Top Annoying Misnaming People Do

[beaker]

I didn't think about that last one (Oscar being a "negative" character) until you mentioned it. Yeah, that one also bugs me. The whole hype basically started with the two Christmas specials from 1978, those two being Christmas Eve and A Special __ Christmas. The former as we all know went on to become a "treasured classic", yet forever colorized people's perception of the character, which was far from what he actually was in the actual show: just a grouch, nothing else. Would also like to add that the TV show and the TV specials line are totally separate areas from each other* And they seem to carry on this "negative" trait in projects outside of the actual show, which still shows him in a positive light. Heck, they even had him as a member of the "Evil League" in the Imagination Land episode of South Park.

The Muppet world is filled with "bad guys" though. Usually two handed or full bodied monsters, or characters like Carl The Monster. Oscar the Grouch, the Gorgs, Uncle Deadly...heck Swedish Chef when he's chasing after that Turkey.

By "bad", I don't mean outright villains per se, but a natural character personality balance to act as a counterweight to the super positive characters. Just like Bert is the straight man to Ernie being the funny man.

I would say on Sesame; Oscar, Grundgetta, Lefty, and a few others could be considered "bad guys".

 

[beaker]

That is pretty much the same as saying that Sam the Eagle is evil.

Well, depending...he is definitely a contrarian.

I find it funny that even though Sam was created in the early 1970's, his outright cartoonish spoof of uptight "moral majority" right wing conservative politicians is as true now as it was back then.

 

[Drtooth]

Funny thing is, Sesame Workshop put out a gay Bert and Ernie shirt as part of Hot Topic's newer gay youth line they were trying. If I recall it had the heads of Bert and Ernie with a rainbow on the front and some catch phrase.

I was actually going to bring that up. Oh well, as long as a bunch of religious...excuse me... pseudo-religious leaders try to warp that for their own purposes, I think it's just a harmless goof.

Of course I've also seen at Hot Topic a spoof of the popular Saturday Night Live "I'm On A Boat" music video with Elmo on it, so Sesame has been tapping into various memes.

They need to make a "Snoopingas usual, I see" shirt. That's basically the only meme I really like.

 

[Gelfling Girl]

Funny thing is, Sesame Workshop put out a gay Bert and Ernie shirt as part of Hot Topic's newer gay youth line they were trying. If I recall it had the heads of Bert and Ernie with a rainbow on the front and some catch phrase.

Seriously? Licensed merchandise? LOL, why haven't I seen THAT yet?

EDIT:
Here's a pic if anyone wants to see it.
http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Ap...-Street-Bert-And-Ernie-Rainbow-Tee-263784.jsp

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Wow- that's interesting. If not for the wording on the back, I wouldn't think anything of that shirt. I mean, just because you have a picture of two best friends under a rainbow doesn't mean they're gay. The rainbow makes me think of sunny days chasing the clouds away on Sesame Street.
But yeah- the wording on the back definitely adds to it and I can see how it can be interpreted as promoting homosexuality. Although I don't think it has to be- I think Bert and Ernie have that kind of deep friendship where they truly do complete each other in a way- not a homoerotic way, but just as the best of friends way. Like Tod and Copper in "The Fox and the Hound" or other Odd Couple pairings.
Given that it's Hot Topic, I'm not really surprised. But I am annoyed that they're using Bert & Ernie to push homosexuality even if it is a joke on a common myth. As Sesame Workshop themselves have clearly stated, Bert and Ernie are not gay. They're just puppets. They're best friends and their roommates. There's millions of college students who room together in dorms and some who share apartments after college and before finding a wife that obviously aren't gay; so it's stupid to insinuate such things about Sesame Street characters.
I mean- come on. They're best friends- that's all.

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm suddenly reminded of something...

Back in my old PBS days, I remember whipping up a t-shirt design for a future Friends of Sesame Street pledge drive - the design was Ernie and Bert from behind, with their arms around each other shoulders in front of a big orange sun.

Nobody really gave me any kind of feedback on it, positive or negative, all they said regarding using the design was "we'll talk about it".

I guess they were feeling it might push homosexuality as well, especially since this around the time that our pledges were dropping drastically after a radical homeschool group turned people away from PBS because they claimed their children's shows promoted homosexuality.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Oh yeah. Check out the skit on Sesame Street's video player... it's MUCH clearer than the ones on Youtube, which are all off of video tapes.

Yep, I did just that. Thanks for the tip on that one- I can't believe I never caught that before. And I'm pretty sure I've seen that sketch a number of times before as a kid. Okay, so it's not quite the same as a full on cameo appearance, but it is neat to see a picture of Dr. Teeth on Sesame Street! (Of course, that got me wondering if that sketch was made after "Muppet Family Christmas" was released in 1987. Because at least with that special, we can establish that Grover and the other Sesame Street characters have met Dr. Teeth and would have a reason to have his picture up. Or I suppose they would have known him and Miss Piggy for that matter through Kermit already. Or maybe I'm thinking way too much into it.)

 

[Rax]

Haven't read all replies, but I get annoyed when people complain that all Muppets are left handed.
And the person who made the Dutch subtitles for Muppet Family Christmas keeps writing Rowf in stead of Rowlf. Aaarghh!
Oh, and all of those cheap *** translators who skip songs when making subs.

Ah well, crappy subs are always better than crappy dubs of course.

Gr, Rax

 

[Super Scooter]

Something that annoys me is when people buy into rumors made up by people seeking a little fame. Such as the Swedish Chef origins rumor and the Kermit Scott rumor, both of which were denied (one by Jerry Juhl, the other by Jim Henson).

 

[dwmckim]

In all fairness, i'm sure Kermit genuinely thought he may have been the inspiration for the Frog's name and not looking to seek fame. He just turned out to be wrong (and probably a bit hurt to find out it wasn't the case)