CHEERS!
Thanks for all these nice comments. Somewhere in the comments there's more info about who recorded it, I think. I just had a soundtrack to work with, never knew more than that. Sally
wow..bring back a lot of memories..i'm from the c'bbean and a lot of ppl liked SS from the 80s and 90s.The music synthicisers of the 80s is really cool n for a children show the music was really professional i must say..
Sally I just want to say I was always inspired by your art as a child and I love these animations to this very day!
Thank you, and Happy New Year to you.
@miraiyouko you have a good eye to pick up on the style like that. glad you're enjoying the films.
Thank you, Thomas. Amazing to me all the people who remember this.
nice observations on the musical direction from that time.
I am so glad to see this. I remember this and have wanted to see it again.
Oh my god!!! I used to watch this all the time when I was little! Thank you so much for posting this!
nice!
Do you still do animations for any kind of projects?
Rabbitearsblog
No I don't do animation anymore. I experimented with Flash for a long time but- not for me.
Sally Cruikshank
Awww...I would have loved to see more of your animations! :D
Sally Cruikshank Well you should. Cartoons could use your interesting style.
I loved this song as a child, and still do. Now I'm 30 and sharing this with my little one..
love the white tree with it's gold base- it stands out amongst the blue background-(the player on my end says around the 2:06 mark)
Thanks. Had to look it up to see what you mean. Wish the video quality was better.
@@sallycruikshank -yes, i can clearly see what you refenced.
It's from 1989. The digital tv thing will bite them in the back-- everyone will use computers to view tv.
89 i was 6
Me too. I used to think they were playing this song on the radio when I was little.
It takes the song construction of "And She Was" and fuses it with Jerry Harrison's synth stylings as heard on "Making Flippy Floppy".
When I first saw this neat skit, I recognized the animation. It was the same animation I saw for the openings for the movies Mannequin, Loverboy, and Ruthless People. I think you make the coolest animated characters and cartoons. :)