Muppet Show/70s Paper Question--HELP!

[SarahHIYE]

So, for my Musical Theater Studies: The 1970s class, I have to write a 5-page paper on a topic of my choice about American culture in the 70s. I (obviously) want to write it on the Muppets. I've got plenty of information about The Muppet Show and Sesame Street and all, but what I don't have is much, er, context? Like, why were the 1970s the right time for the Muppets to succeed? What was the atmosphere that they were coming into? How did they directly impact the culture?

A lot of these things I can find out (and/or make up myself), but I was wondering if anyone who was there in the 1970s (as I was not born yet), can give me any helpful hints or advice. My paper's going to be focused mostly on 70s nostalgia for a more innocent time--what with Happy Days, Grease, etc. And that's how the Muppet Show fit in. So, well, if anyone has anything else to add that would be FANTASTIC!!!

Sarah

 

[pppapazo]

Look into the history of variety television in that decade, particularly Laugh-In, Carol Burnett, etc.

Also, if you're going with the nostalgia route, I'd look into the history of vaudeville.

 

[DerekJ]

Also, wasn't nostalgia, so much as the growing death of the Variety show--
As audiences wanted less generic variety hosts and more unique signature talents:

Carol Burnett, of course, would always own its own corner of the industry, but somehow, nobody else could ever follow Kermit's strange cast of acts afterwards...
The bar had been raised beyond human expectations.