Awkward full-body Muppets

[Swordfry]

First off, I mean whenever the full bodies of the Muppets are shown, not full-body characters like Sweetums. So sorry if the title is misleading, just wasn't sure what else to put instead.

Does anyone else think that some of the Muppets just look awkward on those rare occasions their full bodies are shown? Some just look way too skinny like Animal. Is he being malnourished by Floyd or any of his other handlers? Then Fozzie, he's just so big for an average Muppet but has no detail at all from waist down. Others wear some sort of pants or have tails, or something else there, but Fozzie is just one big fuzzy oaf, lol.

While we're at it, I guess share what your favorite full-body Muppet scene is.

(is there a better term for this? Full-body means the big suit puppets like Sweetums...)

 

[Mynameisdean]

I guess you could call it "Full-Screen Muppet shots", if that helps.

 

[minor muppetz]

At first I thought this would be about full-body characters who were awkwardly performed.

I'd say some of the full-body shots in The Muppets are awkward, particularly Scooter standing and sweeping. And some full-body shots of Telly in Follow That Bird look kinda weird.

But Muppets pretty much never look awkward in full-body shots if they are sitting.

 

[Bear Man]

I think that most of the larger muppets (e.g. Fozzie, Rowlf) look a bit awkward when seen in full view. I wonder if part of it doesn't have something to do with the same problem that used to be obvious in early CGI animation, and that is that they don't have any actual weight in their lower halves to anchor them into their environment. The fart-shoed Fozzie of the The Muppets has exactly the same look and problem of the El Sleazo Fozzie of The Muppet Movie - a fairly "mushy" lower body that doesn't look like it has skeletal support and seems to move "over" the ground instead of actually walking on it.

 

[Muppet Master]

Ya I do, I've realized that a couple of times. Well, not all the full-body shots are awkward, like Kermit riding a bike really isn't, but Kermit and Fozzie dancing at the El Slezo Cafe in TMM does look awkward as well as the ending scene where all the muppets are standing there with Doc Hopper, but I don't really mind it. I just watch it and enjoy it.

 

[Bear Man]

Oh yeah, for sure. After all, it's not really all that fair to criticise foam, fleece and wire for not precisely mimicking the physics of flesh, skin and bone!

 

[Eyeball]

I always thought the Miss piggy ones in GMC and MTM looked kinda awkward, it was quite obvious there was someone in the suit in the latters case and it just looked weird in the formers.

 

[Beauregard]

Hmmm...I've always found them weird because so many of the bodies are really round (Dr Teeth, Scooter, Rowlf, Fozzie). They don't really have any trunks, just heads, bodies, arms and legs. Kinda like a really small kids drawing of a human.

Bea{I love seeing their weirdly disjointed feet walking in MTM though}regard

 

[minor muppetz]

After watching Muppets Most Wanted several times this week, I now feel like the full-body shots of Constantine dancing during "I'm Number One" look weird. To me, his legs look a little longer than Kermit's legs should.

 

[DerpSandwich]

Beyond maybe the first or second time seeing it happen at all (like when I was a kid) I've never found the image of the full body weird. The performances on the other hand most often leave something to be desired. From the waist up a puppet is perfect and entirely convincing, but once you see the whole body and they start moving around it's obvious that they're not moving naturally. Mostly it's the legs, I think. They don't bend right, and they don't seem to really be supporting the character's weight.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. "I'm Number One" featured some pretty uncomfortable moments of Constantine dancing. But Kermit and Robin walking home and singing in Muppet Christmas Carol looked great.