A Documentary All Muppet Fans Should See

[Redsonga]

You know, that's VERY true. A few years ago I was at a Rainforest Cafe with my mom, and a few tables away there was a kid listening to his iPod while he was eating. Will all the awesome sounds and animals and special affects around him, he's listening to his iPod?

That is when you start to ban video games, cell phones and ipods on family outings. It works . But then, a parent would actually have to parent :3

 

[Drtooth]

Anyone ever see a Japanese cartoon called Viewtiful Joe (based off a video game)? In the last episode the bad guy (Spoiler, who turns out to be the good guy) says something to the extent of "People are too jaded to enjoy happy endings and the cynicism makes them feel strong" or something like that... basically this is what I've noticed.

Kids don't like being kids (ooh, you want your ulcers and unrewarding,dead end jobs already?) and they don't like anything that doesn't make them feel older. Same reason why cartoons are dying (except reptitive, stale, unfunny stoner humor you see in terrible "adult" cartoons on cable).... Somewhere like this wouldn't work for them... they'd be too quick to call everything "gay" (that's how they talk, sadly), and they'd go to the most violent video game in the place, and beg mommy for 20 bucks to play it. I mean, I'm not even talking 9 year olds... even 6-8 year olds act like this...

And what parent can aford an ACTUAL ipod for someone under the age of 12? I didn't even get a CD stereo until then.

 

[MrsPepper]

Oh me too. Me too. Just is so good to see a documentary about people continuing on a dream, however silly some may think.

That's the same reason that I really want to see We Are Wizards.

 

[bazooka_beak]

Kids don't like being kids (ooh, you want your ulcers and unrewarding,dead end jobs already?) and they don't like anything that doesn't make them feel older. Same reason why cartoons are dying (except reptitive, stale, unfunny stoner humor you see in terrible "adult" cartoons on cable).... Somewhere like this wouldn't work for them... they'd be too quick to call everything "gay" (that's how they talk, sadly), and they'd go to the most violent video game in the place, and beg mommy for 20 bucks to play it. I mean, I'm not even talking 9 year olds... even 6-8 year olds act like this...

And what parent can aford an ACTUAL ipod for someone under the age of 12? I didn't even get a CD stereo until then.

Yeah, see, adulthood is rather miserable, nobody should be in a big hurry to get there.

My Aunt bought two of my tweenage cousins iPods as stocking stuffers for Christmas. I was like, "Huh? So where's mine?" XD

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah, see, adulthood is rather miserable, nobody should be in a big hurry to get there.

Exactly... I HATE being an adult. Especially one with a semi-clean living... no alcohol, no tobacco... no... you know what (not by choice on that one).... Oddly enough, the cartoons and candy keep me sane as possible...

 

[bazooka_beak]

^ That's why I still do a lot of "childish" things. It keeps me sane. I think I'd do almost ANYTHING to be a kid again, and stay that way for as long as possible. Adulthood is really more of a punishment for surviving childhood, I think XD

 

[Drtooth]

Funny thing is, as an adult, you can appreciate things better than when you were a child. I mean, I didn't care about M.U.S.C.L.E. when those things came out... but after finding out what it was about, I'm a totally Kinnikuman fan.

Jokes are funnier in cartoons (and even Sesame Street) when you understand what they are... you get so see the craftsmanship in writing... adulthood (young adulthood at least) is the BEST time for "childish" things. I still wanna take cue from How I Met Your Mother and make one of those "I'm too old for this (Stuff! He said Stuff.)" list, but I'm loving seeing all the old cartoons with a more critical/analytical eye.

That said, I really like the passion of keeping something like that alive (back to the original topic of the Rockafire Explosion)... it takes money and effort and skill... but I believe anything that passionate shouldn't have to die because someone says it has to. I just wish I saw that effort in everything else.

Plus, seriously... curse the X-Box for Wal*Marting the friendly neighborhood arcade. Nothing's better than playing those old Konami TMNT style games, and great big pinball machines with old movies from the 90's on them. Not to mention, every so often, you'd find a classic like Pac-Man (and his family)... I once found a Donkey Kong and a Popeye. That stuff's disappointingly rare now. And it SHOULDN'T cost a buck to play a video game. No ammount of low polygon counts should tell you otherwise!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Exactly... I HATE being an adult. Especially one with a semi-clean living... no alcohol, no tobacco

Exactly. I love cleanly and it seems that the people who really have all the fun and enjoy life them most and are not miserable are the people who do all that "adult" stuff....

 

[beaker]

^ That's why I still do a lot of "childish" things. It keeps me sane. I think I'd do almost ANYTHING to be a kid again, and stay that way for as long as possible. Adulthood is really more of a punishment for surviving childhood, I think XD

Well thats because you remember(Im guessing) at least the late 1980's. Trendy teen places at the mall try to recreate fashion and gaming from the 80's, but it's not even close. I think I'll always be a big kid...probably why I can't wait to have kids one of these days. People won't think it weird to be a goofball or go to Chuck E Cheese or whatnot if you have kids.

