Stand up and complain! ('Sesame Street' Wednesday)

Because this is Wednesday, that means we have to make sure the day gets Sesame Streeted in a big way.

Remember when 'Sesame Street' put out its first feature film? I'm talking about the 1985 classic 'Follow That Bird'. Now, I was a little too old for the ol' Ses in 1985, but I managed to catch 'Follow That Bird' years later when a local TV station aired it one afternoon.

One of the most memorable scenes in this movie was the opening song, performed by Oscar the Grouch. "The Grouch Anthem" implored folks to "stand up and complain!"



It's good advice from the ol' Osk, I'll admit. Sometimes, you have to "stand up and complain" just to be heard. I only wish I had done it more in life.

Something really is wrong with everything - except the way Oscar sings!

While I was watching this part of 'Follow That Bird' on TV many years ago, a neighbor in the same building must have been watching it too, because I heard the guy tell the kid that his mom was like the ol' Osk. "There's your mom on TV - Oscar the Grouch," the man declared.

Also notice how at the end of this clip, the animated Big Bird apparently seems to think the air pump is a control to detonate dynamite. He seems surprised that all it does is inflate a giant letter.