Arlene Sherman took over from Edith Zornow as producer at Sesame Street. They had acquired a song from Huey Lewis, which they turned into a parody of their song, “It’s Hip to be Square”.
Originally Sesame was going to have the muppets featured in it, but they were over-scheduled and Arlene asked us if we could do a music video in animation and finish it in very limited time.
Of course we jumped at the chance!
I knew how we could do it with animated shapes made of Pantone paper (the PMS color system). For our realistic backgrounds we enlisted photographer Gil Ortiz who shot the background stills along the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We shot the playground in the very windy and cold Riverside Park --so cold that there were no kids in the playground, but that's perfect for creating backgrounds.
The other designs were influenced by the Memphis Milano movement of the time. We had a full crew to cut the shapes and ink their features and limbs on cels.
1990 ASIFA-East for design
For Sesame Street
Producer Arlene Sherman
For Buzzco (from memory, excuse me! If you were there please email me!)
Directed by Candy Kugel and Vincent Cafarelli
Animated by Vincent Cafarelli
Designed by Candy Kugel
Produced by Marilyn Kraemer
Photography Gilbert Ortiz