determining the best before the internet

[minor muppetz]

It seems like a lot of television shows have moments that we associate as classics. These moments are often included in anniversary shows and documentaries, songs are often included in albusm (especially ones with titles like "the best of" or "greatest hits"). A lot of official books on these elevision programs talk about various moments. If there are compilations they are usually included. But a lot of this has happened before the itnernet was invented, and before newsgroups, message boards, or blogs. How did companies and other people involved with the television shows determine if a certain moment was "the best", a "classic", or a memorable moment to the fans? I don't think TV shows have newspaper or magazine reviews for every individual episode.

For example, when Playhouse Video released those Muppet Show compilations in 1985, how sure was Jim Henson that certain moments were or weren't classic enough? How was it decided which moments were adapted in The Muppet Show Book? There have been a lot of Sesame Street albums fcusing on the best of certain characters, and before the internet Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, Oscar, Cookie Monster, and Grover all had at least two of their own "best of" albums each. And while many of those have songs that we fans think of as classics, they also have a selection of songs that seem more random to me.

I guess if companies were just guessing which ones were truly classic then that could explain why most of the skits included in The Best of Ernie and Bert were random sketches as opposed to classics such as The Banana Sketch, Ernie putting a pot on Bert's head, and Ernie making a clay sculpture of Bert. I guess companies make certain moments classics by putting them in compiltations, albums, anniversary specials, and other such material.