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officialericcrooks
Erica Crooks ( puppeteer , cartoon animator , indie filmmaker , cartoonist , satirist , etc ) Check Out more crazy toons & rude puppets on officialericcrooks.weebly.com ericacrooks.weebly.com
Social Media : https://linktr.ee/officialericcrooks

Erica Crooks @officialericcrooks

Age 36, Female

Indie Filmmaker

Joined on 1/6/14

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officialericcrooks's News

Posted by officialericcrooks - July 27th, 2022


Cartoon Network went downhill most when they cancelled Ed Edd N Eddy & The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy ( and the other shows ). Also when CN was rebranded as a " kids network " instead of a " COMEDY CARTOON NETWORK " which they were BEST known for.



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Posted by officialericcrooks - June 9th, 2022


There's people who enjoyed Fraggle Rock : Back To The Rock. Also all the creative / artistic hard work & effort of any production like this ( especially during the times of the pandemic ) is something to admire & appreciate as well as the advancement in puppetry filmmaking.

It's a reboot ( of a show that already had a general closure ) , " updated for modern times ". What does that exactly mean ? 

Is the original problematic ?

We live in an age of streaming services where sometimes the original & reboot / remakes are beside each other ironically. 

It's not mean to point out the facts that there's clearly differences between the two. It's called " artistic critique " ( probably more common among nostalgic fans who are the minority of fandom ).

The original had a strong political pacifism aspect to it as well as Jerry Juhl's humor. Back To The Rock is more gentle & the Fraggles talk in teenager slang ( among other things ).

Was the many changes necessary ? A change in modern times ( modern Democrat / Liberal ideology / Millennial & Generation Z " wokeness " ) or was it simply conforming to current demographic market research so it can " SELL " to modern audiences ( commodification ) or BOTH ?

In general, nostalgic fans prefer the quality of the originals ( & sometimes, other times ) which isn't present in the other stuff.


Even though Dave Goelz & Karen Prell returned as well as an episode written by Jocelyn Stevenson, still,

what would Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Richard Hunt & Jerry Nelson think ? Even though Frank Oz wasn't apart of Fraggle Rock, he has been outspoken about the changes of The Muppets ( & Sesame Street ) for 10 years now.


During the original 1989 - 1990 Henson / Disney deal , Jim Henson wanted them to understand the uniqueness of how he ran everything. 


Would Jim, Richard & the two Jerrys be as outspoken about current times today ?


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#FraggleRock #FraggleRockBackToTheRock #JimHensonLegacy #JimHenson #JimHensonsMuppets #tributeart #popculture #puppetry #Muppets #art #artists #reboot #reboots #remake #remakes #RichardHunt #JerryNelson #JerryJuhl


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Posted by officialericcrooks - May 24th, 2022


Could you imagine a fluffy version of Oscar the Grouch singing Taylor Swift's " Shake it Off " but it's about recycling ? Is " I Love Trash " problematic, taboo, controversial & cancel culture now ? :(

Oscar the friendly recycle monster ? I don't think so.


Someone could easily look at the current version / new video and be like " Oh how cute ! Oscar & Grover are dancing together, that means they are FRIENDS ! AWWW ! "

That's not what it was like in the original !

THIS IS Oscar & Grover in the original ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXBkJC-Zscg

So is this ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_QVPdWstIk


Oscar was beyond a GROUCH ! It's no wonder he was thrown down the stairs ! https://youtu.be/USUjEXfTqf4?t=603 


Even before " One of these things is not like the other " , Oscar's brother says " F**kin' SICK ! " https://youtu.be/xGYil8o88H4?t=569


Oscar even insulted advertisers in front of a nervous Dick Cavett.

https://youtu.be/Q65fKWU9S-U?t=684


Everything is LITERALLY reboot , changed , commodified , cancel culture , controversial & problematic.


Perhaps Oscar's trash can insults the scientific / objective minded.

It's a paranormal supernatural phenomenon vortex of some sort !

https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Oscar%27s_trash_can


Sesame Street has changed since the 1990s ( Tickle Me Elmo era ) due to competition to keep the show on the air after 20 something episodes ( it's mentioned in the book Street Gang ).


Whenever people see puppets, people IMMEDIATELY think " little kids stuff ". More so regarding people's general perception of Sesame Street. That's right it's still called Sesame Street, not ELMO'S WORLD ! 

The art of Puppetry has a tradition in satire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeBCvG1AXU8

And the original Sesame Street ( & The Muppets in general ) were VERY FUNNY & ENTERTAINING !


Anyway the whole idea of Oscar the Grouch becoming Oscar the friendly recycle monster reminds me of how Cookie Monster could be seen as " Veggie Monster ".

https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Is_Cookie_Monster_now_the_Veggie_Monster%3F?so=search


The current version just confirms everyone's stereotypical view on this show for " little kids ".

Classic Sesame Street / Old School Sesame Street was TOTALLY DIFFERENT !

