African Alphabet

Written by	Joe Raposo
Date	1987
Publisher	Jonico Music, Inc.
EKA	Episode 2404

Sesame Street African Alphabet

Kermit and the Anything Muppets sing "African Alphabet."

Live-action version with Paul Simon.

"African Alphabet" is a Sesame Street song performed by Kermit the Frog and a group of Anything Muppets voiced by the South African a capella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The AM group is made up of five different patterns: Fat Blue, Lavender, Pumpkin, Purple, and Reddish Magenta. The creatures of the savanna, including numerous frogs and birds, sing along as well.

Rather than simply recounting the letters of the alphabet, the song tells a short story in which each word begins with a consecutive letter of the alphabet.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo also performed the song with Paul Simon, this time appearing as themselves on-screen. (First: Episode 2480)

A worm parody of the group, "Wormsmith Black Mambazo," sang the song in a 1996 episode.

Notes

• The Paul Simon version was taped on May 4, 1987 and was directed by Jon Stone.

Releases

Audio

• Jim Henson: A Sesame Street Celebration (1991)
• Sesame Street Celebrates! (1994)
• Sesame Street Best (1997)
• Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music (2003)
• Lyrical Letters (2014)

Video

• Shalom Sesame: Passover (1990)
• The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street (1998)
• The World According to Sesame Street (2006, excerpt)
• 40 Years of Sunny Days (2009)
• ABCs with Elmo (2010)

Special

• Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music (1990, with added narration by Jon Stone)
• The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990, clip)
• The Street We Live On (2004, brief clip during timeline sequence only)

Online

• SesameStreet's YouTube Channel Kermit's version: (YouTube) Wormsmith version: (YouTube)

See also

• Kermit's Sesame Street Songs