New Muppet Abby Cadabby heads to the Street

[Ilikemuppets]

Oscar and Grundgetta prepare for a car race. but their vehicle won't start, and Oscar is hesitant to accept help from Maria and Luis, while Grundgetta welcomes the offer.

Funny thing is it's Gna's Baby bottle that knocks into it and makes it start. But they win the race anyway becaus the car that moves the slowest is the winner. So thay take a car sputtering vitory lap, haha!

 

[Big Bird Fan]

Abby is supposed to be in a new episode this week or next.

I know this was already answered, but I just wanted to point out there is no next week. Tomorrow is the season finale.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

But they still could have choosen to have aired it next week.

 

[ISNorden]

I agree that Abby looks as if she were designed for some other kids' show, and that her introduction was seriously over-hyped (come on, she's appeared in only three episodes this season!). With everyone else's fairy godthings turning up lately, she isn't as distinctive as the producers meant her to be either. Even Abby's limited magical skills make her a literal one-trick character: if she doesn't learn some new, different spells soon, I agree that Abby will be written off in a season or two.

P.S. Speaking of the Swedish Chef, I am one of those Swedish-speakers who finds that character annoying. If I have to convince people that the language doesn't really sound like "bork-bork-bork" one more time... *grrrr*

 

[BEAR]

I agree that Abby looks as if she were designed for some other kids' show, and that her introduction was seriously over-hyped (come on, she's appeared in only three episodes this season!). With everyone else's fairy godthings turning up lately, she isn't as distinctive as the producers meant her to be either. Even Abby's limited magical skills make her a literal one-trick character: if she doesn't learn some new, different spells soon, I agree that Abby will be written off in a season or two.

I'm sure they will find some new things for Abby in the next season. Remember she is just a little girl and that is the one trick she know right now. As she gets "older" she will learn more stuff. Remember that she was mainly brought in as "new blood" which was needed. There hasn't been a new character really for quite sometime, particularly a female. They are still testing her out. I'll bet you she is more popular than you think and that is among the younger kids (her own age group) that she is meant to relate to. The producers don't care if you (a grownup) likes her, she is meant to be appealing to a toddler. It's the same with Elmo. I don't care if the adult population finds him annoying and obnoxious. The point is, the kids love him and he is beneficial to their learning/growing. That's all that really matters.

For the record, I think Abby is adorable.

 

[mikebennidict]

Yeah the audience that SS is targeting is what's important. Not those who are past the target age.

 

[GelflingWaldo]

I agree that Abby looks as if she were designed for some other kids' show

Abby's design was ment to not look look like Elmo, Grover, Zoe, Bert, Ernie, Oscar, Cookie or have that traditional "Muppet look". Abby was conceptualized as a way to simultaneously introduce a new female character to the show and add someone from a completly different culture (in order to do some episodes with "cultural differences/misunderstandings" without being so preachy). In an NPR interview it was said that Abby's design was an intentional departure from the typical "Muppet look", because she's not originally from the Sesame Street universe. The implication is that the fairies in her old neighborhood are like her and she doesn't quite fit the look of the rest of the world on Sesame Street.

...and that her introduction was seriously over-hyped (come on, she's appeared in only three episodes this season!).

Granted it was over-hyped (but then again when hasn't a Sesame Street event not been blown out of proportion - from Cookie's "diet" and an HIV Muppet to "Ernie's death" and Bert & Ernie's "relationship"?). The press has a long history of this kind of thing. However it is a somewhat major event for the show. Yet I'm sure if she was the center of "too many" episodes this season people would erupt with rage that she was "taking over" and being "forced upon us". In her first season, without having any real audience feedback yet (to see if people really do like and respond to her) and with no fanbase yet, I'm sure producers didn't want this season to be all about Abby (you know putting all their eggs in one basket this early on could have resulted in disaster). However Leslie Carrara (Abby's performer) said that she'll be returning next season. So Abby will be back.

 

[CensoredAlso]

The producers don't care if you (a grownup) likes her, she is meant to be appealing to a toddler. It's the same with Elmo. I don't care if the adult population finds him annoying and obnoxious. The point is, the kids love him and he is beneficial to their learning/growing. That's all that really matters.

It's just not always that simple. Just because a character is cute and happy or popular doesn't mean they are helpful to children or education. Hey, the Stepford Wives were cute, happy, brightly colored and cheerful too. They represent everything that's good, wholesome and wonderful. What's wrong with that?

What's wrong is that they lacked life, heart and originality. They lived in an isolated fantasy world with no problems. Only it wasn't real. They weren't real. Frank Oz's remake may not have been perfect, but it did teach that much.

Sesame Street's main audience is children, but that doesn't mean their content should talk down to them. Teenagers (and parents) loved Brittany Spears for being happy, cute and popular too, but her music was not particularly original and her image was not helpful to girls. And that is important. I'm not saying modern Sesame Street is necessarily harmful. I'm saying it's entertaining, but not much else.

Through the years, the most successful and long lasting children's entertainment have been those that challenged children and assumed they were smarter than "Yay, let's have fun!" Rocky and Bullwinkle are still fresh (and popular) forty years later. It's old, and it still works.

"Elmo's World" has been around maybe 8 years. That sounds impresive. Except when you consider Sesame Street without "Elmo's World" lasted for nearly three decades. Let's wait and see how long "Elmo's World" endures.

Changing your image to fit the current trends very often includes sacrificing your quality.

That being said, I don't think Abby's that bad from what I've seen, so this isn't directed so much at her.

 

[BEAR]

It's just not always that simple. Just because a character is cute and happy or popular doesn't mean they are helpful to children or education. Hey, the Stepford Wives were cute, happy, brightly colored and cheerful too. They represent everything that's good, wholesome and wonderful. What's wrong with that?

What's wrong is that they lacked life, heart and originality. They lived in an isolated fantasy world with no problems. Only it wasn't real. They weren't real. Frank Oz's remake may not have been perfect, but it did teach that much.

Sesame Street's main audience is children, but that doesn't mean their content should talk down to them. Teenagers (and parents) loved Brittany Spears for being happy, cute and popular too, but her music was not particularly original and her image was not helpful to girls. And that is important. I'm not saying modern Sesame Street is necessarily harmful. I'm saying it's entertaining, but not much else.

Through the years, the most successful and long lasting children's entertainment have been those that challenged children and assumed they were smarter than "Yay, let's have fun!" Rocky and Bullwinkle are still fresh (and popular) forty years later. It's old, and it still works.

"Elmo's World" has been around maybe 8 years. That sounds impresive. Except when you consider Sesame Street without "Elmo's World" lasted for nearly three decades. Let's wait and see how long "Elmo's World" endures.

Changing your image to fit the current trends very often includes sacrificing your quality.

That being said, I don't think Abby's that bad from what I've seen, so this isn't directed so much at her.

Why are you telling me this?

 

[CensoredAlso]

No disrespect intended, I was just replying to what you wrote.