Quotes on the Muppets as adult-oriented characters

The success of Sesame Street was a mixed blessing for Jim Henson as it established the Muppets, and Henson, as children's entertainment. Henson’s career had always been geared toward family and adult
audiences and suddenly he was labeled the number one performer for kids. Henson continued to struggle to gain acceptance for the Muppets as adult-oriented, not just children’s, entertainment.
Henson commented: “It’s something I've always faced, this slight condescension toward puppets.... It’s always been practically impossible to talk the networks into any kind of puppet show for adults. We’re never thought of for prime time. It’s always a
vehicle for kids." Deanne Durrett, The Importance of Jim Henson (Page 55)
Author/illustrator Maurice Sendak sympathized with Henson’s sense of being labeled as only one kind of artist. Said Sendak, “Because all artists are pigeon-holed, everybody, whatever they do for a
living, they’re pigeon-holed.... He agreed with me about the frustration and it hurt him very much."The World of Jim Henson. Great Performances, 1994
==Quotes==
==Promotional material==
File:S+VTVGUIDEad.JPG|"for grown-ups... and kids, too!"
File:TMS print ad For Mature Adults.jpg|"For Mature Adults**And Their Children"
File:TMS print ad Sophisticated Adult Comedy.jpg|"The Most Sophisticated Adult Comedy In Years"
File:TMS print ad Sophisticated Grown Ups.jpg|"Even the Most Sophisticated Grown-Ups Will Love It"
==Notes==
* ITV's London Weekend Television for the Greater London region originally scheduled The Muppet Show in a Saturday-morning time slot for children, but later reconsidered a later time in the day. ITV's Southern and Anglia regions had already slated it for Sunday afternoons starting with its premiere episode.Evening Standard "The Muppets put LWT in a muddle" by Peter Atkinson, August 23, 1976
* Reviewing the UK premiere of The Muppet Show for the Liverpool Daily Post, Derrick Hill noted that the show was "More than 'kids' stuff," adding, "[A]lthough mooted for family viewing, the Muppets are not really kids' fare. But ATV feels there is still an equation in the public mind between puppets and children's entertainment. Hence the early evening slot."Liverpool Daily Post "It's Open Sesame With Those Cheeky Muppeteers" by Derrick Hill, September 6, 1976
* A September 20, 2015, article from the New York Daily News by David Hinckley credits Jim Henson in 1983 saying, "I want Muppets stories to address things my friends and I are interested in. I never saw them as kiddie characters."New York Daily News "The Muppets return with a more adult-oriented show that will deal with relationships and job stress" by David Hinckley, September 20, 2015 Muppet Wiki has not been able to verify the source of this quote.
* As a point of contrast between the two shows, characters on The Muppet Show referenced Sesame Street as a show for kids, on occasion. In episode 318, Piggy asks Big Bird if Sesame Street is "that cute little children's show with puppets."
* In both The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, Rizzo the Rat expressed concern over any potential kids in the audience. In The Muppet Christmas Carol he remarks, "Whoa, that's scary stuff. Should we be worried about the kids in the audience?," to which Gonzo (as Charles Dickens) replies, "Nah, that's all right. This is culture!" In Muppet Treasure Island, Rizzo comments on the death of Billy Bones saying, "He died? And this is supposed to be a kids' movie?!?"
* At a panel on the second day of MuppetFest, Brian Henson commented that when Muppets Tonight started, ABC promised to do a big marketing campaign to "reposition" the Muppets as adult characters, however they didn't follow through. The show was marketed mainly as a kids' show. When they did focus groups, they confirmed that the show was too sophisticated for 2- to 3-year-olds. Starting at 4, kids thought it was Sesame Street, and they thought they were too old for it. Youth aged 11 to 15 thought it was a really good show, but they don't watch that much TV. Parents thought it was just Sesame Street. Critically, the show did very well, but it wasn't marketed well, and it didn't do well in the ratings.
* Kermit acknowledged at least certain adult content limits in Muppet productions, during his 2002 visit to The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn: "Porn's fine, you know, but it's not what we do in a Muppet movie."Transcript. Toughpigs.com, November 15, 2002</center>
==See also==
* Kermit the Frog on Sesame Street
* Rumor: Miss Piggy on Sesame Street
==External links==
* Video clip: Joan Ganz Cooney on Jim Henson's fear of being typecast as a children's performer
==Sources==
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