Pigs singing the Happy Wanderer

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Since nobody has of yet responded to this question I asked later on within my previous thread about Songs done by the pigs on the show I thought I'd post it on its own.
Do any of you remember the time when they performed this favourite song of mine on the John Denver episode and what did you think of it?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Incidentally I've been recently wondering who had the idea for this excellent sequence? I heard once that the late John Denver had quite a unique sense of humour and the thought has occurred to me that The Happy Wanderer may have been his own personal suggestion to the Muppeteers.
Can anyone shed some light on whether this is true or exactly whose clever idea was it please?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

So any sort of replies at all?

[Fraggleforever]

Actually, I remember on the special that I bought on tape a few years ago, "John Denver and the Muppets, a Rocky Mountain holiday," Animal sang a few lines from the song while carrying the Muppet's "bare essentials."
Animal: Valderie!
Valder ah ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Valderie!!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Actually, I remember on the special that I bought on tape a few years ago, "John Denver and the Muppets, a Rocky Mountain holiday," Animal sang a few lines from the song while carrying the Muppet's "bare essentials."
Animal: Valderie!
Valder ah ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Valderie!!

I've never seen that special but that's very interesting. And thank you for giving me a reply. I've been hoping to see this thread start in earnest for a little bit of a while now.:)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Incidentally I've been recently wondering who had the idea for this excellent sequence? I heard once that the late John Denver had quite a unique sense of humour and the thought has occurred to me that The Happy Wanderer may have been his own personal suggestion to the Muppeteers.
Can anyone shed some light on whether this is true or exactly whose clever idea was it please?

Three of the pigs are ascending a mountain singing the song. During the chorus the one on the end suddenly falls off. The other two naturally have had a bit of a shock and caution each other to be very careful but after another verse again during the chorus the second one falls off. The last one is starting to feel very fearful and whimpers during his solo verse and chorus but he is relieved to find he has kept his footing but just as he wraps up the song two great big huge enormous boulders come cascading down on top of him. This is I feel by far the best comedy number TMS ever had.
I wanted to give you a chance to reply before I gave a description of it but now can anyone tell me whose idea exactly it was and whether you like it too please?

[ReneeLouvier]

OMG. I loved that skit!! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

OMG. I loved that skit!! :D

Thank you ReneeLouvier. You have perfect taste:excited:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Incidentally I've been recently wondering who had the idea for this excellent sequence? I heard once that the late John Denver had quite a unique sense of humour and the thought has occurred to me that The Happy Wanderer may have been his own personal suggestion to the Muppeteers.
Can anyone shed some light on whether this is true or exactly whose clever idea was it please?

Just for the record I have now found out that John himself had nothing to do with the writing of the Pigs in the Alps sketch. I still don't know with any certainty whose idea it was but I've heard that it was probably either Jerry Juhl(may he rest in peace) or Chris Langham.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Dil since you love the Happy Wanderer performance so much I thought I'd bump this old thread of mine up to give you a chance to see it

Bill "Marty" Bubble Guy

[maniacal muppet]

Now I remeber this sketch! I loved it but couldn't find the episode:)

[crazed gonzo fa]

I remember that sketch too! It cracked me up! HAHAHA!!!!!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

:) I am very pleased that some people remember and love that sketch very well:excited:
Anybody remember the goat appearing at the very end implying that he was making the poor pigs fall to their doom and pushing those boulders into the last one LOL:D

[crazed gonzo fa]

:) I am very pleased that some people remember and love that sketch very well:excited:
Anybody remember the goat appearing at the very end implying that he was making the poor pigs fall to their doom and pushing those boulders into the last one LOL:D
I remember that too! HAHAHA!!!!!

[dpurves]

I definitely remember that one! In fact, back in 3rd grade we were doing The Happy Wanderer song as part of the school Christmas play, and I remember that this episode aired while we were practicing for it, so the next day everyone was all excited because we were doing the same song that they had on The Muppet Show.

That was a great skit! Thanks for bringing back that memory. Oh, and thanks for also bringing back the bad memory of that Christmas play.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You're welcome dpurves. But if you don't mind me asking why do you have a bad memory of your Christmas play?

You don't have to answer that if you'd rather not my friend.

[dpurves]

You're welcome dpurves. But if you don't mind me asking why do you have a bad memory of your Christmas play?

You don't have to answer that if you'd rather not my friend.

Actually, it's because we had to do this dance along with the song, and my friend and I were up in the front during most of the practices, but we just couldn't get it right and our teacher said that we looked like we were just throwing our bodies back and forth, so they wound up sticking us in the back so no one could see us. Then my father got mad because he brought his camera but couldn't get any good pictures of me because there were so many people in front of me, and I was too embarrassed to explain why I got put in the back.

I feel like I'm in therapy.:)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Well never mind. Nobody is perfect:sympathy: :)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

So anyway is there anybody out there who can give me any definite information as to who wrote The Happy Wanderer sketch please?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Bump. I love this thread. Let's see if any new members comment upon it.

[mikebennidict]

Look just ask once! perhaps no one has an answer for you!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Well even if no-one has any answer to my question as to who wrote it that is irrelevant.
I just like to bump up my favourite threads every once in a while to see if anybody adds any sort of comment to them at all

[GeeBee]

Well even if no-one has any answer to my question as to who wrote it that is irrelevant.
I just like to bump up my favourite threads every once in a while to see if anybody adds any sort of comment to them at all


Mikebennedict is just a very strict moderator on this board.

[Kiki]

That. Shetch. Is. Classic. :D
The John Denver episode would haveta be one of my faves, party because it had that on it. Every time I watch it I crack up, lol. ;)

"Valderie!"

[heralde]

It was just posted on youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YhI4q1savV0

I must have seen it before since I know I've seen the John Denver episode, but I don't remember. Anyway, funny sketch! Classic crazy Muppets.

[Skye]

I adore this sketch! I think it's hilarious.

Unfortunately, that song is awfully catchy. I can't tell you how long I had it stuck in my head after I saw it for the first time! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

It is a wonderful sketch indeed.
It's great to be able to see it again and to share it with some of my forum friends:D

I must admit though part of me does feel a little bit sorry for those three pigs murdered by that cold-hearted goat in the Alps heh heh;)
But I know they're only puppets so I only feel just a minute, teensy bit sorry:D

I can't wait for season 4 to be released so I can have it on DVD, well suppose I have no choice really.
I only pray with all my heart it isn't cut out. Pretty please Disney.

[heralde]

Well, maybe they weren't murdered, maybe they got sent to a well furnished rest home and decided happy wandering was highly overrated!

[Skye]

Well, maybe they weren't murdered, maybe they got sent to a well furnished rest home and decided happy wandering was highly overrated!
Ha!! That's great, heralde. :D

I can't wait for season 4 to be released, either. This episode is awesome. Love the guest, love this sketch as well as many, many others... definitely one I can't wait to see again.

[Kiki]

What exactly does 'valderie' mean? Where's it from I wonder?? :confused: :)

[heralde]

I've always wondered that too! It's maybe German for something. But don't know what.

[crazed gonzo fa]

Who was the guest star in that episode?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

If you'll read the start of my thread cgf, you will find that it was John Denver (RIP):cry:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Well, maybe they weren't murdered, maybe they got sent to a well furnished rest home and decided happy wandering was highly overrated!

:D That is very hilarious indeed heralde.

Actually I think I'll post an idea I've had that I've shared in PM with my friend Katie(kiki)

Since all the sketches on TMS presumably took place onstage anyway I can visualize a couple of extra bits they could have included.

First: Waldorf could have said to Statler "That was a very dark number indeed." To which Statler could have replied "Yes, but it wasn't dark enough. We could still see it."

Second: Imagine Dr.Bob, Nurse Piggy and Nurse Janice leading those three pigs offstage in bandages and on crutches.
One of them says to Kermit, "Mr.Frog. You said that there would be a large, soft, bouncy mattress for us to land in when we pretended to fall off the mountain prop during our dark humour number."
And of course silly old Beauregard appears saying sheepishly, "Oh dear. I had a feeling I had forgotten something very important."
:D

[crazed gonzo fa]

Ha ha ha!!! Those are great BBG!

[D'Snowth]

That was a really funny little sketch, and I loved the ideas Marty, especially then one with Beauregard forgetting the mattress for them to land on.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Thanks Snowthers:)

[Fragglemuppet]

Ah yes, thanks for sending it to me Marty. Now I know where it came from, and what was going on during it.
I love your joke ideas, and Heralde's speculations on where the pigs ended up.
You know, when you said that about feeling sorry for the pigs, I was thinking; sure, you might feel sorry for them, but I'll bet you're not as sorry as the puppet builders, lol!
:eek:

[heralde]

Hehe, thanks I'm glad you liked my speculations!

And yeah, I liked the behind the scenes lines, they sound like real Muppet Show moments!

[Fragglemuppet]

Yes, we certainly do have a lot of funny people here! I say it's all the muppet exposure!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You know, when you said that about feeling sorry for the pigs, I was thinking; sure, you might feel sorry for them, but I'll bet you're not as sorry as the puppet builders, lol!
:eek:

Are you implying that the builders would be upset over what happened to them like parents seeing their own children come to grief Kate? More lol :D

You're quite welcome indeed. I was pleased to send it to you.:)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

BTW What do you all think of my latest signature. It certainly sets this cool thread of mine off doesn't it? ;) :D

[Skye]

Love the new sig, Marty! Especially that "Uh-oh" part... totally priceless. :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Personally my favourite is not the Uh-oh part, but the Watch your step part.

It was very clever the Muppeteers were able to move the two pigs so that it looked like they really were trying to watch their step in hope that they would not fall off the mountain, the way their unfortunate companion did, wasn't it?:D

[Skye]

Oh, absolutely. I think I just love the way they looked at each other and said Uh-oh when their buddy fell... like, they were thinking, "Well, that can't be good!" I can hear it in my head, and it just cracks me up. :D

I definitely agree, that was very clever! Very cool to watch, and not easy to accomplish, I'd imagine!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Skye did you also notice that before their buddy fell he stared down the mountain a lot as if he was nervous about the height he was up at. I always think to myself what a joke that was since if he didn't like heights why would he have gone hiking in the mountains with his best friends in the first place?
Still you must admit, it was definitely effective in hinting to the viewer what was going to happen in the sketch eh?

[Skye]

Haha... no, actually I hadn't noticed that! I'll have to watch for that the next time I see it. I love foreshadowing like that.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Well just click onto the link in the thread and watch the pig on the end very carefully. See how he even scrunches up his snout to give a slightly perplexed expression compared to the other two halfway through the first verse.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YhI4q1savV0

In fact I'll even provide the link again here.

[Skye]

Yeah, I thought about doing that, but I have the slowest connection in the world, so it would take a while to load, ya know? I might try it later, and I will definitely watch for that!

It's really cool that they decided to show that fear the way they did... yet, silly piggy still climbin' that mountain! :D

[Fragglemuppet]

Yeah Marty, I love the new signature! My favorite bit is the way he's just singing with out a clue, "valdera, valde-aaahhh!"
:mad: (It's the closest I could get to a pig.)
:eek: lol

My quip earlier referred to the fact that the puppet builders, apon seeing their creations be destroyed, would have to work to rebuild them.
;)

[heralde]

Yeah I can picture the first two pigs trying to convince their nervous friend to go happy wandering, while he is positive something will go wrong!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yeah Marty, I love the new signature! My favorite bit is the way he's just singing with out a clue, "valdera, valde-aaahhh!"


Well. It's supposed to refer to the three of them singing in the first verse when they start to fall off and what the other two say to it of course Kate;)

My quip earlier referred to the fact that the puppet builders, apon seeing their creations be destroyed, would have to work to rebuild them.
;)

HA HA HA You have a keen sense of humour my friend.:D

My thread has really taken off very well now, hasn't it?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yeah I can picture the first two pigs trying to convince their nervous friend to go happy wandering, while he is positive something will go wrong!

You don't suppose it may have been a Friday the 13th heralde, like it is today?:eek: :D

[heralde]

Hmm, could be. But how could they have not noticed that?! lol

...then again they DID miss falling rocks and the evil goat!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yeah. But the evil goat didn't miss them. And he must have been very quick to knock them off and scoot away before they noticed him. And of course the rocks he shoved down onto the last one certainly didn't miss him.:eek:

The big irony of the sketch is of course that the mountain track was completely safe in itself. No loose small rocks or slippery places to make them lose their footing;)

Another thing I think to myself with a dark laugh is that when the lead pig says to his remaining buddy "Watch your step" and he agrees, little did they know it should have been "Watch your back."

Not that it would have done them any good when the goat sent the avalanche rolling down of course. HA HA HA:D

[heralde]

Yes, I'm sure the Trashheap would have said, "Watch out for evil goats! That's terrific advice!"

("The Trashheap has spoken, nyahh!")

[Bill Bubble Guy]

I'm bumping this up so you can see all the discussion we've had Skye:D :excited:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Oh, absolutely. I think I just love the way they looked at each other and said Uh-oh when their buddy fell... like, they were thinking, "Well, that can't be good!" I can hear it in my head, and it just cracks me up. :D

I definitely agree, that was very clever! Very cool to watch, and not easy to accomplish, I'd imagine!

