Classical music performed by the Muppets: Ode to Beeker and the Blue Gonzo Chicken Waltz

Posted by Cory Doctorow, December 15, 2008 10:04 PM |

The Muppets/YouTube partnership is bearing sweet, musical fruit. Here are two fantastic musical clips to help familiarize your kids with the cultural significance of the great works of classical music: first, Beeker and his many clones perform Ode to Joy (viddy it, oh my brothers, just viddy it), then Gonzo the Great and his chicken orchestra cluck out The Blue Danube Waltz (by Strauss, the louse, he lives in a house, with Mick-ey Mouse).

(via Kottke)

posted in: Funny ,  Happy Mutants ,  Holiday ,  Kids ,  Video ,  animation ,  music
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#1 posted by zuzu Author Profile Page, December 15, 2008 10:20 PM

Kubrick and Henson, together at last.

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#2 posted by igpajo , December 15, 2008 10:22 PM

Beaker is the freakin best!! Him and Animal are my favorites.

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#3 posted by Anonymous , December 15, 2008 11:05 PM

I love Beeker

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#4 posted by Daemon , December 15, 2008 11:15 PM

Ah, the awsomeness that was the classic Muppet Show, reinvented in a new age. Most excellent.

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#5 posted by deweyeyed Author Profile Page, December 15, 2008 11:49 PM

Another gem in this series is this version of Bizet's Habanera:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDFgtFXfnv0

My daughter, nearly two, sings along to the Meeps Meeps quite well.

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#6 posted by jtegnell , December 15, 2008 11:54 PM

He's not paying attention to the metronome at all.

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#7 posted by noetma , December 16, 2008 3:54 AM

I SO needed that pick me up. Nothing better than muppets at 6am. Ah, childhood.

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#8 posted by Stuart Ellis Author Profile Page, December 16, 2008 4:11 AM

The Beeker one reminds me of the classic film short "Multiple Sidosis"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swupyqbi5ks

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#9 posted by A Nonny Moose , December 16, 2008 4:47 AM

Thanks for the smile first thing this morning. Beaker and Gonzo are two of my favorite Muppets. The Statler and Waldorf bit at the end of each vid is the perfect finishing touch.

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#10 posted by franko , December 16, 2008 6:43 AM

truly made me LOL. where's doctor bunson honeydew when you need him?

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#11 posted by Anonymous , December 16, 2008 6:53 AM

Anyone notice that the Mouse that Statler and Waldorf use is one of the *very* old original Microsoft Mice? circa 1985...

http://www.egermuzeum.hu/microsoft/126-microsoft-mouse-50.html

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#13 posted by Anonymous , December 16, 2008 7:59 AM

Now I want someone to mash up the Classical Chicken audio with footage from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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#14 posted by Oskar , December 16, 2008 8:12 AM

The muppets are officially the most awesome things produced by man. Bar none.

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#15 posted by airshowfan Author Profile Page, December 16, 2008 8:56 AM

You forgot... oh, wait. #5 beat me to it.

Bork-bork BORK BORK!

I have to admit that unfortunately I was only really exposed to the awesomeness of Cesame Street and the Muppets when I first moved to the US, at 11 years old, by which point I was a little over the target age. Oh well. Then again, most American kids miss out on Asterix (which is a real shame) and I did have plenty of fun kids' shows in Brazil.

I did develop a taste for classical music as a little kid, though, not just from many relatives who also love it, but from cartoons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqxZ3AYjuJo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVq_gxl3Cdc&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD34_K1SgIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekDzLEkjhtU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPqS-vYWYNA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjhm-8kMtzg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6wPkgwmG_M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikKJ-uQ4UUc

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#16 posted by Anonymous , December 16, 2008 9:28 AM

You're all missing the muppet's #1 hit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymg8IumVtVU

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#17 posted by lukus , December 16, 2008 9:51 AM

I love it - it's made me feel happy on a pretty gloomy day. Thank you.

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#18 posted by gramiq , December 16, 2008 9:58 AM

Huh. First time I've seen Strauss done by 'Bach.'

Ahem.

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#19 posted by neffle , December 16, 2008 10:50 AM

Love these new Muppet videos, particularly Beaker's "Ode To Joy" . . . everything old seems new again . . . also, love their new "Skateboarding Dog" videos starring ROWLF . . . if you're a Muppet nerd like me, it's pretty awesome to see these guys back in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCgujnQsOsQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QGNvjyPntY

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#21 posted by eeyore , December 16, 2008 12:49 PM

Okay, call it shameless self promotion, but it's actually topical in this case.

I gotta show off my halloween costume from this year. He's completely hand made - courtesy my insane/brilliant roomie. Thank you Michael, you're the bomb!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67212010@N00/

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#22 posted by Cassandra , December 16, 2008 9:22 PM

For those in the USA, there's a new Muppet holiday special on at 8/7c on NBC on 12/17.

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#23 posted by cowboy_k , December 17, 2008 10:41 AM

Not classical, but classic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMy-5J0OHT4

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...

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