I have these incredibly strong memories of playing cocktail table Pacman in yogurt shops in the early 80's, seeing a double feature of Never Ending Story with Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984, seeing Return of the Jedi opening weekend, seeing Goonies 5 times in theaters, spending endless hours at Pizza Time Theater(Chuck E Cheese), going over to friends houses to watch Robotech and Fraggle Rock, spending hours playing Metroid and Zelda, spending whole weekends at arcades on merely a few dollars, getting up at 6:30 every Saturday to watch cartoons, bringing action figures to school, being absolutely immersed in imagination and creativity and drawing everywhere I went...thinking up all manner of ideas for video games, Muppet characters, giant robots, etc.

This period, 1981-1989 is still so alive with me, that I think it trips people out given people assume im 19/20-ish.

See Im wondering, at what point to people lose that innocence and sense of wonder and awe, helping hand, imagination and playfulness growing up? When youre a kid growing up in the 1980's, youre instantly friends with whatever kid youre playing an arcade game or sandbox. I remember in the early 80's finding a Kermit figure in a park sandbox and it made my whole week.
Where do adults get that kind of simple high?

In watching the "The World According To Sesame Street" documentary, you truly get a sense of how ugly and horrid the world is. Especially to kids. Their innocence is stolen so early.
You turn on the news, all you hear about is bombs, death, money, hate, evil. Its enough to make anyone want to tune out reality, if that is "reality".

Yet, theres a stigma against "grown ups" for getting back to simpler, more innocent pursuits and times. For kids today
everything marketed towards em by the Madison Avenue propagandists has to be "edgy" and "extreme"...hyper ADD style.

Anyways, Im with ya...I say this world needs more a celebration of irreverent silly random songs, imagination and other such epicness. Im glad at least theres this undying love of old 8 bit Nintendo games out there, and generation 1 Transformers.

 

[beaker]

Funny thing is, as an adult, you can appreciate things better than when you were a child. I mean, I didn't care about M.U.S.C.L.E. when those things came out... but after finding out what it was about, I'm a totally Kinnikuman fan.

Jokes are funnier in cartoons (and even Sesame Street) when you understand what they are... you get so see the craftsmanship in writing... adulthood (young adulthood at least) is the BEST time for "childish" things. I still wanna take cue from How I Met Your Mother and make one of those "I'm too old for this (Stuff! He said Stuff.)" list, but I'm loving seeing all the old cartoons with a more critical/analytical eye.

That said, I really like the passion of keeping something like that alive (back to the original topic of the Rockafire Explosion)... it takes money and effort and skill... but I believe anything that passionate shouldn't have to die because someone says it has to. I just wish I saw that effort in everything else.

Plus, seriously... curse the X-Box for Wal*Marting the friendly neighborhood arcade. Nothing's better than playing those old Konami TMNT style games, and great big pinball machines with old movies from the 90's on them. Not to mention, every so often, you'd find a classic like Pac-Man (and his family)... I once found a Donkey Kong and a Popeye. That stuff's disappointingly rare now. And it SHOULDN'T cost a buck to play a video game. No ammount of low polygon counts should tell you otherwise!

Dang, I remember being OBSESSED with Muscle Men back in 1986/1987. Along with Wheeled Warriors, Silversharks, etc. But Muscle, man Id bring those to school and trade em. I even had a vivid dream that theyd be in color, and sure enough a month later they came out with the color ones. Oh! Battle Beasts too I have fond memories of.

I actually have to say, in some cases you appreciate things more as a kid. Because before ebay and such, you just got a couple things and had to make do. And you appreciated the heck out of those things.

Some things never leave you tho. I seriously remember in 1981 going to garage sales and thrift stores specifically looking for Sesame Street and Muppet show stuff. I remember being 3 living in Simi Valley and being obsessed with collecting that stuff. I had an Ernie finger puppet, Big Bird doll, Kermit and Fozzie corgi car, and some other stuff. 30 years later almost, and Im still going to big flea markets now and then looking for the same stuff.
Im still just a big 2d old school video game fan, still big into giant robots and all that stuff.

Btw, youre right...its funny to notice all the deeper, existential or even potentially naughty layers of subtext in "kids" movies and shows back then through modern eyes. Even the 1969 pilot of Sesame Street had some pretty interesting social commentary.

And yeah, kids these days will never fully get to appreciate the glory of 80's arcade gaming. I mean, when you put your token into TMNT arcade, for the remainder of the game the 3 other kids you were playing with *were* your best friends/NAVY Seals commando buddies/soldiers in arms. That was the beauty and magic of 80's arcade gaming. Thats all gone now.
The arcade has been dead for some years, sadly

My good friend runs a "retro" toy shop, and its so cool to see older people and young folks keeping the magic alive.