You know Skye just like you can hear that in your head so in the same way when they say Watch your step and Yeah Yeah to each other, I can hear them thinking, "I don't want to fall to my death!" And that is hilarious to me as well:D

[Skye]

My thread has really taken off very well now, hasn't it?
It sure has! And what a terrific idea for a thread it was, too. I was surprised it took so long to take off! :)

Thanks for bumping this up for me, Marty! This thread cracks me up! I hadn't really thought about the irony that you brought up, Marty, about how the mountain track in itself was safe. That is true. That's such a great part at the end of this sketch when we see the evil goat just laughing and laughing!

You know Skye just like you can hear that in your head so in the same way when they say Watch your step and Yeah Yeah to each other, I can hear them thinking, "I don't want to fall to my death!" And that is hilarious to me as well:D
Haha, that's very cute. And very true! This sketch does have so many hilarious and awesome things stuck into it. I really like how we each have our own specific things in it that we find to be the absolute funniest. There's always somethin' with them Muppets, isn't there? :D

[Fragglemuppet]

Yes, I know, but I was referring to the first pig before he fell. He was just singing happily, not knowing what was going to happen in just a few seconds.

Who knows? Maybe it was the dread peer pressure, or pig pressure, that got him to do it.
;)

[Skye]

Who knows? Maybe it was the dread peer pressure, or pig pressure, that got him to do it.
Ha! Pig pressure. I like that. :D Those pigs sure can be pretty forceful sometimes! ;) I'll bet it was, though. Those two other pigs sure seemed pretty gung-ho about it... at first, anyway!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You know Kate, I watched the clip a few more times and I have to admit you're right. Despite his displays of nervousness during the first verse, he does appear to be singing happily unawares at the moment before he falls never-the-less. What mixed emotions:smirk:

Actually I can interpret that easily enough.
Imagine this: The three pigs have been ascending for a little while and the one on the end says, "I don't know why I ever let you guys talk me into this."
One of them answers, "Oh come on. You agreed it was a good idea that the three of us go an a hiking holiday together."
He replies, "Yes but I thought we'd stick to the valleys and maybe the itty-bitty hills, but I don't like how far up we are. It'll be a disaster if we fall from this height."
And the other one says "Oh you worry too much. Hiking tracks are perfectly safe. Nothing will happen to us. Tell you what. Why don't we all sing some verses of the traditional hikers song "The Happy Wanderer" as we go. It'll relax you and you'll start to appreciate the beautiful view from up here. We'll even share a line of the chorus each. You can start and you'll have the first Val de ahahahahaha part. Okay?"

Well he reluctantly agrees, though he still peers down nervously during the verse. But while they sing the chorus he starts to feel the spirit of the song and thinks maybe he is being a silly pig and prepares to sing joyfully when...
well you know everything that happens then of course:D

[Skye]

Haha, what a perfect scenario. Marty, were you there during that conversation and you just haven't told us yet? ;)

So, he was starting to be so happy and joyful... that song sure can "roll you away," huh?

Moral: Never sing "The Happy Wanderer" while hiking up a mountain... or at the very least, watch out for evil goats! :D

[Fragglemuppet]

The Trash Heap has spoken, niah!

Ah Marty, Marty, Marty! You know, we've had our fair share of muppeteers on here, and even a family member of a muppeteer. But could it be we now have an actual muppet in disguize posting here, Caroline?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

:p :crazy: ;)

[Skye]

Ah-ha! We've found him out. Good job, Kate! ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You two women had better keep on your guard if you ever go happy wandering together. BLAHAHAHAHA;)

[Skye]

Oh yeah. And we'll make sure to take you with us, too! ;)

[Fragglemuppet]

So what do you say you buy plane tickets for the two of you Caroline, and I'll fly ahead and pay off the goat?
:crazy:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Well the way I had interpreted your little joke, I thought the two of you meant that you suspected that I was the goat. And that I was finally telling you what I had overheard the pigs saying to each other before they began their song and I bumped them off.:D

So you can see what my quip was with the wicked laugh in my reply;)

It's turning into quite a game trying to follow what the three of us mean now isn't it?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Who knows? Maybe it was the dread peer pressure, or pig pressure, that got him to do it.
;)

:D Heh-heh I think I would rather call it the dead pig pressure:smirk:

Especially the last one who got the deadly pressure of the boulders crushing him, eh? SQUISH

[Bill Bubble Guy]

My last post was a very cleverly thought-out pun wasn't it, Caroline?:D

[Skye]

My last post was a very cleverly thought-out pun wasn't it, Caroline?:D
Ha, you bet, you silly Valderi, Valdera-ing guy! ;)

I did think that you might have meant that you were the goat in that earlier post of yours, but I think that we would make such cute singing pigs instead! Though, hopefully not with that same fate as the original three... or, if Kate wants to go pay off the goat, she can go right ahead. ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Actually there is another verse of the song that says I love to wander by the stream that dances in the sun. So joyously it calls to me "Come join my happy song"

Maybe you and I and Kate should forget about the mountain track and just stick to the stream. It's a guaranteed harmless option, unless you can't swim and you fall into the stream of course ;)

[Skye]

Aw, that's a really cute verse! As much fun as climbing the deadly mountain with said evil goat would be ;), sticking to the stream is a great and lovely idea. Unless, of course, there are any evil fish around who try to jump up and pull us in! ;)

[crazed gonzo fa]

Aw, that's a really cute verse! As much fun as climbing the deadly mountain with said evil goat would be ;), sticking to the stream is a great and lovely idea. Unless, of course, there are any evil fish around who try to jump up and pull us in! ;)How about pirahnas? (pirahnas jump out on me) Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! They're eating me alive!!!:eek:

[Skye]

How about pirahnas? (pirahnas jump out on me) Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! They're eating me alive!!!:eek:
See? That's right... it can be treacherous out there! ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Hoo boy. What a thought.:D

Between evil goats and piranhas you're simply not safe wherever you roam:concern:

I think heralde said it well in one of his/her previous posts about happy wandering being highly over-rated.;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

So what do you say you buy plane tickets for the two of you Caroline, and I'll fly ahead and pay off the goat?
:crazy:

BTW I was thinking about what you said about paying off the goat and something very quirky popped into my head.

Do you suppose The Big Bad Wolf paid off the evil goat for his contract when he collected the bodies of the three pigs for his stewpot at the bottom of the mountain?:eek: :smirk:

[crazed gonzo fa]

Hmm... that's a good point.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Say Caroline
Sometimes when I think about this sketch I wonder if the last pig, while he was unaware of the goat, whether he may have feared if there was something awfully fishy going on.

Did you notice how during the second chorus he held up a rope between him and his buddy before he fell? His buddy nods at it as if to say "Yes. My line is firmly secure", but he still falls anyway.

In that case I suppose they may well have been all roped together at the start. The first one may have had his fears modified by knowing he was fastened to his buddies. So the goat may have been able to slyly bite through the rope without them noticing before sending him tumbling to his doom. Therefore the other two could have thought his line had somehow come loose or not been fastened adaquately in addition to the loose rocks he must have slipped on.

So after having verified that the rest of the rope was sure and sound having it come loose again may have seemed too suspicious, plus the uncanny coincidence that both his poor buddies should lose their footing at the exact same moment of each chorus. Rather alarmingly strange, huh?

So no wonder he was apprehensive as he neared the dreaded part of his solo chorus. And just imagine his relief at not falling only to be killed with the large boulders a few moments afterwards.

What do you think of what I've just speculated as well as my last funny thought above?

[Skye]

Ah ha, that's very true, Marty. I do remember how he held up the rope to verify that it was firm and secure. I would certainly understand him being so apprehensive as he was singing, especially as he reached that part in the chorus, too. And then he was so ecstatic about not falling at the time. If I remember correctly, he started singing louder and having a good jolly ol' time! Until those darn boulders, of course! :D

Man, that evil goat sure is sneaky! :D

Oh, and by the way, I think The Big Bad Wolf did pay off the evil goat. He had to write a check to the evil goat because he didn't have quite enough money on him at the time, but both of them were quite enthusiastic! ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

They had probably assumed that as long as they were watching their step and that the rope was firm and secure, then they would be perfectly safe.

After all, if the pig lower down perchance slipped, the higher one would brace himself firmly against the mountain side to break the fall, so his friend could regain his grip, foothold and balance.

And on the other hand if the higher pig perchance slipped, the lower one would brace himself firmly against the mountain side with one hand held up to catch his friend, halting his fall and he could carefully regain his position.

So they thought eh?:D

[JaniceFerSure]

The Happy Wanderer

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.

My knapsack on my back.
I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song!"

I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev'ry green wood tree.

High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o'er the world we roam.

Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God's clear blue sky!


Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann,
Und mir steckt's auch im Blut;
Drum wandr' ich flott, so lang ich kann,
Und schwenke meinen Hut.

Refrain 1:
Faleri, falera, faleri,
Falera ha ha ha ha ha ha
Faleri, falera,
Und schwenke meinen Hut.

Refrain 2&3:
|: Hei-di, hei-da, hei-di, hei-da!
Und schwenke meinen Hut. :|

Das Wandern schaffet frische Lust,
Erhält das Herz gesund;
Frei atmet draußen meine Brust,
Froh singet stets mein Mund:
Refrain:

Warum singt Dir das Vögelein
So freudevoll sein Lied?
Weil's nimmer hockt, landaus, landein
Durch and're Fluren zieht.
Refrain:

Was murmelt's Bächlein dort und rauscht,
So lustig hin durch's Rohr,
Weil's frei sich regt, mit Wonne lauscht
Ihm dein empfänglich Ohr.
Refrain:

D'rum trag ich Ränzlein und den Stab
Weit in die Welt hinein,
Und werde bis an's kühle Grab
Ein Wanderbursche sein!
Refrain:


************************************************** ****

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Happy_Wanderer


Here is a link for information on the song The Happy Wanderer,in the site Wikipedia.Hope this info. helps you out.

*exits post*

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Thanks JaniceFerSure :)

Hope you enjoyed my thread:D

[JaniceFerSure]

Thanks JaniceFerSure :)

Hope you enjoyed my thread:D

Your welcome Marty,I added the German lyrics to my post too.I love that sketch.I watched that episode yesterday.Definately one of the funniest sketches on TMS.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Possibly also the darkest sketch too. ;)

[JaniceFerSure]

Possibly also the darkest sketch too. ;)


No Marty,I've seen darker sketches on The Muppet Show.If I may,to name a few:


Hugga Wugga
Behemoth and Shaky Sanchez singing "I've Got You,Under My Skin"
3 legged-screaming thing singing "Windmills of my Mind"
Jabberwocky in the Brooke Shield's episode
"Welcome to My Nightmare",sung in the Alice Cooper episode
the majority of the Vincent Price episodeDuring the Pilot: Sex and Violence,the sketch with the pigs and human.

I do agree,that The Happy Wanderer sketch has a dark side to it.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Fair enough Dee.

It's just that for me personally "Happy Wanderer" is the darkest TMS sketch I can imagine because it involves characters allegedly being killed.

Death is always the darkest subject of all in my mind.

[Skye]

It's just that for me personally "Happy Wanderer" is the darkest TMS sketch I can imagine because it involves characters allegedly being killed.

Death is always the darkest subject of all in my mind.
Well now, what about the "I've Got You Under My Skin" sketch that Diana brought up... that's Behemoth eating Shaky Sanchez! I would say that's a pretty dark sketch involving the tasty meal that is Shaky, also. ;)

Thanks for posting that link, Diana. It's very interesting and informative.

Man, the pigs should've sang the song in German. That would've confused the evil goat so much, he'd stay as far away from them as possible! :D

[Skye]

They had probably assumed that as long as they were watching their step and that the rope was firm and secure, then they would be perfectly safe.

After all, if the pig lower down perchance slipped, the higher one would brace himself firmly against the mountain side to break the fall, so his friend could regain his grip, foothold and balance.

And on the other hand if the higher pig perchance slipped, the lower one would brace himself firmly against the mountain side with one hand held up to catch his friend, halting his fall and he could carefully regain his position.

So they thought eh?:D
That is true... but what if one of the pigs slipped so fast that the other piggy (or piggies, heh) didn't have a chance to brace themselves? That could be bad! :eek: Though a rope is obviously used often in mountain or rock climbing... because I just do that kinda thing so much, right? ;) Though, you are right... after the first pig fell, I think they were paying a lot of attention to focusing on both the rope being firm and secure and to keeping their footing just right. And hey, it almost worked! But before their buddy fell, I think they were focusing most on keeping their footing, so maybe they wouldn't have to worry so much about the rope.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

That is true... but what if one of the pigs slipped so fast that the other piggy (or piggies, heh) didn't have a chance to brace themselves? That could be bad! :eek: Though a rope is obviously used often in mountain or rock climbing... because I just do that kinda thing so much, right? ;) Though, you are right... after the first pig fell, I think they were paying a lot of attention to focusing on both the rope being firm and secure and to keeping their footing just right. And hey, it almost worked! But before their buddy fell, I think they were focusing most on keeping their footing, so maybe they wouldn't have to worry so much about the rope.

