Welcome to the Muppet Central Forum!
Sesame Street Season 55
Jim Henson Idea Man
Back to the Rock Season 2
Bear arrives on Disney+
Sam and Friends Book
lowercasegods
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2004
- Messages
- 640
- Reaction score
- 8
Here's my thoughts. Take 'em with not a grain but a two pound bag of salt, for they are only thoughts.
When the Muppets premeried by in 1955 on Sam and Friends, I think it's safe to say they were, for the time, edgy. They were kind of violent, and definitely had a wild, going-against-the-grain quality to them that was unique for 50's TV. And one of their key devices in those days was lip-syncing puppets to pre-recorded soundtracks.
Jump ahead fifty years. If any comparison could be made in modern terms to the old school Muppet mayhem of the 1950s, it seems like it would have to be Crank Yankers. Sure, bodily functions and promescuity in all it's forms is prominant in Crank Yankers (and was noticably absent from Sam and Friends), but to differing degrees, edginess and cutting edge puppetry are evident in both productions. So what I'm saying is, in my opinion, Crank Yankers is the modern equivalent of the original Muppets.
What does this mean to the actual Muppets, though? Answer: trouble. When the Muppets first appeared on SNL in the Gorch sketches in 1975, and even on their subsequent specials and eventual TV show in 1976, they were still edgy, violent and controversial. But since then, the line between the Muppets and the Sesame Street characters has gradually thinned out, to the degree now where the Muppets past edgy persona has all but faded, and the Muppet Show cast is now as sweet and harmless as Sesame Street, and thought of by the viewing public in the same safe, harmless light.
Keep in mind that I love the Muppets whether they're sweet or edgy. But the problem I mentioned comes from their evolution into innocence. They cannot survive in the tough talking and acting world of adult puppetry brought on by Crank Yankers. For better or worse, Crank Yankers has raised the bar.
That having been said, the Muppets will always have more heart, humor and nostalgia than Crank Yankers could EVER hope for. But new, younger audiences are not going to know the Muppets as we do. If it weren't for the upcoming Oz special, we'd have the occassional Pizza Hut commercial to introduce new viewers to the Muppets by, and little else.
What I'm saying is, the Muppets need not become edgy again, or try to compete with Crank Yankers level of debauchery to stay successful and to pull in new audiences. But they do need a new, regular show to keep them fresh and in the public eye. Until that happens, they can make as many Pizza Hut commercials as they want, but their success and fame will get tossed out like so much discarded stuffed crust.
When the Muppets premeried by in 1955 on Sam and Friends, I think it's safe to say they were, for the time, edgy. They were kind of violent, and definitely had a wild, going-against-the-grain quality to them that was unique for 50's TV. And one of their key devices in those days was lip-syncing puppets to pre-recorded soundtracks.
Jump ahead fifty years. If any comparison could be made in modern terms to the old school Muppet mayhem of the 1950s, it seems like it would have to be Crank Yankers. Sure, bodily functions and promescuity in all it's forms is prominant in Crank Yankers (and was noticably absent from Sam and Friends), but to differing degrees, edginess and cutting edge puppetry are evident in both productions. So what I'm saying is, in my opinion, Crank Yankers is the modern equivalent of the original Muppets.
What does this mean to the actual Muppets, though? Answer: trouble. When the Muppets first appeared on SNL in the Gorch sketches in 1975, and even on their subsequent specials and eventual TV show in 1976, they were still edgy, violent and controversial. But since then, the line between the Muppets and the Sesame Street characters has gradually thinned out, to the degree now where the Muppets past edgy persona has all but faded, and the Muppet Show cast is now as sweet and harmless as Sesame Street, and thought of by the viewing public in the same safe, harmless light.
Keep in mind that I love the Muppets whether they're sweet or edgy. But the problem I mentioned comes from their evolution into innocence. They cannot survive in the tough talking and acting world of adult puppetry brought on by Crank Yankers. For better or worse, Crank Yankers has raised the bar.
That having been said, the Muppets will always have more heart, humor and nostalgia than Crank Yankers could EVER hope for. But new, younger audiences are not going to know the Muppets as we do. If it weren't for the upcoming Oz special, we'd have the occassional Pizza Hut commercial to introduce new viewers to the Muppets by, and little else.
What I'm saying is, the Muppets need not become edgy again, or try to compete with Crank Yankers level of debauchery to stay successful and to pull in new audiences. But they do need a new, regular show to keep them fresh and in the public eye. Until that happens, they can make as many Pizza Hut commercials as they want, but their success and fame will get tossed out like so much discarded stuffed crust.
That's not funny or 'edgy' to me. I'm surprised nobody talks about Puppets Who Kill wich in my opinion is alot better than Crank Yankers and Greg the Bunny put together.
(Or because they are owned by Disney now, one of those two) Somehow certain people confuse immaturity with brilliance. I still don't get that. In my opinion you're brilliant if you manage to do something artistic without having to offend others to attract attention. Wich is just rare these days (Wonder Showzen is a good example of this). I saw some of Jim Henson's early stuff and I'm not saying that's all immature material. So I don't even really get the comparison with stuff such as Crank Yankers. But I noticed he did become more serious eventually and wanted to make the world a better place through his movies etc. And to me that's his best work. I don't think he was ever in the shocking business.