Muppet Babies - 20+ years later

[dwmckim]

Longtime members of this forum know how i generally feel about Muppet Babies - they're a bit of a sore spot with me as i feel the show was one of the worst things that happened to the brand: That as the kids who grew up with The Muppet Show were growing up, along came a show with the Muppet characters very geared towards kiddies while the projects for older Muppet fans were scarce and how a whole generation grew up more familiar with the Babies than the real deal. The Babies are a bit of a sore spot for me purely in terms of what they represent in regards to the history of The Muppets and how they're so associated with their decline in popularity.

However how i feel about the effect the Babies had on the brand is different than how i may feel about the show by itself on its own merits.

I've been working heavily lately on sorting through my video collection - getting caught up on inventory, dubbing all the tons of videotapes do dvds and checking the quality of those already on dvd and i've been rewatching a few episodes of Muppet Babies for the first in a long time.

Now that it's over two decades later and we're at the beginning of The Year of the Muppets, i can watch the show without bitterness or fears of what it's doing to the rest of the brand since it's now well in the past. And i've gotta say, i'm actually enjoying it. Sure there are stronger episodes and seasons than others but watching Muppet Babies episodes today is actually a fun pleasure rather than the chore i feared it may seem like. Despite it all, when it comes right down to it and everything else is set aside, i really love this show.

When it originally aired, i was too hung up on (a) the brand that was never supposed to be kiddie entertainment was now exactly that (b) i was getting older and things like Muppet Babies and SST were becoming more things that i may watch by accident more than appointed viewing or something to set the vcr for (c) not only having the Muppets as babies but also neither moved or voiced by the classic performers. Back then, even if it was a good episode that made me laugh, it was still a bittersweet somewhat painful experience. But now i can watch MB episodes without any of those things lurking in the background and just enjoy the show for what it was. I'll never love it more than the "real" Muppets but i can nonetheless still declare myself a fan.

Watching MB now is a very different experience than it was watching it in the 80s so if there are other Muppet fans who haven't watched the show in ages, you may want to give it a new chance.

...besides how can anyone not love Baby Animal?

 

[RedPiggy]

Well, considering I've noticed an increase in MB characterizations creeping into the adult Muppets world (Gonzo thinks he's an alien, Scooter has a laptop, etc), I personally welcome it. Not every episode of Muppet Babies was strong, I'll admit ... but there are a lot of neat songs and a lot to think about given the rest of the Hensonverse. When looking for an imagination particle, I noticed they basically got the crystal balls from Labyrinth. The closet often serves as a sort of portal to the imagination, giving it a type of Fraggle-hole-like significance. One wonders now, if they were to do it again, would we see other stuff like Bear, Farscape, etc. I mean, not now that they're not all one big happy family anymore, but it's nice to imagine cartoon D'Argo and Aeryn plopping out of the closet, y'know?

 

[Drtooth]

When it originally aired, i was too hung up on (a) the brand that was never supposed to be kiddie entertainment was now exactly that (b) i was getting older and things like Muppet Babies and SST were becoming more things that i may watch by accident more than appointed viewing or something to set the vcr for (c) not only having the Muppets as babies but also neither moved or voiced by the classic performers. Back then, even if it was a good episode that made me laugh, it was still a bittersweet somewhat painful experience. But now i can watch MB episodes without any of those things lurking in the background and just enjoy the show for what it was. I'll never love it more than the "real" Muppets but i can nonetheless still declare myself a fan.

Watching MB now is a very different experience than it was watching it in the 80s so if there are other Muppet fans who haven't watched the show in ages, you may want to give it a new chance.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.... I've been spoiled by having so much Muppet around me, there was clearly a distinction between the cartoon series and the vast array of other projects. Even though I never got to see the real Fraggle Rock and had to see the animated one, I knew full well about the other one. Not to mention there were all these specials. But the best part is, I remember on year, a local station, before the Saturday Morning Network line ups began, actually SHOWED The Muppet Show. So I got the pleasure of seeing BOTH in a single morning.