That is true about the risk of mountain or rock climbing. The rope is theoretically used to protect teams of climbers in case one of them falls. Though like you said Caroline, if you don't have time to brace against your partner falling it would be very bad. So the rope is not foolproof but at least it does minimize the chance of fatality.

Provided that there are no evil goats around of course. Then you may just as well not use ropes holding you together at all;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

But before their buddy fell, I think they were focusing most on keeping their footing, so maybe they wouldn't have to worry so much about the rope.

I suppose they would have all been doing that to an extent. Taking their time moving very slowly. That is just plain common sense in any mountain or rock climbing activity.

But when the first pig fell they knew they were in trouble. So before they were just moving slowly and sensibly. But then they were watching where they were stepping even more closely. When as we know, there were no genuine loose rocks to warrant such extreme care. Heh-heh

[Skye]

But when the first pig fell they knew they were in trouble. So before they were just moving slowly and sensibly. But then they were watching where they were stepping even more closely. When as we know, there were no genuine loose rocks to warrant such extreme care. Heh-heh
Exactly... they were being even more careful after the first piggy took the dive. And you're absolutely right from your post before, that the rope does minimize the chance of fatality.

And ya know, these piggies may have even taken a mountain climbing class in their earlier years. They teach the pigs about being careful, always keeping the rope completely secure... but they never, ever warn them about evil goats lurkin' around! ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Exactly... they were being even more careful after the first piggy took the dive. And you're absolutely right from your post before, that the rope does minimize the chance of fatality.

And ya know, these piggies may have even taken a mountain climbing class in their earlier years. They teach the pigs about being careful, always keeping the rope completely secure... but they never, ever warn them about evil goats lurkin' around! ;)

HA HA That's a very funny thought Caroline. The pigs in mountain climbing school.:D

Thinking about this makes me suppose, when the first piggy was staring down the mountain and scrunching up his snout, it may not necessarily have been because he was stupid enough to allow his two best friends to take him up a high mountain for the first time in his life, being scared to death of high places. Nor because he was even remotely fearful that he might go on a big plunge.
The three of them had in fact studied the sport of climbing together voluntarily, and they may have gone happy wandering in many mountain areas together, but maybe he was slightly daunted by the fact that this was far higher than any mountain they had ever been on before.
So he was a little nervous but not really afraid. He knew all about taking care and he'd checked his rope was firmly tied and they all truly did love happy wandering.
But if only their teacher had warned them to keep their eyes peeled and to carry shotguns strapped by their sides, in case they noticed any wicked goats threatening their safety;)

[Ilikemuppets]

Thank you for inviting me here again Marty.

I think It may have been a sketch on a vadvillian stage show put on my the Muppets the was well rehersed duiring the week, Anr the rocks and the mountain side were all props abd it was performed in front of an audiance and the didn't reallt really die which was why they were laughing at it. Or they could just be really good stunt men. But that's all just speculation.;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You're welcome William.
Glad you love the levity this sketch inspires in me.:)

[Skye]

Thinking about this makes me suppose, when the first piggy was staring down the mountain and scrunching up his snout, it may not necessarily have been because he was stupid enough to allow his two best friends to take him up a high mountain for the first time in his life, being scared to death of high places. Nor because he was even remotely fearful that he might go on a big plunge.
The three of them had in fact studied the sport of climbing together voluntarily, and they may have gone happy wandering in many mountain areas together, but maybe he was slightly daunted by the fact that this was far higher than any mountain they had ever been on before.
So he was a little nervous but not really afraid. He knew all about taking care and he'd checked his rope was firmly tied and they all truly did love happy wandering.
But if only their teacher had warned them to keep their eyes peeled and to carry shotguns strapped by their sides, in case they noticed any wicked goats threatening their safety
Or, maybe that first pig had a feeling... his intuition was in overdrive, and he felt like something was going to happen. Maaayyybeee he had checked his horoscope that day, and it said that he would have a problem if he went happy wandering! Yeah... horoscopes are that exact, aren't they? ;) So, that was making him feel very, very nervous... and with good reason! Haha, oh yeah... you always have to be prepared for those evil goats! :D

Yay, I'm glad to see you here too, William! Great speculation, too. ;)

[Ilikemuppets]

Thank you Guys!:D

I never know there was so much to lok into about a Pig sketch on The muppet Show. Not to mention the level of detail that went into it all.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Man, the pigs should've sang the song in German. That would've confused the evil goat so much, he'd stay as far away from them as possible! :D

That's very good speculation too Caroline, but I know a better idea.

Those three pigs should have invited Miss Piggy to go with them. If she had been the fourth climber at the very bottom end of the rope she would have taken care of the evil goat. I've heard it said that females tend to be far more observant than males. A woman is far less likely to miss something close nearby her than a man.
So therefore she would have noticed the goat attempting to chew her rope off and sent him tumbling down the mountain instead with one great big karate chop:mad:

[Ilikemuppets]

They need a new show to Discues this called Pig Conspiracy Theories.;)

[Skye]

I never know there was so much to look into about a Pig sketch on The Muppet Show. Not to mention the level of detail that went into it all.
Haha, aww, we just love being silly. And this is a great place to be so! :D

Marty, you're so right. That's the best idea yet! Miss Piggy sure would've taken care of the evil goat and karate chopped him right outta everyone's way! Maybe she had karate chopped them before, though, so they didn't want to take her... she probably had karate chopped everybody on, and around that show!

Haha, Pig Conspiracy Theories... Marty could be the star of that show, coming up with, and exposing, the best of 'em! ;)

[Ilikemuppets]

We need to run the Mupet's holding Company!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

HEE HEE It's fun to be silly sometimes ;)

And yes I am talented enough to star in such a show. Cool idea.

[Ilikemuppets]

Good, so it's settled then.

[Skye]

And yes I am talented enough to star in such a show. Cool idea.
Awesome. And we can be your fabulous, gorgeous, and talented assistants.

It's fun to settle these things, isn't it? ;)

[Ilikemuppets]

I wany be the EP. Caroline, you could be the reporter of the pigs, and Marty could be the host.

[Skye]

Hey, a reporter... that sounds great to me! With the three of us on it, ours would be the best show around.

[Ilikemuppets]

And we would single handedly bring the Muppets back into the lime light, too.:D

[Skye]

Wow, we're pretty powerful, aren't we? Putting us with the Muppets... we all are just that good. :D

[Ilikemuppets]

I would like to think so.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And I would wholeheartedly agree.:D

Or, maybe that first pig had a feeling... his intuition was in overdrive, and he felt like something was going to happen. Maaayyybeee he had checked his horoscope that day, and it said that he would have a problem if he went happy wandering! Yeah... horoscopes are that exact, aren't they? ;) So, that was making him feel very, very nervous... and with good reason!

Well the moral of the story is don't listen to horoscopes. As a Christian, I believe they're all rubbish and they cause more problems than they solve.

If that poor foolish pig hadn't been sucked into horoscope predictions he wouldn't have been so upset and maybe he might have noticed the goat and alerted his buddies and together they might have been able to fight him off.
However being distracted by his own fears the other two didn't know about the goat either until it was too late for any of them to do something to scare him off of attacking them. This is mere speculation of course. But he may have been intimidated by the numbers of a trio fighting him off and felt discouraged from sending the boulders down since he wasn't able to whittle their strength of arms down one at a time.

Well it's another interesting theorized scenario isn't it?;)

[crazed gonzo fa]

Well said BBG!

[Skye]

That's a good moral, Marty.

And that is a very interesting speculation. That certainly could have worked to fight the evil goat off. But maybe the goat still would've thought that the boulders could take care of the three of them, anyway. But it would be kind of funny to see the goat going around them while trying to figure out how to release the boulder, getting completely discouraged, waving a hoof at them as if to say "Ehhh, forget it!!" and run off, shaking his head. :D

Well it's another interesting theorized scenario isn't it?;)
They just keep on comin', don't they? ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yes they do , don't they? :)

But getting back to the particulars of the sketch itself Caroline. Isn't it amazing how the lyrics of the solo verse sung by the last pig were so easily adaptable to the dark humour of the sketch?
Having him trembling and the way Jerry Nelson had the pig sing the lines:
"O may I go a-wandering until the day I (pause) die"
And also special emphasis upon certain words in the rest of the lyrics:
"O may I always laugh and sing"

In other words oh please may I always laugh and sing when I reach that dread part of the next chorus. :D

[Skye]

Absolutely, I loved that. And while I actually don't remember noticing the "O may I always..." part (but I will certainly check it out), putting that emphasis on certain words really was perfect, made it even more appropriate, and really helped to drive the point home. It was most definitely a very well thought-out sketch... perfect plot, and very perfect song with perfect Muppeteers to go along with it!

[Ilikemuppets]

You know, after whaching it, I never realized the goat was being evil. I thought he just showed ou to laugh and be silly. I guess I never really looked that much into it.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

I suppose it's how you look at it. I mean we just sort of coined the phrase evil goat because he's a muppet goat murdering three of the muppet pigs in cold blood:eek: In the context of the dark humour sketch he is an evil goat who gets away with his crimes and the audience laughs with him, it being darkly funny.

Of course it could easily happen in real life too where it would not be funny. Nor would the goat be evil for it is in a goat's nature to butt and push things into people. If he's sending somebody tumbling down a mountain or shoving large rocks into them, he has no idea what he's doing. He's only doing his own animalistic impulses.

Funny thought though. To see the muppet goat do it makes him evil and it's humourous. But if a real goat did it to people it would be tragic and the animal is neutral. What a contrast indeed;)

[Ilikemuppets]

Ha ha... That's a good point Marty. But another reason a goat might do that is to defend his teritory or it might be scared and trying to defend itself.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Ha ha... That's a good point Marty. But another reason a goat might do that is to defend his teritory or it might be scared and trying to defend itself.

Very interesting point William. To be honest the thought that the goat in the sketch may have been seeking to remove those three invaders from his territory has crossed my mind in the past.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

;) Thinking back to Caroline's quip about horoscopes, I wonder if any of those pigs happened to be born in the year of the goat.

Piggies with that sort of astrological background should never climb mountains. Or at least pick very low mountains so that if their star sign jinx catches up with them at least they may have a good chance of surviving their fall:D :zany:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yippee! This thread of mine has now reached over its 120th post:excited: :sing:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Oh BTW my current interest is in reading Condensed Books from Reader's Digest and do you know what the story I'm due to read soon when I finish the one before it happens to be called?

"Hard Fall" :D Isn't that a real hoot? HAHAHAHA ;)

[Skye]

Haha, I'll bet those pigs were born under the sign of the goat. It's too bad they didn't think about that before climbing that silly mountain! ;)
"Hard Fall" :D Isn't that a real hoot? HAHAHAHA
Hey, I didn't know that those pigs wrote a book! ;) That's awesome, Marty. Hope it's a great story!

And hey, big congrats on this thread hitting over 120 posts! We always knew it was a great thread!

[heralde]

Wow, 120 posts...only on a Muppet board, right? Hehe

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And hey, big congrats on this thread hitting over 120 posts! We always knew it was a great thread!

Thanks Caroline. A great thread about a great sketch. There's always something new you can come up with to joke about it, isn't there?

This thread can go on forever:excited: :D ;)

[Ilikemuppets]

You never know?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Well I can hope can't I? ;) :)

[Dil]

Yeeehee!!!
Your thread is HOT!!!!!!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann,
Und mir steckt's auch im Blut;
Drum wandr' ich flott, so lang ich kann,
Und schwenke meinen Hut.

Refrain 1:
Faleri, falera, faleri,
Falera ha ha ha ha ha ha
Faleri, falera,
Und schwenke meinen Hut.

Refrain 2&3:
|: Hei-di, hei-da, hei-di, hei-da!
Und schwenke meinen Hut. :|

Das Wandern schaffet frische Lust,
Erhält das Herz gesund;
Frei atmet draußen meine Brust,
Froh singet stets mein Mund:
Refrain:

Warum singt Dir das Vögelein
So freudevoll sein Lied?
Weil's nimmer hockt, landaus, landein
Durch and're Fluren zieht.
Refrain:

Was murmelt's Bächlein dort und rauscht,
So lustig hin durch's Rohr,
Weil's frei sich regt, mit Wonne lauscht
Ihm dein empfänglich Ohr.
Refrain:

D'rum trag ich Ränzlein und den Stab
Weit in die Welt hinein,
Und werde bis an's kühle Grab
Ein Wanderbursche sein!
Refrain:




I know this sketch is sometimes called fal-de-ri fal-de-ra, even though the song is called the Happy Wanderer and the chorus is actually val-de-ri val-de-ra.
But looking at the chorus in the original German lyrics the derivation must come from the first german chorus.
Hmm. It'd be interesting to find out if that really is german for anything or whether it's just fictitious words, like some of our english songs use words that are completely made up as well.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Ah ha, that's very true, Marty. I do remember how he held up the rope to verify that it was firm and secure. I would certainly understand him being so apprehensive as he was singing, especially as he reached that part in the chorus, too. And then he was so ecstatic about not falling at the time. If I remember correctly, he started singing louder and having a good jolly ol' time! Until those darn boulders, of course!