There's lots of stuff that's entertaining for adults. It's comedy, rock & pop music, etc. The Muppets were known for general audiences because that's how the entertainment industry used to be.


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Posted by officialericcrooks - March 17th, 2022


TikTok mutes the political satire animated comedy sketch from The Erica Crooks Show : Season 14 ( 2021 ) Season Finale. The sketch featured Rudy Giuliani , Trump Brothers ( Donald Trump Jr. & Eric Trump ) as well as Ex-President Donald J. Trump going to Jail !


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The sketch shows a drunk Rudy Giuliani who one moment graffitied the walls & the American flag then finding himself behind jail bars " I always wind up in strange places ! "


The sketch ends with a bald & pale Trump in an orange jumpsuit crying and screaming " FAKE NEWS ! " multiple times until the off camera guard silences him.


In the sketch, Donald Trump Jr. mentions that he will revenge his father by becoming a dictator just like him before being pulled away by Authority.


 " Capitalists have privatized the internet / social media so they can control the freedom of speech and expression of content creators of good faith. Censorship & banning is done by " bots ", there's no cooperative customer service & the appeals and violations process simulates the court system & the police. Community Guidelines is flawed just as much as Law & Order, Capitalism, Authoritarianism & Hierarchical Power over others. Bad things continue to happen to innocent people, especially those who speak out against evil meanwhile evil anti-social criminals get away with crime because the system reinforces them. "


" ALL Mainstream Capitalist Social Media has been terrible to innocent content creators & users alike. And they are going to keep getting worse until everyone leaves and in it's place, the internet will be nothing more but subscription interactive television and online shopping. They are NOTHNG without us Content Creators and Users. Many are switching to alternatives such as The Fediverse. When civil rights are on the line, we are not going to back down. Especially when civil rights if it's related to arts & culture or not are in truth trying to heal the world BETTER than those in power ! "


_ Erica Crooks


And for more content from Erica Crooks

Check out : https://linktr.ee/officialericcrooks

AND MORE

visit

The Official Erica Crooks Websites :

Personal Website : ericacrooks.weebly.com

Official Website for The Erica Crooks Show : officialericcrooks.weebly.com


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#ericacrooks #theericacrooksshow #ericacrooksshow #officialericcrooks #politicalsatire #satire #TikTok #socialmedia #animation #politicalcartoon #politicalcartoons #caricature #sketchcomedyshow #comedywebsseries #indiefilm #independentfilm #breadtube #lefttube #fediverse #cartoon #cartoons #youtube #facebook #twitter #instagram #censorship #antitrump #anticapitalism #antiauthoritarianism #anarchism 


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Posted by officialericcrooks - March 8th, 2022


When it comes to International Woman’s Day,

Muppet fans already know the major contributions there has been through out the history and legacy.

https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Feminism


From Muppet Performers

( Including but not limited to )


Jane Henson ( Jim’s first performing partner )

Fran Brill ( The first main Woman Muppet Performer after Jane's retirement )

Karen Prell ( Red on Fraggle Rock )

Kathryn Mullen ( Mokey on Fraggle Rock )

Louise Gold ( The Muppet Show , also Spitting Image )

&

Camille Bonora ( 1980s Sesame Street , The Jim Henson Hour ) ( I wish she didn’t retire to that Catholic Kari’s Journal. )


As well as the many Muppet Builders from the original Muppet Workshops

( Including but not limited to )


Amy Van Gilder

Jane Gootnick

Carol Wilcox

Bonnie Erickson

Polly Smith

&

Lauren Attinello

( Who built the BEST version of Kermit for Muppets Take Manhattan ( aka 1980s Kermit ) )


Also


Karen Falk the archivist and historian of The Jim Henson Legacy


As well as Jim Henson had 3 daughters who continue to carry on his legacy :

Lisa, Cheryl & Heather .


And of course many, many, many more. :)


#InternationalWomansDay #InternationalWomansDay2022 #WomansDay #WomansDay2022 #JimHenson #JimHensonsMuppets #Muppets #Puppetry #PuppetBuilding #Puppeteer #Puppeteers #PuppetBulding #PuppetBuilders #JimHensonLegacy #Art #Arts #PerformingArts #PopCulture #Feminism #Feminist #WomenInHistory


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Posted by officialericcrooks - November 17th, 2021


Frank Oz has been outspoken since the release of The Muppets ( 2011 ).

 https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/aug/30/frank-oz-on-life-as-fozzie-bear-miss-piggy-and-yoda-id-love-to-do-the-muppets-again-but-disney-doesnt-want-me

In 2013, he said in quote " Those are NOT The Muppets that Jim ( Henson ) had intended. Their job is to be rebellious and say SCREW Disney ! "

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgv_VTynhEk

Frank Oz has equally mentioned about the decline of Sesame Street. https://twitter.com/TheFrankOzJam/status/1167823896126443520


The decline of Sesame Street shouldn't be a secret to Muppet Fans ( who ACTUALLY read the books. ) Street Gang by Michael Davis revealed Sesame Street's decline since CTW ( now Sesame Workshop ) decided to compete with Elmo in the early 1990s which changed EVERYTHING since.


