Thursday, October 27, 2005
Muppets Teach Humanitarian Values
The Muppets are back! The newest incarnation of the Muppet Show is hitting North America, with an attempt at producing a reality TV show called "America's Next Muppet".
Based on the format of American Idol and America's Next Top Model, the judges will include famous muppets such as Fozzie, Animal and the Swedish Chef. It is assumed that Kermit will host the show and that there will be some way to evaluate the muppet contestants. Apparently there will be a way for viewers to vote online for their favorites and each week one hopeful muppet will be eliminated.
Although some critics think this idea really sucks, I love this idea and think it would be a great alternative to the "real" reality shows out there. Sesame Street did not exist when I was very young in the 60's. (at least not where I lived), but as an older young teen I fell in love with The Muppet Show and was a regular viewer. I also enjoyed all of the movies and specials that the Muppets produced.
Another favorite of mine was Fraggle Rock. Apparently when Jim Henson concieved Fraggle Rock, he wanted to create a show that could help bring peace to the world. To do this, the creatures of Fraggle Rock were all interconnected with nature and each other. If a piece of the chain was broken, the rest would fall apart. What a great show that was! (And apparently the first season is now out in DVD - guess where I am heading) I think Fraggle Rock actually taught me about some aspects of unitarianism... respecting other communities who are different from us, human rights, social justice, interconnectedness, environmentalism and humanitarianism.
Although Jim Henson passed away, and he was the so-called "creative force" of the Muppets, there were other creative forces involved, such as Frank Oz and Caroll Spinney. As well, a new generation of puppeteers has joined the muppet team and it has evolved. I believe that the Muppets have a role in our society today and in the future.
As a parent, I think the muppets have a lot to teach us about values in life and also not to take ourselves quite so seriously. I really hope that this new show will give my son Owen a chance to get to know the Muppets. Is it such a bad thing to have an alternative comedy show which introduces our kids to these types of ideas? Just because our generation has been "muppet saturated", doesn't mean that our kids or grand kids don't deserve a chance to make friends with the Muppets.
Comments:
<< Home
What worries me is that they now have a policy where multiple people are doing the voice/controls of each character instead of having the character become the vision of a single artist.
# posted by 
: 12:32 p.m.
: 12:32 p.m.
I've always loved the muppets. I doubt we'll watch the new show (no cable) but I think it's a sweet idea, especially in light of the appalling quality of children's programming these days.
Post a Comment
<< Home