Man, that evil goat sure is sneaky!

Yes Caroline. Your memory does serve you well. I especially love how he's singing the final line. "Beneath the clear blue..." and then when the boulders appear he turns his head aside as he sees them coming a split second before they hit him and he screams out the last word of the song, "skyyyyy" Coincidentally that happens to be your choice of username as well Caroline.

I just love the look on his face just before he's crushed. It's like his last living thought was "Aw, no.":D

BTW I think the goat just decided to give the Muppeteers a break.
After all it was pretty easy to puppeteer the first pig's fall but the second pig's fall was more challenging and must have taken several takes to make it look just right. So he used the boulders to save them having to trouble themselves filming the third pig's fall. Wasn't that considerate of him?

It just goes to show there's always some little measure of good in anybody. Even a wicked, evil, piggy-terminating goat;)

[crazed gonzo fa]

What's BTW stand for?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Some forum people use it as an abbreviation for By The Way

[crazed gonzo fa]

Okay, thanks!

[Ilikemuppets]

Well I can hope can't I? ;) :)Yeah, you can.;)

[Skye]

Yes Caroline. Your memory does serve you well. I especially love how he's singing the final line. "Beneath the clear blue..." and then when the boulders appear he turns his head aside as he sees them coming a split second before they hit him and he screams out the last word of the song, "skyyyyy" Coincidentally that happens to be your choice of username as well Caroline.

I just love the look on his face just before he's crushed. It's like his last living thought was "Aw, no."

BTW I think the goat just decided to give the Muppeteers a break.
After all it was pretty easy to puppeteer the first pig's fall but the second pig's fall was more challenging and must have taken several takes to make it look just right. So he used the boulders to save them having to trouble themselves filming the third pig's fall. Wasn't that considerate of him?

It just goes to show there's always some little measure of good in anybody. Even a wicked, evil, piggy-terminating goat
Hey, I guess I did an awesome job at picking a username, didn't I? :D

Ha, I'll bet that was his last thought. With a big ol' boulder comin' outta nowhere... can't blame him! ;)

That's true, and an awesome way to look at it. It did look like it might've been pretty tough to puppeteer that... and it looks so awesome that way. Aww, so it's a sweet evil goat! ;)

[Ilikemuppets]

He's a sweet goat with a sneekely mean edge.;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Thanks Caroline and William.

I was recently thinking about how it's such a great sketch and while such tragedy could happen in real life it's really exaggerated in the way the pigs behave after the first one goes splat.

After all it could happen in real life that a trio of mountain climbers could sing the Happy Wanderer together or any cheerful song they liked as they went along. And it could happen unfortunately that the one on the end met with a terrible fate. And it's also logically feasible that "Uh-oh" and "Watch your step" would probably be the sort of things the other two would say to each other in reaction.

However, it's highly unlikely they would resume happily singing by themselves.
It just doesn't add up, does it?:confused:
Would you not rather suspect after the initial shock had worn off and the need to be very careful had set in the other pigs would be feeling rather sad and grieved about seeing their good friend die? And there was absolutely nothing they could do to save him?
Logically they should have been climbing up further with care in mournful silence, but of course if they had acted naturally it would have spoiled the enjoyment of the skit wouldn't it?;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

I can actually imagine that first pig turning in his grave and moaning "What! I thought you were my buddies and when I'm killed your response is to sing cheerily together? You traitors."

Then he thinks about what happened to him and sniggers "But you wouldn't feel quite so sing-songy if you only knew what I knew. So you'll get your come-uppance."

Isn't revenge sweet?:crazy: ;)

[Skye]

That's very true, Marty. And logically, you're right, they would've kept climbing in silence, or they may have decided to stop and just go back down to be and mourn by their friend. Hehe, I love how the Muppets could take normally sad things, and make them pretty funny... or pretty darn weird. ;)

Haha, Marty... ahh, the revenge! That's a funny thought... I'll bet he was thinkin' that!

And, I recently got the Time Life video with this episode on it, and when I was watching it the other day and it got to this scene, all I could think about was this silly thread! :D Thanks, Marty! ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And, I recently got the Time Life video with this episode on it, and when I was watching it the other day and it got to this scene, all I could think about was this silly thread! :D Thanks, Marty! ;)

Have you checked out the points I made earlier Caroline about the first pig peering down the mountain and looking perturbed and the last pigs emphasis upon the lyrics O may I always laugh and sing ? I think he adds a heh-heh after for emphasis.

If you haven't yet you might want to look at it and post your responses or if you already have you may like to do it now. You're welcome Caroline and thanks to you as well:)

[Skye]

Have you checked out the points I made earlier Caroline about the first pig peering down the mountain and looking perturbed and the last pigs emphasis upon the lyrics O may I always laugh and sing ? I think he adds a heh-heh after for emphasis.

If you haven't yet you might want to look at it and post your responses or if you already have you may like to do it now. You're welcome Caroline and thanks to you as well:)
I definitely did notice both of those things. Actually, I was watching that first pig so closely for how and when he would be peering down like that. But I had a lot of fun watching for things while thinking about this thread and you guys here. I liked that little "heh-heh" he added at the end of that one line, too. It did add emphasis and made it really clear how nervous he was.

Aww, you're welcome, too. I'm glad you have fun with all of us fellow silly people in here! :)

[Ilikemuppets]

As the say in show business, "The show must go on". So that's why the pigs kept singing after one of them fell to their doom.

You defenatetly have the wierd part right Caroline. That's part of the appeal of the Muppets.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Ha Ha That's a good one William :)

Let the hilarity spread :D

[travellingpat]

VALDEREEEE VALDERAAAA VALDERREEEEEEEEEEEEEE VALDER AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH


i love this sketch, this was always one of my favorites!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Nice of you to drop in here on your travels Pat:)

Might cross paths with you elsewhere around the forum sometime.

[travellingpat]

Alright Bill :)


See you Around!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Marty, you're so right. That's the best idea yet! Miss Piggy sure would've taken care of the evil goat and karate chopped him right outta everyone's way! Maybe she had karate chopped them before, though, so they didn't want to take her... she probably had karate chopped everybody on, and around that show!



You're right Caroline about her karate chopping almost everybody on the show. She seemed to actually get along with her fellow pigs though.
I remember she sometimes karate chopped Link Hogthrob and Julius Strangepork particularly on some Pigs in Space episodes. And also sometimes Annie Sue. But I can't recollect whether any of the un-named pigs ever suffered at her hands as far as we know onscreen anyway.

I can remember in season one she sometimes referred to the what-not pigs as her brothers. And one of them called her his sister once during a panel discussion. Maybe her siblings were always in her good books. (especially from piglethood experience;) ) Link, Julius and Annie I presume, were no relation to her whatsoever.

Hmm. That makes me think. Heaven help the poor wicked goat if Piggy ever found out exactly what happened to three of her dear brothers.:mad:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And don't you also just adore the realistic sound effects to suggest the noises made by the first two pigs bouncing down the mountainside Caroline?
And also the effect of the sound of the boulders rolling. Does it not sound so appropriately real?:D

I wonder if they may have pushed the last pig down as opposed to crushing him against the mountainside. Otherwise the wolf may have had a hard time collecting the meat so he could have all three pigs in his stewpot.
Just imagine the wolf waiting for the third pig to fall then quickly runs for cover with a shriek as the boulders come tumbling right behind.
Naturally he was very pleased with the goat for killing the pigs for him but he had to say, "Next time tell me if you're going to do something like that. I've never had such a close call ever before.";)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Well I'm very honoured to have the privelege of announcing this to be the 150th post in this crazy thread:excited: :smirk:

Thanks and bless you all for your support:D

[Skye]

And don't you also just adore the realistic sound effects to suggest the noises made by the first two pigs bouncing down the mountainside Caroline?
And also the effect of the sound of the boulders rolling. Does it not sound so appropriately real?:D

I wonder if they may have pushed the last pig down as opposed to crushing him against the mountainside. Otherwise the wolf may have had a hard time collecting the meat so he could have all three pigs in his stewpot.
Just imagine the wolf waiting for the third pig to fall then quickly runs for cover with a shriek as the boulders come tumbling right behind.
Naturally he was very pleased with the goat for killing the pigs for him but he had to say, "Next time tell me if you're going to do something like that. I've never had such a close call ever before.";)
That's true, the noises and effects did sound really real. The screams of the pigs as they were going down were great, too. The muppeteers did an awesome job with that!

You know, I'm imagining your wolf scenario, and they should've put something like that in the sketch! That would've been pretty funny, too. Like, the wolf down at the bottom gathering up the pigs, and then an "Uh-oh" or something before he runs off and then the boulders hit. Of course, the sketch is wonderful as is, but that added thing could've been very entertaining!

And yay!! Congrats on your thread having 150 posts!! That's so great. And here's to many more! :)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Thanks. I'm sure I'll be able to keep this thread alive for quite a good long while yet.

Another good little subtle hint in retrospection that fits in logically with the acts of the goat is how the first two pigs fall off the alpine track when they appeared to be standing still.:smirk:

It does make one think doesn't it? How could they have slipped on loose rocks at times when they weren't even taking a step in the first place?;)

HA HA HA Obviously it never even occured at the crucial time to the remaining two pigs when their best buddy met with tragedy.
The last pig as I've pointed out earlier may have been fearfully more suspicious, but at the time it didn't dawn on even the audience first viewing.:D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And, I recently got the Time Life video with this episode on it

You certainly are very fortunate to have acquired it Caroline. Is it a video as in a video tape or a DVD?

So you'd be able to see the sketch right from the very start with a bare mountain-side scene and the first pig from the lead slowly appearing climbing up with his two buddies following pretty close behind him. I'm a bit envious. I haven't seen it start like that for ages. When the television stations started broadcasting re-runs they edited out the sketch immediately before it with Miss Piggy singing "Trees" and also that teeny bit at the beginning. They began it with all three pigs in sight just before they begin singing. The link in youtube more or less begins at that very point as well.
SIGH I wish it was complete. I would love to see exactly what it looked like again. As I vaguely seem to recall there is some music playing for a few moments before the pigs start to come into view and it continues playing the tune of the number until they all make their positions clearly in place and turn to face the camera as they begin to sing.

Is this more or less pictured correctly in my memory Caroline?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Another good little subtle hint in retrospection that fits in logically with the acts of the goat is how the first two pigs fall off the alpine track when they appeared to be standing still.:smirk:

It does make one think doesn't it? How could they have slipped on loose rocks at times when they weren't even taking a step in the first place?;)


I just watched the youtube link again a few times and was reminded of this previous post of mine and I thought if any of the pigs could have genuinely slipped on a loose rock it was the last one while he was making his way upwards with arms outstretched in front of him to grasp the outcrop just before he sang Val de ahahahahaha.
It's a very keen observation I've now pointed out about the pigs falling down when they weren't moving at all, don't you agree?;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Have you also noticed that the pig on the end has one of his legs hitched up at the start of the number? You can even see his climbing shoe on his foot which looks a little bit like a sneaker.

I wonder if that was an unintentional gesture which they decided to just leave in rather than re-shoot that part of the take since it does seem rather un-natural, doesn't it?

It looks like he would have been literally balancing on one leg momentarily while his other leg was lifted up and draped around the ledge of the mountain track meant for holding on with his hands:crazy: :smirk:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

I just noticed redBoobergurl's current signature "I love Fall" meaning I suppose the season of the Fall also known as Autumn.

Well she may love the Fall but I bet sure as heck those three pigs don't like it one little bit.
And I don't believe they enjoy listening to the music of the Rolling Stones either :D

[Skye]

Marty, it is a VHS videotape that I got. And your memory is very impressive! It does start that way exactly. I'd have to watch it again, as I don't remember for sure if the music starts playing before the pigs come into sight, but I do believe that's the way it is. But yes, it's pictured extremely correctly in your memory.

I do agree, that is a very keen observation that you made about the pigs falling when they weren't moving at all. I hadn't really thought about that before, and it is a very interesting point!

I hadn't noticed that you can see the shoe on that one pig either. It looks like a sneaker, huh? That is really funny, and indeed, certainly odd! Now, you are referring to the pig who fell first, correct? If so, then maybe if the pig was afraid of heights, he didn't have any good footgear for climbing, so he grabbed the next best thing! Or, since it is an odd thing, I'll bet they purposely put it in just to see if people would notice. These are the Muppets, after all! :D
And I don't believe they enjoy listening to the music of the Rolling Stones either :D
Ha! That's a good one, Marty! And I'll bet you're darn right! ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Marty, it is a VHS videotape that I got. And your memory is very impressive! It does start that way exactly. I'd have to watch it again, as I don't remember for sure if the music starts playing before the pigs come into sight, but I do believe that's the way it is. But yes, it's pictured extremely correctly in your memory.

I do agree, that is a very keen observation that you made about the pigs falling when they weren't moving at all. I hadn't really thought about that before, and it is a very interesting point

Thanks Caroline. Now I really wish the season sets would start quickly coming out more than ever so that I can see it for myself.

