One of the really special things about Sesame Street was always these little art films that were less about teaching a specific thing than they were about instilling a sort of meditative sense of wonder at how the world works. - ThreadSky

andrewihla.bsky.social • 48 days ago

One of the really special things about Sesame Street was always these little art films that were less about teaching a specific thing than they were about instilling a sort of meditative sense of wonder at how the world works.

Reposted from Laura E. Hall

Really enjoying this classic Sesame Street segment, two minutes of freestyle jazz riffing on saxophone factory footage

Comments

julieswearword.bsky.social•48 days ago

wow this brings me back. I extra remember one that looked like it was shot in Jamaica or Trinidad and it showed someone making a steel drum from a metal barrel

genxjennifer.bsky.social•47 days ago

I recall that one too.

theantigone.bsky.social•47 days ago

That one was my favorite too
https://youtu.be/1MRl63M-fCk

radelaidegrl.bsky.social•48 days ago

The sad daisy film set to Vivaldi. Beauty in an unexpected place.
https://youtu.be/kojxgL3nf0Y?si=dy6XrwaQ4ExqaO_I

davegraham.bsky.social•48 days ago

I remember that episode vividly! I’m 46 now so, this shows the staying power of these moments.

kynelwynn.bsky.social•48 days ago

Like the one making crayons or the delivery of milk from farm to bottle to home

hex.ooo•47 days ago

Sorry, couldn't watch because it didn't have a video stuck to it of someone playing Subway Surfers

theomegageek.bsky.social•48 days ago

I'm in my mid-40s and still have every bit of this hard-coded in my memory https://youtu.be/ZQ_MEFVx5jM?feature=shared

doress.bsky.social•48 days ago

This one was my favorite

amomono.bsky.social•48 days ago

Wow. That instantly took me back.

patzalesky.bsky.social•47 days ago

Same. It's been 30+ years since I've seen that, but watching it immediately takes me back. So cool!

nnamierart.bsky.social•48 days ago

Omg I remember watching this one !

vokabre.bsky.social•48 days ago

tasty tasty crayons

thebarbarienne.bsky.social•46 days ago

I'm a decade older than you (basically one of the first children to be raised on Sesame Street) and OMG. I feel like I have always known how crayons were made, because we learned it so young, before we even knew what learning was. I might have seen this even before I could talk.

samuellealb.bsky.social•48 days ago

📌

korl.is•48 days ago

I wind up watching a lot of NHK because it's where I catch the sumo highlights, and there are countless "here is an in depth look at some mundane process" type documentaries, time lapses of industries or arts, exactly this kind of vibe on Japanese TV. It's great, wish it was more widespread.

csalem.bsky.social•47 days ago

ProcessX on YouTube still makes these kinds of videos: https://youtube.com/@processx?si=5MyDMzvbaxfjBUKH

muteki-ish.bsky.social•48 days ago

My personal favorite was the crayon factory which I think most typified this idea. Also have a soft spot for the salt song

symstenops.bsky.social•48 days ago

Mr. Roger’s saying “creens “ lives rent free in my head all the time.

Yellow creens

kalyarn.bsky.social•48 days ago

The original ASMR

eloweasy.bsky.social•48 days ago

Came here to reminisce about the crayons

aaronsegman.bsky.social•47 days ago

I was really young when I saw this & thought that the sheet metal was somehow making the saxophone music as it got cut.

As if a completed saxophone is just a way to channel the natural warbling sound of saxophone-metal.

warrenwp.bsky.social•47 days ago

Well, used to work.

bagofbleeps.bsky.social•48 days ago

Those things were subversive.
https://youtu.be/TMtGImlEmu0?si=EikTuGl2-4TSJb2l

jodiseer.com•48 days ago

Saxophone player also has the skills of a foley artist.

cassandralyn007.bsky.social•47 days ago

Omg is this why we love "how it's made"???

jajanein.bsky.social•48 days ago

Very nicely put 👍

feldspar.bsky.social•48 days ago

yeah l still remember the pizza making film

ctimmermann.bsky.social•48 days ago

They still have them at the German children’s show ‘Die Sendung mit der Maus’.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Sendung_mit_der_Maus

brightspotart.bsky.social•42 days ago

The song from Sesame Street’s mechanical technology short gets stuck in my head a lot. I always thought it was cool to see how far we’ve come. https://youtu.be/KUSwocntUMY?si=oEtqUpCXggTBP0ys

toomanyjakes.bsky.social•48 days ago

I can’t remember if it was Sesame Street or Mr Rodgers but I remember having my mind blown by a segment about a marble factory.

