Peek-a-Boo

[minor muppetz]

Lately I've been a bit curious about the Play-Along Video entitled "Peek-a-Boo". I rented it once a long time ago and hadn't remembered too much about it. I remembered it having only a small amount of Muppets and not being too good. And, not counting Fraggle Rock (or certain Sesame Street episodes, specials, and videos), it was the first Muppet production I remember seeing that didn't include Kermit. Though I didn't remember it being too good, I had been a bit curious about it recently. Muppet Wiki doesn't have much info about the video on it's page.

But then I found it on YouTube, in three parts (though the person who uploaded it didn't include the credits, and the same can be said for the other Play-Along Videos found on YouTube). Here are the three parts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBWDCL_FEac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaINTk14pJ8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-J28T3aTNw&feature=related

I don't know how to say this, but it is both more interesting than I had remembered it AND more boring than I remembered. I don't know how that's possible. Some things seemed a little bit cool, including some of the visuals... But it doesn't really have a plot or much dialogue. Seeing video footage of live babies and kids playing can have limited interest. I did think it was cool when they show a kid in a swing, where the kid appears partially transparent.

For a long time I had only remembered this having a bunny and a bear. Does anybody know whether that bear was used in any other Henson productions? But I didn't remember it having Penguins. Another somewhat cool sequence showed a kid pulling a rope, which had a number of toys from The Christmas Toy attached (includign Ding-a-Ling, Cruiser, and that duck on a boat). I saw this special a few months before I first saw TCT. It seems like Kevin Clash either really liked rabbits or was typecast as rabbits; He performed the bunny in this, and also performed Professor D. Rabbit, Benny, and Billy Bunny. In fact, I bet that if this video was made a few years later it would have had Bean or Bily instead of a generic white rabbit.

This video doesn't really have a plot or much dialogue. Most of the dialogue is just the bunny saying "peek" at times. The video box said it was intended for ages 3 and under, so I guess there wasn't much thought in interesting adults as well as kids like other Muppet productions. But it has two songs that sound like adult contemporaries, at the beginning and end. And those songs are really great. I wonder who sung them (it sounds to me like Camille Bonora might have been the female vocalist).

While for really young kids, I somehow couldn't see much from this being used on Sesame Street.

 

[minor muppetz]

Well, it looks like the person who posted the video got his account suspended.

 

[beaker]

Was this part of those Muppet videos from 1988, like "You're As Funny As Fozzie Bear"? Man I used to have all those, good stuff

 

[Drtooth]

I was VERY disappointed in You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear. I swear, I don't get how Muppet Babies gets all the fan scorn as something that cursed the Muppets to be preschool stuff, and these videos never get a mention. They aren't bad by any means, but you can tell Jim was trying to get the characters to reach younger audiences at this point.

but you cannot call yourself a Muppet fan if you miss "HEY! You're a Cartoonist." Not only is Carol Spinney taking part in a Non-Sesame Street Muppet production, he plays his OWN characters AND draws through one of them. He had to look through a slot inbetween Pop's head and torso to do so. I asked him about it at the book signing.

 

[minor muppetz]

Most of the Play-Along videos had been uploaded (and recently removed). Only a few scenes from Wow, You're a Cartoonist! had been uploaded, and I doubt the linking footage for Moother Goose Stories have.

I thought most of these were good. Well, the ones with the main Muppet characters. Though watching Sing/Dance/Do-Along recently I realise that one's not the best Muppet production (despite being hosted by Rowlf). And I wonder if anybody took the title "Hey, You're as Funny as Fozzie Bear" as an insult. After all, Fozzie's often seen as a bad comedian.

A few weeks ago I dreamt that I learned of there being an unreleased second batch of videos, with packaging even being printed. It was just a dream, though.

 

[Drtooth]

I took it as an insult because he was BEARLY in it! AAAahhhh! Wocka Wocka!

 

[beaker]

I remember in the late 90's i found most these at a record store for a buck each. Wish I still had them, Im just a fan of late 80's Muppet stuff(like the footage from the odd 1988 Muppet video game thing where you edit Muppet footage or something) Aw, these had been uploaded to youtube? I'd love to someday see these again.

Yeah it's cool Spinney performed modern versions of his old Picklepuss and pop characrer from the old Bozo show in that 1988 video. (He actually has a new new version of the Picklepuss character, who I wish theyd use on Sesame Street)

 

[BornToWemble]

I don't remember seeing Peek-a-boo I don't think, but I had Hey You're as Funny as Fozzie bear and Wow! You're a Cartoonist!

I love them, but they both contributed to a horrific phobia of Animal I had which eventually led to Muppets in general. HYFAFB had that dark night club feel to it which didn't help and WYAC had a surprise Animal at the end screaming at me to rewind and have horrific nightmares for the majority of my life.

I recently rewatched some of HYAFAFB on youtube.... it doesn't have the same appeal as when I was younger. Plus it still creeps me a bit.

I also had the one with Rowlf and Mother Goose stories. I loved both and I don't see why MGS gets so much hate.

 

[Sandpiper]

I'm so bummed that Peek-a-boo is off youTube. My son was in it. Most of the children were children or grands of folks who worked for Henson in NYC and not professionals. It was my first and only experience as a stage mom. I still have publicity copies of most of the play-a-longs, but no VCR haha

 

[Sandpiper]

Well, it looks like the person who posted the video got his account suspended.

Bummer.