Thinking about that observation makes me feel sorry for them all over again. heh;) Whether the wolf was masterminding the whole thing or not that mean, evil goat should have left those sweet, innocent piggies alone. They had done nothing to deserve their terrible fate. BOO-HOO-HOO! WAAAHHH! SOB!SOB! WHIMPER! BLAAAARRTT! (that's the sound of me blowing my nose)
I hope Piggy really did take her revenge for them:mad:

But seriously I think those three pigs did eventually recover from falling to their deaths. The last pig with the huge snout and small beady eyes was very different from most of the other whatnot pigs and that was his very first role on the Muppet Show. And he went on to appear in several further fourth and fifth season episodes. You couldn't miss him. He always stuck out like a sore thumb. And if he could easily come back I can see no reason to suppose his best buddies didn't continue to be on the show amidst all the other pigs as well.

So I do sympathize with them but I have consolation knowing that at least they got well again after their fatal injuries. Too bad we humans can't recover from such bad misfortune the way muppets can eh?

I'll bet the three of them were very glad to never again be cast in sketches where they wound up deceased. Once was more than enough and it must have been very painful for the dear piggies:flirt:

[erniebert1234ss]

Aries is a ram, guys.

BJ

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Aries is a ram, guys.

BJ

Oh well at least it's close enough. Rams are sort of similarly built like goats;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Incidentally I've thought of another good example of abnormal behaviour in the end part of this sketch when the last pig is on his own.
Even if he had still been content to climb the mountain after losing his first buddy why keep moving upwards after he lost his second buddy?

After what had happened to them both and the sinister suspicious nature of the rope as I've pointed out before, why didn't he react the way anybody else naturally would and endeavour to try his best to carefully make his way downwards as much as possible. Yet he still persisted in climbing up. :confused:

His automatic instinct should have been to climb back down in attempt to save himself however despairingly small the chance seemed to be.

What strange characters these muppets be?:crazy: ;)

[Ilikemuppets]

I mean the Wolf thing could have been a good Idea, but you have to remember that there is only so much time to fit into one number.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yes that is true William. But we can still have fun with our warped imaginations and senses of humour, can't we? ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Caroline can I ask you to check something else out for me on your video please?
If you can verify that the music starts before they appear that'd also be appreciated but i'm wondering about something regarding the rope sequence in the second chorus.
I can't quite make it out on YouTube but I think I remember when he sings "Val-de-ri" and holds up the rope presumably his buddy nods at it because he can feel how firm and secure it is as it is gently stretched taut around his belly. And I think I recall from an old tape off television I used to have that there is a piece of rope hanging down from the lead pig's hand presumably what is attatched to them. But after he lowers his hand so his buddy can sing "Val-de-ra" and he raises his hand again to sing the next part of the chorus, if my memory is correct again that piece of rope has disappeared implying that the goat has chewed it off and his buddy is preparing to sing "Val-de-ahahahahaha" with gusto so he doesn't realize it has gone slack in the split second before he in turn is butted off his balance. Can you verify this sometime please? Much obliged.

And how do you think the goat knocked the first two off. Do you think he butted them on the backside or would he have just aimed straight for their legs? And can you imagine how shocked and horrified the last living thoughts they had must have been to feel the forceful bump and realize what was going to happen to them?:eek:

[crazed gonzo fa]

What strange characters these muppets be?:crazy: ;)
Heh heh heh, what fools these muppets be! Also, maybe the goat/ram put some sort of oil slick on the mountain.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Heh heh heh, what fools these muppets be! Also, maybe the goat/ram put some sort of oil slick on the mountain.

And I suppose the cunning devil was wearing special slip resistant shoes on his hooves:D

[Skye]

Whether the wolf was masterminding the whole thing or not that mean, evil goat should have left those sweet, innocent piggies alone. They had done nothing to deserve their terrible fate. BOO-HOO-HOO! WAAAHHH! SOB!SOB! WHIMPER! BLAAAARRTT! (that's the sound of me blowing my nose)
I hope Piggy really did take her revenge for them:mad:

The last pig with the huge snout and small beady eyes was very different from most of the other whatnot pigs and that was his very first role on the Muppet Show. And he went on to appear in several further fourth and fifth season episodes. You couldn't miss him. He always stuck out like a sore thumb. And if he could easily come back I can see no reason to suppose his best buddies didn't continue to be on the show amidst all the other pigs as well.
Knowing Piggy, I'll bet she did take her revenge for them. Those karate chops are lethal, and she's plenty willing to give them! ;)

It's always interesting to watch for which characters make comebacks, and which other characters don't. I do wonder sometimes why they brought some characters back and others not, but maybe that's why they brought that one pig back... because he stood out from the others and made it a little more interesting. Or maybe his buds were around somewhere, but it was hard to pick them out. Or maybe his buddies moved to Hawaii and he didn't want to tag along!

They sure are some strange characters. It's why we love 'em! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

It's always interesting to watch for which characters make comebacks, and which other characters don't. I do wonder sometimes why they brought some characters back and others not, but maybe that's why they brought that one pig back... because he stood out from the others and made it a little more interesting. Or maybe his buds were around somewhere, but it was hard to pick them out.

That is precisely what I was thinking. The six standard whatnot pigs in season one of TMS did have their kinda individual facial characteristics but when they added more pigs they did all tend to look somewhat alike. The other two happy wandering pigs probably may well have been in many more pig sketches and you couldn't tell. When that unique pig was present among a crowd of them onstage though I believe there's a good chance the others were there too. I can imagine them working together as much as possible because they were all such very close friends.:)

Or maybe his buddies moved to Hawaii and he didn't want to tag along!



If that is the case I know they would have kept in touch together. Maybe in one letter he may have asked them "Are there no goats living in the mountains of Hawai? If there aren't I'll come to visit you and we can go happy wandering again knowing we'll be able to enjoy ourselves this time without falling or getting squashed. That really took all the fun out of our last hiking expedition, didn't it?";)

[Skye]

That is precisely what I was thinking. The six standard whatnot pigs in season one of TMS did have their kinda individual facial characteristics but when they added more pigs they did all tend to look somewhat alike. The other two happy wandering pigs probably may well have been in many more pig sketches and you couldn't tell. When that unique pig was present among a crowd of them onstage though I believe there's a good chance the others were there too. I can imagine them working together as much as possible because they were all such very close friends.:)
Ok, I've gotcha. Very cute idea of yours. And I'll bet you're absolutely right about that!

If that is the case I know they would have kept in touch together. Maybe in one letter he may have asked them "Are there no goats living in the mountains of Hawaii? If there aren't I'll come to visit you and we can go happy wandering again knowing we'll be able to enjoy ourselves this time without falling or getting squashed. That really took all the fun out of our last hiking expedition, didn't it?";)
Ha, no kidding! Ahh, I can imagine how much they'd be happy wandering over there if there were no goats to worry about. I'll bet if you listened closely enough then, you could've heard them singing as they wandered right along throughout the days! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Incidentally I've thought of another good example of abnormal behaviour in the end part of this sketch when the last pig is on his own.
Even if he had still been content to climb the mountain after losing his first buddy why keep moving upwards after he lost his second buddy?

After what had happened to them both and the sinister suspicious nature of the rope as I've pointed out before, why didn't he react the way anybody else naturally would and endeavour to try his best to carefully make his way downwards as much as possible. Yet he still persisted in climbing up. :confused:

His automatic instinct should have been to climb back down in attempt to save himself however despairingly small the chance seemed to be.


How do you like this previous thought of mine Caroline?:smirk:

[Skye]

Ha, that is a very good point you have, Marty. Going back down after losing his buddies would most likely be the natural, normal response for most. But then again... the Muppets were never quite "normal," were they? ;) :D Then again, he might have thought he could make it. He never would've guessed there was an evil goat who was the culprit!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

True. The muppets hardly ever did anything normal by standards.

Interesting thought that he might have assumed he could make it. Like he thought, "But the rope was firmly sound. I can't understand what is happening but I simply must go on. Maybe it was a faulty rope we brought. And the track must be very treacherous and un-predictable. But gulp. I will be extremely careful and reach the top and get back down again. Then at my friends funeral service at least I'll be able to tell them I succeeded for all of us when I say Good-bye."
Ha trembling and nervous but stubbornly thinking the loose rocks will not claim him. Silly, crazy, foolish muppets :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Ha, no kidding! Ahh, I can imagine how much they'd be happy wandering over there if there were no goats to worry about. I'll bet if you listened closely enough then, you could've heard them singing as they wandered right along throughout the days! :D

Yes. I bet even the one who acted a little like he was scared of heights would be 100% happy like the other two in this instance. Of course they'd get tired of singing just the same song all the time. You would have heard them sing many cheerful songs as they echoed through the hills and valleys.
They may have even sung a parody of the Bear went over the mountain occasionally.
"The pigs went over the mountain, the pigs went over the mountain, the pigs went over the mountain, to see what they could see.";)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Just for the record I have now found out that John himself had nothing to do with the writing of the Pigs in the Alps sketch. I still don't know with any certainty whose idea it was but I've heard that it was probably either Jerry Juhl(may he rest in peace) or Chris Langham.


I no longer really care if I never find out the answer to my previous question. I'm just having so much fun posting silly thoughts:excited:

I never expected things to turn out this way, but I'm extremely pleased they have. It's difficult to think of any other sketch that could generate this sort of laughable nonsense;)

But I'd like to say that whether it was Jerry or Chris or whoever I can imagine the inspiration coming when he/she was thinking about the song and wondering what if the Happy Wanderer fell off the mountain track?
The idea could have started off as a single muppet what-not (not necessarily a pig) climbing the mountain performing the song and just so happening to fall off at the very end of the number. Then it could have slowly evolved into the final form of the trio that was used culminating in the goat's implications:D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

BUMP just for the heck of it :)

[Skye]

Hmm, to answer one of your other questions, I think that the evil goat went straight for the legs. I think it would've been too hard to do it any other way. And maybe it happened so fast that they didn't get a chance to think about it. Or, since they are Muppets, maybe they thought tumbling down the mountain like that was fun! :D

Interesting thought that he might have assumed he could make it. Like he thought, "But the rope was firmly sound. I can't understand what is happening but I simply must go on. Maybe it was a faulty rope we brought. And the track must be very treacherous and un-predictable. But gulp. I will be extremely careful and reach the top and get back down again. Then at my friends funeral service at least I'll be able to tell them I succeeded for all of us when I say Good-bye."
Ha trembling and nervous but stubbornly thinking the loose rocks will not claim him. Silly, crazy, foolish muppets.
Aww, maybe I'm silly, crazy, and foolish or stubborn since that was my idea where he might think he could still make it! ;) But yeah, that's precisely what I was thinking. He had to go for it!

...."The pigs went over the mountain, the pigs went over the mountain, the pigs went over the mountain, to see what they could see."How cute is that to think of them singing that song, too! I'll bet you're right, though. As much fun as the Happy Wanderer seems like it would be to sing, they must have tried to sing other songs as well... like "Tumblin' Down" by John Mellencamp or "Roll Me Away" by Bob Seger... gotta get the evil goat back for those, though. ;)

I'm glad you're having such a good time in here, Marty! That's what we're here for, hehe! It is interesting to think about the different things leading up to the creation of a certain sketch. And you're probably right that it may have been just one at first, but sometimes the ideas just roll on and on. It's crazy and fun to see what can come of some ideas like that!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

[quote originally posted by Skye]Hmm, to answer one of your other questions, I think that the evil goat went straight for the legs. I think it would've been too hard to do it any other way. And maybe it happened so fast that they didn't get a chance to think about it. Or, since they are Muppets, maybe they thought tumbling down the mountain like that was fun! :D[quote]

HA HA That made me laugh. Fun was it? So after the second one landed at the bottom he said to the first one "Hey. That wasn't so bad after all." And he replied "Yeah. I felt like I was on one of those roller coaster rides we used to go on when we were piglets. Only without a car."

And when the last one lands with the boulders the others say "Hey. Can we try it with the big rocks next time?" "Well I'll see what can be arranged for you guys." promises their friend.:crazy:

BTW I'm inclined to agree with you about the legs. Whether he nudged them hard or gently the backside probably wouldn't have knocked them off balance enough to make them fall.

[Skye]

HA HA That made me laugh. Fun was it? So after the second one landed at the bottom he said to the first one "Hey. That wasn't so bad after all." And he replied "Yeah. I felt like I was on one of those roller coaster rides we used to go on when we were piglets. Only without a car."

And when the last one lands with the boulders the others say "Hey. Can we try it with the big rocks next time?" "Well I'll see what can be arranged for you guys." promises their friend.:crazy:
Ha, aww... when they were piglets. That's cute! But exactly, it was one more big, fun adventure the three piggies shared together! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And isn't the set they designed for the number remarkable? Not only the mountain in itself but the background mountains painted on the scenery wall? They really are excellent for creating the impression that the Three Happy Wanderers are up at such an extremely immense height from which they fall, are they not?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showpost.php?p=404663&postcount=3

Since we love talking and joking about this sketch so much I decided I may as well share this link to a post I made in another thread that's very relevant to the point. I know Caroline, William and any of my other friends who care to take a look will be amused and entertained :D

[Skye]

And isn't the set they designed for the number remarkable? Not only the mountain in itself but the background mountains painted on the scenery wall? They really are excellent for creating the impression that the Three Happy Wanderers are up at such an extremely immense height from which they fall, are they not?
That's very true, the set is pretty awesome. I always thought that creating a set like that could be awfully difficult, so I love seeing how cool they can be.

