Where do the muppets stand???

[Ilikemuppets]

I was reading an editorial review from Amazon.com about the complete Peanuts collection.

Peanuts is the most successful comic strip in the history of the medium as well as one of the most acclaimed strips ever published. (In 1999, a jury of comics scholars and critics voted it the 2nd greatest comic strip of the 20th century—second only to George Herriman's Krazy Kat, a verdict Schulz himself cheerfully endorsed.) Charles Schulz's characters—Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, and so many more—have become American icons. A United Media poll in 2002 found Peanuts to be one of the most recognizable cartoon properties in the world, recognized by 94 percent of the total U.S. consumer market and a close second only to Mickey Mouse (96 percent), and higher than other familiar cartoon properties like Spider-Man (75 percent) or the Simpsons (87 percent). In TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All-Time" list, Charlie Brown and Snoopy ranked #8.

But with that in mind about where Mickey mouse is in recognizability, I wonder where do the muppets stand, and if Disney will will be able to bring them that kind of attention to the consumer market again? Will Disney be able to do the same thing to the Muppet's as their almost 80 (79) year old famous mouse? The Muppet's were once one of the most recognizable brands in the world and had the most watched television program in the history of television, beating out Bat Man. Some 250 million viewers around the world tuned in every week. Some 2.3 billion children children around the world benefit from Sesame Street every day making it the second more popular children's television show in history. Can the Muppets become what they once were?

 

[Sylinde Bren]

I feel the Muppets can indeed reclaim their old golden spot of glory. But it will take at least one important person with pull from Disney's end (or whatever company owns them in the future) who actually cares about what the Muppets were like while Jim Henson was around and who truly means the Muppets nothing but good will (not just about lining their pockets with money).

Of course, I'm thrilled with all of these DVD releases and such. But I still don't necessarily feel that Disney means the Muppets all the best that they could. We need someone important inside Disney who actually loves the Muppets like we do to take the helm and lead them into the future.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

That's a good point. But with that in mind, Disney defiantly has what it takes to bring them back to prominence. But of course with nobody behind them who is truly passionate about them, it would be as good as hope less.

I just remember even after the muppet show, always hearing about all the specials in prime time before cable and satellite was as common as it is not, that they would be pulling in like 40-60 million households in the us alone. And those were the kind of numbers that Peanuts were pulling in showing the same specials year after year. While it's a different time and things on television just don't get those kind of numbers anymore, they still could live up to expectations now days. though. I mean AVMMCM had 11 million viewers which was not really a bad sign. So when they put out good material, people do watch and pay attention.

 

[Skye]

I think it depends. I'm still unsure about how I feel about this, though. It has seemed to be a very popular question. But yes, I do believe it will take a very special person to push and be able to help the Muppets become what they were.

Jim Henson was obviously someone who was (and still is) very special, and I know we would all love to see his dreams and his visions for the Muppets continue for so many years to come. And if someone at Disney who, as has been said, truly cares about the Muppets, can come along and bring them back into the spotlight, that would be really great. It may be difficult to consistently duplicate, and to be able to bring out the pure combinations of such wonderful things that the Muppets have... humor, heart, truth, dreams, and so much more. It probably will be fairly difficult to make them as they once were, since they were so incredibly popular and everything! But I love to be positive. So I love to believe that it is possible that someday they could be at least very close to where they were. We never know what the future may bring.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I think that as underestimated as they are to be believed that they will come back, I truly believe that can and they will. I just believe that it's going to take time and a lot more time then we want then to.

By the way, what I'm asking here everybody, is not what they need to do to come back, but can they and do you think that they will. And it so what do you think it will take for them to return to the American institution they once were?

 

[Vic Romano]

I personally take a lot of these lists with a grain of salt, but that doesn't mean they don't carry some weight to them. My feelings have always been that if anyone can truly bring back the Muppets, it's Disney. And after reading Jim Hill's latest article and the new woman who's now behind the Muppets, things are seemingly looking brighter.

Let's just put it this way, I'm feeling a lot more positive about the direction the Muppets are headed in now then I have in a while because it's finally starting to come to light that the Muppets aren't just advertising gimmicks... they're living breathing legends.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

That's so true Vic. I don't know what it is but I can just feel it for some reason. I can just feel them slowly but surly making suck a huge return back to what they do best...Be in the spotlight. And I just know that once things get ta goin' again, I just know their going to catch on with the public and the demand for them will be more and bigger and faster then Disney could have ever anticipated. There's no way I couldn't see then making it again because that's what they do best. And Jim Henson was living proof that it you give the people quality entertained that there no way it could fail in the long run. And I think Walt Disney was the same was, because he always proved all the doubters and naysayers wrong about what he put out and changed the was people put out movies and cartoons. He raised the bar on quality and the way it's done to the was that it should be done. And with Jim, when ever somebody said he couldn't do something and it couldn't be done, he went right no and found a way to do in the the best was possible.