Your Thoughts: Muppets at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

[dwmckim]

To clear up confusion about what people did/didn't see...

Both CBS and NBC annually cover the parade. However NBC has the "official" Macy's coverage so they can include the Macy's name in their title and get to show all the songs that the people in the parade stop and sing in front of Macy's. Since the parade is a major event in New York, CBS can still cover it as news but they can't use the Macy's name in their title or show the numbers being performed at Macy's which NBC has the exclusive rights to so CBS culls together its own performers and special performances. I've learned over the year that if i'm able to watch live with my finger on the vcr/dvr buttons to mostly keep my eye on NBC and then flip over to CBS during commercials or extended sequences like musical numbers if i want to catch footage of Muppets. If i'm not able to watch live, then set the dvr for NBC.

I'm on the west coast so as i type i'm watching live. CBS' coverage started at 7am and NBC's started at 9 so only an hour was actually competing with each other where i am. Sesame just was on about ten minutes ago and despite Lang Lang's miscue (getting caught up in the moment of waving to the crowd that he forgets to pay attention to his "finger-sync" LOL - seems like something Muppety!) i was really impressed with the coverage/camerawork - in years' past it's often seemed random but i think they really coordinated it with the Sesame Workshop since for example they had the broadcasting camera in all the right places at all the right times - showing Bert/Ernie/Zoe at the time in the soundtrack where Bert lets out his laugh and showing Oscar popping out of his can (apparantly being woken up by the noise) and reacting to everything around him.

So i still have awhile to go til i see Kermit/Letters From Santa promo.

I also caught where the cbs people noted Abby was the first female Muppet for 13 years...and though that was really wrong-sounding i'll give them a pass since that was probably a figure that was given to them from Sesame Workshop's little press release of stuff for the hosts to say about the floats ... and yes Zoe and Rosita were introduced over 13 years ago so the math's not out there...but just the way it was worded - that she's the first "female Muppet" in 13 years was not only factually wrong but really very offensive making it seem that Sesame has been horribly backwards in not addressing its long major criticism of gender inequality - it would have been more accurate to say "first major female Muppet star" in 13 years...since obviously there have been countless female Muppets in the last 13 years; not just one shots and whatnots (which again that wording makes it seem like there hadn't even been that) but attempts to create new characters that will hopefully catch on but for various reasons didn't (no doubt Elizabeth and Lulu Monster would be major stars today if Stephanie D'Abruzzo hadn't attained stardom with Avenue Q and was able to be more of a presence of the show since that time, plus who knows what other original characters she might have developed)

Which reminds me - one of my fave parts of Muppets Take Over Today was the plesant surprise of having S D'A playing Ann Curry since she hadn't done much Muppety stuff as of late so that was a neat little thrill and watching the real Today hosts emceeing the parade now reminds me of how awesome the Muppet take-offs were - Fran Brill was so spot-on with Meredith!

 

[Shadowkai]

Hey Bazooka from what comcast says, they will replay the Macy parade, but at 1:45am in the morning. DX

 

[theprawncracker]

I LOVE THAT FROG! ! ! !

That was SO awesome! Kermit stole the show completely and that song was beautiful! I don't think it was from Letters to Santa like was previously announced--as Meredith, Matt, and Al mentioned it was written by someone who wasn't Paul Williams... but who knows! It was still a fantastic song! Loved the whole float and all the kids surrounding Kermit, it was just so natural.

This was such a Muppety morning! The Sesame Street gang had a great showing, the Abby balloon was great, the Kermit balloon was AWESOME, as always, and the Letters to Santa promo made my week. Everything was so great! I have a feeling that the Muppets might stop by the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center on NBC too... it just seems likely.

I can't wait for December 17th and the rest of this holiday season with the Muppets! It's gonna be fun!

 

[Oscarfan]

After only a few hours, the Sesame float clip is already on YouTube:

This is the link!

 

[MuppetFan123]

happy turkey day all....on the cbs feed, when they showed kermit, he was singing have yourself a merry little christmas.it also seemed he was interactive with a loud speaker system addr essing the crowd as he was saying hello and happy thanksgiving to the crowd.i wasnt at the parade this year, but will inquire with someone who was tomorrow if kermit was talking to the crowd.

