Video: Before How It's Made there were Sesame Street's video factory tours: The peanut butter factory dubbed with bluegrass, the postage factory printing dog stamps, the chewing gum factory narrated by excitable children, the '70s-arse cheese artisans, the boisterous hamburger bun factory. The smell of Crayola still makes me think of the clicky-clacky marimba soundtrack from the crayon factory. Each video helps you understand the basic process behind a manufactured item, but it also helps you appreciate the workers who handle the process, and just how skilled their work can be. And the soundtracks and narration leave a specific visceral impression that the bare footage couldn't convey alone.

The next time life has me down, I'm heading straight to the couch of Doctor Cookie.