The Muppets

[Avaitor]

We don't have an all-encompassing thread for the Muppets? Let's change that.

Jim Henson's greatest gift to the world, this likable set of puppets have been entertaining audiences for over 50 years now, from varied skits to beloved TV series to films. The reason Kermit, Piggy and the gang endear is simple- they encompass virtually every style of humor barring gross-out. Vaudevillian, slapstick, satire, and a plethora of dumb puns (thanks, Fozzie), there's something for everyone in the character's sets of jokes. Never mind their frequently classic musical performances.

I put the thread in the Telly board because 1- the show (still a classic) and 2- ABC recently announced a Thanksgiving Christmas special starring the characters alongside Lady Gaga. But yeah.

[Silverstar]

If we're specifically talking about the characters from the Muppet Show franchise (Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo et al), their creators should come up with a better collective title for them than just "The Muppets". All creations of Henson's Creature Shop are by definition Muppets, so the group name "The Muppets" could refer to any Muppet franchise: Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street, whatever. Those characters should get a more specific group name, like "The Muppet Show Gang" or "The Muppet Show Players" or "The Muppet Players" or something similar.

[Commode]

Usually though only The Muppet Show characters are referred to as "The Muppets", while other franchises are referred to as their own titles, e.g. The Sesame Street Muppets(although there is a lot of grey area here, since SS characters have made many appearances in MS works, and vice versa, as well as the fact that Kermit was originally a SS character), the Fraggle Rock Muppets, the Land of Gorch Muppets, and so on.  This is especially the case since Disney owns only the rights to The Muppet Show Muppets and not any of the Sesame Street or Fraggle Rock Muppets.

[Avaitor]

Usually though only The Muppet Show characters are referred to as "The Muppets", while other franchises are referred to as their own titles, e.g. The Sesame Street Muppets(although there is a lot of grey area here, since SS characters have made many appearances in MS works, and vice versa, as well as the fact that Kermit was originally a SS character), the Fraggle Rock Muppets, the Land of Gorch Muppets, and so on.  This is especially the case since Disney owns only the rights to The Muppet Show Muppets and not any of the Sesame Street or Fraggle Rock Muppets.

Basically, this. Kermit and the Muppet Show gang are generally who are considered to be the main Muppets, so that's what I consider when I hear the Muppets name.

I wouldn't be against talking about Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock here if you guys wanted to, though. Heh, it's funny, there was an episode of the West Wing where the first lady was going to be on Sesame Street, which led for a couple of people working at the White House to get excited for the Muppets to come over to, but according to Abby, the "only crossover" is Kermit. I didn't know that Kermit was on Sesame Street. When was the last time that happened?

[Commode]

He was regularly on the show until sometime in the late 80s/early 90s, around the time of talk of Disney buying the rights to the Muppets, and of course Henson's death(which temporarily ended the Disney bid).  He has made "guest" appearances since, but the main problem is since Sesame Street and The Muppets are now two separate entities owned by two different companies, there's the thing with permissions and such that need to be sorted out before he can appear on the show(although Sesame Workshop has permission to use his old sketches from the 70s and 80s).  And of course Kermit cannot be featured in any Sesame Street merchandise.

Oh, and apparently the term "Muppets" is a registered trademark owned by Disney, and Sesame Workshop has to have a license to call the Sesame Street characters "Muppets".  I can't really imagine a situation where Disney would object to Big Bird or Cookie Monster being referred to as Muppets, but the distinction is still there.

[Silverstar]

So did anybody here see the big comeback movie, The Muppets? It obviously did well, since there's a sequel on the way. I thought it was OK, the only element I wasn't sure about was Walter. He's not a bad character per se, but I don't know what they're going to do with him now that his initial story's been told. As a character I don't really see him adding anything that Scooter doesn't already bring to the franchise, and I thought after all the buildup for Walter searching for his hidden talent having it turn out to be whistling was a tad anticlimactic.

You know what I think would've been a neat idea? If the new Muppet in the movie had been Skeeter. That would have pleased a lot of fans of Muppet Babies, and it would've been a way to finally make Skeeter canon.

[Avaitor]

So did anybody here see the big comeback movie, The Muppets? It obviously did well, since there's a sequel on the way. I thought it was OK, the only element I wasn't sure about was Walter. He's not a bad character per se, but I don't know what they're going to do with him now that his initial story's been told. As a character I don't really see him adding anything that Scooter doesn't already bring to the franchise, and I thought after all the buildup for Walter searching for his hidden talent having it turn out to be whistling was a tad anticlimactic.

I loved the movie! Walter's a bit one-note, but I have hope that the writers (Segel isn't returning, but the other writers who helped him with the movie are still in charge) find some more use for him in the sequel.

You know what I think would've been a neat idea? If the new Muppet in the movie had been Skeeter. That would have pleased a lot of fans of Muppet Babies, and it would've been a way to finally make Skeeter canon.

That would be cool, but from what I understand, Skeeter isn't owned by Disney, and has some rights issues. When Boom! got to use her character in the comics, they had to refer to her as "Scooter's sister", since I guess they couldn't say Skeeter.

[Avaitor]

Word up- TCM is airing Muppets Take Manhattan tomorrow.

[Avaitor]

The show got picked up!

Although I'm not sure how I feel about the concept. It seems like a cute idea for a special or movie, but as an ongoing series, it could get old fast. I was hoping for a revival of the original show, but I'd like to be proven wrong.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I guess it depends on how good the writing is. I'm not sure how excited to be yet.

[Daikun]

Check out the sneak peek!

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'm not entirely sold on the format, and I don't like the language (The Muppets are usually more clever than that with their broad humor), but I can't deny it was funny.

But if it's on at the same time as The Flash, I'm afraid I will be missing it.

[Avaitor]

Has anyone seen the first episode yet? It's pretty clever, even with the recent Kermit/Piggy break-up nonsense.

But what can I say, I just like seeing the Muppets on the small screen again. And this isn't too far off from their classic style of humor.

[Daikun]

Cancelled after one season.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I hope this doesn't hurt them.