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Interesting article on the current state of the Muppets

Frogster

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Nobody is going to shed a tear for a bookcase full of obsolete pirates and forgotten wenches, but it is a sadder thing to watch the once universally beloved characters of your childhood—characters like, say, the Muppets—fading inexorably from the public imagination. It stings to realize that a lot of kids today have no idea who Kermit the Frog or Miss Piggy is, but it’s far more depressing to witness a witless attempt at generating some new buzz for the characters by pairing Miss Piggy with Jessica Simpson in those commercials for the most hideous-looking pizza I have ever seen. (Seriously, it looks like every slice is topped off by somebody’s gangrenous toe.) Jim Henson was never reluctant to use his characters in commercials, but he got his start creating a series of revolutionary ads in the ’50s and ’60s, and he understood that there is a real art to making a good commercial. The new Muppet ads aren’t just missing Henson in the literal sense, they’re missing his spirit. I hesitate to speak for a dead man, but I can’t imagine Henson would have approved of invoking Kermit’s signature song “It’s Not Easy Being Green,” with its subtle but unmistakable message of racial tolerance, to pitch a ****** car. The Muppets never really felt like puppets before, but man, they sure do now.

The Muppets, in general, are just awful now. Let's count up the things they've done that have simply been embarrassing in the last few years:

1. Muppet Treasure Island (with Fozzie's finger as a person, I knew, even as a young teen, there was something going down and unmistakably wrong with what they were doing)

2. Muppets Tonight (it was very hard for me to take the show seriously; the performances were weak, and it seems to me as if they were trying to be 'new age.' It was awful.)

3. Muppets From Space (Kermit should always be the focus of the movies they make. Fozzie's not in much till halfway thru the show. And Gonzo and Rizzo should NOT be the new Kermit and Fozzie.)

4. Kermit's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart, etc. (Steve's Kermit, you ANNOY me to no end. You're overly cheery, a little squeaky, and act too much like a child. Please find someone new for this guy. It's Kermit the Frog, for goodness' sakes! We want a leader, not a whimp.)

5. Kermit's Swamp Years (Need I say more?!?!)

6. Commercials (I think the article I put above explains that pretty well, along with why I'm making this list in the first place.)

7. It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas (Okay, here's where the Muppets try to become TOO 'new-age' with the Rave scene, the inuendos by Pepe, and the fact that the Muppets, once again, stole someone else's idea to make another cheap film.)

8. The Muppets' Wizard Of Oz (Here, we see the final straw that broke the camel's back. It was humiliating to watch. Just sad. Jim would be very dissappointed in his siblings, as well as Steve, Dave, and the others. He would have never hired Eric; I think Frank would still help some if Jim was around. The Muppets are either trying too hard, or not at all, to make the Muppets work. They need to go back and keep things simple. Did they ever even read "It's Not Easy Bein' Green"? Simple is good.)

If you want to start making the Muppets good, here's a list you can go by:

1. Calm the characters down! Everyone on the Muppets is too jumpy, and try to be too crazy. I know it's an attempt to be funny, but it's not. If you guys have EVER watched some of the old episodes of The Muppet Show (I don't think Brian Henson has; he's screwed up a couple of those Time/Life interviews) you'll see that the Muppets are a lot like people. They can be calm and have serious conversations. Not everything has to lead up to a joke. I know times have changed, but the Muppets didn't have to.

2. Don't take certain movies and try making them your own! It's getting really old; heck, you guys have done Wizard of Oz on Muppet Babies, The Muppet Show, and on Muppets Go To The Movies. Jim was good at creating new ideas and new ground for the Muppets to cover. I know you guys aren't Jim, but he did leave you with something that was supposed to be taken seriously. Not just do whatever you please.

