Top 3

[Hays]

You know, I hate to bash - characters are a developing thing. But there is room for improvement.

My kid loves the consistency of "Journey to Ernie" (hey, punk-n-puppets, things have really changed on the Street - hook up your VCR) but it doesn't really teach logical thought, like "Blue's Clues." And you can't SEE the darned box at the beginning!. I like that it gives a "frame" to the different clips.

One of the things I love most about the Muppets in general are the beautiful sets. I hate computer backgrounds with puppets. Period. Forget the stupid Bunraku stuff - legs just aren't worth the loss of REAL backgrounds. Besides, they usually look like they're floating anyway.

I hate Baby Bear's speech impediment. It's not real - it comes off as a comment on speech impediments. I can see how it started (wee widdow beawr,) but it needs work. Take some Tums, watch "The View" and listen to Barbara Walters.

The Count's current shorts are uninteresting. They need an obstacle for him to overcome (plus the accent isn't as good as Richard Hunt's, but whose is!) If they had, say, a vegetable stampede that just happened to number the same as the number of the day, or some other kind of genuine interruption on the way to the organ, it would work. Then you could use the organ to REITERATE.

Now - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Cookie Monster letter of the day bits! My two-year-old thinks they're the best part of the day. THERE is an example of good clowning: problem, obstacle, solution!

I think Elmo's World as a stand-alone show is a great idea! Now, if they'd only replace Barney with that!

 

[Drtooth]

Originally posted by Hays

The Count's current shorts are uninteresting. They need an obstacle for him to overcome (plus the accent isn't as good as Richard Hunt's, but whose is!) If they had, say, a vegetable stampede that just happened to number the same as the number of the day, or some other kind of genuine interruption on the way to the organ, it would work. Then you could use the organ to REITERATE.

Now - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Cookie Monster letter of the day bits! My two-year-old thinks they're the best part of the day. THERE is an example of good clowning: problem, obstacle, solution!

I think Elmo's World as a stand-alone show is a great idea! Now, if they'd only replace Barney with that!

You seem to have Jerry Nelson Confused with Richard. Jerry Nelson has always been the Count. He has played the character so long, he's slowly lost the thick Transylvania accent. The same thing occured with Mumford (who has made a great come back, and is even in the new Elmo's World Veiwmaster Reels) He used to sound like W. C. Feilds, now it seems he just sounds less like him, and more like a goofy Magician. But I agree, they need to be tooled, they are fun to watch, just not FUnny to watch, though I did like the Count's Quote: They call me the Count because I love to count things...and I inhereited my father's royal title!

Cookie Monster's letter of the day segments are THE BEST PART of the show. Sometimes, I'll watch a whole episode JUST to see that. I can't get into the specifics, but I gotta tell you, I fell on my Butt laughing at some of them!

And Elmo's world SHOULD be it's own show. I mean, PBS does have good shows like Sesame, Arthur, Clifford, Between The Lions and such, but Callou, Dragontales, and Barney the Dinosaur are tortcherous to watch when you have to watch someone's kid. I swea, Dragon tales is more sugar coated than the Care Bears. AND TELETUBBIES NEEDS TO BE PULLED OFF THE FREAKING AIR!!!! What the heck is that? A bad trip, that's what!

 

[wockawocka]

My top three worst SS characters:
1) Zoe
2) Zoe
and three is a tie between Rosita and... Zoe!

Zoe is one of the ONLY muppets that I really hate!

Top three ways to improve SS:
1) Get rid of Zoe, and show Elmo a little less. (I agree with you all, shorten Elmo's World.)
2) Bring back Ernie and Bert! Together! And all the other great characters like Grover and such.
3) Have guest apperances by other muppets. We need Kermit on SS again, and the other classic muppets too!

 

[Natalie]

Well, I can't answer this question normally, but I do really dislike Monster Clubhouse, it's just irritating (so those characters are probably my least favorites now). As far as what should be changed, there is just no way SS can go back to anything even close to the old format. Too much has happened, but hopefully this new format can get better. There is some potential because of for example, them bringing back some old characters.
Also, question: Big Bird is a regular character on the street still and he's on Journey to Ernie. Is it just me or does he have a different voice in the two? What's going on with this?

 

[Drtooth]

Well, obviously, Journey to Ernie must've been shot in a day or something. Matt Vogel has played Big Bird in this segment, possibly because Carol Spinney was out getting a sandwich. It would take at least 30 minutes or more, plenty of time to shoot all 5 different locations...Just my opinion!

If this were to become a full fledged segment, it

• needs to have more locations (it goes into rotation sooo fast)
• needs to alternate every so often, as it won't be on every day
• Needs to be improved more than what they planned on
• replace Big Bird with Bert, who keeps getting more and more annoyed, Big Bird makes NO SENSE
• Stop using (or use less of) Ernie's Show and Tell segments...YAAAAAWWWNNN!

 

[Hays]

Toughpigs has a list of muppet recasts that can help you keep up with "is that just me, or is somebody else under that muppet?"
http://www.toughpigs.com/extrarecast.htm

Obviously, I haven't been paying enough attention to it! Thanks, Dr. Tooth - I assumed the Count was Richard Hunt's because of the round, rich voice.

I agree about Monster Clubhouse - those muppets need far more than a 10-second nap! It's just too frenetic to get its point across - and, aside from the "Touch your toes, honk your nose, turn around and strike a pose" dance, my toddler doesn't like it either.

 

[Drtooth]

Agreed! Monster Clubhouse is just...UGGGH!!!! It tries too hard to be funny, it is at points, but it tries to be "Stupid, wacky Funny" like Spongebob Squarepants, or something. It doesn't have the wit or charm of Spongebob! I mean the Elephant, and the giant salami being shot out of a cannon is funny, but the rest of the show (especially Google and Phoebe) is just dreadful! I think that this was an experiment like Dr. Honeydew's. Rather than blowing up in Beaker's face, it blew up on the viewer!

 

[Gonzo14]

Joey Monkey
Davey Monkey
Rosita

 

[Hays]

Just re-reading some of this - I forgot how much I hate the Ernie's Show-And-Tell segments. Steve Whitmire has a terrific singing voice and great musical sense as Ernie, and I love any musical number with him in it - but he just doesn't do well with real kids. Nobody does on the show - they direct the kids too much, and then they don't say anything profound or funny.

I haven't seen the pair of monkeys this season, but I stopped watching in the 90s largely because of them. Some of the humor that leaked in from that era was just plain mean, and it spoilt the show's sense of comfort.

I also don't like the kid-actor types that are showing up more and more. It always seemed like they ran outside the studio and grabbed the first ten kids they could find. My favorite is that old clip where James Taylor is singing "Jelly Man Kelly" and all the kids yell "OOOOOOH can you come home jelly" at the top of their lungs. Now the kids hit their marks and smile like automatons.

 

[mikealan]

Wait a minute! Gladys the Cow is finally back on the Season 34 shows. Any of you did know that Elmo, Zoe, Rosita, Baby Bear and a few others are annoying. BTW, Sesame Street and The Muppet Show BOTHERED me when I tried to stay focused in school! I guess I'm making my book about the characters that become bitter...