MADtv

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MADtv is a comedy/sketch show loosely based on MAD Magazine, though in later seasons, the program generally dropped its association with the magazine. MAD TV generally features an off-the-wall, at times, risque style of parody humor. As of 2007, it is in its twelfth season on the FOX television network.

The show has featured several sketches parodying Sesame Street.

Big Bird Gets the Flu

• Episode #1108
• Air Date: December 10, 2005

The sketch starts with an opening theme tune similar to the Sesame Street Theme, accompanied with footage of children crossing a bridge and in a playground. The opening theme would also be used for later spoofs as ones mentioned below.

Next, it cuts to Big Bird's nest area, where we see a parody version of Big Bird sitting in his nest, feeling sick. Two kids, played by MAD TV cast members Crista Flanagan and Bobby Lee, walk up to him and ask him what's wrong. Big Bird tells them that he feels sick, but the girl (Flanagan) says he should feel relaxed since he's gotten back from a long vacation. Gordon (played by Keegan-Michael Key) walks in and asks what's going on, and the boy (Lee) tells him that "Bird" (as they refer to the Big Bird character in the entire sketch) has gotten ill after returning from a long vacation.

Gordon asks Big Bird where he went, and it turns out that he was with his relatives in Southeast Asia, which leads Gordon to realize that Big Bird had gotten the bird flu. When Big Bird asks what it is, Gordon and the kids then start singing and dancing to a song entitled "Avian Influenza Virus Genesi", which has a similar tune to Big Bird's "ABCDEFGHI" song and is about the dangers of the disease.

After the song has ended, a sketch starts with silhouetted faces of a man and woman on a blue background sounding out words while the letters are seen onscreen (a reference to The Electric Company). The words they form are "flu", "fever" and "fatal."

Back at the nest area, the girl decides that a big hug will cheer up Big Bird. Gordon tries to stop her from doing so, but he is too late because Big Bird has just sneezed on the kids, infecting them. Gordon panics and runs off, screaming "This is bad! This is bad!"

This cuts to another sketch, with Cookie Monster (with a big, flat head and yellow nose) walking behind a brick wall which holds a plate of chicken. Cookie notices the chicken, which at first doesn't want to eat (because he isn't called called "Chicken Monster") but then changes his mind ("Who me kidding? Me eat anything. Me compulsive eater!"). Cookie gobbles up the entire plate until he starts to feel cold and faints, as the chicken has been infected with bird flu. This cuts back to the nest area.

The girl notices Bob (played by MAD TV cast member Frank Caeti) coming in pushing a wheelbarrow full of dead Muppets: a boy, a girl, two anonymous gray and brown monsters and a small red monster with eyes on his head, known to all as Elmo (without his nose). The kids walk up to him, and Bob tells them that they have to leave right now. The boy asks him what's going on, and Bob says that he doesn't want the kids to see what's in the wheelbarrow. The girl looks at the cart with sorrow as Bert, Ernie and Grover (not seen) have died. Elmo, lying in the cart, is giggling and blurting out "Tickle me!" until he coughs and falls backwards dead.

Big Bird asks Bob if he's responsible for what has happened, to which he says yes, and opens a nearby trashcan to dump the dead Muppets into while singing "Everyone's Infected in the Neighborhood" (to the tune of "The People in Your Neighborhood").

When Gordon comes back, he calls everyone to back away as he pours a can of gasoline onto Big Bird. "Hey, that smells funny!" says Big Bird. Gordon then asks if anyone has a lighter, to which the boy says he does and hands it to him (Gordon also gives him a rather strange look). Gordon is about to set Big Bird on fire, but before he does, he reminds him that he is sorry about what is about to happen. Big Bird says his last words: "Well, I guess that's it for me. Goodbyeee, kids!"

This cuts to a blue background with the letter P coming towards the screen and a Grover voiceover is heard. The sound of fire erupting can be heard in the background, indicating that "Bird" is being burned up.

Grover: "Sesame Street is brought to you by the letter P...for Pandemic!" (The word "Pandemic" appears on screen)

The sketch ends with a shot of a red curtain seen on The Muppet Show, where Statler and Waldorf appear.

Waldorf: We're gonna get letters on that one!

Statler: As if anyone who watches this show can write!

