The 10 Worst Muppets?

[Drtooth]

Im actually not sure if that is true. Because the age range of the Sesame Street audience has gone down pretty significantly since the beginning of its run, the kids need something different than they used to. 1.5-3 year olds have a much shorter attention span than 3-5 year olds and need alot more going on to keep them interested.

While Big Bird used to be the favorite, the kids also used to be older. I think he may be too mellow and sweetly quiet for the young young kids. Big Bird's character was originally the childlike presence on the show, however Elmo's loudness and humor may be easier for the younger audience to relate to, while still staying interested.

Times change... we need more flashing lights now.

That's the problem, I think, right there. SS has become a baby sitter like all the other terrible kid's shows we've had since the 90's. The cheap, loud, flashy, pretending to be interactive noise that got worse and worse from Barney to Dora. Cheap little shows that don't even deserve to be mentioned in the same ilk as SS, whos only cultural impact is to be loud and flashy and accepted by Child psychologists that over think kids to a frightening extent. Oh, and to sell merchandise which will go directly into someone's pocket to spend on a bigger house, unlike SW's pledge to keep it in SS projects. Really, what show did they use to try to promote peace internationally? Not Barney, Not Dora... I'm surprised the countries we shipped that off to aren't at war with us yet.

I've said it before, but you look at the international co-productions and their biggest issues are immensely disturbing. The Kosovo show can't even use letters, because they're afraid they'll promote one set over another. Our concerns? That Cookie Monster's cookie eating is going to cause little Sidney to become the world's fattest man, and that kids will be hugely disturbed if Elmo isn't screaming at them every 2 seconds. I can't even blame Elmo for becoming SS's personality devoid mascot used to find all their projects. And the fact that the age slipped from 3+ to prenatal because parents are rushing their kids into preschool before they're even potty trained is just disturbing in and of itself.

I swear parents and parental groups are just speeding their kids through childhood, and blaming everything wonderful about being a kid on everything but their own shoddy, pushy parenting. The biggest clue is those "Your Baby can Read" videos they sell on television. And Baby Einstein. No wonder why Elmo, the one who most resembles a plush toy became the star of the show.

 

[DrmaticEmphasis]

That's the problem, I think, right there. SS has become a baby sitter like all the other terrible kid's shows we've had since the 90's. The cheap, loud, flashy, pretending to be interactive noise that got worse and worse from Barney to Dora.

For centuries, the older generations have looked down on the newer generations and wondered "What is the world coming to?", "Why are things not as good as they used to be?" But really, things aren't worse, they are just different. In the 90s, television went from 10 basic channels to hundreds. Sesame Street was no longer a big fish in a little pond, it was a small fish in a very very large pond. And as much as we older people dont like it... kids chose what they want to watch. For some reason they like Barney and the Teletubbies. (Dora, on the other hand, is an excellent show. And teaches skills that aren't really addressed in other shows.) With the choice of Sesame Street or Barney... THEY chose Barney. When given the huge variety of modern educational TV, Sesame Street didnt measure up. Sesame Street’s goals were based around one thing, “If you hold a child’s attention, you can educate them.” Sesame Street no longer held the attention of their audience. So they had to make changes in order to educate.

Cheap little shows that don't even deserve to be mentioned in the same ilk as SS, whos only cultural impact is to be loud and flashy and accepted by Child psychologists that over think kids to a frightening extent.

I don’t know if I am alone in this… but I don’t judge the educational television that I use with my students, and then eventually with my own children by their cultural impact. If I see the kids engaged and learning, but more importantly, WANTING to learn, than it is a quality program. I’m slightly confused with your upset towards child psychologists, as it was an educational and child psychologist, Gerald Lesser, who had a huge hand in setting up the educational goals for Sesame Street. Lesser was revolutionary in thinking that preschoolers had the ability to learn enormous amounts before they started elementary school and that with the use of broadcasting, kids could be far more prepared to enter an educational atmosphere. Current psychologist are just working off of that, trying to figure out what kids are capable of and what is the best way of teaching it.

Oh, and to sell merchandise which will go directly into someone's pocket to spend on a bigger house, unlike SW's pledge to keep it in SS projects. Really, what show did they use to try to promote peace internationally? Not Barney, Not Dora... I'm surprised the countries we shipped that off to aren't at war with us yet.

