New Muppets Christmas Special

[The Count]

Yeah... After all, Santa Claus, in as many encarnations/actors portraying the role throughout the years does exist within Muppet cannon in a great many variety of Muppet Christmas specials. Heck, just listen to them all during the MC Radio Christmas music bonanza in December each year.

Completely agree with Ru's statements above.

 

[Drtooth]

Might I be allowed to express amusement that Santa Claus as a character is scorned?

I don't believe Santa is the problem at all. I think some of the fans find it juvenile on the part of the Muppets to write letters to Santa. I think that's the complaint people are talking about. That and a speculation based "Muppets Save Christmas" plot.

 

[Beauregard]

Might I be allowed to express amusement that Santa Claus as a character is scorned?

Why, exactly, would Santa be less believable than, say, talking frogs, diva pigs, assorted furry monsters and, oh, a dog playing the piano?

I'm sure if we try HARD enough we can disbelieve everything magical and wonderful....but why would we want to?

Actually, I think it's exactly the opposite...if I may say so...We try so HARD to believe in something that the last thing we need is someone to come up behind us with a shovel and say, "Whack! By the way, the Muppets are puppets and a script is written by executives."

Which was actually exactly how I felt when I read the idea of Muppets taking letters to Santa.

We try so hard to believe that the Muppets exist, that to throw in something we know is make-believe into the mix just throws us off course into a tree (which is why the Muppets wouldn't really work if they used magic or had characters that were fairies like SS). Suddenly we have to reevaluate everyhting we knew about the Muppets to fit Santa into the equasion.

Similarly, we spend all our mental energy trying to believe that Santa exists and the last thing we need is for him to live in a world also populated by Puppets.

It reminds me of when Winnie the Pooh did a similar storyline...suddenly I couldn't believe in Santa or Winnie the Pooh because the two couldn't exist in the same imaginary world for me.

A subtle reference, fine. A shilluette of Santa's sleigh appearing in Bob the Builder...LOVE it. "Oh, Santa IS real!" Especially when it was seen by the character with an imagination, and not seen by the others because they weren't looking.

But for the real Santa to arrive at Bob's Building yard to leave presents for the living machinery...suddenly the beleif in the living machines would be lost.

Am I making sense?

Beau

 

[The Count]

Maybe... But I think it'd be better if you made dollars instead.

 

[Super Scooter]

It'd have to be very tongue-in-cheek to even work.

When you think about it, there have been times when the Muppets come right out and tell you that they are puppets. It's like them saying "we know we're not real, but we're going to entertain you anyway." To have them suddenly believe in something else that isn't real kind of goes against this... especially since the Muppets are all in their twenties and thirties and fifties and so on. It breaks the illusion to me that they would be writing letters to Santa.

Maybe Robin's the one writing to Santa, no one else really believes in him, but there's just the one little moment at the end where Robin "sees" Santa's sleigh riding off, sorta like what Beau mentioned. That could work for the Muppets.

Weird idea, though.

 

[Beauregard]

Maybe it's Beauregard who beleives in Santa...

Yeah, like that would happen

 

[Luke]

It's definitely in the planning stages. Dave Goelz mentioned it to me at Comic-Con. Whether or not it will actually get shot or what the plot is, I don't know.

Yea now is the right time really for all the Christmas stuff to be shot. It may well be sorted, but if they don't act soon it will be getting a bit late.

 

[MuppetsRule]

Might I be allowed to express amusement that Santa Claus as a character is scorned?

Why, exactly, would Santa be less believable than, say, talking frogs, diva pigs, assorted furry monsters and, oh, a dog playing the piano?

I'm sure if we try HARD enough we can disbelieve everything magical and wonderful....but why would we want to?

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

It's definitely in the planning stages. Dave Goelz mentioned it to me at Comic-Con. Whether or not it will actually get shot or what the plot is, I don't know.

Well, I hope it's good than.

Hmmm. So it is a Muppet Show characters special? I'm thinking that Disney saw the success of Elmo's Christmas Countdown and decided to follow suit with the Muppets they own.

Well, you gotta admit that sense day one that Sesame Street has had no problem attracting Celebrities. Who does it better them them besides The Muppets?

 

[Drtooth]

Actually, Elmo's special was hardly a success. It bombed:

Considering how loud and crass it was, it's no surprise.

Now, are these network ratings, or are some of them cable channels? Sometimes it does make a difference.