Statler and Waldorf both laugh

Donald Trump tears down Sesame Street

• Episode #1115
• Air Date: March 4, 2006

Construction workers are taking apart Big Bird's nest. Big Bird (the same version from the previous skit) tries to stop them from doing so. The kids approach and ask him what is going on. Big Bird (still called by everyone as "Bird") tells them the situation and the boy asks him if it's because his nest is dirty, to which Bird says yes since he "does everything" there, but there's no reason why they should tear down his nest.

Gordon comes in and tells them that he's sold Sesame Street, and now everyone has to move out (not only did the sketch's incarnation of Gordon actually own the street as Big Bird realized, but his grandfather did as well back when it was "all colors"). Now it looks like everyone has to pack their bags and leave, as Gordon suggests, and he and the kids break into song to the tune of C is for Cookie.

Gordon: "E is for Evicted, that's just the way things are."

Girl: "H is for Homeless."

Boy: "We'll be living in a car."

Gordon: "M stands for 'move it,' and U stands for U-Haul! Look out, kids, here comes a wrecking ball!"

The song is interupted when Gordon and the kids see a wrecking ball swoop out of nowhere and hit Big Bird in the head, as it cuts to black and we hear a cartoon clanging sound effect.

Then it cuts to an Ernie and Bert sketch. Ernie is seen packing up his suitcase and as Bert approaches, he tells him that it looks like they will have to find a new place to live, but it turns out that Bert will be staying at Grover's place in Chelsea. "Room for one more?" Ernie asks. "No, it's a studio," replies Bert, and adds that they will "be on top of each other as it is."

Ernie is disappointed, because he and Bert have always been together. Bert says that they were, but now that the apartment will be gone, so will he, and walks off without his paperclip collection. Ernie then starts singing a heartbreaking song to his Rubber Duckie(to the tune of his signature song) until the same wrecking ball that hit Big Bird earlier swoops in and hits Ernie. The overall bit is another reference to the rumors made about the duo.

Cuts back to the nest area, where the girl is wrapping a bandage around Big Bird's head. Gordon says that he will find some aspirin, to which the boy says he has in his pocket. When he hands Gordon the aspirin, Gordon makes the same "strange look" on his face as he did when asking for a lighter in the previous sketch. Suddenly, Elmo gets runover by a limo. Donald Trump approaches and apologizes for running over him as he (Elmo) "didn't cross the lane". Gordon tells the kids that Donald is the one who will be tearing down the street, and replacing it with a Starbucks coffee shop. The girl tells him that if he does, they will no longer have a place to live. Big Bird then adds that he's already a millionaire. Donald corrects him that he's a billionaire, and starts singing "I Love Cash" (to the tune of "I Love Trash"). His hairpiece (a puppet) joins in the song as well.

After the song has ended, Gordon remembers that he has to send an eviction notice to Luis at the Mail It Shop, but as soon as he walks in, Luis (not seen) shoots him. Gordon tells Big Bird and the kids that they must run for their lives as Luis (or "the crazy Puerto Rican man," as Gordon calls him) has gone mad. Luis continues firing gunshots while the kids run away but Big Bird is still in his nest, looking for a way out.

The sketch ends with a light blue background with the Sesame Street logo being censored by the "Registered Letter" accompanied by the theme instrumental. Grover (voiceover) announces that, "Sesame Street is brought to you by the Registered Letter, informing you that your property has been sold to a thatch-haired real estate mogul."

MyPlace.com

• Episode #1206
• Air Date: November 4, 2006

At the nest area where Big Bird and the kids are, Big Bird notices Billy (the boy) text messaging a friend he has made on the internet on "MyPlace". The girl explains that it's a site where you can "meet new friends". Billy then gets a message from his friend, whose screenname is "Dr. Fuzzyballs1964". Gordon comes in and the kids tell him what's going on. And that Billy's "buddy" wants to meet with him today. Gordon, however, has doubts about this person, as he is unsure of how much Billy knows about this person, but Billy says that all he knows is that he is into fashion and seems to know a lot about computers, as "he can only use one hand to type". Gordon thinks this could mean trouble, and he leads Big Bird and the kids into singing "Watch Out for the People on the Internet", warning about the dangers of meeting strangers online. This is set to the tune of "The People in Your Neighborhood".

This cuts to another spoof of the "silhouette faces" sketches from The Electric Company. The words the man and woman form are: "MyPlace", "message" and "molester".