While I disagree with the marketing department interfering in the production of the show itself (as they did on some of the more recent female characters), Merchandising is merely a means to an end. You need money to make a show. More and more these days, in order to stay competitive. Jim Henson even tried to secure Sesame Street Workshop the rights to its merchandise before he died, because he knew the importance of it. I don’t know anything about money not going back into the show, so I cant really comment on that, though it has nothing to do the quality of the programming.
As for the show chosen to promote peace, Sesame Street was not chosen because it is a far superior show… it was chose because it was specifically designed to be relevant in many different societies and cultures. That was originally the point of it. Dora would not be an option because a show to teach Spanish isn’t exactly culturally relevant all over the world, and Barney takes place in a beautiful suburban neighborhood, not something most countries can relate too. Of course Sesame Street was the best choice, it was originally designed to meet the needs of both kids in the midst of poverty and kids with all the resources in the world.

I swear parents and parental groups are just speeding their kids through childhood, and blaming everything wonderful about being a kid on everything but their own shoddy, pushy parenting. The biggest clue is those "Your Baby can Read" videos they sell on television. And Baby Einstein. No wonder why Elmo, the one who most resembles a plush toy became the star of the show.

I can not agree with you more about parents not taking responsibility for their kids. They think it is the TV’s fault, or video games, or movies, or comic books. But really, if a kid is taught right from wrong and given and allowed an environment where they can flourish, they will be smart enough to make their own decisions and not one based on the media. However, while I am NOT an advocate for the “Baby Can Read” videos… babies and very young children WILL pick up an amazing amount of information, so you better make sure it’s the right information. Or instance, if you use sign language while you talk to a young child, they will learn signs far before they can speak. (As for Baby Einstein, I don’t know if you have ever seen it, but its usually just pictures of things, like animals, other babies, shown to instrumental music… so Im not sure what you find objectionable about it).
Im sorry to have gone on such a rant about this and I hope you find my reply informational as apposed to confrontational, as that is what it was meant to be. This is just a subject that is very close to me. And while I LOVE Sesame Street the way I remember it, times change, people change, and we may not like it… but quite frankly… its not for us to like.

 

[D'Snowth]

I find myself asking a lot of those same questions when I look at the younger generation... heck, even my own generation, most of them by the time they were in middle school showed no respect for authority, or adults, they misbehaved terribly, boys were concerned about getting their rocks off, girls were concerned about looking as sexy as possible, you couldn't go to the bathroom without hearing lighters clicking in the other stalls, kids would actually walk up to a teacher's desk and curse them out, some even started schoolyard fights with another as a way of breaking monotony.

Now I'm not saying ALL kids from my own, and the younger generations, because there are quite a few out there who know better than all of that, and who actually look to make something out of themselves in our world today, and I really hope it's kids like that who will grow up to be the people who will work to keep our favorite street alive for many more years to come.

 

[Drtooth]

As for the show chosen to promote peace, Sesame Street was not chosen because it is a far superior show… it was chose because it was specifically designed to be relevant in many different societies and cultures. That was originally the point of it. Dora would not be an option because a show to teach Spanish isn’t exactly culturally relevant all over the world, and Barney takes place in a beautiful suburban neighborhood, not something most countries can relate too. Of course Sesame Street was the best choice, it was originally designed to meet the needs of both kids in the midst of poverty and kids with all the resources in the world.

Trust me on this... I saw clips of Dora in Japanese once, and you can actually buy DVD's of Barney in Hebrew! Anything that they can dub will be dubbed and released for marketing purposes, and it's up to the country to accept it or reject it. Somethings even get more popular in other countries than in their native lands, and some things you look like a fool talking about. You're talking to an American who knows what Tensai Bakabon is. I felt I should point it out.