4boat.bsky.social•48 days ago

What a job; responding to documentary footage through the medium of saxophones.

earthinmywindow.bsky.social•47 days ago

I watched Sesame Street as a tot and now I’m an adult who can’t get enough of How It’s Made.

pcrritesgood.bsky.social•47 days ago

If and when the Dems finally control government again they should dump a shitload of money into PBS, have them do some real, legitimate news shows that just tell the news, and buy back Sesame Street and get it back to its glory days.

gemmasbooks.bsky.social•47 days ago

I loved these, and seeing women working in these manufacturing plants opened my eyes because in my manufacturing family it was only the men who held these jobs. Sesame Street had all kinds of subtle empowerment messages.

maggiethornton.bsky.social•47 days ago

I think about the visit to the crayon factory at least once a week.

vaughn.bsky.social•47 days ago

i fondly recall that specific little clip 💕

storytimeratlarge.bsky.social•47 days ago

Loved it.

samanthahoriz0n.bsky.social•47 days ago

Wow, haven't seen this in 45 years 💜

restingdinoface.bsky.social•48 days ago

Yes! And some of the advice shorts stuck with me, too. To this day I make sure I turn off water if I’m not actively using it and think “I don’t want to be a wasteroo.” 💧

hexplaceholder.bsky.social•48 days ago

"The world is awesome, isn't it? Don't you want to go out and see it?"

hillrat.bsky.social•47 days ago

That was amazing, thanks for posting that!!!

montemerrick.bsky.social•47 days ago

With hip music that didnt insult kids

jackal27.bsky.social•48 days ago

I’ve noticed a severe lack of this kind of thing in modern PBS Kids shows and it bums me out. This and the job or skill segments of Mr. Rogers were my favorite things about these shows as a kid.

marniekaplan.bsky.social•48 days ago

Ada Twist Scientist (not PBS) has real clips with scientists that are very similar in concept.

zelprime.bsky.social•47 days ago

Stuck in my mind forever alongside the crayon video

wrightasrain.bsky.social•47 days ago

I still remember watching the process of blue jeans being made in utter fascination.

annieevanswriter.bsky.social•46 days ago

YES! This was the BEST part about Sesame Street!

eveyleonard.bsky.social•46 days ago

WOW! Flashback from childhood. Thank you for posting

chaosinabox.bsky.social•48 days ago

Maybe it was exclusive to us Canadians, but the one that’s burned into my brain is the one where they show how hockey sticks are made.

ectowombat.bsky.social•48 days ago

The milk song moved me to tears as a child and I could never put into words exactly why.

artetech.bsky.social•48 days ago

This one? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PJyEbLuFOdU

genxjennifer.bsky.social•47 days ago

Amazing how familiar these films are. I must have watched repeatedly.

ectowombat.bsky.social•48 days ago

Exactly!

artetech.bsky.social•48 days ago

Does it still give you those feelings? The music sure is interesting!

jaredc.bsky.social•48 days ago

There is so much drama in Milk! The sweet reassuring melody with which it begins. The epic tonal shifts. The baby’s crying! There’s no milk! The truck driver rushes to to his rig…

It’s like Koyaanisqatsi for kids.

maybezed.bsky.social•48 days ago

Mister Rogers did this so well too. I’ll never forget the yellow crayons.

