In the spirit of The Monster at the End of this Book, another epic Sesame Street saga of our old pal Grover overcoming his neurotic fears to come to terms with himself. This time the story is told with music, and a glorious stream of nonsense syllables. Needless to say, I love the hell out of this song and everything it stands for. Grover is my spirit guide (power animal?) for a reason, oh yes. No, I never claimed this would be an objective writeup.
The original "Monster in the Mirror" is performed (half spoken, half sung) by Frank Oz as Grover, with various and sundry unidentified other Muppet monsters as backup singers. In the earliest Sesame Street musical sketch based on this song (circa 1989, if YouTube searches are to be believed), the background monsters appear in a picture frame on Grover's wall (the horse and horseshoe-patterned wallpaper is worth finding the video, as are Grover's stripey pajamas). Later versions of the song (1981 and onwards) feature many celebrity cameos (Ray Charles and The Simpsons leap to mind) as background singers, but in all of them Grover starts out soloing with background piano, drums, guitar, and horns, then the others chime in as echoes and sing back and forth with him.
In all versions of the music video, Grover acts out the first verse in his bedroom, coming out of bed to face his reflection in a mirror over a dresser. During the second verse ("Told the monster in the mirror/ "No, I am not scared"), his reflection appears as a big scary cartoon monster in a shop window during the second verse, then shrinks into a form more recognizable from Would You Like to Play Hide and Seek in this Book with Lovable, Furry Old Grover and others (above, Grover and the Everything in the Whole Wide World Museum, etc.) at the words "Then I smiled at him and thanked him for the song that we had shared." Muppet Grover's reflection appears in basically every reflective surface imaginable: the eponymous mirror (including a hand mirror on the bedroom dresser below the wall mirror), sunglasses, a shiny car hubcap, and a pair of sunglasses, to list a few off the top of my head. The words to "The Monster in the Mirror" are by Norman Stiles and its music is by Christopher Cerf. Long may it grace Sesame Street greatest hits albums everywhere — Sesame Street Platinum, in my collection, but I am happily certain there are many others.
A Script for the Sketch:
Grover:
Saw a monster in the mirror when I woke today
A monster in my mirror, but I did not run away.
I did not shed a tear or hide beneath my bed,
Though the monster looked at me and this is what he said:
Chorus:
He said, "Wubba, wubba, wubba, wubba, woo woo woo
Wubba, wubba, wubba, and a doodly-doo."
He sang, "Wubba, wubba, wubba", so I sang it too:
"Do not wubba me, or I will wubba you."
Monsters:
Do not wubba me, or I will wubba you.
Grover:
Told the monster in the mirror, "No, I am not scared."
Then I smiled at him and thanked him for the song that we had shared
Well, the monster thanked me too, he smiled right back and then
The monster in the mirror sang this song again:
Chorus
He went "Wubba, wubba, wubba" and I sang along
Cause "Wubba, wubba, wubba" is a monster song.
Monsters:
Wubba, wubba, wubba is a monster song.
Grover and Monsters:
Chorus (a capella/voices only)
Grover:
He sang "Wubba, wubba, wubba" and I sang along
(Instrumental music returns as Monsters chant):
Wubba, wubba, wubba, wubba wubba!
Grover:
'Cause "Wubba, wubba, wubba" is a monster song.
Monsters:
Wubba, wubba, wubba is a monster song.
(Tiny instrumental break)
Grover:
If your mirror has a monster in it, do not shout
This kind of situation does not call for freaking out
And do nothing that you would not like to see him do
'Cause that monster in the mirror, he just might be you!
Chorus
"Wubba, wubba, wubba", you can join in too
Monsters chime in, chanting:
Wubba, wubba, wubba, wubba wubba!
Grover:
Yes, if you wubba me then I will wubba you.
Monsters:
If you wubba me then I will wubba you.
Grover:
Going "Wubba, wubba, wubba" is the thing to do.
Grover and Monsters:
Every time you wubba us, we wubba you.
One last Monster (spoken):
Me wubba you.