"Mah Nà Mah Nà" is a popular song by the Italian composer Piero Umiliani. It originally appeared in the Italian film Sweden: Heaven and Hell (Svezia, inferno e paradiso). On its own it was a minor radio hit in the United States and in Britain, but it became better known internationally after it was used by the Muppets and on The Benny Hill Show. Sesame Street producer Joan Ganz Cooney heard the track on the radio and decided it would be a perfect addition to the show. The song's first Sesame Street performance by the Muppets was performed by puppeteers Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Loretta Long (Susan) on the fourteenth episode of the show, broadcast on November 27, 1969. The following Sunday, Henson and his Muppets performed the song on The Ed Sullivan Show. Seven years later, the song was part of the premiere episode of The Muppet Show. Starting in 1971, The Benny Hill Show—in its second incarnation at Thames Television where it launched in 1969 in colour—included "Mah Nà Mah Nà" as part of a background music medley during their frequent slapstick sketches. The medley became a Benny Hill Show tradition for the rest of its run.
