Sesame Street recently aired a wonderful Downton Abbey spoof, Upside Downton Abbey. In the wake of the dead-on parody, I thought it appropriate to take a look at a few (there are many) examples of Sesame Street far exceeding the quota for kid’s show hipness. An experimental filmmaker with sharp, dark wit, for which puppetry was only one shard of his multifaceted career, Jim Henson, I think, would be proud.

1982 Richard Pryor’s Alphabet

1989 Cereal Girl

1995 Fur Jam: Don’t Waste the Water

2008 Feist Sings 1-2-3-4

2009 Mad Men

2011 Spider Monster the Musical

2012 Ok Go: Three Primary Colors

And, as promised —

2013 Upside Downton Abbey

I hear Birdwalk Empire was pretty great, too. I haven’t seen Boardwalk Empire,  so I don’t feel at liberty to comment. Let me know your favorite Sesame Street spoofs and guests in the comments!