The babies didn't take away from the Classic Muppets because the series still had the Muppet charm and didn't talk down to the audience, but the current Clubhouse format does take away from Mick and company because the Sensational Six (Mickey & Minnie, Donald & Daisy, Pluto, & Goofy)--in the series--have been reduced to teaching in Dora-esque (i.e. talking down to children) fashion, instead of being in the limelight like they ought to be as Disney's first original creations. And let's not forget the fact that Walt considered Mickey & Minnie to be the cartoon alter-egos of himself and his wife, for as he said in a 1933 interview, "In private life, Mickey is married to Minnie. A lot of people have written to him asking this question, because sometimes he appears to be married to her in his films and other times still courting her. What it really amounts to is that Minnie is--for screen purposes--his leading lady. If the story calls for a romantic courtship, then Minnie is the girl; but when the story requires a married couple, then they appear as man and wife. In the studio, we have decided that they are married...really."