Don't Go In the Basement

Surreal images in this song from Sally Cruikshank's FACE LIKE A FROG, 1987, written and performed by Danny Elfman and oingo Boingo, under pseudonym.

[@sallycruikshank]

I was making studio rounds with a feature film idea that went nowhere, but the potential producers knew Oingo Boingo, and included them as part of the pitch for the movie. And I met Danny, and he was just getting started with soundtracks. He told me Oingo B. used to use my film "Quasi at the Quackadero" as an opener at some of their shows. He offered to score this cartoon for me. Such a very nice guy and so incredibly talented.

[@sallycruikshank]

@kaza12345678 No, different worlds.

[@sallycruikshank]

Danny was very friendly and inspired. He was just getting started with computer created movie scores and enjoyed the experiment I think. I love the music. It was hard for me to mix it down so the dialog could also be heard.

[@googull2201]

If I want to write you a letter where can I send it? Hello. Thank you for all youve done, so much

[@sallycruikshank]

@@googull2201 You can always write me thru Etsy.

[@earthspiritsong]

@@sallycruikshank hey. Maybe you can help solve a little puzzle. We have been playing this song in our band for funzies. One of the last lines is a bit hard to discern. You might think that it's deluxe to ride the elevator filled with..... Ducks?

[@sallycruikshank]

@@earthspiritsong ha, yes, have fun!

[@flutterverse]

@@earthspiritsong i thought it was filled with bugs, all this time!

[@KevlarNinja]

I like how he spends a full minute saying to not go in the basement and then just goes in there himself.

[@sallycruikshank]

kind of goofy isn't it?

[@xylopiano3]

Matt Lipton I love the evil grin on his face when he goes in. He's plotting something...

[@michaelkamaal3941]

Matt Lipton he was telling us, "Do as I say." He is a creature that can survive in the basement.

[@DriveInFreak]

@@sallycruikshank HA! Hi there.

[@rickmartinez3268]

Worth hearing this song

[@lurchyboysings]

Brilliant! I remember this from Liquid Television, on Channel 4, late night, here in the UK. It always stuck with me.

[@sallycruikshank]

That's great. Sorry the video quality isn't better.

[@aparicion8677]

I love how crazy the backgrounds are when the chamaleon is on the screen, despite the chamaleon himself avoiding using the color changing.

[@sallycruikshank]

Intriguing comment- I wonder why I didn't change his colors. thanks. thinking about it.

[@reneezancewoman]

I was happy to find this today. It's a childhood memory I shared with my late brother. We used to randomly sing the song for years. I feel like he tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me of it today. I ended up an artist and he a filmmaker. We were drawn to creative things and we loved this.

[@sallycruikshank]

I'm glad it's made you happy and really sorry for your loss. Stay inspired.

[@sallycruikshank]

I was supposed to have a meeting with him one time long ago but when I got to Paramount Studios it was on fire! Meeting was never rescheduled!

[@MatthewTheWolf2029]

I remember this song SO WELL! I know this came out in 1987, but I saw it for the first time on MTV's Liquid Television in 1995.

[@goldenmolelover]

i have no idea if this was intentional, sally, but i love how much the singing lizard resembles danny.

[@UberBeavis]

This is a beautiful combination of the art of animation and music. As a huge Oingo Boingo fan, I had bootleg tapes of the music from this, but it was considerably later that I actually got to see the animation.

[@sallycruikshank]

Thanks so much Matt!

[@pollytubluver]

this makes me so incredibly happy!!!!! It’s my two favorite artists ever! I love oingo boingo and danny and sally your work is absolutely incredible!!! I really have no words to describe how happy your art makes me and I wish you only the best

[@sallycruikshank]

Pixel, Such a wonderful message to read early in the morning when everone else is still asleep in the house. Thank you!!

[@erainmartinez8175]

Good song

[@sallycruikshank]

I went to an Oingo Boingo concert and sketched Danny performing. As I recall it was sort of random, but it was all a long time ago.

[@mikeyg9958]

I love the fleischer inspiration this has.

[@PaquiChipSkylar]

Beautiful, and just a hint of scary.

[@sallycruikshank]

+Howie Benatovitch Thank you, Howie. Just the effect I intended.

[@VickyCrescent]

Omg i am so shocked

[@TheSketchyartist3]

Danny Elfman's style of music works very well with animation as surreal as this. Like how Cab Calloway provided the music for some of the Betty boop cartoons. You can't find animation like this nowadays.