To me, there are only 2 good Babification shows, Muppet Babies and a Pup Named Scooby-Doo (unlike MB, I didn't quite have the access to the original series for years, and being young enough to have just missed 13 Ghosts... loving what I'm seeing of it by the way)... I don't count Tiny Toons, as that's technically next generation stuff. All the others have been mildly amusing (Flintstone kids), absolute junk (Yo Yogi/ Baby Felix... though Baby Felix does have its moments), and horrendous copycats (Baby Looney Tunes). But MB was the FIRST!

I honestly feel it's a great preschool-first grade series... much more so than the cuddly plush toy commercials of Care Bears (I can still enjoy Beastly, but I've grown to loathe it). And as much as I like the Smurfs, I'm liking the original Eurocomics versions a LOT more (they beat the crap out of Brainy! No lie!)... I watched a few a while ago, and I still find it highly entertaining... again, in the level of preschool-first grade type shows for younger kids who haven't quite graduated from public television. And there's mild peril. it's all in their heads, but sometimes, they let their imaginations play dangerous games (especially the first seasons). Now, the worst thing that happens is Dora may frown for a second or something.

As for the direction of the Muppets, I really feel Jim was starting to pawn them off to the kids in this era, making creature shop stuff for older fans. Muppet babies is one thing, sure... but at the time, we also had the Play-a-long videos coming out, and various kiddy games for the computer that dealt with educational themes. So I couldn't be able to blame Muppet babies entirely, much as I wouldn't blame Sesame Street for making them seem kiddy in the first place.

Besides, there were a LOT of cartoons based off of other shows with a kid friendly angle on them at that time... even going as far back as the 70's.

 

[minor muppetz]

I was born the year Muppet Babies began and grew up with the show, but I feel I always preferred the adult Muppets. And until 1992 my exposure to the "real" Muppets was the movies, TMS compilation videos, play-along videos, and A Muppet Family Christmas (I did see The Muppets at Walt Disney World, Muppet Vision 3D, Here Come the Muppets, and JHH before then as well).

 

[GonzoLeaper]

I love Muppet Babies!
But then I also grew up with the cartoon as a child. Of course, I also grew up watching The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock (live action) and Fraggle Rock (animated) all at about the same time, and I'm equally a fan of all of them.

 

[Yorick]

I love Muppet Babies!
But then I also grew up with the cartoon as a child. Of course, I also grew up watching The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock (live action) and Fraggle Rock (animated) all at about the same time, and I'm equally a fan of all of them.

Same here!

 

[Yorick]

13 Ghosts... loving what I'm seeing of it by the way

Glad to hear it! I saw in on TNT in the early 90's and loved it.

Baby Felix does have its moments/quote]Good to know, as I plan to watch the show very soon. Felix in general is great! And SO underappreciated!

I honestly feel it's a great preschool-first grade series... much more so than the cuddly plush toy commercials of Care Bears (I can still enjoy Beastly, but I've grown to loathe it).

I still love and respect all the Care Bears of the 80's and very early 90's. (I'm sure if there's older versions I'd feel the same about them.) But I'm with you on how special Muppet Babies is - it always had something extra that many other kids shows didn't. And adults can enjoy MB now, like you said, because it's clever, unlike the very dumbed down kids shows of today

And as much as I like the Smurfs, I'm liking the original Eurocomics versions a LOT more (they beat the crap out of Brainy! No lie!)

I love the Smurfs as I know them from the cartoon most of us know, (never saw magic flute or Eurocomics) but I wonder, have you heard the albums they made? You can tell they're not related with the show most of us know. Same with PacMan records made before his cartoon. No connection...other than obviously, the fact that a few of the same Smurfs and PacMan characters are involved

 

[Yorick]

...besides how can anyone not love Baby Animal?

I'm with ya there! Baby Animal is adorable!
Glad you can give MB your endorsement these days, and your reasons at the time for being less than in love with MB definitely make sense.