ezzalenko.bsky.social•47 days ago

This clip just unlocked a core memory

gregbaldino.bsky.social•48 days ago

I still get that song about the lady taking her llama to the dentist stuck in my head from time to time

artetech.bsky.social•48 days ago

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sgkYHhG18uc

carriethesage.bsky.social•48 days ago

I forgot about this one! Oh thank you so much 💜

dvdbutler.bsky.social•47 days ago

That classic "Milk" segment they ran, where they showed the entire process from cow milking to pasteurization to home delivery was always interesting, so many expose shorts like that which were eye opening.

jimijamesp.bsky.social•47 days ago

Brings me right back to being a TV baby.

imjeremyfuckoff.bsky.social•48 days ago

Another amazing thing is how I think I haven't watched this video for ~40 years (since I was Sesame Street age myself) and it's still sorta lodged in my brain. Like, I don't remember it in detail, but everything feels familiar, and within the first 10 seconds I knew it would end with saxophones

toysoldierfun.bsky.social•48 days ago

And just exposing kids to art. The art of jazz, the art of musical film, the art of video montage… Proper childhood education exposes kids to art constantly.

signesjohansen.bsky.social•48 days ago

Yes, well said 👏

docvanden.bsky.social•48 days ago

I *remember* this one! So cool.

mlapinski.bsky.social•47 days ago

And they just dumped the “magazine” format of the show in favor of two 11 minute narrative segments. SESAME STREET is losing viewership but I see it as an opportunity to innovate further rather than capitulate.

jasondtx.bsky.social•48 days ago

I needed that tonight to remind me the world is damn amazing and full of awe. :)

pemtlc.bsky.social•47 days ago

The one about making crayons was my favorite.

clunkclunk.com•47 days ago

It's permanently etched in my brain. There's probably a few neurons with crayon marks on them in my head.

pemtlc.bsky.social•47 days ago

I can still here that song note for note.

tikvahchai.bsky.social•48 days ago

oh is this what started my fascination with understanding how things work? (besides how things work being inherently fascinating of course)

the list of ways Sesame Street shaped me is very long indeed ❤️

nthnldtk.bsky.social•47 days ago

And honoring working folk

jrlaing.bsky.social•47 days ago

On Canadian Sesame Street this was a much-loved example of such a meditative art film with kick-ass music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-f5svtbu5c

chayalauer.bsky.social•47 days ago

I remember that! I was weirdly fascinated by perogies.

jrlaing.bsky.social•47 days ago

Nothing weird in that, it's entirely to your honour!

bungharmer.bsky.social•47 days ago

There was something special about 70s-80’s PBS kids programming.

incendiarysolution.bsky.social•47 days ago

Mr rogers always did that too

melodyfoster.bsky.social•47 days ago

Yes, I had remembered this as part of Mr. Roger's "How Things Are Made" segments, but those are a little different, he explains the process as it goes

https://www.misterrogers.org/articles/factory_visits/

lauroraborealis.bsky.social•48 days ago

For some reason, this reminded me of a truly wonder-full short I saw once during, of all things, a contemporary dance performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hDVd3-kR7A

geecaret2.bsky.social•47 days ago

this is a whole tiktok genre now. some random bit of audio over video of a manufacturing process or some bit of handcrafting.

475nm.bsky.social•48 days ago

This clip blew my four-year-old brain wide open. 🤯

srslymagenta.bsky.social•47 days ago

It was just so peaceful

processive.bsky.social•48 days ago

that video is a really nice break in the routine.

werewolfteacher.bsky.social•45 days ago

I just watched this completely mesmerized with the sound off trying to figure out what it was. Like wait is that a muffler? Pipes for water? Oh it's a Saxophone! I for some reason never thought those were mass produced. Why didn't I think they were mass produced?

woolbotherer.bsky.social•48 days ago

There's a lot of this sort of thing on YouTube, I was hanging with a friend's autistic son and he was showing me modern films about how sweets were made in a conveyor with weird music over the top. Not quite as cool as that saxophone mind.

uhohohdearohno.bsky.social•48 days ago

I 100% remember seeing this as a kid.

anxiousherzog.bsky.social•47 days ago

Something I loved about Jim Henson was that his artistic inspiration was less "child entertainer" and more "avant garde weirdo". (I don't know if he had a hand in these factory shorts, but the vibe is very similar)

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