[@sallycruikshank]

I actually saw Cab Calloway in person, at a jazz nightclub in Hollywood, in the early 1980's.

[@Thewritingelf]

Sally Cruikshank That's so awesome !!

[@ShaneMcGraw]

I saw this on MTV's "Liquid Television" in about '91. Love it.

[@sallycruikshank]

yes, that's right, thanks.

[@annidee]

OK, thanks, I was trying to remember if I saw it on TV or rented a video from Tower Records(video)..

[@TastySurrealBowl]

Me too. I had an old worn out cassette of this that I found today and wondered if anyone might’ve posted this. Thanks for posting!

[@sherylmos461]

My husband and I have been trying to remember enough about this to look it up for years! Thanks so much for posting!

[@sallycruikshank]

It's always fun when you find something you've been trying to track down for a long time. All of a sudden with AI Bing you can ask the vaguest question and often get the right answer. Not necessarily a good thing but sometimes very helpful.

[@sallycruikshank]

Minnie the Moocher is one of the all time greatest pieces of animation, I think, song within the Betty Boop cartoon "Snow White."

[@zarachastellaris9016]

Minnie the moocher is also referenced in the Disney song "Codfish ball"!

[@DarkwingSnark]

I think about this piece a lot, honestly. Not only because of the song, which is a banger, but because the shape language of the characters is so pleasing. I find the unapologetic use of colors especially inspiring-- and something I use a lot in my own work. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but the ghost scene always makes me think of the animation of 'Minnie the Moocher'. The ghost surrounding the character, and the fluidness of it in particular. It's also another warning song, of sorts, which adds to the comparison.

[@DarkwingSnark]

YOU KNOW, I just had to scroll down to see that you mentioned Minnie the Moocher! WHOOPS.

[@sallycruikshank]

Thanks for this interesting comment. Of course I was influenced by "Minnie the Moocher" but intrigued by your comment about both being warning songs- hadn't thought of that before.

[@Tinhuviel]

Cab Calloway was a big inspiration to Danny Elfman. I always loved this, and the opening credits to Ruthless People. Top animation!

[@bustedkeaton]

i want a tattoo of him crawling while on fire ahh i just love this whole cartoon

[@sallycruikshank]

+N Kemp Ha! Just looked at the video, geez it looks so much better on the dvd! KZbin quality is bad!

[@bustedkeaton]

+Sally Cruikshank i know! i always pull up this video to show people the lizards design, but i go to the vimeo upload if i want someone to like really "see" it. i was hoping id get the dvd for christmas, but Ill be buying it for myself soon. i love your paintings on etsy too! ill have to save up for one.

[@johnatandelacuso4174]

Beautiful surreal. As a huge admirer of such creativity and ludicrous imagination I felt right at home with this beautiful animation. It was so fluid and yet so chaotic. I really admire all the effort you put into making this artistic creation. Marvelous, simply marvelous

[@scarletweb2106]

Sally your animations are so amazing

[@lunnbrunn9601]

After falling down an Oingo Boingo rabbit hole for the past couple of weeks, I've only just managed to discover this piece of absolutely stellar animation. Face Like a Frog is so, so great, I can't wait to check out more. Sally, thanks for providing another rabbit hole for me to dive down!

[@sallycruikshank]

Leave bread crumbs for the way out!

[@lunnbrunn9601]

@@sallycruikshank I’ve been spreading your art across my small network of friends here in the north of England, so the rabbit hole has gotten pretty cosy and comfortable! I can’t say that we’ll ever leave, thank you again for being so groovy ☺️

[@sallycruikshank]

@@lunnbrunn9601 So nice!

[@CalamityCain]

I friggin' LOVE Danny Elfman. The guy's a genious. 5/5* and faved. Thanks for the upload.

[@Xayida]

I remember when I saw this on Mtvs Liquid Television! Thank you!

[@fuzzman02]

A timeless masterpiece!

[@sallycruikshank]

thanks thanks!!

[@justinbarnett9476]

So awesome! I remember exactly when I saw this on Liquid Metal. It’s been in my head for almost 30 years it’s so catchy.

[@sallycruikshank]

Thanks, I hope that's a good thing!

[@emmagottlieb9379]

17 people should've listened to the purple lizard.

