Yip-Yips
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YipYip.jpg
Yip-yip martians
The Yip-Yips are interplanetary visitors, presumed to be from the planet Mars, that used to be terrified by things like clocks, telephones and computers on Sesame Street.
In their skits, these creatures, with squid-like tentacles, large eyes, and antennae, materialize into a room and say, "Yip-yip-yip-yip... Uh-huh. Uh-huh," in monotone voices. They often come across common objects and, curious as to their names and functions, the Yip-Yips will consult a book presumably containing information about things on Earth. In one skit, for example, the Yip-Yips call a computer a television and a typewriter before deciding what it actually is.
They are "yip-yipped" by multiple muppeteers including Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Martin P. Robinson.
Interestingly, on Plaza Sésamo, the Spanish language version of Sesame Street, the Yip-Yips say, "Yip-yip-yip-yip... Baja. Baja." Baja means "short."
Skits
- 1971: Yip-Yip Aliens: Telephone
- 1972: Yip-Yip Aliens: Grandfather clock
- 1975: Yip-Yip Aliens: Radio
- 1989: Get Along, a song with Kermit, a cow, the Yip-Yip aliens, Twiddlebugs, and greasers
- 1990: Yip-Yip Aliens: Faucet
- 1990: Yip-Yip Aliens: stars, moon, pigs, earth
- 1995?: Yip-Yip Aliens: Family
- 2004: Outerspace Friend, a song with Telly
Merchandising
Around the time of the 35th anniversary of the program, licensors finally started to notice and recall the characters. Light switch plates, action figures (Palasades Toys), t-shirts, and stuffed toys were all suddenly created of the characters.
External links
- Yahoo Groups: The Yip Yip Club (http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/yipyips/), incidentally the World Wide Web's largest Sesame-only group, by number of members.