 

[Drtooth]

Good to know, as I plan to watch the show very soon. Felix in general is great! And SO underappreciated!

Baby Felix, while I can't say it's really all that good, is alright... it tries pretty hard to be the 1960's series in some cases(especially the halted way Poindexter speaks, mimicking the slow speech patterns that came with the technology for high pitched audio at the time... like the 60's Chipmunks), but if you REALLY want to check out Felix at his best... I strongly support "Twisted Tales." I haven't seen that cheap DVD I bought in years, so I can't give you a more recent thought on baby Felix... but Master Cylander and the Professor and some of the other classic characters are their normal age and in pretty good form.

Overall, it's strange to see an American classic made into a Japanese series... only other one I can think of is Little Lulu... sadly I can only find the "Bullet" holed American version of the theme...(don't get me started on Bullets... "ooh that One Piece Rap sucked" those guys never watched a anime dubbed before 1999! Shudder... Harmony Gold... worse name than 4Kids, lemme tell ya!)... sorry about that tangent. Now, I'm not counting the American shows animated in Japan for American audiences that used classic characters (Muppet Babies being one of them), but straight up Japanese versions of Western comics.

I still love and respect all the Care Bears of the 80's and very early 90's. (I'm sure if there's older versions I'd feel the same about them.) But I'm with you on how special Muppet Babies is - it always had something extra that many other kids shows didn't. And adults can enjoy MB now, like you said, because it's clever, unlike the very dumbed down kids shows of today

I don't wanna really get into why I dislike Care Bears... but I will give them this... the Nelvana produced ones weren't completely saccharine, and Mr. Beastly was (to quote the Cheese) The Best character on the show. John Stocker, man...

But Muppet Babies was something else. It not only had high entertainment value for a little kid's show, but it did have some nice educational moments, like the Transcontinental Woo Woo episode with Uncles Statler and Waldorf. Or that one where Bunsen tells everyone about constellations. It had pro-social bits time and again, but not excessively... and over all, it just had a nice feel to it that actually holds up when you rewatch them.

Thankfully, a LOT of the shows I used to watch held up. Other than some of the girlier 80's cartoons and Captain Planet that is.

I love the Smurfs as I know them from the cartoon most of us know, (never saw magic flute or Eurocomics) but I wonder, have you heard the albums they made? You can tell they're not related with the show most of us know.

These comics are available in English NOW! I highly recommend them, even if you just got to a library or a bookstore and read the whole thing before they kick you out. It's refreshingly different, has more comic violence (they beat the smurf out of Brainy... similar to how the Gauls handle their tone deaf minstrel, Cacophinix), and there seems to be a slightly different level of humor in them. So far, I only have the one dollar preview from last year and the "King Smurf" novel. Thankfully, they're smaller and cost around 6 bucks, instead of those larger Asterix and Lucky Luke albums that cost about twice as much. More portable and cost effective.

Don't remember the albums though... don't know if I even had them. Definitely didn't have the Pac-Man ones... I actually heard some on Youtube, and they were okay, I guess... I am kinda digging the series, but I like what I saw so far of Saturday Supercade Donkey Kong better... and Super Mario Super Show a LOT better.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

These comics are available in English NOW! I highly recommend them, even if you just got to a library or a bookstore and read the whole thing before they kick you out. It's refreshingly different, has more comic violence (they beat the smurf out of Brainy... similar to how the Gauls handle their tone deaf minstrel, Cacophinix), and there seems to be a slightly different level of humor in them. So far, I only have the one dollar preview from last year and the "King Smurf" novel. Thankfully, they're smaller and cost around 6 bucks, instead of those larger Asterix and Lucky Luke albums that cost about twice as much. More portable and cost effective

Papercutz has been publishing the Smurfs graphic novels, just as a by the way. (And I have to mention that this is also the company that has been publishing graphic novel versions of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys- both of which are great!)