[@waxeater112]

danny elfman*

[@whutzat]

I always sing this....now I can finally show ppl where I got it from!!!! Thank you so much for posting this vid! :-)

[@axotrax]

I saw this at the Rialto at some animation festival, maybe around 1989 or 1990. Totally amazed at this sequence, I turned to my girlfriend and whispered, "was that...Danny Elfman?" No internet to speak of then. So happy to find this (and share with my kids).

[@sallycruikshank]

That's nice, that's really nice.

[@TheBabashee]

Saw this on Image Union, Chicago, ca.1988. Looks even better now!

[@Highland804]

Love this so much...both the artwork and the vocals/music.

[@raggedyanarchist]

I used to play in a band who played this one as a sound check song. The ghosts with the adenoid voices always make me laugh. :)

[@sallycruikshank]

Love reading about the band and the sound check!

[@andrewskey3379]

Saw a clip of this online and thought the voice sounded familiar. Glad to have found another Oingo Boingo gem.

[@MDthornton83]

I remember this song. I haven't seen it in years. But I still remember seeing this in like MTV back in the 90s. The song is quite addicting.

[@somethingpithy8547]

I really enjoy this! The motion of the lizard is wonderful.

[@sallycruikshank]

Hey thanks!

[@sergioesparza1626]

I remember loving this song and cartoon back when I was younger and just discovering the whole indie animation scene on KZbin. Finding this again at 2 in the morning gives me a super nostalgic feeling for a time when things seemed more cool, mysterious, and exciting to me.

[@sallycruikshank]

Sergio, that is a really wonderful and intriguing comment. Thank you!

[@Garfeef]

these feel like long-forgotten primordial memories which almost feel older than I am oh my god is this where I was before i was born

[@sallycruikshank]

mysterious comment!

[@Shablagoo69]

Im obsessed with the character design! Such a unique animation! :]

[@Ren_J]

PLEASE TELL ME I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO REMEMBERS THIS BEING ON LIQUID TELEVISION OFF OF OLD MTV!!!

[@sallycruikshank]

No, we lost touch. He became quite a famous guy working all the time. I did the cartoon @ss backwards, animating a big part of it before I had any voices. That's why they don't say much. The frog dude is the voice of Dick Miller, who appeared in many of Joe Dante's movies.

[@hmack718]

I am so glad to have found this piece again - I think I first saw it on WGBH Boston either as a stand-alone or part of one of their animation anthologies. I'm even happier to see that it's here on KZbin legit from the creator herself. Thank you Sally! Oh and don't think we didn't spot the ducks from Fun on Mars crowding on the elevator!

[@sallycruikshank]

You're welcome. Glad you found it.

[@StarPir1315crittersandmore]

The music and images are so full of rhythm. It is an enjoyable video.

[@Tinhuviel]

Oh yussss. My dad introduced me to the 'toon back in the early 70s. He was a huge Calloway fan, so it was important to pass on. Nice to "meet" you! I always thought you were fan-flipping-tastic. :)

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

Oh my god. Saly? Oh my god....your work is part of the reason why I got into art and this is, like, one of my all time favorite pieces of animation. Thank you so much for inspiring me. Art (and music, because this got me into all sorts of 'weird' music) has saved my life more than a few times. Literally. You're part of the reason I'm still here and your work helped give me a safe place to go to whenever all the abuse I went through was too much THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART

[@MobiusBandwidth]

haven't seen this in years, never forgot it though, thank you so much Sally, you're awesome!!!

[@ianmcdonald6617]

The short and others on this channel relay inspire me in animation. Thanks Sally!

[@wickedfeylady]

I just love it. You have a lot to be proud of, Sal. I think the lizard really does look a little like Danny and slinks around the way he would onstage :)

[@pdswimmervid]

yeah, thanks. saw this delightful insanity on tv in 1989. have remembered since...

[@KrzysiuNet]

I think it really great about YT. See famous people actually discussing things, being normal people. When you watch TV or see art in gallery there's a glass wall. You can enjoy it, yet there's feeling me vs them. They - artists, writers, creators. School aslo teaches us to see them as a godlike figure. And hey, creators of art are important, but putting them so high causes that many people wouldn't ever try to create something. I think that presence of persons like Sally Crikshank or Vince Collins is very important for uncursing it, for making people see that they can try. I wonder how many people actually tried, but never published their work because they think they never be like god-alike artists. PS: It's not against artist. They create wonderful things and we just think of them much better - that's perfectly normal, but have said downside.