Haha, that's an awesome post you made in that thread! :D Wow, it's perfect, and wonderfully detailed. I love it.

[maniacal muppet]

How did they do the effect of them climbing up the mountain? It seems to be like one of those Flintstones moments like when they keep passing the same background:). No offense from that, Marty;).

[Bill Bubble Guy]

How did they do the effect of them climbing up the mountain? It seems to be like one of those Flintstones moments like when they keep passing the same background:). No offense from that, Marty;).

I imagine they must have had some kind of ramp or staircase hidden behind that mountain prop. The whole sequence must have been very challenging Austin for Dave, Richard and Jerry making their ascent while making the climbing look as genuine as possible.

It was a remarkable achievement for the Muppeteers fersure rully:D

[maniacal muppet]

I imagine they must have had some kind of ramp or staircase hidden behind that mountain prop. The whole sequence must have been very challenging Austin for Dave, Richard and Jerry making their ascent while making the climbing look as genuine as possible.

It was a remarkable achievement for the Muppeteers fersure rully:D

Heck, it was worth the work, it's easily one of
The Muppet Show's best skits:)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yes and by far the best skit for bringing out some of our warped senses of humour as well :D ;) :crazy:

[maniacal muppet]

Couldn't have said it better myself:) ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

I just remembered that one of John's classic songs is good old "Rocky Mountain High." Do you suppose this could have provided some slight subtil inspiration for the Pigs' mountain-climbing sketch in at least a small way?;)

And if so maybe those pigs threatened to sue Mr.Denver since he had inadvertently given the show's writers some little measure of idea for their bad misfortune. Unless as Skye and I speculated in a previous quirky exchange that the events of the sketch may have been enjoyable for muppets like them. In which case they probably wanted to thank John Denver instead.:smirk:

[Muppet Newsgirl]

You know, that entire sketch reminds me of The Far Side.

It was the one entitled: "Tension builds on the Lewis and Clark expedition."

The one in front is energetically singing 'The Happy Wanderer,' and the one in the back is thinking, "God, I hate him."

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Is that an episode of a series on television Erin?
Was it very funny? Do you remember how it goes exactly?

[Muppet Newsgirl]

The Far Side? No, it was a single-panel comic drawn by Gary Larson many years ago. It was all absurdist humor, and funny as all get out. Some of those cartoons I can't read without cracking up.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Thanks Erin. I can picture what it must have looked like in my mind now.
Actually now that you've explained it to me I think I do have somewhat vagueish memories of those Far Side comic gags. I never followed them devotedly but I did come across some of them occasionally. Maybe in a newspaper.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

WOW:excited:
I just looked at the statistics and I have 190 posts in here and currently 1990 times has my thread been viewed.
Isn't that remarkably poetic?:smirk: ;)

[Skye]

I just remembered that one of John's classic songs is good old "Rocky Mountain High." Do you suppose this could have provided some slight subtil inspiration for the Pigs' mountain-climbing sketch in at least a small way?;)

And if so maybe those pigs threatened to sue Mr.Denver since he had inadvertently given the show's writers some little measure of idea for their bad misfortune. Unless as Skye and I speculated in a previous quirky exchange that the events of the sketch may have been enjoyable for muppets like them. In which case they probably wanted to thank John Denver instead.:smirk:

Ha... well, I think John's love of Colorado and the Rocky Mountains certainly did influence this sketch quite a bit! That whole episode is really based around John's love for nature, the outdoors and everything. And I'll bet the pigs would thank John for that... it is always fun for Muppets to go tumbling down a mountain! :D

Erin, that Far Side comic sounds awesome. I was never big on the Far Side, but that one does sound very cute.

And congrats, Marty, on the popularity of this thread! It's now been viewed over 2,000 times... very cool!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Thanks Caroline. I'm so very, very, very happy :)

[Skye]

If you can verify that the music starts before they appear that'd also be appreciated but i'm wondering about something regarding the rope sequence in the second chorus.
I can't quite make it out on YouTube but I think I remember when he sings "Val-de-ri" and holds up the rope presumably his buddy nods at it because he can feel how firm and secure it is as it is gently stretched taut around his belly. And I think I recall from an old tape off television I used to have that there is a piece of rope hanging down from the lead pig's hand presumably what is attatched to them. But after he lowers his hand so his buddy can sing "Val-de-ra" and he raises his hand again to sing the next part of the chorus, if my memory is correct again that piece of rope has disappeared implying that the goat has chewed it off and his buddy is preparing to sing "Val-de-ahahahahaha" with gusto so he doesn't realize it has gone slack in the split second before he in turn is butted off his balance. Can you verify this sometime please? Much obliged.

Hey, I got these answers for ya now!

So, the first one is: no, the music does not start before the pigs are on screen. It starts as soon as they're shown climbing up the mountain.

And, actually no, I didn't see that with the rope thing. The pig does hold it up, and puts his hand down, but as he lifts his hand again, the rope is still there. Would've been pretty cool if it was the way you thought, though!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Hey, I got these answers for ya now!

So, the first one is: no, the music does not start before the pigs are on screen. It starts as soon as they're shown climbing up the mountain.

And, actually no, I didn't see that with the rope thing. The pig does hold it up, and puts his hand down, but as he lifts his hand again, the rope is still there. Would've been pretty cool if it was the way you thought, though!

Thanks for that Caroline.
I couldn't precisely remember the exact time the music began since they made that cut on the television stations. Wish I could somehow see your tape so that I could hear exactly what the music sounds like at the beginning. It's very unique kind of music since the tune is mostly played in brief harmonic toots on something that sounds like a tuba or a french horn with some other pretty wind instrument going "tra-la-la-la" at cues in between the lines of the verses and choruses.

Yes it would be cool if it was like I thought, but the evil goat had to presumably have bitten through it at some point. But I do know for sure that a very small piece of rope does sinisterly hang down from him trailing along the mountain side however ;)
While he starts to nervously resume his climb it's as clear as day and does look like it could be what's left of the rope after the goat has done his sneaky little snip-snip:D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

I was thinking about what William said earlier regarding my comment about how goats might tragically knock people off mountains in real life being part of their own in-built nature

But another reason a goat might do that is to defend his territory or it might be scared and trying to defend itself

With that thought in mind I can imagine how the other two pigs can be said to have brought their own hilarious fate upon themselves by their own un-natural actions after their best friend is pushed off.
Consider if the goat had noticed those three invaders approaching his home and came down to get them to stop climbing upwards to it. He bit through the rope and sent the first one tumbling down to scare the others into backing off. But they kept coming up.

That's very true Marty. And logically you're right, they would've kept climbing in silence, or they may have decided to stop and just go back down to be and mourn by their friend.

If they had gone back down to grieve the goat may have been satisfied but I can picture him thinking, "What? Still coming up to my territory? I'll strike another blow then." And chews through the rope again sending the second one tumbling down. As I pointed out before the shock of losing both his best friends in this way should have persuaded the last pig to try to climb back down to save his own life if at all possible. But he didn't.

Ha, that is a very good point you have, Marty. Going back down after losing his buddies would most likely be the natural, normal response for most. But then again... the Muppets were never quite "normal" were they?

They certainly were as far from normal as you can possibly get. And by this time the goat was probably so brazenly annoyed that the last pig kept climbing in the direction of his home that in a fit of rage he raced up ahead and shoved two great big boulders from his place down upon the last one. At least then he was able to relax in peace and solitude.
And certainly those muppet pigs were completely un-normal.
After all Caroline and I believe they enjoyed their experiences in the end ;) HA HA HA :D

[Skye]

They certainly were as far from normal as you can possibly get. And by this time the goat was probably so brazenly annoyed that the last pig kept climbing in the direction of his home that in a fit of rage he raced up ahead and shoved two great big boulders from his place down upon the last one. At least then he was able to relax in peace and solitude.
And certainly those muppet pigs were completely un-normal.
After all Caroline and I believe they enjoyed their experiences in the end HA HA HA

It does make sense for the goat to try to be defending its territory and/or itself. That could very well be why he just kept chewing through the rope the way he did.

I wonder... if they had found out the goat was there when the first pig went down, would they have continued going up or would they have hurried back down? After all, if they did indeed enjoy their experience, they still would've kept going, right? ;)

Hmmm... so, Marty? Since you and I believe they enjoyed their experiences so much, we've gotta be just as un-normal as the pigs were! :D Then again, quite a few Muppet fans could be described as that, huh? :crazy:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

It does make sense for the goat to try to be defending its territory and/or itself. That could very well be why he just kept chewing through the rope the way he did.

I wonder... if they had found out the goat was there when the first pig went down, would they have continued going up or would they have hurried back down? After all, if they did indeed enjoy their experience, they still would've kept going, right? ;)

Well obviously none of them enjoyed it at the time. The first one acted like he was uncomfortable being up such a great height before he fell. And his two pals (let's have a change from the words friends and buddies) said in effect, "We'd better watch where we step." They certainly didn't want to share their pal's fate, did they?

It's only our thought that they may have been able to survive and even could have enjoyed it in retrospection because muppets can survive being eaten by muppet monsters, being blown up by Crazy Harry etc. so why should the piggies demise have been any more or any less permanent in this instance?

Just imagine if they had made their way down whether they had realized there was a goat or not, their pal might have said, "It's all right. I'm alive. We muppets are exactly the same as toons. Drop a piano on our heads. Throw us down a cliff. Whatever. We always bounce back up."
"That's right." the others realize. "Let's go back. It'll probably be most thrilling."
"Yes it is. I'll come with you. This time I'll climb ahead so you two can get a turn before I go again."

it is always fun for muppets to go tumbling down a mountain like that...exactly, it was just another big, fun, exciting adventure the three piggies shared together


:D ;)

[Skye]

True. Or they realized how much fun it was on the way down. After their screams, they thought, "Hey, this is kinda fun!" And then when the last two landed, they were happy they were still alive and that their other pal (good word ;)) was still alive. And they probably had that great conversation that you came up with there, Marty, and just had to try and do it again! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

True. Or they realized how much fun it was on the way down. After their screams, they thought, "Hey, this is kinda fun!" And then when the last two landed, they were happy they were still alive and that their other pal (good word ;)) was still alive. And they probably had that great conversation that you came up with there, Marty, and just had to try and do it again! :D

I can almost feel sorry for the nasty, wicked goat. No matter how many times he butts them down or crushes them with boulders the persistent happy wandering pigs will just never leave his territory alone.
And before he realized it the poor, distressed animal had sent all his personal large rocks that had formed the basic structure of his home rolling right to the very bottom. He must have been driven completely insane:D

[Kiki]

Hey-ya Marty! I'm sorry I was so-totally late replying to this groovy thread but this is something funny I thought I'd share with you.

Pfft, call me crazy, but I ask my German teacher if she knew what 'valderie' meant. She acted vair vague about it all -since she's not actually German, she just teaches the language- but she *thought* it would mean kinda singing... if you know what I mean, like 'la la la' or something. Heh, just thought it would be something to share w/ you guys. ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Nice to hear from ya Katie. And thanks for sharing that.
It does sound like the explanation could make sense. Just singing Val-de-ri Val-de-ra in the same way we sometimes sing Tra la li Tra la la or Dooby Dooby Doo, Hum de Dum Dum or absolutely whatever;)

I'm so pleased you think my thread is groovy. Would you care to mention which of the silly, funny things said between me and Caroline (Skye) in particular may be your favourites perchance?:D

[Skye]

I can almost feel sorry for the nasty, wicked goat. No matter how many times he butts them down or crushes them with boulders the persistent happy wandering pigs will just never leave his territory alone.
And before he realized it the poor, distressed animal had sent all his personal large rocks that had formed the basic structure of his home rolling right to the very bottom. He must have been driven completely insane:D
Oh yeah, completely insane is right! Plus, say he's taking a little nap one day and suddenly bursting through the silence is "Valderiiiiii, Valderaaaaaaaa...!" Wooo, that oughta give you a start! ;)

It does sound like the explanation could make sense. Just singing Val-de-ri Val-de-ra in the same way we sometimes sing Tra la li Tra la la or Dooby Dooby Doo, Hum de Dum Dum or absolutely whatever
I think that's awesome! And it does make a lot of sense. Very, very cool thing to have in the song. Watch me start doing that now instead of "La, la, la's." ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

The Happy Wanderer

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.

My knapsack on my back.
I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song!"

I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev'ry green wood tree.

High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o'er the world we roam.

Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God's clear blue sky!





