Is T.V. puppetry just for 5 yrs and Under?

[Blink]

Hi all,

I have a question for anyone with an opinion.

I have had a few conversations with people and it seems that there are only two types of thinking regarding puppetry on television.

The first is that puppets (especially the fleece, soft, cartoon looking puppets) and only for children who are about 5 years or younger. Examples of programs for them are Sesame Street, Big Comfy Couch, etc.

The other is (recently) for over 14 year olds, with shows like Crank Yankers (who also use the the fleece, soft, cartoon looking puppets).

What about the children 6 to 12 years old? Do they not like puppets? Don't they watch them? I know I did when I was that age. I know all of the students in my school at those ages love my puppets when I bring them in.

But accoding to some, children 6 - 12 years old will not watch puppets on T.V.

Pretty sad.

Opinions?

- Blink

 

[serenainverse]

I think it's a larger trend

The first is that puppets (especially the fleece, soft, cartoon looking puppets) and only for children who are about 5 years or younger. Examples of programs for them are Sesame Street, Big Comfy Couch, etc.

The other is (recently) for over 14 year olds, with shows like Crank Yankers (who also use the the fleece, soft, cartoon looking puppets).

What about the children 6 to 12 years old? Do they not like puppets? Don't they watch them? I know I did when I was that age. I know all of the students in my school at those ages love my puppets when I bring them in.

I think it's a bigger problem than that ... it's like there's nothing for those ages at all any more. When you're really young you've basically got Nickelodeon to yourself during the day, with all kinds of great shows like Bear and Blue's Clues. And then, you get Comedy Central doing Crank Yankers and South Park, supposedly for adults, but knowing their main market is teenagers who like hearing dirty words on TV.

Between those ages, there's a wide selection of half-hour toy commercials and video game tie-ins. There are a couple of good superhero type cartoons for the upper end of the age bracket, but if you're six to eight they're more interested in selling you a card game or video game than in entertaining you.

That's one of the reasons I find the Muppets so remarkable. At age 4, they're bright colors and friendly puppets ... age 8, silly jokes and slapstick ... age 12, pop culture references and "zingers" ... and age adult, subtle satire. The very best of today's cartoons (like Jackie Chan) can still handle the last two. Nobody seems to have taken up the middle.

 

[Beebers]

Well, I'm opinionated and that's ridiculous.

(the notion brought up in the first post.)

It may be that some TV suits holed up wherever it is they hole up have decided and declared the above to be true but since when have they been right about anything? If they haven't sold X amount of junk to a particular demographic during the commercial break they declare a program a failure.

Good puppetry is for anyone and good puppetry for the 6-12 age group can and ought to be done. If it's good, they'll watch.

And remember, the suits said no one would ever watch The Muppet Show.

That's how much they know.

Danged if I can tell what they get paid for.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

It's definately been attempted, Henson's ill-fated "Brats of the Lost Nebula" and "Aliens in the Family" come to mind. "Dinosaurs" probably did well in that age group. Taiwan has PiLi Puppet Theatre which is a martial arts action series done with puppets that is popular with 6 - 12 year olds there. The "Thunderbirds" series were popular with kids in their day too. I think the trick as others have said is to just produce something that age group will want to watch and of course have TV execs willing to put it on the air.

 

[dmx10101]

Puppets are for anyone to watch. Adults and kids alike. Although some shows like crank yankers aren't for kids though.

 

[Blink]

Wonderful responses,

Many of you make very good points.

I will now pose a question to any television execs (or anyone with an opinion; again), "Is there a culture of not taking any risks on something new?"

I think this person's idea for a puppetry show was incredibly engaging, the script I read was perfectly paced, but exects don't think it will work with puppets.

Has anyone tried to convince a television exec or station to create or play a puppet show that the exec or station were convinced just wouldn't work?

Everything I see on television now-a-days, is full of violance and compitition amongst children. This seems to be a trend that has not been broken. Can it be broken? There seems to be "battling" of some sorts for most of the shows I have seen.

Any thoughts?

- Blink