We Are All Monsters

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Sesame_Street_-_We're_All_Monsters_(1990,_long_version)

We Are All Monsters is a Sesame Street monster song written by Tony Geiss and Stephen Lawrence. The monsters sing about the differences of themselves even though they are still in the same species. The music features the following four Furtones:

Clancy - Green Monster (Frank Oz)
Elmo - Red Monster (See "music/sound variant" section)
Harvey - Blue Monster (Jim Henson)
Kermit the Forg - Timberwolf Monster (Richard Hunt)

March 28, 1980-1994, 1997, 2003

Nicknames[]

Monster identities, The Monster identity song, Same, but different monster, Monster interests, Fur colors, Genetic differences, Monster anatomy analogues

Music Video[]

On a daytime sky background, we see Harvey wondering around for three seconds and then he assumes that it looks like him even though he has the same eyebrows and nose color albeit different before Elmo arrives and Kermit the Forg states they're all monsters although they have differences. They start dancing and getting in a line to tell what color are they in order. After that, Harvey asks what is the difference anyway and the three monsters come back and sing "We're All Monsters". They separate and inform the genetics of themselves while the monsters walking in a U turn. After Kermit leaves, Elmo comes back saying it never matters at all and then the monsters and shout "We're All Monsters" again before going back to dancing and stating opinions what they like to do. They come to a minor closeup at the camera and tell them they get along together and then they run to the far point of the perspective. At a closeup view, each monster mentions about different facial features and appearances as the camera pans to each one of them. Before the song wrapup, they say that their together and they're all monsters getting into a closeup view. They start running around, making noises, run back to the far point and go together in a horizontal line to march to the camera. They duck and then pop back up at a closeup view of it wondering around.

Variants[]

On most episodes, the beginning is cut off and starts at the moment where Harvey mentions about their appearance between the monsters.
The abridged version also appears on the two Sesame Street home videos including Monster Hits! (with audience cheering) and Elmo Says BOO!. On the second home video release with this version of the song, the ghost pushes the screen leaving the last frames with the Monsters near the camera unviewable.
In the 1980's and early 90's, the black mini lines that rapidly push back and forth on the left side of the screen were present on the footage as it was taken from a video master. It was later suppressed and cropped off, and the hue and contrast were adjusted giving more green to Harvey's horns and Elmo's fur yellow tinting as well. Aside from Elmo Says BOO!, the variant appeared on Play with Me Sesame.

Music/Sounds[]

A majestic fanfare with bass for the entire music video. A descending piano slide notes are heard once on the fanfare after the monsters line up.

Music/Sounds Variant[]

On the original english version of the song, Jerry Nelson performed Elmo with a deep, gruff voice, but starting in the 1990's Kevin Clash's voice was recorded to redub Elmo's lines since he became the show's major character. On Youku prints? of Play with Me Sesame, obvious echoing starts when the music plays.
On the german dub variant, the music has xylophones, cymbals, and horns played instead of the usual instruments on most of the foreign (including Polish and Japanese dubs) and english audio variants.

Availability[]

The song has appeared on a few Sesame Street episodes.

The first Elmo dub variant (which hasn't been discovered on TV in years) is near extinction, and never had any home video releases. Home video releases do not have this dub as well. however, the uncropped variant of the music video where it originally had Jerry Nelson's dub was included on Monster Hits! but this time Elmo's voice was redubbed with Kevin Clash's lines.
The full length variant of any dub has a low chance of appearing on the show's episodes except that the full german dub variant can be seen on Sesamstrasse.
It also appeared on Play With Me Sesame.

Trivia[]

We Are All Monsters and Frazzle were updated in the 1990's for certain episodes and two video compilations (featuring both on the same home video releases) giving this monster song the re-dubbing of Elmo's voice done by Kevin Clash and Frazzle the ripped paper marks around the circle that teeter totters everytime he growls with his expressions.