"Zapper jiffy squincher scrum, make me into Thelma Thumb!"
"The Adventures of Thelma Thumb" was a series of animated segments on Sesame Street, first introduced in season 9. Designed to teach pre-science concepts, the series was produced by John Korty using his Lumage system, which utilized fabric cut-outs.
The central character was Marcia Middlewell, a seemingly average girl who harbored a secret alter-ego. When accidents appeared inevitable or other trouble spots occurred, Marcia would spring into action. With the utterance of her magic phrase, "Zapper jiffy squincher scrum, make me into Thelma Thumb!", she would shrink to the size of a salt shaker and fly to the rescue. Thelma's size allowed the segments to examine objects and places from a unique perspective. Also featured was Marcia's pet magpie, Cyrus, designed by Brian Narelle. As with other Korty shorts, the dialogue was partially improvised by San Francisco-based actors; Judith Kahan supplied the voice of Marcia/Thelma, and James Cranna was Cyrus.
The segments remained in rotation on the show through season 14, but they still occasionally surface in the Netherlands, on Sesamstraat. Marcia Middlewell/Thelma Thumb is renamed Marijke/Selma Duim and voiced by Marijke Merckens. Cyrus, now Kobus Kraai, is voiced by Sesamstraat voice veteran Paul Haenen. In Spain she was renamed Espita Gorgorita/Pepita Pulgarcita, and in Germany she was called Däumelinchen (Thumbelina).
Sketches[]
| Picture | Summary / EKA | Description |
|---|---|---|
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In the Dark Episode 1171 |
A friend of Marcia's is in danger: he's riding his bike at night without lights. Thelma asks the fireflies for help. |
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Thelma Meets Cyrus Episode 1174 |
Thelma meets Cyrus the magpie, who, after getting covered with yellow paint, had been mistaken for a canary and locked in a cage in a pet shop. Thelma rescues him and becomes his friend. |
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Binoculars Episode 1178 |
Thelma looks for a pair of binoculars that Cyrus has lost. |
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Ant's Picnic Episode 1183 |
Marcia readies a picnic for herself and Cyrus, when she sees her cheese being absconded by some ants. Turning into Thelma Thumb, she discovers the ants are using it as a sideshow in a carnival. Thelma has some fun, until she finds Cyrus has been eating the carnival (thinking it was their picnic). |
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Giraffe Episode 1254 |
A giraffe in the zoo has swallowed a whistle. Thelma flies inside the giraffe's throat to find it. |
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Stolen Bikes Episode 1311 |
All the children's bicycles are stolen. Marcia asks Cyrus to watch her bike, but the thieves steal the bike and kidnap Cyrus. Thelma locates the thieves, locks them up in the garage, and calls the cops. |
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Broken Ship Episode 1312 |
A ship is about to crash on the rocks: there's a bolt missing from the helm. Thelma flies inside the engine to find it and repairs the ship. |
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Wrecking Ball Episode 1313 |
Thelma rescues a nest of baby sparrows from a building that's about to be destroyed with a wrecking ball. |
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Fallen Bridge Episode 1314 |
Marcia and her friends are looking for D words, and Cyrus brings them a "DANGER" sign from a fallen bridge. Thelma must put the sign back before the school bus tries to cross the bridge. |
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Trapeze Episode 1389 |
Thelma rescues an acrobat in the circus when the trapeze breaks. |
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Bees Episode 1393 |
A beehive is disturbing a little girl in her treehouse, so Thelma convinces the bees to move their hive to another tree surrounded by flowers. |
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Airplane Episode 1423 |
A boy’s toy airplane’s controls break. Thelma comes to the rescue by steering the plane. |
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Beach Crab Episode 1438 |
At the beach, a man’s hat falls onto a crab, who crawls into a boy’s sandcastle. The man wants to destroy the sandcastle to get his hat back, but instead Thelma asks the crab to return the hat. |
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Lost Baseball Episode 1465 |
During a baseball game, a kid's baseball falls into a rabbit's hole. Thelma travels through the hole to get it back. |
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Piano Episode 1482 |
During a piano recital, a string snaps. Thelma flies inside the grand piano to hold the loose ends together. |
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Fire Episode 1507 |
Thelma rescues all the animals from the pet shop when a nearby shoe store catches on fire. |
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On Thin Ice Episode 1510 |
Thelma saves an ice fisherman when the ice around him cracks. |
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Construction Episode 1513 |
Thelma saves a little girl's kitten that has wandered onto a long, high beam at a construction site. |
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Soapbox Racer Episode 1516 |
A soap box racer loses its front wheel. Thelma comes to the rescue by pulling the racer. |
Credits[]
- Director/Producer: John Korty
- Designer/Writer: Brian Narelle
- Art Director/Set Designer: Harley Jessup
- Editor: Michael Rosenthal
- Animator: Amanda Bereny
- Ink and Paint: Kevin Richardson
Sources[]
- Jessen, Taylor. Final Cut-Out: The Making of Twice Upon a Time. Animation Blast #9, 2006.