For those who know about Jim Henson's passing, Jim Henson died during the final negotiations of selling his company to The Walt Disney Company which through out was stressful. Jim traveled back and shortly after he got sick and died. His death was very tragic in a short period of time.


In the article and in the documentary from " In Their Own Words ", Frank Oz mentions that Jim wouldn't have " gotten sick " due to the stress of the Disney deal. Joan Ganz Cooney said something similar in the book " Street Gang " as well.


#JimHenson #FrankOz #Muppets #SesameStreet


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Posted by officialericcrooks - October 8th, 2021


Ok, I watched Muppets Haunted Mansion . #MuppetsHauntedMansion

Pros : Crowd Scenes. Muppet fans know all of the characters and where they are from. If not, we look them up on Muppet Wiki.

BEST : Creepy aging Gonzo puppet ( hilarious and creative ) / Brian Henson returns / Muppets Tonight character cameos

Also a special cameo of https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Dog_(Bunny_Picnic) #JimHensonBirthday . ( I wish they didn’t add Dog noises though , he talks ! ) The advancement of puppetry filmmaking.

Also the fact that Dave Golez is the only original Muppet Performer still performing their original character for the most part. And it has a great powerful message about personal and spiritual growth and facing Karma which is absolutely wonderful. The heart filled writing was the best in the writing and the plot was good but I do think the humor needed work, the music needed work, and it was kind of too scary for The Muppets in my opinion. 


Cons : I love creepy, not scary. I much prefer funny. ( and I was laughing the whole time when I seen creepy aging Gonzo by the way, I LOVED THAT ! lol Even though it wasn’t intentionally meant to be funny, I have a creative / satirical sense of humor. ) 

PEPE IS ANNOYING ! ( except Muppets Tonight ).

Despite Kirk Thatcher & Jim Lewis’ , and even Brian Henson’s involvement , like Bill Prady’s involvement with the ABC The Muppets sitcom , there’s a difference between the past and the present works. I’m a fan of the Jim Henson era / 1990s Jim Henson Productions era. The humor, music quality and puppet building was better in my opinion.


It has it’s moments to skip through and enjoy. It is slightly better than everything else that came out of the Disney era Muppets for the most part ( except the web show From The Balcony which I thought was funny and close to Muppets Tonight in terms of humor ). 


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Posted by officialericcrooks - August 7th, 2021


Les Guignols de l'info fan account on YouTube called " Generation Guignols " is getting shut down by Canal+ tomorrow. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn-R1gBlR3hu8-bzF7Y2dLg So enjoy the videos while you still can. #LesGuignols #LesGuignolsdelinfo #GenerationGuignols #JeSuisGuignols Similar thing happened with a Spitting Image fan account on YouTube called The Complete Spitting Image when ITV ( and or BritBox ) had it shut down.

Both political satire puppet television shows were Leftist leaning. Like Les Guignols and Spitting Image, both are uploading clips on their official social media. However even though they own the original master footage and films, Fandom uses saved recordings if recorded from a VCR or DVD Recorder or Internet capture or just found. Generation Guignols is a collective of fans who gathered footage together for this account to be shared. Attacking fans with Copyright Infringement, ID and Matching ( Especially when fans are not profiting off of this and it is literally being shown for educational / historic purposes, isn't that one of the purposes of what the internet should be used for ? The information age ? Remember ? ) is a violation of fair use because Fandom and fan accounts help preserve for history / educational purposes when copyright owners refuse to supply the demand. Vincent Bolloré bought Canal+, fired the writers of Les Guignols de l'info and the original producer in 2015 and they were replaced from 2015 - 2018. Canal+ / Vincent Bolloré didn't care that Les Guignols de l'info still had a strong fanbase and perhaps stronger than the surviving Spitting Image fanbase maybe. Je Suis Guignols ! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Guignols #fandom #leftist #leftism #SpittingImage #CharlieHebdo #caricature #puppetry #politicalsatire #questioncopyright


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Posted by officialericcrooks - June 28th, 2021


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Posted by officialericcrooks - June 25th, 2021


 Happy Pride 2021 Everyone !


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The Erica Crooks Show has been bringing LGBTQ+ awareness since 2007 / 2008 through out the satirical show from satirizing bigotry, promoting equality and awareness, especially Non-Binary.


Also Erica Crooks is a Non-Binary Transgender Lesbian Woman. :)


And for more content from Erica Crooks

Check out : https://linktr.ee/officialericcrooks

AND MORE

visit

The Official Erica Crooks Websites :

Personal Website : ericacrooks.weebly.com

Official Website for The Erica Crooks Show : officialericcrooks.weebly.com


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