3. Core characters should stay as core characters! That means, Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Scooter, and Rowlf. I guess Rizzo can stay in the mix; it's kinda late to make him a background character anyways. But the Electric Mayhem should have more spots instead of Pepe, Clifford, and others. I'd much rather see Floyd talk than to have to put up with Johnny Fiama's ego. And when I mean put the cores back in, don't just put them back in and find performers who are as horrible as Eric Jacobson; get REAL performers. Get people who can do their personalities, not just their voices. If that means replacing a few puppeters, that'd be okay. I'd hate to see just anyone off the street get Fozzie Bear. If you ask me, in order to be a Muppeteer, you don't have to fill out an application; it seems as if you have to be in some inner circle. That should stop as well. If you do that, other people with real talents may never get to be seen.

I doubt anyone from the core Muppet group reads this, but if they do, don't just see it as an insult; see it as guidelines that you could use for improvement. So Brian, next time you have this urge to re-create some already-famous film and completely ruin it with your dads' creations, go back to this list. Because if you do, you'll think "Oh, right... people DON'T like that!" and you'll help us all out. Granted, kids under 10 may, but you have to think of your WHOLE audience. Sorry if this seems as if it's a little too strong for anyone to take, but I believe in what I'm saying. And the reason why I wrote this in the first place is because I miss the Muppets.
 

JoeyMuppet

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Some of my mom's sixth grade students think any Muppets including our well known Kermit the Frog are gay,what! I don't think that at all,I've loved the Muppets ever since I can remember.I still love them,and right now I'm 15 years old,and finishing my first year of highschool.
 

CensoredAlso

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Frogster said:
If you guys have EVER watched some of the old episodes of The Muppet Show (I don't think Brian Henson has; he's screwed up a couple of those Time/Life interviews)
Hehe, I noticed mistakes in the Time/Life interviews as well. But that's OK, it's not unusual for hardcore fans to remember these things better than the people actually involved.

I noticed a problem with his intro to the Elton John episode. He says the episode is all about The Muppets wanting Elton to dress flamboyantly and him not wanting to. If you watch the episode, that doesn't really go on at all. On the other hand, that particular episode, while great, doesn't have much a plot.

Frogster said:
you'll see that the Muppets are a lot like people. They can be calm and have serious conversations. Not everything has to lead up to a joke. I know times have changed, but the Muppets didn't have to.
I agree with that, it's like they're afraid to be a little serious or sentimental. It's a shame they have to follow trends instead of trying to stake their own territory. I think in the end, it wasn't the same after Jim died, he was the ring leader and ultimately the one with the vision. And Richard seemed to represent a lot of The Muppets' edge, which they don't really have now (and when they try to, it's either too much or too immature).
 

Sgt Floyd

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Valentine said:
Before I found this nifty little message board :smile:...I've always wondered where the muppets went to.

...Take that for what its worth. :big_grin:
Well, they know who most of the main characters thqat ares till being used are at least...might not like them, but...:sympathy:
 

Vic Romano

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I'm in agreement with the article and am very saddened by it. It also evokes a feeling that we're on the edge of a huge chasim and the Muppets are about to fall in it. Nostalgic value aside, I think the line about "lacking the spirit of Henson" hit home for me. I love the Muppets forever and for always, but that love is reserved for Jim's Muppets, no one elses.
 

Ilikemuppets

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MelissaY1 said:
Thanks for the link. I have to agree with it and the article only made me sadder to realize what's happened to our beloved Muppets, Warner Bros., Disney characters, etc. They're all shadows of what they once were which was clever, well made bits of entertainment. While I have to disagree with the author's article that kids today don't know who Kermit is (true many don't) many still do. A few years back when they had those Christmas windows unveiled at Macy's in NYC and Steve Whitmire was there to perform Kermit, there was a few kids standing in front of me and as soon as Kermit popped up from behind the podium those kids were jumping up and down with excitement and I got teary eyed thinking how as long as kids still get excited at the sight of Kermit, Jim's dream is still living on. And like someone else here said the Muppet Show Season 1 DVD is still doing well, people still turn out in droves at the Museum of T.V. and Radio here in NY whenever there's a Henson event.... people still care about these charactesr. It's the entertainment industry who doesn't. :frown:
I never thought of it like that before, but that's so true.
 
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