Ike and the Ilk

First Appearance	Episode 0464
Broadcast	February 1, 1973
Additional Appearances

King Morris tastes the "ilk."

"Ike and the Ilk" is a Sesame Street story read by Maria and starring the Anything Muppets in season 4, full of words beginning with the letter M.

The story begins with the miserable King Morris who loves to eat, but finds everything in the palace is yucky and boring. He issues a proclamation to the kingdom, asking the subjects to bring him some new, exciting concoctions. First, he is presented with some melted meatballs in molasses, which King Morris already has every Monday. Next, a maiden brings him a tray of marshmallows, macaroni, and mustard, but King Morris eats that every other morning.

When all hope seems lost, suddenly a young boy named Ike passes through the throne room with a glass filled with a strange white fluid, which he calls "ilk." King Morris halts Ike's expulsion and has him bring the glass over so that he may sample it. He finds the drink very tasty, gleefully exclaiming "Mmm...ilk!" He can't just say "ilk" anymore without thinking of how tasty it is, so they decided to combine the sounds to make it "milk." King Morris also renames Ike as Mike, who suggests King Morris take on the title of "King Morris the Merry." Maria wraps up the story by applying the letter M to the book cover to reflect the ending.

Production

• Written by Emily Perl Kingsley
• Music by Joe Raposo

Cast

• Frank Oz as King Morris
• Jim Henson as the king's attendant
• Jerry Nelson as Ike, herald, and young lady
• Richard Hunt as man

Releases

Audio

• Sesame Street Story Time (1978)