Why does Muppet fandom seem so underground?

[dwmckim]

I've fallen behind in my forum reading so i'm just getting to this thread now. I've read page one so far and there's been some good point/thoughts thrown out. Keep in mind that there are different levels of fandom and even "Major fans" shocking though it may seem to us - haven't even discovered or set foot in the forum here. I'm thinking back to those moments where i've met other fans in real life purely by surprise/accident - and don't believe i've ever seen them popping up here or in other forums. I think a lot of people have the love, even the geeky level of trivia knowledge, tons of collectables/merchandise, can recite shows or movies verbatim, but are kind of in the shadows until a huge major project is out - it will really be interesting to see what happens with the release of the next movie and The Mouse House's Fullscale Push Behind It. I think we'll see a whole bunch of these fans all over the place - though of course they'll be a mixture of those who've been major fans all along being more proudly visible and those "newbie fans" who are getting into them because they're "a big thing now" and are discovering them and finding out all they can via the web (but still have trouble remembering which one is Waldorf and which one is Statler)

So Im curious, if Star Trek fans are called Trekkies, Firefly/Serenity fans are called Browncoats, LOTR fans are Ringers, Video Game fans are Gamers...what are Muppet fans called?

Well, you know by vote is solidly behind "Muppet Freak".

LOL, you males keep looking for female fans. I'm looking for male ones. Maybe they need to have a Muppet category on those dating sites.

Hey, some of us males are looking for male ones too!

 

[minor muppetz]

Recently my grandfather made some comment thinking that I know more about the Muppets than anyone else alive. I'm sure I know more about Muppets than anyone else he knows, but has anyone else here ever gotten this kind of comment? To me it actually felt a little derogatory towards Muppet fandom, but I guess there are some who don't realise that there are many big hardcore Muppet fans.

I may frequently look up Muppet info again and again at places like Muppet Central, Tough Pigs, Muppet Wiki, and The Muppet Mindset (and other sites), and I may be very knowledgable, but I know I don't know everything about the Muppets, and I'm sure there are fans who know more than I do. I know I haven't seen everything from the Muppets while others have. I've never been involved with tape trading, but many others have... In fact I'm amazed that there are people with video copies of stuff like The Great Santa Claus Switch, A Special Sesame Street Christmas, and InnerTube, two of which were specials made before it was common to record TV productions and have never been rebroadcast or commercially available, and another being a pitch tape never released to the public, whether on TV or video. Additionally, I haven't seen every TV appearance, though when it comes to guest appearances by the Muppets my interest is usually limited (I'm often more excited to see a vintage Muppet guest appearance from the 1950s or 1960s, or something to include more characters than just Kermit, Piggy, and/or Gonzo). Even when it comes to stuff that was more widely available, there are four compilation tapes from 1985 I haven't seen (only a handful are on YouTube and I've never been able to find used copies anywhere) as well as two Sing-Along videos (though my interest in those sing-along videos is limited).

And of course, I've never been to any official Muppet screenings. There have been public appearances by Muppet people which I've never been able to attend (though I usually get info from those on websites after they occur). Whenever I see interviews with Muppet people I always learn some cool info I had never previously known, the same can be said for many of the entries from Jim Henson's Red Book. There are times I learn something I never knew before and thought was new information only to later find that the info had been mentioned somewhere before (like Jim Henson: The Works or Designs and Doodles). I don't run any Muppet wesbites. The closest thing to me working on websites are my edits to Muppet Wiki and my Muppet Mindset articles.

So, I am not the most knowledgable Muppet fan in the world. I have no idea who is, though. But does anybody else get comments like this?

 

[Beauregard]

People often say I'm the biggest Muppet fan in the UK, and I have to constantly explain that I know at least two bigger fans living in this country

 

[newsmanfan]

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Haven't run into that, but I did bask in praise yesterday. Was at a training class run by my home office and we were doing an exercise filling out a sample "life journal" with our own info and then passing it to someone else at the table, who would then ask questions, and then tell the class what they felt was important info about that person. The young lady who read my entry (she was early 20s) was floored that such a place as MC existed (I listed it under "social organizations!) and announced to everyone that she thought that was the coolest thing ever... hah.

Naturally I gave her the website address.
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[JackMonster]

I think it's the general taboo of The Muppets. The Muppets are just seen as kid stuff especially when you bring up Sesame street. People just don't get it and see them as kid's dolls

 

[Drtooth]

But the thing is, a LOT of fandoms seem very "childish" or juvenile. Heck, I'd even tend to think a lot more people are coming out as huge Sesame Street fans. I even see jaded looking young teens and tweens wearing Sesame Street shirts. The same kind of kid that would shove you in a locker and punch your face in if you did it when you were there age. Sure, they aren't the hardcore buy up everything there is with the Sesame Street label on it there is to buy type. But let's face it. Sesame Street has been on TV 42 years uninterupted, and in most of the world too. You tend to hear more Sesame Street references than Muppet Show ones on other TV shows.

The movie, in both the actual film and the audience reaction showed one thing. The Muppets are one of those franchises that have a fair weather fandom that only knows about its existence if there's constantly some program or movie in their faces. Their last big theatrical project was Muppets From Space. And with that film, it's no wonder. But, let's face it... VMX KILLED in the ratings, I've seen people who haven't seen or cared about the Muppets for years talking about that special when it premiered. I'm sure the movie gave people the same reaction.

But these people aren't the "I got the entire Palisades Toyline while they were still in stores" type. They'd buy an Animal T-shirt... maybe a plush toy to sit on their desk... but not the drooling "Everything must be MINE!"/"I can recite everything"/"I can name 10 obscure characters at the top of my head" fans we are. I think that's what we're missing.

 

[Muppet Master]

I drew a pretty darn good picture of in art class today, because were supposed to draw a face of a person/fic. character. Nobody I asked (10+ people) knew who he was, and I thought Beaker was one of the popular muppets! The closest I got was "It's that one guy from the muppets". Anyway, I dislike most mainstream fandoms, so I like the muppets to be like a secret club, still it'd be nice to find a hardcore fan like me in real life.

 

[Muppet Master]

I'm afraid that people would consider the Muppets as "kids stuff" or call me a baby. But I'm getting a little more comfortable telling others about my Muppet fandom.

I've felt that way too, I mean I don't watch SS (used to be a die-heart fan around ages 4-7), but I'm obsessed with the muppet show muppet universe, and a moderate fan of Fraggle Rock, and I'm a bit scared people'll think of the muppets as "baby stuff", that's why I bring up the edgy muppet stuff like Animal making out with Kathy Griffin, or "The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.

 

[WalterFan1234]

I'll talk about my muppet fandom to friends once in a while, but it's something I only talk to certain people about. Being a fan of the muppets is a special thing, and it's better to keep it that way than spoil it with all kinds of people. The fact that we have such loyal fans of the most amazing characters of all time rather than a bunch of poser fans is really nice