 

[TogetherAgain]

I was watching on NBC, and it TOTALLY made my day, week, month...

Good to see Sesame doing "Songs." It was very nice. A little quicker tempo than I'm used to for it, but still a great song... and, great for me to get the annual satisfaction of my parents being as pleased as I am to see (and RECOGNIZE!) something Muppety.

Kermit's balloon... they plugged Letters to Santa! That made me happy, and bouncy, and annoyed that my parents were carrying on a conversation so that I couldn't hear everything... but oh well.

The Letters to Santa ad... My dad was talking to his friend while I stared at the TV, bouncing around, squealing (quietly, so as not to interrupt the conversation), and straining to hear and spot as many Muppets as possible... while my mom just kind of raised her eyebrows at me. Ahh, family. But anyway, I was THRILLED to see Animal shouting "SANTA!" (That was about when I started bouncing.) And they were SO obviously dancing in some of those shots... I am so pumped for this special.

And THEN! Kermit's SONG! Yes, as some people have already said, it was a bit of a tearjerker in a happy way. OY but I wanna GLOMP that frog! It was SUCH a sweet song, and just... heartfelt. Kermit really meant what he was singing. And with the kids behind him... It was just plain Kermity. I REALLY loved that, when Kermit was wishing Santa a happy Thanksgiving, he looked behind him, towards the parade Santa. It was just one of those little details that... well, I'm an obsessive fan. I'm allowed to squeal about it.

So, overall... I am absolutely thrilled. HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYBODY! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Oh wow! Liked Sesame Streets float this year! Muuuuuuuch better than last years with the bad camera work! Nice choice in songs too.

Really loved Kermit's song! It was nice and I think I liked the performance of it better then the actual song itself!

Really liked the Ad for Letters To Santa as well!

 

[The Count]

Also watched on NBC primarily, switching over to CBS. After years, I've come to know that the Sesame Street float comes in about half an hour after the parade rully starts at 10 o'clock AM, which for me is 11, so the SST float would be around 10:30/11:30 AM. After that I tuned out the rest of the parade, making sure to be back in time for Kermit's song. So I missed the Letters To Santa ad.

As for Kermit's song... Prawny, could you come here for a second please? *Asks innocently.
That stuff you said, about the song, and it's composer not being Paul Williams? *Bonks Prawn with industrial-strength clown mallet. Dummy! He composed your favorite Muppet's signature song, I'll Go Back There Someday. Of course Paul Williams composed and created I Believe In Santa Claus!
*Leaves hot chocolate for Prawn for when he recovers.

 

[Muppetfan44]

Just watched the preview of LTS online, IT WAS AWESOME! I soo cannot wait for LTS to come out, it looks like it's going to be amazing!

The Sesame Street float was very cute, the only thing I didn't like about it is that you could definitely tell that Lang Lang was faking and Zoe always looked like she was going to fall out of the window. Good to see Alice though, she is so cute

The Kermit Balloon- a definite Macy's classic. I always thought it would be awesome to be one of the people that holds the Kermit Balloon, hoping I would get to keep the green sweatsuit thing they wear, haha.

"I believe in Santa" sounded like it was a great song. There was a lot of background noise so I couldn't hear the whole thing, but I know i'll shed a few tears when I hear it on the 17th; i was almost in tears watching him on the log (the float was so well done) and Steve's performance of Kermit looked great (I hope he didn't have to be too uncomfortable; he was probably in there for like four hours)

Always love the Muppet Appearances during the parade. TOTALLY cannot wait for LTS. I'll only have one final left by then so i'm sure i'll be able to take a study break to check it out.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[RedPiggy]

Hm, I only saw on my channel listing that CBS was doing it. CBS showed the Abby float but not the SS thing (which I know they have one because it seems like they always do). I didn't know I had to track down NBC to get more parade and less BS. My brother and I, in classic S&W mode, were griping that one has to watch Aladdin if one wants to see a good parade anymore.

It was better than some years I've watched where the commentators seem to forget the subject of their special (the parade), but I'm mad that I missed a lot.

EDIT: Watched the SS one on youtube (thanks!). I had to laugh ... Zoe looked like Michael Jackson's baby....

(that was SO wrong of me)