Pinball Number Count



The Pinball Number Count is a series of animated skits that debuted on February 22, 1977. Each entry follows a ball as it goes through an extravagant pinball machine, while The Pointer Sisters chant a counting song. The lyrics essentially count up to the number twelve, with each segment focusing on a different number.

The segments were animated by Ernie Fosselius for Imagination, Inc. The music was composed by Walt Kraemer. Episodes were made for numbers two through twelve; a segment for number one was never produced.

Segments

 * 2
 * 3
 * 4
 * 5
 * 6
 * 7
 * 8
 * 9
 * 10
 * 11
 * 12

Remakes and References
The 2000 Sesame Street home video Let's Make Music features a segment with Elmo and Telly sitting on the stoop of 123 Sesame Street singing the song accompanied by cast members of the musical Stomp using push brooms as instruments. This led into the 12 segment, which had pinball sound effects added.

A tribute song by Stephen Lynch called "Jim Henson's Dead" was released on his 2000 album A Little Bit Special. In it, Lynch incorporates the tune and lyrics from the song into a myriad of other Henson and Muppet references.

The Dead Hensons, a San Francisco Bay Area band, covered "Pinball Number Count" and have performed the song in concert.

In 2003, DJ Food produced a remix of all of the sketches and released it on an EP, Solid Steel Presents Sesame Street. The record label, Ninja Tune, also released the video remix on the DVD ZenTV. The remixed track was included in Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music and the remixed video as a bonus feature on What's the Name of That Song?.

In 2004, a techno-style video/audio remix of the song, cut together with footage from the Beatles animated feature Yellow Submarine was released on the Internet by a UK group called Braces Tower.

The 2005 Family Guy episode "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz" features their own remake of the cartoon with character Stewie encased inside a plastic ball in place of the pinball.

Album releases

 * Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music (DJ Food remix)
 * C is For Cookie single (DJ Food remix)

Video and DVD releases

 * The Great Numbers Game (#12 segment)
 * Let's Make Music (#12 segment)
 * What's the Name of That Song? (DJ Food remix, as a DVD bonus sketch)
 * Shalom Sesame: Passover (in Hebrew, #10)

Although it is mentioned in the packaging for Old School: Volume 1, it is not actually included in the set. However, a special collectable animation cell is planned to be included on Old School: Volume 2.