the oddessy channel runs it! Muppet Show. It’s hysterical seeing who all appeared on there. Last week they had Dizzy Gillespe.
SS: Grover, the Count
Muppet Show: Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzy (he never gave up, and never realised he wasn’t that great. Something wonderful about that innocence he had in that regard.) Robin, Statler, Waldorf, Astoria (Statler’s Wife)… Okay, Damn near the whole cast. Frank and Jim are my heros.
What a great thread!
On the Muppet Show, I always had a soft spot for Sam the Eagle. I think it’s like a magic trick to create an ultra-serious character who never cracks a smile and never thinks anything around him is funny but who is drop-dead hilarious anyway. It’s really hard to pull that kind of character off without making him a stick-in-the-mud who drags down the proceedings, and Sam the Eagle was certainly a successful character.
Re Sesame Street, I’m in the Grover camp; I think Elmo is basically a modern version of Grover who’s pretty good but doesn’t quite measure up. However, that said, I saw something a while back called “Sesame Street Jams” in which Los Lobos did a song called “Elmo and the Lavender Moon” that was so sweet and touching, so haunting and beautiful, I actually got choked up when I watched it. I’m even getting choked up now, a little bit.
Let’s see…
SS: Grover, Ernie (love that laugh) are my favorite regulars. But my favorite is the goofy guy who sings ‘Ma-Nah, Ma-Nah.’ A proto-type of Animal?
MS: Beaker. Hands down. But I’ll always have a soft spot for Gonzo singing ‘I’m Going to Go Back There Some Day.’
Thus far, no one has mentioned two of my fav’s:
From Sesame Street: Am I the only one who remembers “Guy Smiley” the news man on the street?
From the Muppet Show: I don’t remember his name, but he was the life-sized, feral one with big saberteeth and always wore shoddy rags. In the Muppet Movie, Kermit & the gang encounter him working at the used car lot and invite him along to Hollywood with them. He gets left behind and spends the rest of the movie trying to catch up with them.
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem were brilliant. As were Waldorf & Astor. but the best of the best was unquestionably Gonzo! He was my hero as a kid.
S.S.: Ernie Ernie Ernie Ernie Ernie, plus Grover
M.S.: Statler and Waldorf, plus Kermit
Fraggle Rock: Boober - “No Deposit, No Return.”
From SS, I remember and liked Guy Smiley, but the highlight of my morning was always Ernie, and I would be ecstatic when the Twiddle Bugs made an appearance.
I can’t believe I forgot Prairie Dawn. Or the blond chick from Electric Mayhem. I was an adult before I realized the resemblance between her and Joni Mitchell. Man, I miss Jim Henson.
That would be Sweetums. He makes a live appearance at every showing of MuppetVision 3-D* at Walt Disney World. (See above post.)
The Street: Oscar, no question. Runners-up would be the Twiddlebugs and The Count.
(My son is getting into his prime Sesame Street-watching years, and I must admit I’m a bit annoyed to see all of these johnnie-come-lately Muppets like Elmo and Zoe hogging the spotlight that rightly belongs to real Muppets like Super-Grover and Bert.)
The Show: also, no real competition: Statler and Waldorf were the first that came to mind. But I will admit to a fondness for Beaker, the Swedish Chef, and the non-Piggie cast of Pigs In Spaaace!.
Looking at my top choices, I think it’s clear why I’m such a curmudgeon. With role models like Oscar and “the guys in the box,” what else could I be? Now get out of my way, kid!
Sesame Street- It’s been waaaay too many years since I’ve seen any episodes; but I always liked the naive charm and confusion surrounding Big Bird. (Of course, that was back when Mr. Hooper ran the local store.)
The Muppet Show- Rowlf. No doubt about it.
That would be Janice.
Does anyone get the cable channel Noggin? It’s a great (commercial-free!) station that is a joint venture between Nickelodeon and The Children’s Television Workshop. They have classic episodes of Sesame Street, as well as 3-2-1 Contact! and The Electric Company (it’s surreal seeing Morgan Freeman in these!). If you have it, check it out. I watch this late at night when everyhting else is reverting to infomercials.
Sesame Street: Bert.
Yes! This is my kind of thread!
Sesame Street: It’s been so long since I’ve watched it, but I know that Grover is the best of all. He’s practically me in Muppet form (well, except I’m female); always trying his best to do things and failing miserably like in those restaurant scenes, just being a clutz in general. Besides, I tend to flail my skinny little arms around when I run and stuff so we’re very alike! Elmo can’t even hold a candle to Grover.
I also liked Bert & Ernie, Cookie Monster, Snuffy, Big Bird, Prairie Dawn, and Oscar. Telly was also cool but he wasn’t totally crazy like the others. He was the sane one of the bunch I’m thinking.
Anyone like the song that Ernie sings called “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon”? That song used to make me cry.
Also, a friend of mine sounds exactly like the Count. It’s the most hilarious thing to hear him imitating him.
I have a deep fondness for the obscure Muppets. My brother and I still talk about Harvey Kneeslapper, Herbert Birdsfoot, and Don Music.
My nomination for the best, though, goes to a Muppet I can’t remember from a skit of which I have only a dim recollection…one Muppet, an uptight sort, asks the other, “Do you know what a square is?” The other answers, “I know WHO a square is!” Still makes me laugh…
Really, though, any Muppet that Henson did was a favorite. Kermit, Waldorf, the Swedish Chef, Rowlf, Ernie, Link Hogthrob, Dr. Teeth…
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by JoeyHemlock *
**
I didn’t even remember that Bill Cosby was on the show, but I can remember the skits that he is in. I wonder if I didn’t realize who he was at the time. Anyway it’s cool to watch.
I was singing that song for my fiancee while we perused this thread. If anyone knows where we could find it on Cd, that would be lovely. We have a baby coming soon who would love to hear it.
[/end hijack]
I might be able to help out on this. There’s a college station here in Boston that plays songs like that on weekend afternoons. I’ll see if I can get in touch with them and find out where to track this one down.
And you already know your child’s taste in music, eh? Rock on.
For favorite muppet, I’ll vote for Marvin Suggs, virtuoso of the Muppephone.
About a year ago, I saw the episode of The Muppet Show with John Cleese. In Pigs in Space, he plays a pirate who tries to take over the Swinetrek, whilst arguing with the muppet parrot on his shoulder. At one point he asks the bird if it wants to be an ex-parrot. ROTFL.
A friend of mine was putting his computer on the Internet several years ago as sort of a hobby, and he registered the domain name muppetlabs.com Someday I’ll have to ask him if I can have the e-mail address bunsenh@muppetlabs.com
it seems everyone has a thing for waldorf and statler. man, those guys are assholes.
one of my favourites is captain breakfast.
Thank you so much. That is very kind. I have never seen it anywhere but on the television show.
Well, the baby’s mother has two children already, and they prefer music to television. And what child doesn’t like the Muppets?
SS - Oscar (I too, predate the newer ones - even Snuffleupagus)
Muppet Show - The Swedish Chef, Sweeetums, Dr Teeth.
Favorite song: don’t know the name:
"you’re ugly, you’re ugly as sin.
But beauty’s out, ugly’s in.
When you’re ugly like me,
you’re in good company!
There are MILLIONS of us who’re ugly!
It’s on at least one Sesame Street CD. Check your local discount and record stores in the chidren’s section. Also Aaron Neville (sp?) does a version of the song.