Back at the nest area, Billy meets his online buddy, who unbeknownst to him is actually Bert disguised in a trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses. Bert then notices that Billy looks much older than 13. "Uh, yeah. Because I'm a smoker", replies Billy. As soon as Billy leaves to change his clothes, Bert is approached by Chris Hanson from Dateline NBC.

Chris Hanson: Are you "Dr. Fuzzyballs1964"?

Bert: (laughs) Uh, yeah. That's an old fraternity nickname

Hanson: What fraternity?

Bert: (thinks up a lie) I...Felta...Thigh

Chris then questions him about a "photo" that he sent to Billy. Bert tries to act innocent, but then a man shouts "Everybody get down!" and two members of the force then run in and tackle Bert. Big Bird and the others rush in to see who the culprit is (Big Bird: I always knew there was something sketchy about him!) Bert then makes up an excuse that he is an alcoholic and that Mr. Hooper molested him, hence which is why he did what he did. Gordon tells him that they're not buying any of this, and so he, Big Bird and the kids sing "Going to Prison", to the same tune as "Doin' the Pigeon" (You're going to [Bert: Boo-hoo!] Prison! You're going to [Boo-hoo!] prison!).

The sketch then ends with a blue background accompanied by the theme tune instrumental, and Grover announcing that "Sesame Street is brought to you by the letters (letters flash on screen as he mentions them) A, O and L". It then cuts to the Sesame Street logo censored by a computer with the MyPlace website, and Grover concludes "...providing chatrooms to all ages for over a decade"

Sesame Street: Dirty Bomb

• Episode #1211
• Air Date: January 20, 2007

Big Bird is in his nest, feeling queasy and glowing green. The kids notice him in pain, and Billy notices him getting a few bald spots. Big Bird also points out that he has also laid a hard-boiled egg, yet he's a male bird. Gordon comes in and the girl tells him the situation. Gordon then explains that what Big Bird is suffering from, as he states "that Russian secret agent died of", is radiation poisoning. Big Bird asks him what it is, and this leads to Gordon and the kids into singing "Radiation Poisoning" to the tune of "Rubber Duckie"

After the song and dance number is over, it cuts to an emergency room in a hospital, where Kermit, who has also been infected with the radiation, is lying in bed singing how it is "quite easy glowing green" in the tune of his trademark song Bein Green (NOTE: In this bit, Kermit looks more like an iguana rather than a frog and he is green and yellow. His trademark eyes and pupils are also missing). He dies after he quotes "the doctors hope I taste like chicken".

Back at the nest area, the hazmac team are searching around a trashcan on top of a few crates, where they detect where the radiation is coming from: the trashcan, in which Oscar pops out of. Gordon asks him what's going on, and Oscar explains that he was making a dirty bomb. Billy tells him that he too made a dirty bomb once after "eating scallops and chocolate milk". Gordon corrects Billy that a "dirty bomb" is a weapon of terrorism. But (as the girl inquires) Oscar isn't a terrorist, he is just a grouch. He then claims that he was making it for somebody else.

The person enters, and it's Elmo (dressed in a terrorist outfit. This version of Elmo is different than the one that appeared in the first two parodies). Elmo asks Oscar if he's got the dirty bomb, but also realizes that he's surrounded. Gordon asks him why he even needs the dirty bomb. Elmo corrects him that he's now "Elmo TMX" and that he's an extremist. Elmo then announces that he will take over Sesame Street and turn it into Elmo's World. Elmo is foiled when Gordon points out that the "hazmac guys" are also police officers, who then arrest Elmo.

Big Bird notices that Oscar has been close to the radiation all this time, and wonders why he hasn't been infected. Oscar then answers "I've got a kick-ass immune system! I've been living in my own crap for thirty years. That's why!"

The sketch concludes with a blue background accompanied by the theme instrumental, and the Sesame Street logo blocked by the . Grover announces that "Sesame Street has been brought to you by the letters (letters flash on screen as he mentions them) K, G, and B. (All letters come onto the screen, forming 'KGB') Killing people in creepy ways for the last fifty years!

Tickle Me Emo

• Episode #1303
• Air Date: September 29, 2007

A commercial parody featuring an "emo" version of Tickle Me Elmo.

Connections

• Nicole Sullivan, a regular cast member for the first six seasons, appeared in the Sesame Street video All Star Alphabet.