Wow, silent_rob just zoomed to the top of my crush list.
I can’t think of a famous person whose death affected me more than Jim Henson’s did. I was seriously bummed. As far as I am concerned, Kermit died with him. His son does an okay job doing Kermit, but it’s not the same.
Cranky suddenly realizes how bizarrely obsessed she sounds. Yipes
evilbeth, I haven’t seen that particular weasel singing, but having seen as much muppet action as I have, I can perfectly imagine what you’re describing and it cracked me up just to picture it myself.
As for favorites, I’ve always loved Kermit. and always hated Miss Piggy–I think it’s jealousy. I loved all the others.
As for sesame street, I loathe Elmo. Snuffleupagus made me very tense as a child, as I KNEW that by the time Big Bird got everyone rallied to meet his friend and FINALLY believe he was real, he would be gone again. The inevitability, the unfairness, the frustration–it drove me NUTS. So I didn’t care for him at all. I can’t get over now, even though he’s no longer The Guy That Nobody Sees. (did anyone else hear that the reason they stopped that is because it too reminiscent of adults doubting children who were revealing abuse? Never knew whether to believe that or not)
Just a note:
Kermit did the “Muppet News Flash” and Guy Smiley was the game show host.
My favorites:
From Muppet Show~ Definitely Beaker, Gonzo and Fozzy. But I think my all-time favorite was Sam the Bald Eagle. It killed me when he would do the news. Also loved the chickens.
From Sesame Street~ By far, my absolute favorite is Squirmy, Oscar the Grouch’s little worm friend. Then Elmo (but I pre-date Elmo, so he’s a fav from adulthood) From childhood, Grover, especially SuperGrover. I loved that little helmet thingy he wore. I have to agree with those that said Snufalupagus was creepy. It really stressed me out as a child that nobody ever saw him. Weird. Ick.
I, too, am partial to Beeker and Dr. Honeydew; however, my favorite Muppets were on Saturday Night Live. Skragg and the other alien were just the best. Too bad they didn’t last.
I was at the video store and not only did they have the Muppet tape in question, it was one of the kid’s rentals (ha!) that were free. So I just watched that weasel. What is UP with that drug-crazed little rodent? It is seriously and deliberately dancing as wildly as possible. It chimes in on the chorus, but just as evilbeth describes, it puts its furry little head down and just starts shaking like crazy for the other parts. It’s the damnedest thing. And very funny. He’s not even in the story–he just zooms into the shot for the singing and dancing.
SS: Either Grover or Cookie Monster (had to stop myself from singing “C is for Cookie”)
MS: Well, that should be obvious. Also, the Swedish Chef (especially his meat loaf) was great, and I always thought the chickens were underrated
I remember watching SS when we was little, and my sister and I decided that there must be something wrong with Dad, because he laughed at things that clearly weren’t funny. Of course Dad’s always had an odd sense of humor, so it may not have been the generation gap.
Just watched Beaker singing “Feelings”. LOL Thanks for posting the URL.
I don’t post much, but I couldn’t pass this one up!
Sesame Street: I loved the Count (and his bat friends. I can still hear them chanting “It’s our turn to count! It’s our turn to count!”), the alien guys with the big bottom lips, and the Bethoven wanna be, who’d pound his head on the piano yelling “I’ll never get it right! Never! Never! Never!”. I can still get my sister to laugh at that one when somebody screws up.
Muppet Show: Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beeker, Sweetums, the Sweedish Chef, and Waldorf and Astor were all big favorites. Scooter was pretty cool too, if a little uptight at times. I think my favorite Muppets episode was when they had a ventriloquist on (he had a spanish sounding name, can’t remember it), who did this routine with a puppet in a box: “S’Alright? S’Alright. S’Ok? S’Ok. Close de door.”
I am definitely a die hard Grover fan. He’s got to be my favorite SS character by far. I still remember an episode where he went to school and kept calling the desk a tibble-tabble. My brother and I used that words for years because we thought it was so amusing.
As for the Muppet Show, I have a fondness for the Electric Mayhem, especially Janice (“I’ll trade with anyone who has a Jaaaa-cuuuu-ziiii”). And of course, Kermit and Fozzie, and well, all the rest of them too.
For all you SS fans out there, check out the book “Sesame Street Unpaved”. It’s an awsome book, all about the show. It has background on most of the characters, transcrpits of skits, info on the puppeteers, and general history of the show. It’s really cool.
WOW!!! I am so glad that someone else on the board has seen this! He’s just like a little Ritalin-deprived sock puppet with skinny flailing arms! I love this Muppet! I wish I knew if he (she?) has a name…I’m going to start the Cult of the Spastic Weasel, wanna join?
Sesame Street: Bert and Ernie. They just come as a package. Either one on their own just doesn’t cut it. But I have a long-standing affection for every Street muppet, the list beginning with the aforementioned, followed by Grover, Oscar, Prairie Dawn, Forgetful Jones, Big Bird, all the way down to the bottom of the list where Biff, Herbert Birdsfoot, and Snuffy’s little sister sit.
Muppets: The under-utilised Bean Bunny! Followed by Kermit, Rowlf, Fozzie, Pepe, Gonzo, the Phantom of the Theater, etc etc…
