Did anyone else watch Muppet Babies?

[Fiery Princess]

I used to watch the Muppet Babies all the time. I loved it too! I still have been known to sing my own personal rendition of the theme song at random moments during the day. LOL I agree that it is a better show than the ones aired today...I don't remember that the animation "sucked" it looked great to me when I watched it. Being a show designed for younger children I doubt too many that viewed it did notice . I was too busy getting all into the adventures!!!!

 

[beaker]

Originally posted by Fiery Princess
I used to watch the Muppet Babies all the time. I loved it too! I still have been known to sing my own personal rendition of the theme song at random moments during the day. LOL I agree that it is a better show than the ones aired today...I don't remember that the animation "sucked" it looked great to me when I watched it. Being a show designed for younger children I doubt too many that viewed it did notice . I was too busy getting all into the adventures!!!!

Not only did the animation *not* suck(at least the early to late mid 80's when I watched it), but it was a brave concept that combined a variety of animation meshed with wacky clips, etc. It was a breathless cusory illustration of pure genius, and think it is leaps and bounds over a lot of insulting kid's programs these days. No other fostered your imagination or sense of wonder like MB did. I look at whats on tv these days kiddy show wise, and I thank my lucky macaoles I was raised when I was.

 

[frogboy4]

Issues I had with the animation:

*It was stiff and choppy (not fluid like other low budget animated programs). Muppet Babies should have more bounce to them, but seemed like cardboard cut-outs to me. Many shows still have that sort of shabby animation drawn in some third-world country. I expected better from Henson.

*Characters often didn't maintain proportional consistency - especially in their faces. Transitions from profile to 3/4 etc could be dreadful at times.

*It was 6-frame animation (and a lot of times less). Characters were often drawn poorly. I really don't think they made the best with what they had. It was probably an issue with Marvel and not Jim Henson. They probably felt they didn't need to do any better. People often rag on the animation (of classic Muppet Characters) in Little Muppet Monsters and I see it as the same shabby job. The difference was the Babies had a better writing team.

*I liked the live-action/animation mix. There were a few good stories that I remember (I loved it when they went in Bunsen and Beaker's spooky lab).The songs were a nice touch too. The voices got on my nerves, but Howie Mandel is not my favorite person anyway. LOL!

*It certainly isn't that I hate the Muppet Babies or that the animation totally "sucked". It just wasn't the quality program that Jim Henson usually made. Everyone has that one Muppet project they wish could have been made better and this is mine. I looked past the issues in the first season (I must have been 8 or 9), but I lost interest in the second year.

*It was a good show for kids and I will give it that, but most of Henson's work transcended the kiddy-ness. This never did in my eyes and the older I got, all I could see was low-grade animation and good intentions. I loved the puppets. I know there’s a lot of nostalgia attached to the show and some filter their perceptions through it – and some people just downright like the show. As someone who has studied film and television, if a project touches your heart, you are never wrong to like it. No matter what anyone else says.

BTW - Has anyone else wondered why Baby Rowlf (the toon and the puppet) had a red mouth and pink tongue like the rest of the characters? Was this a conscious choice or an error they just ran with? Just wondering about your opinions.

 

[Sir Didymus]

I remember when I was little, I like the theme song for some reason. But i never accually watched it. I would like to see it on T.V. again someday.

Jake

 

[Movies205]

MB had a lot of freedom and htat what I liked about it. It could go anywhere it wanted to go, cuz it use imagination and it was very good.

 

[Gonzo]

Hey Jamie,

Thanks for your comments--that was a little more detailed than some of your other posts on the topic, and it's a more fair and balanced look at it. I accept it.

But I still like Muppet Babies.

Howie Mandel's Animal and Skeeter still make my eye twitch.

Quinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

 

[frogboy4]

Forgot he did both characters. I feel that I didn't explain my thoughts on the Muppet Babies enough until now. There are few things in this world that I 100% do not like (Robert Downey Jr in anything, complaint rock, fast food and preempting shows to broadcast baseball games etc). The Muppet Babies were just a disappointment to me. Nothing more than that. I just was struck by how many people thought it was brilliant.

 

[Gonzo]

Robert Downey Jr. in anything? That surprises me.

I think the Muppet Babies were mind-blowing for so many people on this particular board because it was a change of genre from puppetry to animation; it was seen at an influential age; and blening animation with live-action is something they hadn't seen yet in quite that way. So for them, it was all that. It wasn't quite that amazing for me, but I think it was an innovative way to take those characters and do something with them that was quite different.

 

[frogboy4]

I can see that. I wouldn't be opposed to Henson bringing back the Babies with a new team of artists and new characters (and voices). It would be fun to see the Mayhem and even Pepe in the mix. Maybe even update it. I feel if the show had been released today, that the quality of animation would have probably been better. There are so many competing companies these days.

It would also be cool if Nanny would ever let those poor kids go outside in the real world for once! No wonder those kids had such imaginations. Geez. LOL!

 

[SillyRed]

The animation got better later on