What would it take....

[Redsonga]

Actually, I do think what we fans say does matter to them, because although they market to a young audience, we adults who grew with them are just as much a part of the fanbase as the children are.

It is true, most of all with parents that are good enough to have a say in what their children watch (who all aren't the "Eeek! this is too scary for Mary Sue" stereotype that many people think IMHO

 

[wwfpooh]

Agreed. Kind caregivers--parent or otherwise--should be a person's first teacher, no matter how good the Street is. This way, when the children watch, they understand the material better.

 

[CensoredAlso]

No, but it is for my future baby someday

Exactly! I'm thinking about my future children, not just myself. Parents can't just assume a show is working. They have to do their own research too, that's part of being a parent. Just because a show is popular with an audience doesn't mean parents should assume it's working.

I will say that I partially agree with Mike that it's true that Big Bird wasn't quite a main character because it was supposed to be an ensemble cast. However, he was the closest thing they had.

 

[wwfpooh]

it's true that Big Bird wasn't quite a main character because it was supposed to be an ensemble cast. However, he was the closest thing they had.

Especially when--in the stores that carried the plush toys back in the day--Big Bird was the one to stand out the most (ex: In my JC Penny [We Love Your Style] before they remodeled it, they had--right next to the shoe department--a section exclusively for Sesame Street & in it, they had not only numerous books, games, and plush toys, but they also had a life-size Big Bird replica).

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

Because it is something worthwhile to talk about. You don't have to if you don't want to

I agree. Like I mentioned before, if a topic bothers somebody, then they shouldn't need to read it. But this is an open forum, so we should be aloud to discuss whatever we want whenever we want. After all, none of the moderators have said otherwise.

Anyway, I think it's pretty likely Big Bird will still be around when Carroll's gone, because Matt Vogel will take over. As for Oscar, I'm pretty sure he'll still be around. He'd just have a new performer. But I see what you're saying though. Now they're more focused on getting Elmo and Abby in every ep and putting Big Bird in the background most of the time.

 

[wwfpooh]

we should be aloud to discuss whatever we want whenever we want

But as per most site rules, we cannot post whatever we want whenever we want. This is why we have threads for certain topics.

 

[Beauregard]

I'm gunna go out on a limb and say that, although I have never watched SS regularly since I was a youngling, I slowly grew to dislike the fact that Big Bird just appeared everywhere and was the main character of almost all the home-videos, etc. I felt that it was he, before Elmo, who hogged the spotlight away from such characters as The Count and Ernie and Bert.

Of course, later on in life, I figured that he was kinda "meant" to be the Kermit to SS's Muppets...but I think the key to SS is variety and keeping a core group main. Never ONE star be that star Big Bird, or Elmo.

Just my 2.2 cents.

 

[wwfpooh]

but I think the key to SS is variety and keeping a core group main

Both The Classic Muppets & The Street Gang do that:

Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Piggy, Scooter, Rowlf, Rizzo, Pepe, etc.

Bird, Oscar, Grover, The Count, Bert, Ernie, Elmo, etc.

 

[Drtooth]

Of course, later on in life, I figured that he was kinda "meant" to be the Kermit to SS's Muppets...but I think the key to SS is variety and keeping a core group main. Never ONE star be that star Big Bird, or Elmo.

That's actually a very good point. The way I figure is that big Bird really was the first of them to garner celebrity status, dispite the fact that it was really Bert and Ernie who came first (test shows). Though, it seems that Germany LOVES Bert and Ernie so much, they appear in special original recordings and Ernie even had a sepcial full sized TME EX toy.

I figure that Big Bird is sort of the Kermit... sort of. He's not quite the host of the show, but he's usually the main "Street" segment muppet that appears all the time.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

But as per most site rules, we cannot post whatever we want whenever we want. This is why we have threads for certain topics.

Well, that's true. But we should be able to talk about what will happen when a character or performer leaves the show. Or even whether or not the 'Fix-It Shop' is still around or not. I don't believe there are any rules against that.