Put down the duckie

Posted by Adam Stanhope in Music, Video Clips on July 18, 2008 at 8:06 am



Ernie from Sesame Street learns rule #1 about playing the saxophone in this fun video from 1988. Check out all of the guest appearances! From the YouTube description:
Another segment from the 1988 prime time PBS pledge drive special, an all star celebrity sing-along. The celebrities, in order of appearance: John Candy (as Yosh Schmenge from SCTV), Andrea Martin (as Edith Prickley from SCTV), New York Mets Keith Hernandez & Mookie Wilson, Jane Curtin (of SNL and Kate & Allie), Madeline Kahn, Joe Williams, Paul Reubens (as Pee Wee Herman), Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Wynton Marsalis, Celia Cruz, Ihtzak Perlman, Gordon Jackson & Jean Marsh (as Angus Hudson and Rose Buck of Upstairs Downstairs), Paul Simon, Jeremy Irons, Pete Seeger, Rhea Perlman and Danny Devito, and NY Giants Sean Landeta, Mark Ingram, Karl Nelson and Carl Banks.

Did they miss any guest appearances in that description?

Update: Reader JoeH provided this link to a Muppet Wikipedia with a pantload of information about this particular song and video, including extensive guest star date. Thanks, JoeH!


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COMMENT

16 comments to "Put down the duckie"

  1. Bret
    July 18th, 2008 at 8:31 am

    Very cool clip. I hate to sound morbid though but it really struck me that a lot of the guests are now gone (John Candy, Madeline Kahn and a few others). I guess it has been 20 years, but wow.

  2. Larfin Jackarse
    July 18th, 2008 at 8:46 am

    Put down the duckie???

    After those so cute clips on how duckies survived? Oh, neatorama, what sort of cruel site arst thou?

    On separate note wasn't one of those guys busted for interfering with duckies?

  3. Allison Linnell
    July 18th, 2008 at 9:48 am

    This is my absolute favorite Muppet video! When my daughter was young we bought a Muppet video simply so we could have this song (it was years before You Tube!). 2nd best song is Ma Na Ma Na (or however you spell it).

  4. Adam Stanhope
    July 18th, 2008 at 10:06 am

    Allison:

    "Ma na ma na" is one that strikes a strong emotional chord with me as well.

    My family (Mom, dad, sister and I) did a driving trip all around the US in the summer of 1978 when I was 8 years old. The cassette player that dad bought for the van was state of the art and something pretty special for the time, I think. One of the handful of cassettes we had along for the ride was from the Muppets. Ma na ma na was on that cassette and it was burned into my brain. Whenever I hear it I am instantly transported back to being 8 years old and exploring the Painted Desert or visiting The Corn Palace or reading signs for Wall Drug.

    Yay for the Muppets!

  5. jimpy the clown
    July 18th, 2008 at 10:06 am

    Check out the "goatworship" channel on YouTube and you'll see stuffed ALF dolls sodomized by tampon holding laughing clowns and musings about Jesus with chaos like you never imagined.. I kid you not! You don't believe me you go see for yourself! It's the craziest thing on YouTube!

  6. Tonberry2k
    July 18th, 2008 at 10:15 am

    I love this song. I remember seeing this on TV when it first aired. I was only like... 3.
    I also like the one where they sing Rasta-style in the bathtub.

  7. goat
    July 18th, 2008 at 10:35 am

    Goatworship, you know you wanna:
    http://www.youtube.com/G0ATW0RSHIP

  8. Mike Harris
    July 18th, 2008 at 10:54 am

    Infidels!!!!

    It's Mahna Mahna.

    (do dooo, de doo doo)>

  9. Snappy
    July 18th, 2008 at 11:37 am

    The 'duckie' is obviously a euphemism for masturbation, and 'playing the saxophone' is a euphemism for yes, you guessed it. Wink.

  10. JoeH
    July 18th, 2008 at 11:44 am

    There's a complete list of celebrities, plus a lot more info over on the Muppet Wiki: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Put_Down_the_Duckie_%28song%29

  11. davedonelson
    July 18th, 2008 at 12:51 pm

    I had the pleasure of interviewing Gary Knell, CEO of Sesame Workshop, and Joan Ganz Cooney, founder, for a magazine article I later turned into blog posts. If you're curious about what they're up to now, the first post is....
    http://davedonelsonouttakes.blogspot.com/2008/05/muppets-changing-worl d-part-1.html

    Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds

  12. dj
    July 18th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

    Good Lord - Put down the duckie - masturbation, do we really need to go there? Maybe it's just a simple, sweet- Put Down the Duckie! Let parents have their fun, let kids have their innocent childhood. In the words of another childhood icon - GOOD GRIEF

  13. Snappy
    July 18th, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    I jest.

  14. kid_icarus
    July 18th, 2008 at 5:18 pm

    QUACK!!

  15. Reechard
    July 19th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

    Fun fun fun.

    I'm probably late in realizing this but that's a damn furby.

  16. RM
    July 19th, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    I haven´t heard the saxophone.


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