[@strange_imagination_]

Holy crepes, I hadn't thought of it that way before! This is a very good point!!

[@AloSingapur]

Sally your work is awesome!. This mixture of ingenuity and irony running through your characters, the spaces in which they move, a wealth of details and the stories... that create this special atmosphere and above all HOW MUCH STYLE!!!! thanks for your great art!

[@scarletweb2106]

The song is so amazing!!

[@24Sidhe]

Gosh, Sally, tx for the prompt reply! I stand corrected & will have to pay up, lol. Hubby Al loves your stuff too--am familiar w/your Sesame Street stuff as well (Beginning, Middle, & End a particular fav)--keep up the wonderful work, hope all is well w/you & yours...

[@sallycruikshank]

Well this comment actually makes me blush. It took years and youtube for this cartoon to find its audience.

[@sallycruikshank]

It's from a cartoon I made called "Face Like a Frog" also with soundtrack by Danny Elfman. It's on youtube or on a dvd I sell, along with lots of other animation I've done.

[@sebanderson]

Did anyone else notice the "free phones" sign? Not something I'd expect from a video made in 1987

[@tacoblocko]

This, and Voltaire's Brains song in Billy and Mandy are the best things ever.

[@sallycruikshank]

thanks

[@funkadesipeople]

Am I mis-remembering? Seeing this at a Film Fest in 1988, I SWORE it got exponentially crazier because after these warnings, we got to see what the basement world was like. Hmmmmm.

[@sallycruikshank]

maybe you're thinking of my film "Face Like a /frog." This song is only a part of the film.

[@shoz-i7o]

I love this song, I played it on my radio show last night from KZbin!

[@sallycruikshank]

glad you're all enjoying it- thanks for your comments.

[@Jemmcanna]

I have said this to you before, You are a "National Treasure". I have purchased from you long before there was a KZbin. May you live long and smile.

[@hollywoodartchick]

Such a distinct and exciting aesthetic. Lots of fun to watch. Must have been fun to make.

[@eleaonorduchamp6102]

Yes, Rockoooo!!! Good song... amazing animation!

[@MarthaRoseQuartz]

Eleaonor Duchamp Yep.

[@PatrickRsGhost]

This feels like it was partially the inspiration for "Remains of the Day" from "Corpse Bride".

[@scarletweb2106]

Yes such inspiration

[@clowezra]

Sally you're a goddess and a genius, your work has inspired me and my friends to no end. I've just turned 19 and I'm honored to have had the opportunity to see your work :) just purchased your DVD!

[@zoewells3160]

Insanely catchy

[@sallycruikshank]

Hey thanks that's nice.

[@sallycruikshank]

I feel the same way, my favorite animation is when it's really synching with the music.

[@sallycruikshank]

The composer and singer is up for an Oscar today for his film score on "Milk."

[@sallycruikshank]

Thank you- it did take a long time!

[@sallycruikshank]

@clowezra glad I've inspired you- good luck with your work and thanks for buying the dvd!

[@ITZALEXXVX]

The most underrated video

[@elfman72]

It most definately was. I ran halfway across the house when this first aired.

[@mangoartist9238]

This is one of the reasons why I want to go into animation. I love the movements of the characters! I hope that I get to make animation as great as this! :)

[@sallycruikshank]

Thanks for nice responses. Doesn't seem to be an option for replying individually anymore-

[@LaggardlySort]

There is, but only for comments that have been posted since they updated the comments section. This is crazy good by the way.

[@sallycruikshank]

voltayD thanks for kind words & explaining it, voltayD

[@xylopiano3]

+Sally Cruikshank I'm curious: Does the purple singing lizard have a name?

[@MobiusBandwidth]

+Xylo Piano Danny Elfman!

[@mintakamothkind]

Well now I'm going to start singing this song every time I go in the basement.

[@sallycruikshank]

But I told you, "Don't Go in the Basement!"

[@sallycruikshank]

And that's one of my favorite cartoons, thanks.

[@SendyTheEndless]

The door at the end always cracks me up

[@JohnFWitt]

your animation style is awesome... I love all the morphing and wobbling and stuff, haha.

