Big Bird in China or Japan?

[DerekJ]

I liked them equally both.

The China story had lots of Muppets in it and a great story about a magic bird and a funny monkey king.
The Japan story had a mysterious woman helping Big Bird and Barkley find their way back to their plane. And we learn so much about Japan.

Toss in "Don't Eat the Pictures" (in which BB and Barkley help the ghost of an Egyptian boy from the museum Tut exhibit), and "Japan" comes in a pretty weenie third (fourth?)--

"Japan" was the last BB special, and frankly, they were starting to get into a "BB discovers local legend" rut, trying to follow "China"'s lead--Here, educational travelogue-Japan seems almost pushed back to a quick footnote, just so they can cram more of the obligatory Princess Kaguya plot into sixty minutes, until it practically takes over.
Plus, unlike the amusingly (and understandably) befuddled Chinese bystanders, the Japanese don't seem to be particularly thrilled or receptive about having two big Muppets walking around Tokyo.

..."China", however, is the all-time classic:
As Carroll Spinney tells the story, NBC was willing to film two network specials just after relations had first been re-established--Carroll had been listening to an interview with Bob Hope, who was doing the first special; an interview asked Bob who he wanted with him, and Hope said, "First thing I wanna do is walk down the Great Wall with Big Bird!"
Ten minutes later, the phone rang...

(Which's one of the reasons why it's a classic:
We're looking at one of the last ancient, untouched 80's glimpses of a very, very, very pre-Tiananmen China, closed from Western influence for the last thirty years, and before any 90's capitalist changes had taken place--
The mythical China That Time Forgot, perfect for BB and the Monkey King to stroll around, and which we may never see again....Never mind the Jon Stone-era Sesame Street we may never see again.)

 

[DerekJ]

I have only seen Big Bird In China. I haven't even seen a copy of the recent re-release in any stores (whether on video or DVD). I also haven't even found any DVD copies of Big Bird In China (just the newer video release).

Took long enough, but: Big Bird in China

(And, just so it isn't a total loss:
Yeah, the other one...
No "Don't Eat the Pictures" yet, though, darn.)

 

[minor muppetz]

Toss in "Don't Eat the Pictures" (in which BB and Barkley help the ghost of an Egyptian boy from the museum Tut exhibit), and "Japan" comes in a pretty weenie third

Barkly wasn't in Don't Eat The Pictures. It was Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus who help the ghost of an egyptian boy.

It seems like in this thread people keep mistaking oen character from another. First somebody mistook Farley for barkly, and now somebody mistook barkly for Snuffy.

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

who is Farley?

Jim Henson .... Ernie (voice)
Frank Oz .... Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover (voice)
Jerry Nelson .... The Count
Martin P. Robinson .... Aloysius Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster
Carroll Spinney .... Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch (voice)

 

[minor muppetz]

who is Farley?

Farley was a green boy with orange hair and a yellow turtleneck who appeared on Sesame Street in the early 1970s. He was performed by Jerry Nelson. There was also another boy named farley who was purple who sang the sogn Forty Blocks From My Home, and was also performed by Jerry nelson, but I was refferring to the green boy.

Jim Henson .... Ernie (voice)
Frank Oz .... Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover (voice)
Jerry Nelson .... The Count
Martin P. Robinson .... Aloysius Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster
Carroll Spinney .... Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch (voice)

is this supposed to be a performer listing for Don't Eat The Pictures? Because in that special, Telly was performed by Brian Meehle, not Martin P. Robinson (Meehle performed Telly from 1979-1984, and this special is from 1983).

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

ok i'll change it @ imdb.com

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I have a question about barklys performer in big Bird In japan. I have read at both The Complete henson Database and The Internet Movie database that Brian Meehle, Barklys original performer, performed barkly in this special, but the special is from 1987, three years after Brian Meehle left Sesame Street. Did Brian Meehle actually perform barkly, or did Fred Garbo perform Barkly?

I want to make a response to this post. I'm not sure either, but I'd like to make some input. If it came out in the 80s it was most likely Fred Garbo who performed Barkley in "Japan" and probably in "China." Imdb doesn't always have the most accurate information.

 

[minor muppetz]

I want to make a response to this post. I'm not sure either, but I'd like to make some input. If it came out in the 80s it was most likely Fred Garbo who performed Barkley in "Japan" and probably in "China." Imdb doesn't always have the most accurate information.

Brian Meehle did perform Barkly in Big Bird In China. The credits say so. Besides, this special was made in 1983, a year before Brian Meehle stopped performing on Sesame Street. Fred Garbo took over after that, and then Bruce Connelly eventually took over the role sometime in the early 1990s.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

O.K., so it was Brian in "China" and Fred in "Japan." Thanks for that info.

 

[CoOKiE]

DEF China! Japan was alright.. but i DEF loved china. although, as a kid i was afride ov the monkey... but i did think he was cool lol.

and to those who are intrested.. i've spotted DVDs for both (China n Japan) in FYE (For Your Entertainment) maybe they have a website? usually you find these stores in malls.. they're DVD and cd stores... which i happened to find other SS material like cd holders, and Monopoly.