I can not agree with you more about parents not taking responsibility for their kids. They think it is the TV’s fault, or video games, or movies, or comic books. But really, if a kid is taught right from wrong and given and allowed an environment where they can flourish, they will be smart enough to make their own decisions and not one based on the media. However, while I am NOT an advocate for the “Baby Can Read” videos… babies and very young children WILL pick up an amazing amount of information, so you better make sure it’s the right information. Or instance, if you use sign language while you talk to a young child, they will learn signs far before they can speak. (As for Baby Einstein, I don’t know if you have ever seen it, but its usually just pictures of things, like animals, other babies, shown to instrumental music… so Im not sure what you find objectionable about it).

I see what you mean, but the fact of the matter is that they market Baby Einstein videos in such a way to dupe parents into thinking their kids will be brilliant if their kids are sitting down in front of it, when the truth is (and this has been proven by various advocacy groups and pediatricians) it really doesn't do any more for toddlers than placing them in front of a strobe light. If it was listening to classical music (which was the original thesis of the idea) that DOES help with a child's development. But over stimulating them with noise may just come off as just noise.

I see what you're getting at... but I think the truth of the matter lies somewhere in between. I've been on all sides of the New Sesame arguments and I understand SOME of the changes. What bugs me is that they're working with so many contradicting reports (Sonia Manzano actually said this on a TV interview once) that they wind up with an uneven mix of segments that are either too short or too long. And while I do like stuff like Murray Had a Little Lamb, Ernie and Bert's Great Adventures, and Abby's Fairy Flying School, I still think Elmo's World is a mess of needless sections, annoyingly cloying repetition, and a couple good jokes the writers desperately work in to keep Mom and Dad from shutting the show off. I still think SS can use the newer educational models and be itself, and it doesn't need Elmo screaming at kids every 5 minutes. Which wouldn't bother me if he'd just show SOME personality and emote... something I know he can do.

That said, Super Why disturbs me on too many levels.

 

[DrmaticEmphasis]

Trust me on this... I saw clips of Dora in Japanese once, and you can actually buy DVD's of Barney in Hebrew! Anything that they can dub will be dubbed and released for marketing purposes, and it's up to the country to accept it or reject it. Somethings even get more popular in other countries than in their native lands, and some things you look like a fool talking about. You're talking to an American who knows what Tensai Bakabon is. I felt I should point it out.

I didnt say that those shows were not seen outside of the United States, I merely said that they would be a poor choice as the show used to promote peace and diplomacy, as not all countries will appreciate them the same way. I never doubted your worldliness and I don’t believe I ever insulted you personally, so I would appreciate if you extend me the same courtesy. Though I would love to hear if you have education or psychology experience. (That wasn’t a challenge, merely an inquiry)

I see what you mean, but the fact of the matter is that they market Baby Einstein videos in such a way to dupe parents into thinking their kids will be brilliant if their kids are sitting down in front of it, when the truth is (and this has been proven by various advocacy groups and pediatricians) it really doesn't do any more for toddlers than placing them in front of a strobe light. If it was listening to classical music (which was the original thesis of the idea) that DOES help with a child's development. But over stimulating them with noise may just come off as just noise.

While I do agree that the Baby learning videos can sometimes be marketed with claims of “make your child a genius,” You have to hold parents responsible for their decisions just as you wish parents to do for their own children. While this may be the marketing strategy, the purchase is ultimately the decision of the parents. If they are concerned about the content of their videos, they should be doing research before buying them.
As for your information on toddlers and television, nothing is proven. There have been hundreds of studies done about the young mind and what effects it and many very prestigious studies contradict each other. This is really a new world of study that has been opened up to be studied. There is actually no proof that listening to classical music to helpful. Many theories say it is just music in general, some say it is the arts in general. We don’t know and assumption and harsh judgments cant really be made at this time. We need more information.
As for the Baby Einstein videos, some of the more recent research suggests that children don’t learn language and letters and numbers as well through memorization (Like Sesame Street often does through their letter and number segments) as they do just watching other children and adults who speak the language. This is part of what these videos try to achieve. Is it right? Which way is better? I don’t know. No one really does.
In the end it is ALWAYS better to have personal interaction with a child instead of sitting them in front of a television. Even Sesame Street is trumped by a mother/father/child teaching experience. I don’t think that is up for debate. However, we are discussing the merits of a television show and in doing that, the assumption is made that we are talking about kids that watch television.

