The Daily Ping

A little while back, Paul linked up the classic “Manamana” video from The Muppet Show (itself, actually, a remake of an earlier sketch). I remembered the main muppet from the sketch from an awesome Sesame Street video:

I was surprised to find that there’s also a version available at half-speed, which is surprisingly enjoyable. It’s the “Chopped & Screwed” version, if you will:

And, to balance things out, the video at double speed:

Despite my mini-obsession with Sesame Street, I didn’t know the name of this most excellent muppet. Apparently, his name is Mahna Mahna on The Muppet Show and Bip Bipadotta on Sesame Street (although are officially separate characters, despite singing the same song). He has quite a history:

Bip Bippadotta is a character on Sesame Street who is the counterpart of Mahna Mahna from The Muppet Show. Although both characters are most well known for performing the nonsense song “Mahna Mahna,” they have always been portrayed by different puppets and considered separate entities.

When “Mahna Mahna” is performed on Sesame Street and related albums, the song is actually called “Mah Na Mah Na,” with lead vocals provided by a character also called Mah Na Mah Na. This character, a Reddish-Magenta Little Anything Muppet, was the prototype for Bip Bippadotta. Unlike his counterpart Mahna Mahna, who premiered on The Ed Sullivan Show at roughly the same time, Mah Na Mah Na wore a sweater, and had dark brown hair and standard Muppet eyes. His back-up vocals were provided by Green and Purple Anything Muppet girls, who sing “pa tee, pa tee pee” instead of “do doo, do doo doo” like the Snowths who usually accompany Mahna Mahna.

Also, I’d like to note that Jay Who? sampled “Manamana” on “Phenomenon” from his new (and freely available) album, The Light In Da’ Addict.

Posted in Childhood Memories, Television, Movies, and Music