Why does Muppet fandom seem so underground?

[beaker]

I think I first asked this 12 years ago on here(man Ive been here awhile), but it still amazes me how general Muppet fandom, or just all around fans of the Muppets seems quite underground. I mean, Henson's Farscape seems to have a bigger visible fanbase or at least did. Whereas there are conventions, documentaries, and just an abundance of Buffy, Firefly, Lord of the Rings, Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformer, etc fanboys and fangirls...running into in person or online an *actual* Muppet fan seems rather...rare to non existent. I mean sure, everyone has a favorite Muppet. And everyone remembers or knows of some of Henson's characters...but how many people out there actually consider themselves fans or collectors?

How is it, that a 55 year old property that's been seen in countless countries on every habitable continent doesn't seem to have any real visible fanbase? Heck, if you include Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and Bear in the Big Blue House, there's been a continuous stream of Muppet/Henson productions endlessly for over 5 decades worldwide.

Of course, you do see A LOT of Sesame Street urban apparel being worn by youth at the mall, as part of what some might call "ghetto chic". Sadly, all this time later a lot of people when they hear Muppets either automatically think "old kid's stuff from way back when" and or get enthused but seemed shock to learn the Muppets have been around and active in the modern day. The last wave of Muppet stuff on the radar in the 2001-2004 period relied mostly on nostalgic value, marketing toward the college crowd. But now that the Muppets are Disney, Im hoping they can really try and market/appeal on multiple fronts; to both the older college crowd and Hot Topic mall youth, as well as to families and kids.

So question:

1. Do you think it's a good thing actual Muppet fans seem few and far between? Like when you do run into someone who has at least a passing interest and love of the Muppets/and or Henson related stuff(Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, etc) it's more rare and special...like a secret club house(than say Star Wars and LOTR fans, which are dime a dozen and very mainstream?)

2. Have you ran into or met Muppet/Henson fans in real life, or online(not including this site)

While I always get smiles and wonderful compliments exhibiting a genuine affection and tirggering jubilant memories from passerbys (often times, middle aged women shoppers) when I wear a Muppet/Henson related shirt...I wonder how many people are active fans? Most people who like the Muppets seem shocked to learn there's been Muppet stuff post JH. As it seems, people truly thought the entire franchise died with him.

I can't stand the notion people put out, that the Muppets are "old nostalgia stuff past their prime and hey day", as to me be it 1955 or 2055, the Muppets will always be here to delight, satirize and create whimsical adventure.

Here's hoping to Disney recognizing this emerging potential, and creating a Muppet fan weekend at one of their parks next year to help promote the movie, if not a full blown convention somewhere!

 

[Psammeadboi]

A recent example of the "nostalgia factor" with the Muppets is evident in a little test I did with my summer camp kids this week.

We did an activity where we made a toad abode and I decided to play the PSA from Disney Channel with Kermit the Frog and Selena Gomez.

When I started the video, all the kids said, "It's Selena Gomez!" much the same way a Muppet fan would say, "It's Kermit!" However, the next thing that came out of the mouths of the kids was, "Who's that guy with her?" I clutched my heart, took a breath, composed myself, and calmly responded, "That's Kermit the Frog."

All of the other counselors in the room were flabbergasted as well. However, further conversation lead to a revelation. They only remembered Kermit as an icon from the past. The kids, the counselors, the other adults in the room, just recall Kermit as the frog from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. Further inquiry into their knowledge of Muppets revealed a severe lack of understanding that The Muppets are alive and well!

I think, in today's culture, Kermit and company are no more than those funny puppets that people used to watch on TV.

And, to answer your second question, I frequently find Muppet/Henson fans in the places I work, but I do think it takes a special kind of attitude to really appreciate what Jim did so many years ago and realize it is part of our cultural fabric.

 

[Gelfling Girl]

1. Do you think it's a good thing actual Muppet fans seem few and far between? Like when you do run into someone who has at least a passing interest and love of the Muppets/and or Henson related stuff(Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, etc) it's more rare and special...like a secret club house(than say Star Wars and LOTR fans, which are dime a dozen and very mainstream?)

I guess it's better than everybody talking about it to the point that the very name of it makes you groan out loud, although it would be nice if there were a few other fans around.