Have you ever noticed Caroline how out of the five verses of the Happy Wanderer the three that are used in the sketch have such a fittingly cute re-curring theme within them at every third line?
Quoting the pigs themselves as follows:

All three: And as we go, we love to sing

Remaining two: But just like us they love to sing

Last one: O may I always laugh and sing (heh heh);)

That is remarkably conveniently cute, isn't it?:D

[Skye]

You know, I had never noticed that before. But now that you mention it, you're so right... it is incredibly cute! This song has such a positive and upbeat feel to it, that message in those lines seems to come through very clearly, too. :D Of course, with that upbeat and positive feeling in this song, it's pretty ironic that there were so many unsure and nervous moments that the pigs felt in it. ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And thinking about the plurality of the verses compared to the traditional singular words if the other two pigs hadn't suffered any further misfortune or if all three of them hadn't fallen at all I suppose they would have sung the last verse thus:

O may we go a-wandering until the day we die
O may we always laugh and sing (with no heh hehs) beneath the clear, blue sky.

Maybe the pig on the end might have even gotten over his little fears by then. ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Speaking of the plurality as against the usual singular, recalling how I speculated that the sketch may have been just one climber originally I have an idea in my mind as to how that would have gone.

If there had only been one whatnot climber, pig or otherwise, he probably would have sung all three of the verses used happily while slowly climbing up to where the last of the three is squashed by the boulders. During the first verse he may have even carefully turned around to show off his back to the camera when he sang "my knapsack on my back."

And after reaching that spot up above and preparing to conclude his number he probably would have simply lost his footing tragically with no boulders or even said evil goat as he sang "beneath the clear, blue skyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

In this format it would have been an example of one of those seriously played Muppet Show numbers with a comedic end twist to it. I don't think they would have worried about trying to film him tumbling over and over at all. They would have just simply had him drop down backwards out of sight screaming out the final word of the song. Thereby leaving the sight of his long, dreadful fall up to the audience's imagination.

While this would have been enjoyable I think Caroline and most of everybody else will agree with me that we're very glad they expanded the idea out. What we do have is far, far better, Isn't it?:D

[Skye]

You have really cute ideas, Marty! I like how you came up with this here, and you're right... it could have worked with just one piggy climbing. I do think that it would've been kinda cool with this scenario, too. Though, having the three pigs and the evil goat is much more interesting and much more fun!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yes it is much funnier Caroline with the trio.
It's interesting though to think how it may have slowly changed to the format that was used from just one to maybe two. Having two of them singing merrily for one or two verses then one falling off. And the other one thinking out loud to himself as it were. "Uh-oh. I'd better watch my step." And falling anyway after his last verse or verses.
I can imagine the Muppeteers discussing this with the writer(s) saying things like:
But wouldn't the two of them have been tied together like climbers generally do?
Yeah. What happened with the rope?
Thus the inspiration for the goat. And finally the trio concept to make the dialogue more simpler and natural instead of one talking to himself and all the rest of it fell into place. :)

Pretty amazing, huh? :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You know, I had never noticed that before. But now that you mention it, you're so right... it is incredibly cute! This song has such a positive and upbeat feel to it, that message in those lines seems to come through very clearly, too. Of course, with that upbeat and positive feeling in this song, it's pretty ironic that there were so many unsure and nervous moments that the pigs felt in it. ;)

Precisely Caroline. The whole thing is a big ironically laughter-inducing tragic twist on what is supposed to be such a merry joyful happily cheery sort of song. ;)

Incidentally I have also wondered if the running gag of Wayne and Wanda in Season One may have subtily influenced the inspiration of this sketch as well. It is sort of like a drawn-out Wayne and Wanda song gag, isn't it?
Just imagine Kermit or whoever introducing the pigs the way Sam always used to introduce his favourite singing duo whispering as the curtain opens "You guys had better get it right."

And if Wayne and Wanda had been in the audience during the John Denver episode they could have said this between themselves afterwards:

Wanda: Well, we certainly couldn't have done better ourselves.
Wayne: Yes, at least they kept persistently trying their best to conclude their number despite their misfortune. And they did finish it. Anyway sort of.
Wanda: That's right. We never finished any of our unlucky numbers. And since there's only two of us we probably never would have made it through to the final verse.
:D

[Skye]

I can imagine the Muppeteers discussing this with the writer(s) saying things like:
But wouldn't the two of them have been tied together like climbers generally do?
Yeah. What happened with the rope?
Thus the inspiration for the goat. And finally the trio concept to make the dialogue more simpler and natural instead of one talking to himself and all the rest of it fell into place. :)
Yeah, totally. I love to think about how sketches came to be, and I think it's really interesting to think about how the Muppeteers and the writers came together to make magic like this happen! :D

That's a cool idea of yours that it would be like Wayne and Wanda! It's a very good possibility that they may have influenced our pigs' sketch here. And "Wanda" in your post had a very good point. It was helpful that there were three pigs... made them last longer! ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

As a thought for further discussion do you think the skit worked best with the pigs or could they have used human what-nots?
I don't think any other type of muppet would have been successfully usable except maybe the dogs at a rough pinch?

What do you think?

[crazed gonzo fa]

Not quite sure. I think it would have been funny with what-nots but it's great the way it is.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Funny thought just crossed my mind. If they had dressed up three what not dogs in happy wandering gear they might have made the screams sound exactly like doggie howls. :D

[Skye]

Well, I was going to say that having them as pigs is funnier, just because of the way they handled it and they did such a good job at making it awesome. But, I do love the dog idea, too! That would've been very funny, too. Though, I must admit that the screams of our piggies are very good and quite entertaining, too. :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Well the moral of the story is don't listen to horoscopes. As a Christian, I believe they're all rubbish and they cause more problems than they solve.

If that poor foolish pig hadn't been sucked into horoscope predictions he wouldn't have been so upset and maybe he might have noticed the goat and alerted his buddies and together they might have been able to fight him off.
However being distracted by his own fears the other two didn't know about the goat either until it was too late for any of them to do something to scare him off of attacking them. This is mere speculation of course. But he may have been intimidated by the numbers of a trio fighting him off and felt discouraged from sending the boulders down since he wasn't able to whittle their strength of arms down one at a time.


That's a very good moral Marty.

And that's a very good speculation. That certainly could have worked to fight the evil goat off. But maybe the goat still would've thought the boulders could take care of the three of them anyway.

I seriously think you are probably right about that Caroline. Especially if he was dead set keen on protecting his territory.

Actually I think it's rather funny to imagine the pig on the end turning around desperately leaning up against the mountain side during the chorus and crying out, "Hey fellas! A goat has just chewed through my rope and he's trying to make me fall! HELP ME!"
So his pals go to his rescue, the one at the very highest point reaching out and grabbing the back of his shirt collar and hauling back while the one in the middle lashes out at the goat with the pick he was using to help him climb while the three of them shout things such as "Get lost" and "Leave us alone"
The one on the end maybe even kicking at him alternately to their pal's pick.

And eventually when the goat apparently gives up and runs away the other two make sure their pal turns around slowly and carefully without losing his balance and they take the pieces of rope and tie them firmly together again making sure they are adequately secure. He is very grateful to still be alive because he had had a feeling something was watching them hence his nervousness. Anyway the middle one just finishes verifying the rope is secure again and is saying, "We'd better watch out for that goat while we're climbing from now on," when suddenly there is a strange sound.
"What's that rumbling noise?" cries the distraught pig on the end.
Then they all look up and scream as they see the boulders rolling towards them. And the three pals are all turned into ham pancakes on the mountain side. :D
And the evil goat is laughing with glee.

Yes that is a funny thought to me but I'm glad they didn't notice him. Else we would've lost two thirds of our musical comedy. ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

BTW For a little bit of trivia I've found out that you can sing the classic Christian hymn Amazing Grace to the tune of The Happy Wanderer.
I noticed this awhile ago when I was thinking about our fun sketch at work at St.Vincent de Paul's welfare center where I sometimes sing hymns as I work.
I pointed it out to my friend Lynnie Adams as I sang the lyrics

Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see.

Lynnie said it's true. The lyrics do fit the melody of Happy Wanderer spot on.
Then I told her and here's a suggestion for a good chorus (Amazing Grace itself doesn't have any chorus at all, but here's what I thought of)

Halleluh
Halleluh
Halleluh
Hallelujah,Hallelujah
Halleluh
Halleluh
Was blind but now I see.

Hallelujah means Praise God and fitted in well with the chorus Valderi etc.

Lynnie thought that was very clever of me ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

For another BTW this sketch has reminded me of a single picture gag I saw in a British comic once.
Three mountain climbers are ascending a mountain but you can't see the one on the end for his rope has come loose and he's screaming loudly YOOOOOAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
The middle one is looking down but the one up front doesn't even turn his head but says with a big smile. "That's very lovely yodelling Jack." :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You know, I'm imagining your wolf scenario, and they should've put something like that in the sketch! That would've been pretty funny, too. Like, the wolf down at the bottom gathering up the pigs, and then an "Uh-oh" or something before he runs off and then the boulders hit. Of course, the sketch is wonderful as is, but that added thing could've been very entertaining!


And you know my friend, when I was recently thinking about this past post you made it dawned on me exactly how morbidly dark this would have made the humour of the sketch in the end.
I mean think about it. The big, bad wolf with the first two pigs motionlessly slung over his shoulder and he throws the last one over his shoulder too when he lands licking his chops and saying "Yum Yum Yummy."
Thus implying that they truly had fallen to their doom and were now lifeless bodies.:eek:

But naturally the Wolf crying out '"Yikes" and running off with them a split second before the boulders landed would have provided some sort of light relief to conclude on.
It would have been later on perhaps that many of us realized that the Big, Bad Wolf had escaped with his life to enjoy making a tasty feast out of the Three Little Pigs. ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Part of me does feel a little sorry for those three pigs. Murdered by that cold-hearted goat up in the alps.
Well, maybe they weren't murdered, maybe they got sent to a well furnished rest home and decided happy wandering was highly overrated!

I know what we've been saying about them enjoying what they went through, however if heralde is correct in his/her speculation about them, then in that case I know what they were thinking.
They probably moved into the rest home all in perfect agreement that they'd go happy wandering again the day that pigs might fly.
And I'd bet they wished that pigs really were able to fly when they were climbing that mountain to begin with;)

[Skye]

..."What's that rumbling noise?" cries the distraught pig on the end.
Then they all look up and scream as they see the boulders rolling towards them. And the three pals are all turned into ham pancakes on the mountain side.
And the evil goat is laughing with glee.

Yes that is a funny thought to me but I'm glad they didn't notice him. Else we would've lost two thirds of our musical comedy.
Oh yeah, that would've been quite entertaining too, and the goat still would've been very, very thrilled! :D But, it's much cooler being the way it is now, of course!

That's really weird that Amazing Grace can be sung to our Happy Wanderer song! It's cool, but it's very weird, haha. It's great that you sing hymns while you're at work sometimes, by the way. Very cool that you were able to discover this little fact with Lynnie! And it certainly was very clever of you! :D

That's a very cute sounding gag from that British comic you saw, too! Haha, it's funny how we can have so many different things that remind us of this silly sketch!

But naturally the Wolf crying out '"Yikes" and running off with them a split second before the boulders landed would have provided some sort of light relief to conclude on.
It would have been later on perhaps that many of us realized that the Big, Bad Wolf had escaped with his life to enjoy making a tasty feast out of the Three Little Pigs.
Exactly, that light relief at the end is what I was thinking about. Hah, I didn't think about how we might realize later that he went off to enjoy that tasty feast, but hey, if Muppets really do survive everything, then maybe he carried them off and they managed to get away somehow. The possibilities of that are endless! ;)

And I'd bet they wished that pigs really were able to fly when they were climbing that mountain to begin with
Ha! I love that, Marty. And it's so very true! And I had forgotten about that speculation of heralde's, but that is a very entertaining thought also. Hey, who knows... we couldn't see it, so maybe the pigs started to fall, but then they started floating back up and realized they could fly! Hey, with the Muppets, anything can happen!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Thank you once more Caroline for all your entertaining replies to my posts.

I thought I'd share my thoughts about when I first saw the sketch. I would have been either 10 or 11 years old at the time when I first ever saw the John Denver episode. I remember how much I was completely taken by surprise by our sketch in question.

First of all when it first began I didn't expect anything to go wrong in it at all. I thought to start with that it was only going to be a straight song and was actually not terribly enraptured in it. I was even starting to not watch it with my eyes off the screen just listening to the soundtrack. But when I heard the first pig screaming I quickly jerked my head back towards the television and as I watched the other two pigs and heard what they said I realized what had happened. So afterwards my eyes were glued to the sketch but I still didn't expect anything unfortunate to befall the others. I was thinking to myself, "Now the other two will be all right for the rest of the song because they're being extremely careful." But I was wrong again.:eek:

So naturally after seeing two of them take a plunge I thought well then the mountain will claim them all. And was I taken aback when the last one didn't fall. But then the boulders put paid to him. I can certainly identify with somebody else who once told me that sketch kept tricking you all the time when you initially saw it. :confused: And in fact it wasn't until I was grown up towards the end of my teenage years that it conclusively dawned on me about the implications of the sneaky goat appearing at the end. Well I was a bit slow, wasn't I? But I was so young that's probably why part of it went over my head. But still I always loved the sketch after that.

In fact I was so obsessed with it that I even wore a tape or two recorded off of television out replaying it over and over.:o

Anyway Caroline. Does your memory of how you felt and what you thought when you first saw it compare any significantly to my account? And if anyone else would like to answer as well I'd be keen to find out your thoughts.

