Are the Muppets as popular as they were 30 to 40 years ago?

[MikaelaMuppet]

I agree. Not only muppets.com, but all those great youtube videos. They were making all these viral videos like Bohemian Rhapsody and Beaker's ode to joy back in the late 00's and early 10's. Then they pretty much stopped and now all they do are those "thoughts of the week" that barely register 10k views.

Those videos aren't getting viewed a lot?

 

[Muppet Master]

Those videos aren't getting viewed a lot?

Hardly any views.

 

[MikaelaMuppet]

Hardly any views.

I wonder if the recent show's cancellation has to to with the views.

 

[LittleJerry92]

I think it varies.

I feel like the humor has honestly changed over the years, but it's still something any generation can enjoy.

 

[JJandJanice]

I don't mean this in a rude sense, but honestly, asking if the Muppets are still popular is like asking if people still drink Coke.

Yes the Muppets were probably way more hot in the 70s and early 80s, than maybe they are today in some regards. But characters like the Muppets, and I'll even though in characters like Superman, Batman, Spider-man, Looney Tunes, Mickey Mouse and Peanuts, have become pop culture icons. Even if Muppets Most Wanted didn't exactly wow at the box office and the prime time TV show only lasted one season with diminishing ratings, Kermit, Miss. Piggy and the rest of the gang still hold and will always hold a place in many people's hearts and will continue for many years to come. After all, that's a BIG reason Disney wanted to buy them in the first place.

One thing that's a pet peeve of mine is when people throw around words, one of this words is the word: "fad." One great example is when people try to say Pokemon was a "fad from the 90s." Totally wrong. Sure maybe Pokemon isn't exactly as huge as it was in the late 90s, where it was insane huge, look like it was going to take over the world and those poor parents at the time couldn't go 20 minutes without seeing or hearing Pikachu. But Pokemon is still very popular and continues to reach out to younger fans that weren't even born during the high of the Pokemon craze. That's NOT a "fad." Fads don't stay consistently popular for 20+ years. Fads last a year, TOPS, like kids wearing all their clothes backwards when the kid group "Kris Kross" made it popular for a short time or something along those lines. Same thing with the Muppets, even though people might not be beating each other up to get the latest Kermit the frog doll, that doesn't mean they're no longer popular.

 

[DMHFan]

So what year did their popularity decline, to be exact?

 

[Blue Frackle]

Well Kermit has taken a part in many a meme, and I think people will always like characters like Chef, Beaker, Animal, etc. just because of the novelty of them.

So what year did their popularity decline, to be exact?

Well the '70s and the '80s were their peak, and then once Jim died they obviously took a hit in the '90s.

 

[DMHFan]

Well Kermit has taken a part in many a meme, and I think people will always like characters like Chef, Beaker, Animal, etc. just because of the novelty of them.


Well the '70s and the '80s were their peak, and then once Jim died they obviously took a hit in the '90s.

What do you mean by "take a hit"?

 

[Blue Frackle]

What do you mean by "take a hit"?

Fall back in popularity. They never recovered from that; it would've been impossible to. He was in the process of selling them to Disney when he died; there was going to be a bunch more Muppet stuff at Disney World. I think there was even talks of them having their own park.

So I think the answer you're looking for is 1990. Jim isn't the be-all, end-all (obviously a lot of people helped make his vision a reality), but he was the Muppets. Notice how Frank Oz has nothing to do with them anymore.

 

[D'Snowth]

In regards to Frank, a lot of his also has to do with his career as a movie director, which began to bud a few years before Jim passed away. Not to mention, as far as SST is concerned, even though for a while he was dedicated one day out of the year to come back, "just for fun," they otherwise can't afford him as a regular or semi-regular performer on the show because he's too expensive.