I see what you're getting at... but I think the truth of the matter lies somewhere in between. And while I do like stuff like Murray Had a Little Lamb, Ernie and Bert's Great Adventures, and Abby's Fairy Flying School, I still think Elmo's World is a mess of needless sections, annoyingly cloying repetition, and a couple good jokes the writers desperately work in to keep Mom and Dad from shutting the show off. I still think SS can use the newer educational models and be itself, and it doesn't need Elmo screaming at kids every 5 minutes. Which wouldn't bother me if he'd just show SOME personality and emote... something I know he can do.

I think the truth always lies somewhere in the middle, but I think we as adults need to appreciate what the younger generation chooses to represent them. While we may not hold the same opinions on Elmo, though I am also not a personal fan of Elmo’s World, I do believe that Sesame Street is being itself. I think it has stayed very true to its original model of trying to educate through entertainment. And though you or others may not find it entertaining, children do. Sesame Street was always thought to be an experiment in educational programming and its changes through the years have only proved that the experiment continues.

 

[Krazedmuppet]

Finally, someone acknowledges my existence in this thread! Lol.

Lol, eh dont worry about it, I usually dont either.

 

[JJandJanice]

The fact that Janice is number 5 on the original poster's god awful list, makes this huge Janice lover very very unhappy, .

Also Scooter at number ten? So basically is this guy just not a Richard Hunt fan? I mean those are his top two key characters.

Plus I didn't understand what he meant with the bears? He said why don't they just add more frogs and more pigs than? Umm they did. One of which is on his list of course Robin.

I don't mean to attack this user, but gosh what an awful list. No Andy and Randy Pig or Miss. Mousey.

 

[frogboy4]

The fact that Janice is number 5 on the original poster's god awful list, makes this huge Janice lover very very unhappy, .

Also Scooter at number ten? So basically is this guy just not a Richard Hunt fan? I mean those are his top two key characters.

Plus I didn't understand what he meant with the bears? He said why don't they just add more frogs and more pigs than? Umm they did. One of which is on his list of course Robin.

I don't mean to attack this user, but gosh what an awful list. No Andy and Randy Pig or Miss. Mousey.

I always thought they were related due to the orangeness and the eye issues. Is it PC to admit that?

I don't like measuring fandom, but in this case...I don't understand a person understanding the Muppet dynamic without appreciating Scooter, Janice and Robin. So much Muppety joy has centered around these characters.

 

[Drtooth]

I don't like measuring fandom, but in this case...I don't understand a person understanding the Muppet dynamic without appreciating Scooter, Janice and Robin. So much Muppety joy has centered around these characters.

It's a STUPID list and a person who clearly thinks "Sure, I remember them Muffets! I love Fonzie and Gizmo... and the old guys in the balcony that I confuse with the talking Magpies from Terrytoons..." A couple ones I'd agree with, but there's nothing qrong with Janice Scooter and Robin. I can't even say this guy is a muppet fan so much as a guy who sorta kinda remembers them every time Family Guy and Robot Chicken make references to them.

Really, the Worst Muppets are long gone (unless you really hate Elmo, since... well, he's THERE). The ones who had no personality, no purpose, and one note jokes with no laughs.

 

[frogboy4]

It's a STUPID list and a person who clearly thinks "Sure, I remember them Muffets! I love Fonzie and Gizmo... and the old guys in the balcony that I confuse with the talking Magpies from Terrytoons..." A couple ones I'd agree with, but there's nothing qrong with Janice Scooter and Robin. I can't even say this guy is a muppet fan so much as a guy who sorta kinda remembers them every time Family Guy and Robot Chicken make references to them.

Really, the Worst Muppets are long gone (unless you really hate Elmo, since... well, he's THERE). The ones who had no personality, no purpose, and one note jokes with no laughs.

There was an image floating around somewhere that was supposed to prove the writer of the article was a fan. Some dude had a bunch of the Muppet posers with him. Couldn't find it, but there are fans and there are the delightfully fanatical like us! I enjoy the Star Wars films. I own them all and work in a store that sells the toys, but don't ask me to name the ships or the secondary characters. It doesn't make my fan dollar worth less, but it does mean any list of worst Star Wars characters I created should reveal that fact. Unless JarJar fills all 10 slots.