[Skye]

Oh yeah, Marty, I agree that since you first saw it when you were so young, that was probably the reason that the evil goat thing went over your head.

Well, since I first saw it when I was quite a bit older (I mean, really, I just saw it for the first time back in July of this year), my memory of seeing it is slightly different than yours. When it first started watching it, I also expected nothing to go wrong, and I was having a good time watching and listening to the piggies singing. And then the first one fell, and I pretty was surprised, but when that wore off a bit, I started laughing and laughed at what they said after it as well. So, then when they started singing again, I knew something else was going to happen, but I'm not sure if I figured the others would fall, too. So then the second one fell, and I laughed. And then, the third one was so nervous, that I thought it would be anti-climactic if he did fall at the same time as the other two. So, when he didn't, I wasn't too surprised, and then the boulder came, and the goat showed up, and I was pretty entertained, I must say. The goat being there did surprise me, but I loved it! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Yes Caroline. It is amazing how people can react to things in different ways, especially depending on whether they are still kids or grown-up at the time.

I was speculating about how you never noticed the nervous displays of the first piggie until I pointed it out to you and I suppose it could easily be subtily missed at a first viewing. This is because the pig on the opposite end has his snout turned towards the upwards direction at the same time so maybe it's intended to be camouflaged by the pattern of him looking up, him looking down and he between them just looking straight at the camera. It probably is a subtil, gentle hint as to what will happen during the song if the viewer takes time to notice the scrunched-up snout when they all look towards the camera. They might have wanted to leave it open for people to pick it up or not so there'd be a mixture of surprise and suspicion to start with.;)

But it is a clever touch that they somehow presented that pig as truly singing happily at the same time as his moment of unsureness, isn't it?:zany:

[anythingmuppet]

Hey all!

Y'know, I just saw this skit yesterday and I didn't like it too much, I thought it was kinda dark. I mean, the pig falling, and the screaming, eww...lol But it was cute, and the goat was like a sadist or something...he enjoyed killing the innocent hiker pigs..

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You're right Nick. It is sort of dark and sadistic but it does have a certain touch of cuteness at the same time. Good to hear your honest opinion.
Thanks for replying to my thread. :)

[Barry Lee]

I wonder who originated the song.... :zany:

[Bill Bubble Guy]

The Happy Wanderer

I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.

Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.

My knapsack on my back.
I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song!"

I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev'ry green wood tree.

High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o'er the world we roam.

Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God's clear blue sky!


Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann,
Und mir steckt's auch im Blut;
Drum wandr' ich flott, so lang ich kann,
Und schwenke meinen Hut.

Refrain 1:
Faleri, falera, faleri,
Falera ha ha ha ha ha ha
Faleri, falera,
Und schwenke meinen Hut.

Refrain 2&3:
|: Hei-di, hei-da, hei-di, hei-da!
Und schwenke meinen Hut. :|

Das Wandern schaffet frische Lust,
Erhält das Herz gesund;
Frei atmet draußen meine Brust,
Froh singet stets mein Mund:
Refrain:

Warum singt Dir das Vögelein
So freudevoll sein Lied?
Weil's nimmer hockt, landaus, landein
Durch and're Fluren zieht.
Refrain:

Was murmelt's Bächlein dort und rauscht,
So lustig hin durch's Rohr,
Weil's frei sich regt, mit Wonne lauscht
Ihm dein empfänglich Ohr.
Refrain:

D'rum trag ich Ränzlein und den Stab
Weit in die Welt hinein,
Und werde bis an's kühle Grab
Ein Wanderbursche sein!
Refrain:


************************************************** ****

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Happy_Wanderer


Here is a link for information on the song The Happy Wanderer,in the site Wikipedia.Hope this info. helps you out.

*exits post*

Barry you might find the link provided by JaniceFerSure of great interest

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Here's a little story I've been thinking about.


The manager of the Alpine Lodge Hotel looked up from his desk as a trio of pigs entered the front door walking up to his reception desk taking off their knapsacks. "Can I help you?" He asked politely.
One of the pigs with squinty eyes and a large snout said "Hi. My name is Gerald. My two best buddies, Dick and David are hiking around the country with me together and we'd like a room to stay in for a couple of days' rest."
"Certainly piggies. I can put you up in a nice room. Are you going to hike up any of the beautiful alps surrounding our little town here?"
To his surprise the pigs started to get nervous and shake.
"Uh no. We only wander along the foothills in the valleys when we hike, or just very low hills. The last time we went up into the alps themselves somewhere we fell off one by one."
"What? It seems incredible to me that the three of you can possibly still be alive after that occurence! How could you have possibly survived?"

The pigs settled down and Gerald explained to the manager.
"We still don't know exactly what happened to this day, but we could have been killed for sure. We were strangely fortunate. We were singing together happily as we were climbing when suddenly David's line somehow came loose and he fell. Dick and I both thought he was a goner for sure. But it turned out a family had set up camp at the base of the mountain and the children had a trampoline right at the very bottom. They were just about to jump on it themselves when David came landing on it with a scream and bounced up and down for five minutes scaring them."
"Goodness me." The manager was amazed by the story so far and David nodded his head to assert it was true. He told them to please continue.
So Gerald went on, "So Dick and I were getting worried about meeting the same fate ourselves and we climbed higher singing some more paying close attention to our footing and I held up the rope to verify it was firm and secure but inexplicably it came loose again and poor Dick went tumbling down after David. Back down at the bottom the children's parents were alerted to their crying and were demanding to know what was going on when Dick fell upon the trampoline also and startled them as much as their children."
The pig named Dick added, "We can't understand what happened to our climbing rope and we don't know how we fell but David and I both felt like something hit us hard in the back of our legs knocking us off." David nodded agreement and the manager's eyes were almost popping out of his head in astonishment.
"And what about you?" He asked Gerald.
"Well. I was pretty upset since I had no idea what was going on and I was so nervous and apprehensive that I was trembling with every step I took and I was so relieved at not falling when I reached the same moment in the chorus of my song at which my buddies had fallen. But then I was pushed down the mountain by two huge, solid boulders that came rolling from out of nowhere."
"Oh me! Oh my!" The manager could barely believe the story.
"Yes it's true." Gerald asserted, "And I almost was killed but David and Dick had fervently pleaded with the family to leave the trampoline in place for the sake of me, their very best friend and so I landed on it. But as I was bouncing everybody cried out when they saw the rocks and as the parents grabbed their children, my best friends grabbed me and quickly pulled me off the trampoline and away to cover just before the boulders smashed it to pieces."
David added "We had to pay the family the cost of the trampoline or go to court, so we paid them. But in the end we were just so happy to have miraculously survived our ordeal and we have never been able to set foot on another mountain track since it happened a week ago."
The manager said that was a very amazing story and gave the piggies their room-key and had a porter take their three knapsacks up the elevator with them. He didn't really believe their story. He thought they were spinning an elaborate yarn, and so silly and far-fetched too when he noticed a goat come to the reception desk next carrying a suitcase.
"Hello. Can I help you? He asked.
"Yes. I live way up in the alps twenty miles away from here." said the goat. "I thought I'd try to get a room here for a few days so I could have a holiday here in your alpine town."
"Certainly Mr.Goat. Do you have a nice home in the alps?"
"I sure do. Though I had to deal with some invaders last week. They were disturbing the peace singing rowdily. But I fixed them between bumping two of them off and using a couple of heavy boulders to dispatch the last one."

[crazed gonzo fa]

Great fan-fic Marty! Thanks for sharing!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You're very welcome cgf
Incidentally can you or anyone else guess the significance in my naming the three piggies Gerald, Dick and David? ;)

[Skye]

Ha! That's a geat story, Marty! I love it! :D

But it is a clever touch that they somehow presented that pig as truly singing happily at the same time as his moment of unsureness, isn't it? :zany:
That's very true. And, with everthing going on, it really makes the viewer pay close attention to everything that's going on in the sketch, which is great.

Y'know, I just saw this skit yesterday and I didn't like it too much, I thought it was kinda dark. I mean, the pig falling, and the screaming, eww...lol But it was cute, and the goat was like a sadist or something...he enjoyed killing the innocent hiker pigs..
Aw Nick, yeah, it is kind of a dark little sketch, but I do think it's fun to watch. And weird. And, ya know, we're all a little weird around here... just different kinds of weird. ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Nick likes my story though Caroline. He's glad the lil' porkers as he called them in his message to me are okay:D

[Skye]

Yay! Heh. I'm glad Nick likes it, too. You did do a great job of takin' care of our little piggies in that story, Marty! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

BTW I sort of have Jerry Nelson to thank for the inspiration of my little story.
Ya see in my last PM to him I was talking about this sketch and told him because they had always done such a great job of making us believe that the Muppets were real I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the piggies since they lose their lives in the sketch.
And he replied to me saying they weren't killed at all. There was a trampoline at the bottom of the mountain and they just bounced themselves even sillier than ever.:D

If you ever read this Jerry thank you very much. I hope you are feeling much better now and I hope you like my story and my overall thread.:)

And once more. Does anyone realize the subtil little joke I made in naming the piggies Gerald, David and Dick?
Jerry Nelson was one of the Muppeteers voicing and performing them in the sketch. The others were Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt. This is a hint to the answer to my question. Can anybody guess?;)

[redBoobergurl]

Well....I know the answer because you told me, but I want to see if anyone else gets it. ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Thanks Beth.
And it's lovely to see you post here for the first time. :D

[redBoobergurl]

Happy to get involved in this thread about such a delirously funny skit! I don't know why I haven't posted more. Anyway, I'm still leaving it up to others to guess the answer.....

[Ilikemuppets]

I loved that story! I thing if they made the skech with just one pig and a bloder smashed into hin five seconds in, it would be perfect. They would close the curtain and Kermit would have to probably come out nervously and tell the audienc there somk kind of tecnical difficulty or delay or somthing. I think it would be hilairious that way! HAHA!

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Apart from you Beth I have only shared the answer with Snowthy. Everybody else, think hard about it and see if you can work it out. ;)

And I'm glad you liked my story William. And your idea sounds funny to me also. Poor Kermit would be almost a nervous wreck what with all the many technical difficulties that had already happened on TMS before this particular one. heh-heh :D

[furryredmonster]

Thanks for giving me the link to this, Marty! I really enjoyed it.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You are most welcome indeed Kendra.

[Ilikemuppets]

I think I know, but I can't figure out the last part?

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Keep thinking about it William. Maybe you and Caroline could discuss it together by PM if you're still apart and figure it out between yourselves.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Not quite sure. I think it would have been funny with what-nots but it's okay the way it is.




Well, I was going to say that having them as pigs is funnier, just because of the way they handled it and they did such a good job at making it awesome. But, I do love the dog idea, too! That would've been very funny, too. Though, I must admit that the screams of our piggies are very good and quite entertaining, too. :D

As amusing as my idea of the dogs is I must admit I don't think they would have been likely to have seriously considered it. I do know that out of all the Muppet animal what-nots the pigs were by far the easiest to use in most numbers, because they were able to wear clothes and perform most naturally in human-like situations.
So like cgf said it would have been funny with human what-nots but I do agree with what you say Caroline. Using the pigs in such a masterfully handled human situation sketch does make it even funnier. And you're right. They did make it awesome:D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And once more. Does anyone realize the subtil little joke I made in naming the piggies Gerald, David and Dick?
Jerry Nelson was one of the Muppeteers voicing and performing them in the sketch. The others were Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt. This is a hint to the answer to my question. Can anybody guess?;)

Just thought I'd drop a gentle little reminder in case people forgot with the last post I made. I'll shut up in this thread for a little while and see if somebody likes to try to tell me the answer:D

[Skye]

So, I've got a weird little story for y'all! At this point, the weather where I am is very icky and icey and slippery (I hate it). And last week as I was leaving, my dad said to me, "Watch your step!" He rarely ever says that! And I just smiled when he did because all I could think about was this crazy thread and the silly sketch. Of course, I did manage to focus and actually watch my step while I was thinking about those things, too. ;)

And, about Marty's question, I have stumbled across the right answer, so I shall post it! The piggies were named after their respective Muppeteers: Gerald for Jerry, David for Dave, and Dick for Richard! Wonderful job naming them, Marty! :D

[Bill Bubble Guy]

Congratulations Caroline and thank you for your compliments :)

That is a very cute story. I suppose those of us who are fanatical about this sketch will always be reminded about it whenever we hear that "Watch your step" phrase. I'm glad you were able to focus on doing it as well Caroline. It would probably have been nasty if you'd slipped.
Nowhere near as bad of course as it was for the piggies.
Where mountains are concerned Watch your step has by far the most serious connotations, doesn't it?

Well at least there was no evil goat to knock you over onto the ice while you were trying to watch your footing ;)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

And, about Marty's question, I have stumbled across the right answer, so I shall post it! The piggies were named after their respective Muppeteers: Gerald for Jerry, David for Dave, and Dick for Richard! Wonderful job naming them, Marty! :D

Incidentally I even almost named the evil goat Francis after his Muppeteer, Frank Oz. But I decided it really wasn't necessary.