I grew up a Jim Henderson fan (also Jimi Hendrix, but that's a different story).
Every Saturday evening I'd watch the Muppets (followed by Airwolf and preceded by some dance competition show if I finished my bath in time, which was not often because you would not believe the magical things that happened in my bathtub/Broadway stage [told you I'm a Broadway baby--anything can be used as a mike]; and the dance competition was with real dancers, not this celebrity stuff). (Have I mentioned before that I like parenthesis?)
I learned my alphabet from Sesame Street, which probably explains why to this day every letter and digit has its own gender and personality--go ahead, test me on this. It may also explain why I had imaginary friends growing up (in my day Snuffleupagus was Big Bird's imaginary friend). Also why I like cookies.
But as much as I loved him, Jim Henderson also influenced one of my recurring childhood nightmares (although it hasn't recurred in years).
It's in my grandparents' house (paternal, for those of you curious). There's some gathering going on, usually Christmas, and my sister and I go downstairs to find alien creatures talking from this large mirror above the couch. They're taking family members (mine, not theirs) back to their planet.
Here are the alien creatures:
Maybe that explains why I was hesitant toward sci-fi for so long.
Oh My What? Look at that old telephone.
A rotary dial no less.
I have actually seen that clip long before You tube was a twinkle in the internets eye.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Muppets and Sesame Street!! But I've never seen either on Noggin. (I also love Noggin because of the whole no-commericals thing. Very cool.) Is it regional? We can only get Sesame Street on PBS.
As for the letter-number-gender thing, I totally believe you! I can't count to 12 without singing it. :)
That's their slogan anyway. In the clip you showed, it has the Noggin logo in the bottom right. Noggin is part of the Nickelodeon empire. It's all commercial-free and mostly educational; geared for kids 2-6 years old. They have shows like Dora, Diego, Franklin and Little Bear, but most of it is original programming -- like The Upside Down Show (a personal favorite), Jack's Big Music Show (another that my kids love!) and Little Bill (the newest venture for Dr. Cosby).
The best part is not having to worry about commercials!! I can't tell you how many times the kids have been scared by some violent video game advertized in the middle of Nick Jr. or they've come begging for some stupid toy showcased on the Disney Channel. Noggin is just a nice "safe" channel.
So there you go. All you need to know about the not-so-inside joke. :)
The Noggin "Upside Down Show" stars these two Aussies: Shane & David (aka The Umbilical Brothers). It's all about imagination with various themes worked in, like alliteration, rhyming, etc. It's hysterical and my kids love it.
I grew up on the Muppets and Sesame Street, but I never saw these guys. They're so cute!! Mmmmooooooo . . . mmmooooooo . . . nope, nope, nope . . . greetings . . . greetings. I love it. :)
And see, I always loved those alien guys!
oh, this is just perfect for my cognitive abilities tonight.
i wonder what might happen if i just randomly start talking like that at work tomorrow: yip yip yip hello. greetings greetings. hello. greetings. greetings. hello.
that might be fun!
We should do some sort of candid camera study on people's reactions to real-life yip yips. Could you imagine the fun?
I LOVE this!! I had the same experience with the tv viewing you did as a kid. I miss the muppets!
My four year old is sitting here and now she wants to watch it again.
This is a classic. I used to go around impersonating these aliens all the time. I was watching some program from our recent VBS and all I could think was, "At times like this I realize just how much of a genious Jim Henson really was. He managed to have fun, show a lot of creativity, and do a lot of teaching without treating kids like they were stupid." unlike how a lot of programs teach children today. I still laugh at this stuff!
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