Muppets in Newsweek

[Buck-Beaver]

Hi all!

You might want to head down to the newsstand and check out this week's copy of Newsweek. The cover story is about the rise in the quality of children's television programming. The article cites "Sesame Street" and the Muppets as well as their influence throughout and there are pictures from Sesame Street set (taken last week) and "Bear in the Big Blue House" with Elmo, Bear, Telly and others. Kevin Clash, Fran Brill, David Rudman and (half of) Marty's Robinson's head appear in one of the pictures.

Newsweek also has a copy of the article online at www.msnbc.com/news/829881.asp?. Most of the photos from the article are not on the web, but there is a video clip from "Bear in the Big Blue House" you can watch.

Enjoy!

 

[Drtooth]

My thoughts on the article.

Personally, the quality of Children's programming is a current mixed bag. Though we have great shows, like Sesame Street, CLifford, Sagwa, Arthur, Cyberchase (geared to older kids), Between the Lions and such, some shows are just plan bland and annoying to watch. I had to take care of a lot of kids in the last year and a hlaf (don't know why I accept, they don't pay me) and Dora is so annoying. She has a worse grasp of the Spanish Language than Peggy Hill. She just says Hola all the time, and I want to buy the Dancing Dora doll just to see if I can flush it down the toilet (a bit juevenile perhaps, but satisfying!) Jay Jay the Jet plane is the worst. It is firstly, a cheap knock off of Thomas the Tank Engine (which at least had Ringo Starr and George Carlin backing it up) and the CGI animation is so elementary, a monkey could do it. The acting is just plain awful, andI could do a much better show with a sock puppet.

However, Bear and Sesame are great quality kids shows (sometimes I actually sway those kids to watch 'em). Bear kinda put me off at first, but I have seen his show, and let me tell you, he has a lot of kids appeal, and a bit of Adult apeal too (not much on the show, but he's REALLY funny on Hollywood Squares).

But I sometimes think that a lot of the worst shows are on Kid's WB and Fox. I do like Scooby Doo, Ozzy and Drix , Mucha Lucha, and Jackie Chan (what a doofus I am), along with Fox's Kirby. But the shows are so Toyetic now, and it seems like you have to buy all this crap because kid's want the hot new fad (which always seems to stem from Pokemon...just my thought)

But what I hate, is that, like the Muppets, Adults and such lump cartoons into the "Kids Only" category. That's why South Park, Ren and Stimpy, and Bevis and Butthead got in so much trouble.

Buck, Thanks for sharing that with us.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I think after 1985 programmers lost site of "quality kids' tv." Some of the newer things are good, but who knows where we're going to end up one day?

FOZ