There Once Was a Hand is a series of live-action segments that appeared on Sesame Street, beginning with Episode 0007. The segments were produced by Clark Gesner.
The films are set in front of a blue wall and feature two silent, sentient disembodied hands. The first film in the series, narrated by Skip Hinnant, introduces the left hand. He is unhappy because he cannot make a noise by himself. He is satisfied when he meets the right hand and learns to clap. The subsequent films open and close with flute music and do not feature narration.
The films appeared from Season 1 until Season 14.
Segments[]
| Picture | Summary / First Appearance | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
There Once Was a Hand (Features) Episode 0007 |
Skip Hinnant narrates the story of an unhappy hand who wishes he could make a noise. |
 |
Wall Episode 0649 |
The hands try to communicate with each other by making sounds from opposite sides of a wall. |
 |
Strong Episode 0668 |
The right hand plays with a ping-pong ball and tricks the left hand into thinking an egg is one. |
 |
Feather Episode 0699 |
The right hand tickles the left hand with a feather. |
 |
Ball Drop Episode 0862 |
The left hand hears a ball falling from above at a great distance (indicated by a whistling sound). He catches the ball, ponders where it came from, then drops it. The ball's long descent continues until it lands with an enormous thud. |