Try, Try Again (or, how Hero Guy could hve been a great segment)

[DTF]

Apologies if this belogns in fan fiction, but the '00s seem to nto qutie be classic according to board definitions. Anyway...

In the ratigns of segments, I commented on how I thought Hero Guy had elemnnts that could have made for a great segment if they hadn't put it into such a little box; I put it at 6th best.

Here is an example of something which I think would have been the perfect way to use this segment - actually teaching a concept, involving others, etc.

Note: This sounds familiar for some reason; I'm sure there probably was a segment like this on rhyming back int he '70s when i was a kid, but this would have made a fun, updated version.

Indeed, it'd be fun now; maybe with Abby replacintg Hero Guy and magically making the letters appear and disappear. (Which would let those who say she's become a bit too perfect see her mess up, too. Actually, it might even work as a segment in AFFS, since after all, they would logically also be learning spelling and such.)

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(Baby Bear drwing Hero Guy on a table, part of the paper is off of it; Telly comes by on his pogo stick)

Baby Bear: Oh, hello there, Telly. You're just in time for another exciting adventure. (He accidentally rips a corner of the paper off)

Telly: Wh-what? (He stops

Hero Guy: He said, it's time for antoher exciting adventure. And he even has a title!

Telly: Oh boy, what is it, baby Bear? What's the title?

Baby Bear: Well, as you can see, it's...oh no!

(Audience sees the torn page, so it looks like
ry
ry Again.

baby Bear: Part of the page got torn off.

Telly: What do we do, what do we do?

Hero Guy: Never fear; Hero Guy is here.

Baby Bear: And with my imagination, I know we'll come up with something.

HG: It looks like we're missing a letter. Hmmm...I know. (Pulls out an F) Let's try this one. If at first you don't succeed, fry, fry again.

Telly (overly shocked): Fry, fry again? That can't be right!

BB: You know, Telly, I think you're right.

Telly: I mean, sure, if you're frying pancakes and you don't flip them in time and one side gets all burned and the other side's still all gooey, but still...

BB: Hmmm, you know what, Hero Guy, I think we need another letter.

HG: Okay, let's try the letter "C".

Telly: Yeah, yeah, okay, we'll try C.

HG: So now, if at first you don't succeed...

BB: Cry, cry agin? (Much more subtly than Telly) That doens't sound right.

Telly: Of course not. I mean, sure, when I fell off my pogo stick and skinned my knee last week, I cried a little...but then I got right back on and boinged again so I wouldn't be scared.

HG: That's a good point. You learned to do it so you wouldn't get hurt.

BB: Yeah. Uh, maybe you better try another letter.

HG: Okay, let's see...oh, I know a word tht rhymbes with fry and cry. (He replaces the c with a d) If at first you don't succeed...

BB and Telly: Dry, dry, again?

Telly: Does that mean i have to carry a towek with me everywhere I go?

BB: Hmmm, there has got to be a solution.

HG: Well, you're the artist. If you come up with something...

BB: THen I can draw Hero Guy saving the day. Hmmm...

Telly: But what can we do? We've tried fry, and cry and dry...

BB: Telly, that's it!

Telly: Wh-what's it?

You just said I tried them. Let me put a T in there instead. (Erases where the d was and writes a t)

HG: And now, we have a full title again.

Telly: It's about time.

HG: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

BB: Hero guy saves the day!

HG: Thanks to your imagination.

 

[Drtooth]

I think you basically nailed it with simplicity. The same reason why Hero guy didn't work is the same reason Elmo's World doesn't work. It's nice to know kids can be alone with their imagination and nothing's wrong with that, sure... but the inclusion of a secondary character in on the whole bit gives them all an extra person to talk to.

HeroGuy, while a decent enough idea, felt like work trying to watch. It was repetitive, pointless, and even with a good character like Baby Bear, there was no real room to explore the character emotionally... actually, for BOTH Baby bear and Hero Guy. They basically stood their and talked about stuff rarely emoting... that's another reason why Elmo's World was such a lame segment. Even during Journey to Ernie 2.0, Big Bird will express a little hopelessness or frustration from time to time.

Same reason why Murray had a little Lamb works better than the tune ins... sure, he talks to the kids and all, but he also had a little play with Ovejita. I swear, if they want the tune ins to get better, add Ovejita to the mix and have them both clown around.