[@patrickmarsh2538]

When Ringo drops LSD

[@tcoreyb]

I love your stuff Sally! I can remember some of it from when I was just a little kid in the 70s :) thanks for uploading so many things for me to explore

[@awsgames]

Oh! You can tell a dirty story in the old conservatory, But don't go in the basement! You can make a scene on the mezzanine, But don't go in the basement! You can fill yourself with static with the ghosts up in the attic, But don't go in the basement! You can light yourself a torch on the old front porch, But don't go in the basement! Oh you may think that it's real cool to ride down the banister like some darn fool Oh don't, don't, don't, don't, don't go in the basement! Hey! You can feel quite aloof laying rugged on the roof, But don't go in the basement! Where the cockroaches dance you can wallow and romance, But don't go in the basement! Oh you may think that it's deluxe to the ride elevator filled with ducks, But don't, don't, don't, don't, don't go in the basement! Uh-uh!

[@michaelfoti4203]

awsgames why

[@strange_imagination_]

Thanks for sharing the lyrics in a written format

[@mintakamothkind]

I think it's actually "You can feel quite aloof playing rummy on the roof." This is backed up by the fact that on that line, the lizard Danny Elfman is shown dropping a playing card down the chimney. And though it's a little harder to tell what word he's saying, I think it's "wallow _in_ romance" rather than "wallow and romance," just cause that makes more sense to me, but that one doesn't matter as much.

[@Logitah]

I found Oingo Boingo through this song and now I'm glad I watched this animation.

[@simdude2u]

Was this ever on Sesame Street? I remember seeing this as a kid.

[@theblackrabbit]

thanks for posting this!! i remember it from watching pbs as a kid. i could never find it because i couldn't remember the animator!

[@Logitah]

I actually discovered Oingo Boingo through this! Also, I have sung this song so many times while cooking that my mother knows it by heart. :,D

[@sallycruikshank]

That's great!

[@comd4609]

Too late to warn me though, I'm already in the basement

[@sallycruikshank]

Yes we know about you 😊

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

Nomi Abadi?

[@gskaloyan]

I remember seeing your work on seseme street, I always loved the art style and looked forward to those the most. I don't know what it is really, the surrealism, the fantastical bordering on nightmarish with just enough enjoyment to *not* fully scare me away. it's just a visual feast for the eyes that goes in directions that only the imagination and animation can go. like seeing a dream while awake. Edited: meant to say not scare me away. bolded the word to show the edit. I was on mobile when i typed that.

[@sallycruikshank]

+gskaloyan thank you so much, that's just what I was trying to do.

[@gskaloyan]

+Sally Cruikshank Out of curiosity are you a fan of Tom Waits by any chance? Your animation style would fit his lyrical style like a pair of comfortable socks.

[@sallycruikshank]

+gskaloyan I like his early singing.

[@scarletweb2106]

Sally i saw your animation sequence in the Spongebob Squarepants Halloween episode on 2017. It's so wonderfully surreal

[@MysticRhythms87]

First heard a demo (or otherwise inferior version) of this song a few years back...now that I've found this video, the song sounds much better, and we have some enjoyable animation to go with it. Well done, Sally!

[@THEmuteKi]

When Nintendo was working on Super Mario 64, this absolutely must have been a major influence on the strange eel that shows up at the bottom of the Jolly Roger Bay level. Don't go in the basement indeed.

[@MarthaRoseQuartz]

the_muteKi Unagi? I always thought he was cool.

[@shmutzman]

I always thought that nobody before or after could ever come close to matching the spell-binding surrealism of pre-code Fleischer cartoons. Apparently, the Fleischers have met their match, if not their master. This is one of the best cartoons I've ever seen.

[@ilovegoth]

the timing is great! fun images!

[@rafaelaviles4974]

Wow Sally Cruikshank, you're great at making cartoons. I wish I could be in one of the cartoons you made.

[@GameKeeper28]

Writing a song about it is the last way to get anyone to lose interest.

[@sallycruikshank]

I storyboarded this song because I was lucky enough to get the music before the animation. In the cartoon Face Like a Frog, which this is part of, I animated before I got the track. It's much more fun to animate to an existing track because you can hit the beats etc.

[@ROLtheWolf]

I saw this ages ago on The 90's Hemp Video. very cool!

[@sallycruikshank]

@ScutigeraColeoptrata Thank you very much, wow, to think this piece has affected people so much, amazing to me.

[@FancyShawl99]

Love your cartoons!

[@storkboi]

@Sally Cruikshank -- Holy cow it's you!.... Hi, you're amazing.

[@stifetbsd4995]

This song is more than what it seems to be !!

[@billmcdonnell79]

This was either on MTV's Liquid Television or Cartoon Sushi.