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| Music by | Friedrich Wilhelm Möller |
| Lyrics by | Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller (German), Antonia Ridge (English) |
| Date | ca. 1953 (English) |
| Source | Obernkirchen Children's Choir Parlophone recording |
| Publisher | WB Music Corp. |
"The Happy Wanderer" is sung by three hiking pigs (performed by Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, and Dave Goelz) in episode 401 of The Muppet Show. Unfortunately, every time they sing the third "Val-dera" of the chorus, something bad happens. The first two pigs fall over, but then the third pig gets hit by a bunch of falling rocks, which were sent down the mountain by a goat (performed by Frank Oz).
A variation of the song was performed years earlier by Rowlf the Dog and Jimmy Dean on the season two finale of The Jimmy Dean Show.
References[]
- The song is later referenced in another Muppet production featuring John Denver, the 1983 special Rocky Mountain Holiday, when Animal sings "Val-deri Val-dera" as he treads through the forest carrying everyone's packs.
- In a Sesame Street sketch where Cookie Monster helps the Two-Headed Monster choose a vacation local (between the mountains and the seashore), one head sings part of the song when the mountains are mentioned.
- Big Bird sings a bit of the song while packing in Sesame Street Episode 2977.
- The chorus of the song scores a scene in "Elmo's World: Shoes" when Dorothy imagines Elmo hiking up a mountain.