Talking with kids.

[doctort13]

Which special is that? Is it on DVD yet? I've been trying to find more info about him via Google, but come up with very little. I did read that he was/is in the Air Force.

 

[MrsPepper]

I have to say, I love that kid Antonio. And that Papa Bear guy (who's voice is all crackly, he's so CUTE) is all, This is my friend An-TO-nio.
<3 And then he did the splitz.

 

[mikebennidict]

I notice that when Elmo is talking to a baby that the baby will sometimes ignore Elmo altogether, probably looking at all the lights, it's parents, Kevin Clash?

I wonder where Jon Jon is today?

don't know why they even have that part on Elmo's World. I mean it's not a bad thing they have the cute little babies on it's just dumb he asked a question and it's not like they're gonna answer. Of course sometimes if the baby has an object in it'sm presence and elmo sees it then maybe it's not all that bad.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Elmo talking to the babies in his World Segments is great. I always like that.

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

I wonder where Jon Jon is today?

still talking to monsters

 

[doctort13]

Lol

 

[D'Snowth]

Or maybe the kids seem bored because they're not getting to talk with the muppets they want to talk to. But I agree about the age issue, it does seem like the kids they are using are a bit older, than kids like John-John, Fanni, and Sharla. I just love that bit on "A Celebration of Me, Grover" DVD where they show a montage of Grover talking with little kids, and they seem to happy and excited talking to him, but they of course were MUCH younger. I had a similar experience during a pledge drive, where between breaks, this little kid was talking to my puppet, even when we weren't shooting. The other people I interact with on screen would tell him "The nice man down there is ******", but that little kid didn't see, nor was interested in ******, he was too busy talking to my puppet. That just made my day! One day, we had someone from our local zoo teaching us about animals, and even he would talk to my puppet between takes. I love puppeteering!

 

[Hays]

Interesting to see I'm not the only one who's complained about this.

I don't think it's the kids, though - I don't remember who does Herry, but most of the really memorable kid segments were done by either Jim Henson or Frank Oz as one of their many characters, and they both have a special sense of how to talk to kids that I think is lacking in current SS (I think Kevin Clash is one of the better ones, though)

A prime example is the payoff for today's JTE: Ernie (Steve Whitmeier) introduces a kindergartener with a rubber ducky collection. He first introduces the child, then asks all kinds of questions, and basically ignores the answers. When the kid tries to engage Ernie by asking him to add his rubber ducky to the collection, the response is a kind of panicked giggle.

It seems the days when Muppets talk to kids like they're people with something important to say are gone. It does take a special combination of listening, ad libbing, and directing which is a real loss for SS.

 

[BEAR]

Interesting to see I'm not the only one who's complained about this.

I don't think it's the kids, though - I don't remember who does Herry, but most of the really memorable kid segments were done by either Jim Henson or Frank Oz as one of their many characters, and they both have a special sense of how to talk to kids that I think is lacking in current SS (I think Kevin Clash is one of the better ones, though)

A prime example is the payoff for today's JTE: Ernie (Steve Whitmeier) introduces a kindergartener with a rubber ducky collection. He first introduces the child, then asks all kinds of questions, and basically ignores the answers. When the kid tries to engage Ernie by asking him to add his rubber ducky to the collection, the response is a kind of panicked giggle.

It seems the days when Muppets talk to kids like they're people with something important to say are gone. It does take a special combination of listening, ad libbing, and directing which is a real loss for SS.

Herry is actually performed by Jerry Nelson (The Count), and that character was always great at talking with the kids (mainly Jon-Jon). I loved all those great kid talk moments. It was wonderful how they included that whole montage on the "A Celebration of Me, Grover" DVD. It was beautiful.

By the way, I think they should have DVD's like that for all the characters.

 

[Hays]

I agree completely - it's one of our favorites.

Jerry Nelson's done interviews with kids as other characters as well, right? I think Snuffy and Mumford sometimes talk to kids (at least, after Snuffy came out) He's terrific, too.

Maybe it was Henson's direction that made the older interviews so terrific. I love the interviews on that video where Grover gets kids to explain things to him - especially the little girl explaining why frogs don't like snow.

PS - We also love the Kermit one, but I'd like one that has entire episodes of Muppet Newsflash, rather than the montage.