Puppets, Kids' Only Entertainment?

[Fozzie Bear]

I just posted this reply in another thread and I started thinking afterward that...well, read the post and then I'll continue afterward:

There is a HORRIBLE misconception that puppets are solely "kids' entertainment" and you would have thought that with all of Jim's work it would have been an idea long lost, but it's not.

Recently, I've offered Muley up for some events and the organizers are willing to let him emcee the thing, BUT they only wanted him for the kids' portion of the entertainment.

Several places that Muley has worked in the past all seem to be pointed solely toward children's entertainment only, as if folks tend to think that family fare can't be entertaining to adults or you can't have clean fun with grown-ups.

The only way these days to break the boundary and let people know you aren't a kids' only entertainment is if blood is spilled or someone cusses, and that makes me very sad.

And about the sunday school teacher, I suffered through that in the past and she is the ONLY one in the whole church who feels that way, I guarantee you!

And I started thinking, if you look at all the violent kids' entertainment today, you cannot break out of the place where clean fun is for everyone without it being considered kiddie fare. Granted, Muley has on occasion said something that could be understood by an adult as an innuendo, but isn't it a shame we have to go to those depths to be understood?

On another mark, sometimes the adult humor IS funny when carried out just right. Gas/burp jokes aren't funny anymore to me, but other situations can be if played correctly--although, I'll NEVER do that with Muley.

So, what's your take on all this, as a puppeteer or a fan or a writer?

 

[wes]

I feel the same way, I read somewhere that Jim almost turned down Sesame Street because of the fear that people would associate The Muppets With Childrens programing.

I have a Couple of Characters that are sole for Adults,Young adults and youth. I reallly have to explain that the certin puppets are not exactly For children, but know that i think about it, it really depends on my audiance.

 

[D'Snowth]

I agree, puppets are just for kids, in fact I've heard of some many adult projects with puppets, and even a puppet porn film. So see? Puppets are just for kids. In fact, alot of adults make money* by working with puppets for a living.

*=Not really, but they make SOME.

 

[Phantom]

Maybe some people just grow up too fast.

 

[DannyRWW]

I work with children for a living so I would have to say I gear my performances to children... but I like to write jokes and skits that have elements that adults appreciate. I think the issue is that if something is clean family fun it is often considered uncool.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I think that the misconception is definately out there, but it's largely illusionary. If you ask people point blank "what is the primary audience for puppetry?" they might say kids, but it would be no different if you said cartoons. But they'll watch puppetry, even if they say it's only for kids.

People have a need to put things in categories, but those categories are often far removed from reality.

 

[D'Snowth]

I think that the misconception is definately out there, but it's largely illusionary. If you ask people point blank "what is the primary audience for puppetry?" they might say kids, but it would be no different if you said cartoons. But they'll watch puppetry, even if they say it's only for kids.

People have a need to put things in categories, but those categories are often far removed from reality.

You know, cartoons about raising up to where puppetry is in the lines of "that's just kiddie stuff". In the 8th grade, I was told if you watch cartoons, then you're a baby. And then here you go with Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network, both of whom now have program blocks strictly for adult cartoons (Home Movies, Family Guy, BoBoBoBobobobobobobo).

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I have this theory that comics, animation and puppetry are all similar because they traditionally been mislabeled "kiddie entertainment" by the media even if that label and no basis in reality - I'd bet there were millions of adult looney tunes fans were there when you were in the 8th grade. Animation was the first to be acknowledged as serious adult entertainment, followed by comics and now puppetry. I think comics was about 5 years behind animation and puppetry is about five years behind that.

I think audiences of all ages respond to good stories that are well told. If the story is entertaining, the characters are memorable the audience will find it irregardless of whether it's puppetry, live action, animation or something else.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

I think audiences of all ages respond to good stories that are well told. If the story is entertaining, the characters are memorable the audience will find it irregardless of whether it's puppetry, live action, animation or something else.

Exactly the argument I use when discussing CGI versus hand-drawn animation. CG is just the latest Hollywood buzz-word, so all the executives who can't think for themselves jump on this bandwagon. "2-D is dead," they say. Well, if someone would tell a good story in 2-D, it wouldn't be dead anymore.

 

[mummytomb]

The Gremlins had a great success as "adult " puppets.

The only way Puppets can stay in an adult world is to beat the Question,"How did they do that?"
Because you can so commonly see strings or armrods with muppets, they depend more on the imagination. Once you figure out it's a hand or a guy in a suit, it takes from your intrest. That is, unless you still rely on the imagination to fuel your entertainment as we do.

Not only did Sessame Street help make it "children's entertainment", saturday morning cartoons with fraggles and muppet babies put a firm nail in the coffin.

We must resurect puppets from the premature death from real entertainment.