Should Ernie be recast?

[D'Snowth]

Atlanta, IIRC.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Hmmmm. I don't know. I can sort of see both sides. It may be hard to accept a new performer as Ernie. After all, wouldn't that be the same as when Artie performed Kermit on America's Got Talent that time?

Well actually I said I thought Artie did a great job and then I got attacked for it, lol.

 

[cahuenga]

I`ve said this before but even Frank Oz is more active on Sesame these days than Steve.

 

[minor muppetz]

After all, wouldn't that be the same as when Artie performed Kermit on America's Got Talent that time? None of us fans were too happy that Steve wasn't performing him. (No offense to Artie, because I know he shows up on this forum from time to time.) I can remember the rule "One Muppet. One Voice."

There was recently a thread on the subject, and I think somebody said that the fan outrage came more from the fact that the recast was a test/surprise that we weren't expecting; if fans had known in advance that Kermit would have an alternate performer, they may not have complained as much. Nobody complained when they unexpectedly heard Matt Vogel's Big Bird, David Rudman's Cookie Monster, or Eric Jacobson as any of Frank's characters. In fact, it's a good thing Eric has done such a good job as Frank's characters, since his performance as Miss Piggy at Muppetfest was meant to test the most hardcore fans, and most were fooled (which is great as I feel Eric has improved since I first heard his Piggy voice). Even if nobody was fooled, at least the fans knew he had taken over his Sesame Street characters and would have probably accepted it better.

Of course, I dont think the fans complained when John Tartaglia performed Ernie on Play With Me Sesame. If a recast happened now I wouldn't be surprised, but back then Steve was much more active as Ernie.

I completely understand what you're trying to say here. I mean, sure it's us who sort of have a miss for Ernie's appearances. But with a new generation of children being born every single day, we have to think: Does it really matter to them? I mean, because Sesame Street is geared towards children, in my personal opinion, I don't necessary think that they miss the beloved character as we do.

I've sort of wondered this for awhile. At this point, would Sesame Workshop retire any of the more iconic, legendary Muppet characters if there wasn't any big complaints from parents/moral guardians? I can see them letting longtime adult characters go, but what about such longtime characters as Ernie, Bert, The Count, Snuffy, Big Bird, and others if the time comes up?

Man, if only the producers cared a lot more for the longtime fans than for little kids.

Y'know... what's the big deal anyway? Back in the day, Kevin was constantly commuting back-and-forth between NYC for SST, and LA for Dinosaurs... why can't Steve do the same?

Well, back then Elmo wasn't as big as he's been in the past decade, and I don't think Kevin had as many responsibilities on the show. I don't think he was producer or director at the time. Heck, at that time David Rudman was commutting from Sesame Street to other productions, and outside of SST he didn't have any recurring characters, then Rudman seemed to be limited to Sesame Street for years before he took over as Scooter and Janice.

They've made plenty of new bits; they're just aired internationally and not on the main show for no reason. Like the new one that debuted this season; they filmed at least two others on the same day, as they've aired on the new season of Sesamstrasse.

Were those in english? If they were in other languages, then they wouldn't really need Steve for those.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

Well actually I said I thought Artie did a great job and then I got attacked for it, lol.

Well, you shouldn't have been attacked for that. You're entitled to your opinion, so if I said anything to you about that, I apologize.

It wasn't really a matter of how good a job Artie did. It was just that since we all know that Steve is the official performer of Kermit, we were sort of taken by surprise with that. Like Minor Muppets said...

There was recently a thread on the subject, and I think somebody said that the fan outrage came more from the fact that the recast was a test/surprise that we weren't expecting; if fans had known in advance that Kermit would have an alternate performer, they may not have complained as much.

Yeah. I see what you mean. If we had seen it coming, then we might have been more accepting of that. I guess why that's we it's good that we know about Kevin's departure now, so now we know that Elmo will have to be recast.

Nobody complained when they unexpectedly heard Matt Vogel's Big Bird, David Rudman's Cookie Monster, or Eric Jacobson as any of Frank's characters. In fact, it's a good thing Eric has done such a good job as Frank's characters, since his performance as Miss Piggy at Muppetfest was meant to test the most hardcore fans, and most were fooled (which is great as I feel Eric has improved since I first heard his Piggy voice). Even if nobody was fooled, at least the fans knew he had taken over his Sesame Street characters and would have probably accepted it better.

I was fooled too. I mean, I didn't go to Muppetfest, but I remember when Eric started performing Piggy, I think she was on Hollywood Squres and in the Denny's commercial. I didn't know it wasn't Frank until I started reading the forums.

 

[MelissaY1]

I think Steve should stick to do doing Ernie, for as long as he can, and even if we don't get to see Ernie as much. I'm a DIE hard Ernie fan, Ernie's always been my favorite Muppet period since I was a baby, even more than Kermit and I'm 35 now. So Ernie's always had a special place in my heart, and I think Steve has done a great job with him, even if he can't be as readily available.
I also think it's a great testament to Jim's legacy to have Steve continue to play Ernie. Plus I also Steve and Eric have great chemistry together as Bert and Ernie.

 

[Oscarfan]

Were those in english? If they were in other languages, then they wouldn't really need Steve for those.

They're always recorded in English first. The Barrio Sesamo mini-series that debuted last summer had the bits made for that show, but they were clearly recorded in English first.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I think Steve should stick to do doing Ernie, for as long as he can, and even if we don't get to see Ernie as much. I'm a DIE hard Ernie fan, Ernie's always been my favorite Muppet period since I was a baby, even more than Kermit and I'm 35 now. So Ernie's always had a special place in my heart, and I think Steve has done a great job with him, even if he can't be as readily available.
I also think it's a great testament to Jim's legacy to have Steve continue to play Ernie. Plus I also Steve and Eric have great chemistry together as Bert and Ernie.

Those are good thoughts, Melissa. Like I said, you sort of have to see both sides of this. But after reading your post, I kind of agree. We all know that Steve is the one person who could fill Jim's shoes with Kermit, so it should be the same with Ernie as well. Plus I agree with what you said about Steve and Eric having good chemistry. But if the availability is an issue, well that's something to think about. I suppose he could loop in Ernie's lines, but then he wouldn't be directly working with Eric, so I don't know.

 

[Oscarfan]

And I"m pretty sure there's new Ernie material for season 44; a video about their new divorce kit showed BTS footage of Eric and Steve filming in a park setting, and a SW intern posted a picture a month or so ago on Tumblr of her and Ernie, with some of the park set being shown.

 

[Drtooth]

They've made plenty of new bits; they're just aired internationally and not on the main show for no reason. Like the new one that debuted this season; they filmed at least two others on the same day, as they've aired on the new season of Sesamstrasse.

I'd chalk that up to the show's format. I just don't understand why they have to rerun the same parody skit/celebrity song twice in a season and they don't bother putting these in the show. And I still don't get why there are so many unaired Great Adventures cartoons, while anytime we get one in the show, it's a reused one.

Other than that, Ernie and Bert are still pretty major when it comes to Sesame Street promotion and merchandising. They have a greater presence outside the show, as does Cookie for some reason. I'm sure it's also a writing thing, and they're pressured to do more stories about certain characters.