Comments on: Computer Taste Goood!

Computer Taste Goood!

amyms — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:58:43 -0800

The Computer Monster (YouTube, approx. 4 minutes). Also known as "The Coffee Break Machine," the original version was created for IBM, in 1967, by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, as part of the Muppet Meeting Films series. The posted version is a remake that was performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Via The Presurfer.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:33:40 -0800

That's hilarious! Thanks!

By: evilcolonel

evilcolonel — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:35:21 -0800

Not a great leap to suggest that this is the prototype for Cookie Monster. (In fact, just before Sesame Street's debut, an even more Cookie-like monster appeared in some commercials for Munchos chips.)

By: JHarris

JHarris — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:49:00 -0800

The primary purpose of -beep- Jim Henson and his collegues is to inspire profound creative insecurity in the minds of all other comedy -beep- writers and performers.

By: IronLizard

IronLizard — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:55:26 -0800

Well, lets not forget the original computerized cookie monster, while we're at it.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:06:44 -0800

Prototype? Hell, Computer Monster was Cookie Monster's DAD! His mom is Shopping Mall Monster.

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:40:01 -0800

The best part of this video is the technological-sounding descriptions. My favorite - "data existentialism."

By: not that girl

not that girl — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:32:03 -0800

The primary purpose of -beep- Jim Henson and his collegues is to inspire profound creative insecurity in the minds of all other comedy -beep- writers and performers. I don't know...my kids recently brought home The Best of the Muppet Show from the library and one of the episodes had a version of this sketch on it, with that one big fluffy monster. I wonder how many times they recycled it? Of course, it did make the kids laugh like lunatics.

By: JHarris

JHarris — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:36:42 -0800

Actually the Muppet Wiki makes it clear that they recycled many sketches, but they had so many sketches built up over the years that it is still quite impressive. Even Mahna Mahna, which everyone remembers and made the rounds three or four times, didn't get spoiled by overplay. And the primary advantage of kidhood is being able to laugh like a lunatic.

By: MtDewd

MtDewd — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:35:22 -0800

My favorite IBM training film was Bob Newhart interviewing Herman Hollerith about his new punch card system. Bob is a patent clerk and is trying to tell Herman how punch cards will never catch on.

By: MtDewd

MtDewd — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:38:44 -0800

#12 in my link.

By: revgeorge

revgeorge — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:05:20 -0800

JHarris: "Even Mahna Mahna, which everyone remembers and made the rounds three or four times, didn't get spoiled by overplay." No, but Mahna Mahna is either spoiled or even better when you find out it (according to Wikipedia) "debuted as part of Umiliani's soundtrack for the Italian softcore pornography movie Svezia, Inferno e Paradiso (Sweden, Heaven and Hell) (1968), a pseudo-documentary film about wild sexual activity and other behavior in Sweden."

By: JHarris

JHarris — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:26:20 -0800

revgeorge, my vote is for "even better."

By: homunculus

homunculus — Tue, 01 May 2007 19:11:32 -0800

C for Cookie