Confusing Things About Muppet Babies

Michael Wermuth - Muppet Babies was a great show. It was animated, had great music, we got to see many of the main characters as babies, and the imagination sequences were amazing. But there is something I'm confused about. No, I'm not talking about the fact that they were friends as babies even though they "met" when they grew up. No, what I'm wondering is, WHEN does the show take place?

The show began in 1984, and most of the characters had been adults for at least a decade, though Kermit had been an adult since 1955 and Rowlf had been an adult since 1962. I think it might be wise to overlook that and say that they were all babies in the 1950s, or maybe 1940s. And who's to say that each Muppet ages as fast as its actual species, even though the Muppets tend to stay the same age forever?

For the most part, the show did a good job of staying timeless. Though there were many parodies of things that started in the 1970s or 1980s, and clips were used. But since they were the imagination of the babies, we could just say that they were way ahead of their time, or since the Muppets grew up to be in show business, maybe they were secretly behind many movies and TV shows. But at times they tend to acknowledge stuff from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. In "I Want My Muppet TV" they know who Johnny Carson is, I think they know who many 1980s celebrities are in "This Little Piggy Went to Hollywood," and in one episode they know who Dick Clark is. And in "Muppet Babies: The Next Generation," Gonzo mentions Star Wars, which wouldn't have existed when they were babies.

What about modern technology? Baby Scooter has his own computer. Most homes didn't have computers until the 1970s or 1980s. It's especially interesting how someone as young as Scooter would have his own computer, but today when kids are getting their own cell phones and other forms of technology at younger ages perhaps the show was ahead of its time (though I haven't heard of any babies or toddlers having their own computers). I know there's one episode where they watch a video on a VCR, which wouldn't have been around when they were babies. Whenever they watch TV, the programs are usually in color. Color TV wasn't invented until the late 1950s, and wasn't more mainstream until the 1960s. And in "It's Only Pretendo," the Muppet Babies are playing video games, which didn't become mainstream until the 1970s.

Then again, considering the Muppets always stay the same age, if we want to ignore the majority of productions the Muppets have done over the years I think they could have realistically been babies in 1984 and grew to their current ages by now. Or I could be thinking too much about something that was originally just a fantasy sequence in a movie... Yeah, it could be that.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Confusing Things About "Follow That Bird"

Michael Wermuth, Jr. - Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird is such a great movie, but it has many things that I am a bit confused about, or at least things that really get me thinking and wondering. Some are continuity errors, some are things that would have ended the movie sooner. Anyway, here are some things I am confused about Follow That Bird.

First of all, when Big Bird gets a postcard from Mr. Snuffleupagus about him planning to come and visit, and the Dodo's laugh, Big Bird thinks they won't allow Snuffy to visit because he's not a bird (and since this came out just before the adults finally saw him, I can't quite tell if they actually believe Big Bird), which is what makes him leave. But then the Dodos never exactly say that Snuffy can't visit at all, though when Big Bird says he wants to go home if Snuffy can't visit, they never point out that they didn't say that.

And now for a continuity error... Supposedly, Big Bird runs away later that night, and it's getting dark outside. It's also dark on Sesame Street when they watch the news report, which I assume is a live broadcast, but during Kermit's news report it's clearly daytime. I know that Illinois and New York have a one-hour time difference, but would it be significantly darker in New York than Illinois? And even if it were, Big Bird is seen watching the news report outside and it's as dark there as it was in New York, and Big Bird couldn't have gone too far by then (plus, as I said, it was dark when Big Bird left). And Miss Finch is interviewed at the Dodo's house, but is shown leaving, and shortly after Big Bird watches the report she just barely misses him.


Big Bird's letter to the Dodos said that he expected to get back to Sesame Street in three hours. That's at night time, then after the sun comes up and he's still heading home he still thinks it'll take three hours, being shocked when the truck driver tells him it's more likely to be three weeks. Big Bird should have known that it'd be more than three hours if it's daytime and he's still on his way home, unless he couldn't tell time. Or maybe he found some place to sleep.

Miss Finch and the Sleaze Brothers are all on their way to find Big Bird, but they know that he's on his way to Sesame Street. Why not just head for there, assuming he's in the right direction? Of course, we don't know that they weren't planning on that. After all, Miss Finch does show up on Sesame Street as soon as Big Bird finally returns.

In the first scene at the Sleaze Bros. Fun Fair, they have a big set-up and seem to have a staff, yet they also seem to be a traveling fair, with their supplies in a truck (which couldn't possibly hold everything) and they just set-up where they please. And after they set up in Toadstool it seems they are the only ones working at the fun fair.

A few more quick things to point out or question: What happens to Ernie and Bert's plane? After their big number they are seen with the others at the gas station and fun fair but we never see the plane at either place. Cookie Monster spent so much of the movie eating Gordon's car, so why don't they get him to eat the bars of Big Bird's cage? And finally, Sam Sleaze thinks he'll be rich with Big Bird in the fun fair, I guess he's not familiar with all the residents of Sesame Street that could make the place more money. In fact he saw other large talking birds AND a frog reporter on TV, why not go after them?

Anyway, that's a lot to question about such a great movie, so I guess it all can be forgiven. Though I must still wonder how they made that nighttime/daytime error regarding the news report.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com