Once again, mid-70s Sesame Street quietly blows my mind. This time it's an animated sign language alphabet sequence with beep bop boop vocal and electronic music soundtrack by avant-garde icon Joan La Barbara.
K2 is picking up a lot of sign in her pre-school, and she's trying to learn her letters, too, but upper case, so the all-lower-case thing here really doesn't do her as much good as the signs, which she is fascinated by, and very intent on learning. Which I guess means I can see how this segment might be sub-optimal, pedagogically speaking. But I'm still sure the last thing these hands signed before they were snuffed out was "E-L-M-O."
Sesame Street - Signing Alphabet (1977) [youtube via barry]
Previously When Sesame Street was cool enough to have Philip Glass animations
OH MAN!!! I was just watching that EXACT sequence this a.m. with my daughter, and wondering who the genius artist was... I was leaning toward Laurie Anderson. But Joan La Barbara is good....very good...