An Editorial: The State of the Muppets

[Luke]

Originally posted by MuppetQuilter
I think Piggy should stand up for herself and insist she be accepted, admired, and appreciated for who she is as she is

and indeed she is, by thousands of gay men ! I'd like to see you explain that one in an article !

I agree with what you said, being a puppet, i don't particularly see why Henson are soooooooo obsessed with slimming her down, but i don't think they want to make her really skinny, just a little less chubbier than usual.

I don't particulary think they've used her weight to make jokes OR a point - it's just the way she always has been from the start. It might have had something to do with the stuffing they used at the time or something.

 

[murgatoad]

Originally posted by MuppetQuilter
Just a brief clarification-- I don't think Piggy was ever fat. But she wasn't skinny. She was chubby. Big difference between chubby and fat.

I also don't think her weight has been used as a joke. I think her attitude about her body image has been used to get laughs (the karate chop to anyone who is snide about her looks).

I don't like the idea that someone has to be skinny to be viewed as beautiful, or even attractive. That's just wrong. I think Piggy should stand up for herself and insist she be accepted, admired, and appreciated for who she is as she is-- I don't want to see her slimmed down into a shell of her former self.

Just my view

Well, my memory might be faulty, but I think her weight was certainly used for humor on "The Muppet Show" - because fat jokes are rather easy to write, perhaps. But again, those jokes were not why she became so popular. I think that in that day, people were fascinated by the fact that Piggy went against the norm - she was so cleverly designed at that time that the "beautiful pig" idea worked, and as people generally love incongruity, she became a fad. I see no reason that, if she can again be cleverly designed (a higher forehead would help, and giving her a neck again wouldn't be a bad idea either - plus please for the sake of He on High, DON'T LET HER BE SEEN IN PUBLIC AGAIN WITHOUT HER EARS!!!), that the idea can't again be revived.

As for Piggy sticking up for herself and insisting she be accepted for who she is etc....er, I think you might get better satisfaction in that regard from, say, Camryn Mannheim? JMHO.

 

[towels]

Isn't ordering three breakfasts a joke that could tie into her weight? I mean, that's nothing compared to what she consumed during the Kermie and Piggy story (playhouse video) but still...throughout her career, her food consumption has been an ongoing "bit". Remember the Lays commercial when it seems like there was nothing else in Muppetia?
I also wonder if her popularity originially was driven more by her assertiveness, rather than her appearance.

 

[Luke]

Pigs are always a bit err 'chubby' anyway though !

 

[murgatoad]

Originally posted by Luke
Pigs are always a bit err 'chubby' anyway though !

Yes, but they generally don't have long blond hair and human legs, true?

 

[Luke]

Originally posted by murgatoad
Yes, but they generally don't have long blond hair and human legs, true?

Um i dunno. You should've seen some of my previous girlfriends !

Seriously, no they don't that i'm aware of but give genetic crop mutations a few years and you never know !

 

[murgatoad]

Originally posted by towels
Isn't ordering three breakfasts a joke that could tie into her weight? I mean, that's nothing compared to what she consumed during the Kermie and Piggy story (playhouse video) but still...throughout her career, her food consumption has been an ongoing "bit". Remember the Lays commercial when it seems like there was nothing else in Muppetia?
I also wonder if her popularity originially was driven more by her assertiveness, rather than her appearance.

And in those commercials, Kermit says "We may have to get a bigger booth." Fat joke. Proof again that they're easy to write. BUT it was a subtle one, and referred to her appetite, as you say, rather than to her size at the moment. Personally, I have no prob with jokes about Piggy's appetite, and I have no prob with pork jokes, particularly if in the latter case she's allowed to retaliate. That's a reaction that is part of her trademark and is comfortable and familiar to viewers. BUT on the other hand (no pun intended), if all Eric is going to do with the character is trot out the same old schtick, who needs it? We've seen that already. I'd like to see what he can contribute to her. Once in a while, I'd like to see her speak straight from the shoulder on a topic without the affectation and simpering, which has also gotten old. You can bet people would pay attention if she did. But I think even more important than that is Piggy's design. She has to be fun to look at again. Most of the Muppets' appeal is visual anyway. Sure her assertiveness (until it was taken to extremes by Frank "she's-a-seething-mass-of-conflicts") Oz) was part of her appeal, but the beautiful pig idea is paramount. IMO.

 

[Mutton]

I enjoyed the editorial.

Being new, please excuse me if I bring up something that has already been discussed.

To me the orginal show should be shown on a "hip" cable network to remind people what they originally saw in these great characters, and to really introduce younger people, who might have only heard stories, of how great the show was and is. As an example, E! Entertainment has been showing the initial few years of Saturday Night Live with the original cast in the evenings for a few months now. This was great for a person my age who was not alive for the first few years of Saturday Night Live and did not grow up with cable to catch re-runs. Networks that could work with The Muppet Show are Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, E!, and even Cartoon Network with their Adult Swim animation blocks from the great "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast" people.

Thanks for the great site.

Also, if anyone knows where I can get a copy of Jim Henson's Cube I would really appreciate it. I have only learned of it recently and am now upset at the "popular" Cube movie for not at least giving a credit to Jim. Even if they knew nothing of his version originally they must have learned of it when registering the title and screenplay.

Henson spoke about it in a Dark Crystal interview:
http://users.bestweb.net/~foosie/henson.htm

Jim Henson's Cube: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0291118

Vincenzo Natali's Cube: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0123755

 

[Muppets1985]

Hummmmm...

Now after reading that story about 3 times it has made me wonder...Yeah like Care Bears they come and go and sometimes i see a t-shirt or somthing of them but, there NOT big n e more & the Muppets, we NEED MORE Muppet stuff like movies and DTV's and cartoon's and old shows back on Tv and and well i could go on 4 ever witch brings me to Disney....

Disney IS NOT a bad company i mean EVERY company has it problems (Vicom, WB etc..) there NO anglies them selfs thay all so have DTV's too like a WB, look they have all them Dtv's of Scooby Doo, and Universal with there 10,000's Land before Time movies!. And i know what your going to say "Disney is cheap now a days and, they make Mupppets in to little kid stuff and get rid of Steve or Erica or who ever, and we'll see MTI 2 or 3 or 4 and bla bla bla..." But do we ALL REALLY know this is a fact, and YES i did noteis that Disney did trun the Muppet DTV's (sing a longs etc..) but that was back in the 90's this is NOW, 2002!! and Jim wanted the Muppets to be Disney and be part of the Disney family, that was Jim's dream, i mean shouldn't we want what Jim wanted back them?!. I for one is behind Disney to finlly get the Muppets 100% (but ya'll have know me for 1 year know so i think u know lol)


And know brings me to the Winnie the Pooh thing: I mean look at him you can't get away from the guy (bear) he's EVERY were from toys, close, UNDERWARE (LOL), video's DVD's, DTV's tv shows specials etc ect... and see the Muppet could have ALL that they'd be right up there with Mickey and Pooh and the "Disney Princess" line of thing, look they have cereal, and juice box's and snakes i mean would u like to wake up in there morning and have Muppet cereal of "Muppet munchies" (Disney has cereal of Mickey's magix, and Pooh's Hunny B's and Pixar cereal od Buzz Lighyear and little school lunch thing for kids and adults!) wand wouldn't u like to havs Muppet juice box to drink at work or school? i would.


..... well i better stop before i blow a tpo LOL.

 

[Muppets1985]

Oops sorry about the spelling people but im in a hurry to do sothing, bye.....*Zoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!!!!*