2. Have you ran into or met Muppet/Henson fans in real life, or online(not including this site)

I believe I may have mentioned both of these, but at one point I was at Hot Topic, and the guy working behind the counter had several pins on his nametag lanyard including some Muppet ones. He then asked if I had ever seen Mirrormask, which I was first told about by another Hot Topic worker who noticed me looking at a Labyrinth tee-shirt.

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

I guess it's better than everybody talking about it to the point that the very name of it makes you groan out loud, although it would be nice if there were a few other fans around.

i think its a bit of this, that and Muppet fans seem more passive to not shove our fandom into other peoples lives

 

[animalrescuer]

I've actually found some people at college who remember the Muppets and some of the Muppet shows and movies, which is surprising to me. I think Muppet fans either don't want to admit they're Muppet fans because of what some people would think of them or they just express their fandom no matter what people think. I can be afraid to admit that I like the Muppets today just because I'm afraid that people would consider the Muppets as "kids stuff" or call me a baby because I like watching Sesame Street a lot. But I'm getting a little more comfortable telling others about my Muppet fandom.

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

when it comes to me, unless people ask me what i like its not the first thing out of my mouth...

im not ashamed it just sometimes isnt a conversation peice

 

[Dearth]

I recently played the Voice of God in a stage skit. It's always fun to do offstage voices because you don't have to learn the lines, there's no blocking, and it doesn't matter what you wear... as I have learned in playing the voice of Audrey II in three productions of 'Little Shop of Horrors' across a span of 19 years.

I hadn't given any thought to the curtain call for the God skit, though, when I threw on comfortable clothes for the show. I felt decidedly under-dressed, since we were being brought out by the suit-and-tied superintendent of my alma mater's school board.

I would have just sat out the curtain call, perhaps giving the role more mystique, but this skit happened to mark the first time my sister, a professional actress in her own right, and I have ever acted together... so it seemed like the curtain call was our one chance to cement the fact that we'd finally been 'onstage' together.

Still, I do wonder if anyone wondered what was the significance of the Voice of God wearing an Oscar the Grouch t-shirt and shorts. LOL

Dearth

 

[beaker]

Looks like the common theme is, suffice to say, slight embarrassment. And I admit, while I proudly display my influences and love of all things Muppety and Jim Henson on my online profiles/facebook/etc; in real life it's not exactly something I bring up or share with anyone I meet; even people I hang with. Of course if someone comes over, they're going to see how my living room has a zillions of Muppet stuff I've collected since the 80's.
(hey maybe it's a good thing I don't get dates? ha) Though I have to say, I'd love it if I found a girl who had even slight nerdy enthusiasm for the Muppets or Fraggle Rock.

But isn't it sad that we feel it's like this? I mean, what could possibly be bad about proudly proclaiming or even passively being into something thats created an endless source of inspiration and happiness for millions worldwide for 55 years. Has Looney tunes, or heck even Disney cartoons provided the kind of laughter, zanyness, warmth and inspiration consistently as the Muppets have? I guess it's a sad commentary on society where we feel we're embarassed to say we're fans of Henson's work.

But yeah, while I always see people at the mall with Sesame shirts, *actual* Muppet show character interest or love is non existent. Hopefully that'll change with Disney's push next year, but in a way...it's kind of cool with it all being rather underground. Kind of shows who the real fans are, and makes it fun whenever you do find someone into it all.

 

[beaker]

So Im curious, if Star Trek fans are called Trekkies, Firefly/Serenity fans are called Browncoats, LOTR fans are Ringers, Video Game fans are Gamers...what are Muppet fans called?

I can be afraid to admit that I like the Muppets today just because I'm afraid that people would consider the Muppets as "kids stuff" or call me a baby because I like watching Sesame Street a lot. But I'm getting a little more comfortable telling others about my Muppet fandom.

Oh yeah, sadly I totally can see this. While often time the reaction is "whoah, where'd you get that Beaker shirt?" or "hey, that shirt is bad ---" there's just that feeling that overall people couldn't see how a "grownup" could be into such shenanigans.

 

[brkndwnbus]

My wife's brother is a big fan, so we enjoy discussing all things Muppets. My close friends though, they do give me weird looks when I try and explain my interest in the Muppets.

And when I wear my Muppet shirts out, I usually hear a small kid say, "Look, Kermit," to their parents. But that doesn't stop me from wearing them. I usually wear 2-3 shirts a week and feel comfortable in doing so, but I do feel like people probably think it's a little strange that a 27 year old is wearing Muppets stuff. Oh well.