How did Pepe become so popular?

[janicegroupie]

I don't see Pepe becoming Elmo quite yet. I do agree that I would rather see some of the older characters but the reality is that some of those wonderful characters don't have a permanent puppeter yet since Jim or Richard did such a great job with them that it's hard to find a replacment. I actually don't know any kids that even know who Pepe is but then again they have no idea who most the Muppets are (poor deprived kids.) But yeah I don't totally know what I'm saying. I guess that Pepe has gotten bigger but is not Elmo. I may start worrying if he gets something like Pepe's World but right now I'll just wait and see. Bill Barretta is a great puppeteer and it is cool that he can have a main character but again I do still perfer the older characters. I would be happy just to see the Muppets on tv again though Pepe or no Pepe.

 

[rexcrk]

Do they make "Tickle Me Pepe" or any other kind of Pepe merchandise like they do with Elmo? No. So, that means... he's not as bad as Elmo yet!

 

[Super Scooter]

"hehehehehe! oooh! you know just where Pepe likes it, ok! hehehehehehe! ooh! that tickles!"

... no, I don't think we'll be seeing that anytime soon.

 

[scarylarrywolf]

Well, do they make as much Muppet merchandise as they do SS merchandise? SS is generally more popular than the Muppets in the first place so of course there's not going to be as much Pepe as there is Elmo. I'm really making a percentage comparison: Elmo is getting more publicity than the other SS characters, and Pepe is getting overexposed compared to the other Muppets.

 

[McFraggle]

I definitely agree that he is sort of the Muppet equivalent of Elmo. It's funny I was recently going through some old tapes and found the Muppet Family Christmas and I ended up watching it. Elmo just kind of blends in with the rest of the Sesame Street characters. I will grant you that Elmo didn't really get big until almost a decade after that, but still he shouldn't be taking up a quarter of Sesame Street daily. I seen that problem on the Nick and Jessica show, it was like Pepe was trying to steal the spotlight, just like Elmo does. I think the Muppets, from SS to FR, were designed to be team-based, not individual, that is why much of the earlier Muppets was them playing off of each other.

 

[Camellia]

Pepe for a new "no smoking" campaign

For many, Pepe was the biggest highlight of the 1999 film Muppets from Space. ... .

exactly Phillip!

Pepe was the ONLY funny thing in MFS. "... smoking is very bad for you..." He should do a campaign on that one!



Camellia
http://www.camelliasoftware.com/muppetstore/
Our Muppets Store

 

[scarylarrywolf]

I seen that problem on the Nick and Jessica show, it was like Pepe was trying to steal the spotlight, just like Elmo does. I think the Muppets, from SS to FR, were designed to be team-based, not individual, that is why much of the earlier Muppets was them playing off of each other.

Yeah, and, of course, the spirit of the Muppets is to upstage each other, and that's great to a point; but sometimes it gets out of hand. That's when Kermit usually steps in and organizes everything, but I think even he is getting played down lately (i.e. supporting character in the MFS).

"Get back to where we once belonged..."

 

[Drtooth]

Well, do they make as much Muppet merchandise as they do SS merchandise? SS is generally more popular than the Muppets in the first place so of course there's not going to be as much Pepe as there is Elmo. I'm really making a percentage comparison: Elmo is getting more publicity than the other SS characters, and Pepe is getting overexposed compared to the other Muppets.

But UNLIKE SS, we are also seeing Rowlf, The Chef, Beaker, and Scooter there as well. The LJS had The Kermit/Animal/Piggy/ Fozzie/ Gonzo/ but the had Pepe and Chef. There was no Pepe for the Starbucks promotion, but there WAS a Rowlf.

As for Rowlf not being popular, it falls into the category of "Semiretired" in which the character says things a few times, but doesn't do too much.

Unlike SS, all the Muppets are usually all there (AVMMCM had almost everybody at least in the background, SS doesn't have Guy Smiley in future projects, even as a BG character, dispite being in a few recent kid's books).

Pepe is popluar, possibly because Bill Baretta wanted a signature character, and not to just "continue" another role. As for Dr. Teeth, he falls in with a puppeteer that may or maynot continue him....

Pepe is not like Elmo, because Elmo is popular with kids, Pepe is more popular with Adults, mostly casual Muppet fans.

 

[scarylarrywolf]

Pepe is not like Elmo, because Elmo is popular with kids, Pepe is more popular with Adults, mostly casual Muppet fans.

My point was that Pepe is as popular to the "adult" (if we can call ourselves that ) Muppet world what Elmo is to the "kids'" SS world. It's still a workable theory.

Anyway, I'd just like to clarify that both Kevin Clash and Bill Baretta are wonderful performers -- it's no wonder they've developed star characters. The issue I have is with certain characters getting more exposure than other classic characters. I know Pepe is relatively new, so I may just be analyzing his big boom on the screen and in a while the other characters will pick up their pace again. But at the moment, he reminds me in a comparative sense of Elmo

 

[Xerus]

I definitely agree that he is sort of the Muppet equivalent of Elmo. It's funny I was recently going through some old tapes and found the Muppet Family Christmas and I ended up watching it. Elmo just kind of blends in with the rest of the Sesame Street characters. I will grant you that Elmo didn't really get big until almost a decade after that, but still he shouldn't be taking up a quarter of Sesame Street daily. I seen that problem on the Nick and Jessica show, it was like Pepe was trying to steal the spotlight, just like Elmo does. I think the Muppets, from SS to FR, were designed to be team-based, not individual, that is why much of the earlier Muppets was them playing off of each other.

Yeah, I saw that Nick and Jessica special with Pepe in it. You know, if Pepe didn't exist, it probably would've been Gonzo in his place on that show.