Photo via Jezebel
Sometimes I wonder why the characters from childhood educational shows are such relevant figures in our lives’. Maybe it’s bc they represent ideals which parents feel comfortable ‘outsourcing’ to fictional characters. These creatures have a better chance of conveying these critical themes to us than our parents who are not ‘vulns’ enough 2 talk 2 us about life/issues. 95% of kids find ‘miscellaneous creatures’ to be easier to talk to than elders like parents, teachers, or civic/community leaders.
Did yall have any ‘muppets’ who u identified with because ur ‘perception of urself’ was a lot like a particular character?
Kermit the Frog is a significant figure from the Jim Henson/Sesame Street/Muppet Collective. He had this song called “It’s not EZ Being Green.” In the song, he starts out singing about his ‘desire to stand out.’ He wishes he could have a different skin colour/be a different person on the outside. He feels ‘ordinary.’ He is sad. He wishes he could be unique. We all just wanna be special, yall.
Then in the second half of the song, Kermit starts to accept the fate/circumstances that God and society have assigned him. While he is kinda ’sad’, he realizes he needs to stop focusing on ‘the desire to be different’ and enjoy his meaningless life. These are messages that our parents wish they were able to communicate to us.
“It’s Not Easy Being Green” – A Poem by Kermit the Frog [via Jim Henson]
It’s not that easy being green;
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold…
or something much more colorful like that.
It’s not easy being green.
It seems you blend in with so many other ord’nary things.
And people tend to pass you over ’cause you’re
not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
or stars in the sky.
But green’s the color of Spring.
And green can be cool and friendly-like.
And green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain,
or tall like a tree.
When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why?
Wonder, I am green and it’ll do fine, it’s beautiful!
And I think it’s what I want to be.
Photo via TheFader
Should I become a DJ/performing artist who tries to spread the same core values that children’s shows tried 2 spread?
Was Jim Henson a better artist than Andy Warhol/Shephard Fairey/Leo DaVincBro?
Do u value the ‘creativity’ of ppl like Jim Henson and Walt Disney, or do u think they were ‘just kinda krazie’?
XX BONUS JIM HENSON WORKSHOP MUPPETBRO ANALYSIS XX
Photo via Lookbook
Cookie Monster represents ur ‘desire for more of stuff that tastes/feels good.’ He has no self-control. In his song “C is for Cookie”, he accepts that something as simple as a “cookie” is “good enough for me.” This is a song about accepting that life might not be THAT meaningful, but maybe u should just be happy about small stuff, and stop trying to search for big lifechanges 2 make u happy.
Do yall think Muppet Collectives are the next Animal Collectives?
Do yall h8 new stuff like Teletubbies/Kid Robot/the Wiggles who trivialize early children’s programming?
Should I not let my kid watch TV and only read blogs his whole life?
Do yall ever wish u could ‘not be green’ [a metaphor powered by Kermit the Frog]?
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28 Comments
nice
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not to be ‘unfunny’ or ‘captain obviously’ but there was a study about this and basically we associate these figures with how awesome it was to be a tween, and so when someone makes a shawl out of it, it threatens our perception of that artifact, which threatens our happiness.
Y’all.
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//////////Reply by hearandshout
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 11:40 am
@von colander, its captain obvious, obviously
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//////////Reply by von colander
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
@hearandshout, I know. obv?
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anyone watched cartoon network lately? its’ no wonder america’s kids are getting dumber and dumber. it’s the bullshit we’re feeding them. it’s also why they’re so annoying. h8 infants yall. think we should go back to the pilgram days where you had to be a man at 12. now the most that’s expected of you is to be a tween. it’s sad.
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//////////Reply by Baguette
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
@cb, I watch Cartoon Network every day because I’m hoping to work for them (or some other studio idk) some day. I know these shows like 6teen and Total Drama Island suck, but have you even seen Chowder or The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack? Those shows are far from bullshit.
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maybe you should make your kids watch Zoom, they will learn how to tie-dye shirts and then maybe join “MV&EE & the Alting Bros”
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feeling it
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if kermit were still alive would he be a meaningful fggt blogger like carlos?
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//////////Reply by louis
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
@Steve Aoki’s Eyelids, i think kermit would blog abt the mad pussy he gets from miss piggy and how bert and ernie are such fggts cuz they live together
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//////////Reply by heroin
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
@louis,
Miss Piggy was a pig, not a pussy/cat
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Wish I 8 cookies all day. H8 myself.
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//////////Reply by ixamxkewt
//////////Posted March 14th, 2009 at 10:18 am
@cookie bro, me 2
but being a skinny alt is tastier
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Can’t wait to dedicate my life to my job and die of pneumonia before I turn 40!
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choo choo.
via.from redtrolley@misterogersneighborhood.twitter.com/blogspot
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boo
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this post is brilliant i must say
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makes me kinda sad that my company blocks yr pics n vids, also feel like I H8 the Wiggles, fggts w/accents.
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Alts are catching up with me. I was into muppets just last fall.
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the rain bro connection
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//////////Reply by ittakestool
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
@spandecks,
winz
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blog about the shows we watched as childrn before music changed our lives
miss captain planet cuz he had a good message and a diverse group of friends
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AMERICA
pig fuckers
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//////////Reply by matthew
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
@matthew,
my picture didn’t show up. son of bitch.
http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/4097/pigfuckereq6.jpg
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I related to Cookie Monster and Miss Piggy, mainly because of my eating disorders. Cookie Monster symbolized the binge-eater inside of me who I couldn’t let out, and Miss Piggy was always the glamorous woman who felt the need to wear all the makeup and flashy clothing to achieve beauty, she didn’t believe in herself. I was afraid of becoming her, but it looks like she’s all I have now.
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//////////Reply by dumpering
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
@Baguette, maybe you should cut out carbs.
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more nostalgia blogs plz carles!
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sorry to be the subject changer but can we talk about current_ and how its the altest channel on tv by far
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Ur posts are too long now plz make them shorter =/
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//////////Reply by bobbie
//////////Posted March 11th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
@May, LOL
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jbya4kxC6E
topical link
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but will the MPPTS inspire a meaningful tween subculture a la the pokemones?
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ooh, green…didn’t think of that color before. gonna go over to am ap asap and get me some green clothes. prolly big in 2k10. think i’ll also buy a gigantic green suit.
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um carles, appreciate u for hearting the muppets.
i know i am not ’special’ for liking them too but sometimes it is rlly good 2 talk about those things that have always been meaningful.
have kinda been unimpressed by hro lately.
ur style = so epic @ times and rlly is smfn no1 else is doing, but not when it’s pix of tweens in undies.
want 2 c u ‘grapple w/ the issues’
want 2 c u ‘talk about serious things more’
want 2 c u ‘mix irony w/ sincerity’
cuz serious issues n sincerity all need blogger bros to open em up.
just sayin, glad 2 c u blog about collective history (memestory) like the muppets.
way more feelable.
<3u
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//////////Reply by anonymous
//////////Posted March 12th, 2009 at 8:11 am
@zanapplepie, glad 2 c u reblog the muppet collectives
thx for ‘getting vulns’
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“It aint easy bein’ white, it aint easy bein brown.
All the pressure to be bright, I got children all over to-o-wn!”
….anyone?
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miss captain planet cuz he had a good message and a diverse group of friends
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what about when lady gags wore the kermits? is kermit still ‘alt’ or does is he mnstrm/want 4walls and/or adobe slats for the muppet collective?
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