Zoe Thread

[wockawocka]

What do you like or dislike about the young muppet girl Zoe? I really don't like her. I think she is too girly and quite stupid. She doesn't seem to be a good influence for kidsand she's not always fun either. A lot of the skits with her are just too babyish or boring to me. There is one thing I do like about her though (even though i really dislike her), she is full of life (which isn't always good for her) and she is up for almost anything. Well, what do you all think about Zoe, and, should SS kept her (at least for now)?

 

[punkNpuppets]

I like Zoe. i mean, shes a muppet and i like all muppets. even Zoe!

 

[FellowWLover]

Zoe is my daughter's favorite Muppet at the moment.

Ever see the episode where Mrs. Chicken mistakes Zoe's pet rock, Rocko, for an egg?

Good stuff.

 

[beaker]

Zoe is one of my favorites next to Telly. LOVE the colors, vibrancy, chemistry with other characters. And we dont have enough girl characters...Prairie Dawn/Anne? How generic can you get?

I really love the more modern face of Sesame...even Elmo is cool when hes working with others. I think peopl eget annoyed by Elmo, is because you seem him doing his own solo schtick a lot.
But yes, love Telly, Zoe, Rosita, Honkers, Martians, etc...so colorful!

 

[SillyRed]

That was funny, a chicken mistaking a rock for an egg!!

 

[roadrat15]

The only thing that really irritates me about Zoe is that high pitched giggle and that "Stop joking me!"

 

[MuppetQuilter]

Zoe, like Elmo, is younger than most of the other Muppets-- several years younger than Big Bird and Grover. That may be why some people find her babyish. Of course the show's audience is younger than it is used to be, so it only makes sense to have younger Muppets who are at the same developlmental stages as a large portion of the audience. Personally, I think she's great. She's more independent than Elmo. She has a very strong sense of self. She has a great imagination. And Sesame Street was long over-do for some main-character girl monsters. It's about time girls got some muppets with which they can identify.

 

[beaker]

Originally posted by MuppetQuilter
Zoe, like Elmo, is younger than most of the other Muppets-- several years younger than Big Bird and Grover. That may be why some people find her babyish. Of course the show's audience is younger than it is used to be, so it only makes sense to have younger Muppets who are at the same developlmental stages as a large portion of the audience. Personally, I think she's great. She's more independent than Elmo. She has a very strong sense of self. She has a great imagination. And Sesame Street was long over-do for some main-character girl monsters. It's about time girls got some muppets with which they can identify.

Agreed. I'm not even sure if that many parents are watching like they used to. Maybe it is the post Elmo world that has fanned off older viewership(and by older, I mean older than 5)

Youre right...Zoe does seem vastly more independent than Elmo, and has a much stronger since of imagination and creativity.
Elmo just likes to 'not understand' a lot of the times. Not to bag on Elmo, as he has gotten enough bagging to last a lifetime...but I consider Zoe one of the top players on the street next to Telly. I really wish all Muppet fans(even the strictly TMS crowd) could be afforded the chance to include a little Telly and Zoe into their Muppet intake now and then.

AND YES! There need to be more girl Muppets/role models.
I firmly believe the global Muppet fanbase is perhaps split even, maybe even 55% or more female...yet it is not reflected at all with the characters. I fo rone would love to see more strong female characters and less embarassing Spamela Hamderson nonsense which does nothing for anyone.

 

[MuppetQuilter]

Originally posted by beaker
Agreed. I'm not even sure if that many parents are watching like they used to. Maybe it is the post Elmo world that has fanned off older viewership(and by older, I mean older than 5)

I think Elmo has less to do with it than changes in society. Fewer parents are home with their kids. LOTS of kids watch Sesame in daycare where, obviously, mom and dad are not watching with them. Parents who grew up with television are, generally speaking, more comfortable trusting their kids to television and, thus, more willing to turn on the tv and walk away so they can have a few minutes to themselves.

That comfort and familiarity with television is one of the reasons the Sesame audience is getting younger. People are letting increasingly younger children (even babies) watch television. We've discovered toddlers are perfectly capable of enjoying a little television and learning from shows like Sesame Street. So they start watching at a younger age and they out grow it at a younger age. Or, perhaps it is more a matter of parents believing they've outgrown it and switching the tv to the Cartoon Network and other shows for older kids. Kids are moving into things at younger ages across the board. Look at the seven and eight year olds who are obsessed with Brittany Spears and the like. Twenty years ago those kids would have been watching 3-2-1 Contact and Little House on the Prarie and Cosby. Today they are watching Brittnay's navel. Which begs the question, what will these kids be doing when they're 16, or even 12? But I digress. My point is the changes in the age of the Sesame audience are more a reflection of larger changes in society than a reaction to the show itself. Sesame has adjusted its content in response to the changes, but it didn't create them.

As for Spamela and the need for more female Muppets-- I completely agree. Annoying as she was, I don't have a problem with Spamela; the Muppets have always been great at satire. The problem is there are so few female characters, Spamela ends up being more a representative of women in general than the spoof she was meant to be. We have Piggy and, to a lesser degree, Janice but that's about it. Mildred, Hilda, Wanda and so forth were never main characters. And I have all sorts of problems with Piggy as the sole main female character. I'd like to see one who is a little less self-absorbed.

 

[Drtooth]

Though I am not such a big fan of Zoe (I like Rosita better), I am starting to be won over by her. It's more gradual than my similar problems with Elmo, now I accept the little red guy. Though I must admit, Zoe is not one of my favorites, I think Fran Brill does an excellent job with her, and you can tell she's haveing a lot of fun.
It's just weird, cause few Muppet girls are plied by woman performers. Look at Piggy and post first season Janice for example. But even so, I cannot really picture them being plaied by women, because the men do a much funnier characturization of them. Basically, the only female Muppets plaied by females I can think of are Red, Mokey, Zoe, Prarie Dawn, and a few others who escape me...

But I still agree we should have strong female characters here. Though I wish they'd bring back Grundgetta...