Gerome and Rusty Go Carousing
Gerome the Giraffe and Rusty the Rooster have been up to no good. As a result, the CBC museum has lost custody of The Friendly Giant puppets. The family of the creator of the beloved kids’ show is up in arms that the pair were used in a skit at the Geminis, not only because they didn’t grant their permission, but also because Gerome and Rusty were engaging in very adult activities - smoking, drinking, and doing it like they do on the Discovery Channel. The daughter of the creator of the show has removed the Giant’s sidekicks from the museum indefinitely, but it appears Casey and Finnegan from Mr. Dressup can still come out to play. I can only imagine the fun the Geminis might have had with the Tickle Trunk…
What do you think? Are these puppets from our youth sacred or is the family overreacting? Have your say in the comments section below.
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November 27th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I think they should be treated with some respect.
If they wanted to make fun of the characters they should not have used the items from the museum.
I think we would all be sad to know the puppets we all loved and remembered were not being cared for and preserved.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
The Friendly Giant was my all time favourite show growing up. My mom even taught me the words that go with the opening music - “Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I saw a fair maiden in the valley below. Oh, never leave me, oh don’t deceive me, how could you treat a poor maiden so”.
I think that they could have used a knockoff lookalike set of puppets for the skit - I do have sort of a wicked sense of humour for stuff like that. At the same time, I can understand the family’s reaction.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
If your in the public eye, you will at some point be used and abused as they say it comes with the territory. I don’t think that anyone was hurt and it was intended to be funny, lighten up… we’ve got enough around us to be stressed about.
Cheers!
November 27th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
People need to get a life and realize that we, the population that grew up with the puppets have a sense of humour and take stuff like this for what it is… FUN. The family needs to get over it and lighten up.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
I think the family is maintaining the image that the “giant” wanted. The puppets were meant for children’s happiness not amusing adults with adult humor. I think the family is well within their rights to protect the integrity of the fathers work.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Tell them to get the frig over it! They are not that imprortant…
November 27th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
Hi Carly,
It wouldn’t affend me, just a little werd as I do remember them from my childhood, and not in that way!! I do think that the museum should have got permission to lend them out though.
Thanks, Wendy
November 27th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
family isn’t overreacting
November 27th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
too hilarious… don’t people have a sense of humor anymore? Lighten up!!!!
November 27th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
I don’t think the family is overreacting. These are puppets from my childhood and also my kids(during reruns). Just to think they would do that is beyond me. What are they trying to do say to people it is okay to do these things. The family has a right to do what ever they want to do. They donated the puppets to the museum for everone to see, and then they pull that stunt. IT IS JUST AMAZING WHAT PEOPLE WILL FOR PUBLITISTY.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
OMG I am totally offended. This was my favourite show when I was a kid!!!!! I loved the little rocking chair and the fireplace.
November 27th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
It seems beyond cheesy and dare I say it ‘unCanadian’ to actually use the puppets - without permission - for that. I think a sly joke insinuating the same thing would have been funnier - a sort of in-joke for all those who remembered the characters, but one that didn’t trespass over the line from clever reference to beat-you-over-the-head-do-you-get-it sort of (what like to call) fart-in-the-bathtub-humour. Irreverent with a side of wink-wink-nudge-nudge is fun and entertaining, not to mention far more indiciative of wit than that sort of painfully-obvious-anvil-to-the-head humour. (I think I’ve abused the use of hyphens here, but … tough)
If I were the daughter of the Friendly Giant, I wouldn’t feel so friendly right about now either, and I’d be having that Rooster start pecking at somebody’s tender bits. If you’re not funny enough to be witty without bludgeoning your audience, you deserve to have the snot whupped out of you by a stuffed Giraffe. As for the ownership issue - may of the artists at the Geminis want their artistic property rights protected - show the same respect to others.
Lucky they didn’t try this with Capt’n Kangaroo. I don’t think he’d put up with this nonsense. And you just know the PolkaRoo would show up for some rough and tumble if this had been pulled with Marigold, Humpty and Dumpty. Well, only if the girl did the awful things - cause PR just never seemed to be around the take on the guys…. hmmmmmmm
November 27th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
I think the family is right in removing them from the museum. These are children’s icons that millions of us have remembered throughout our childhood. The Friendly Giant’s name was disgraced. The lost of innocence. The agony of the thought. AAAAAAAA!!!!!
Oh well. Another day in show bus.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
I saw the skit in question and no, it didn’t actually portray the puppets in any of those acts. It basically inferred that Canadian puppets are forgotten and abandoned after their period of “stardom” and needed help or attention from the public. I think they stated that some of them have fallen into a life of disrepute, and essentially, need to go into puppet rehab. If you’ve seen Puppets Who Kill then you have seen a far more explicit and controversial version.
The worst thing about the skit was that is wasn’t funny at all. I think it was partially written by George Strum……(you know who I mean). I find him to be very smarmy and full of himself. Like a slightly more intelligent version of Ben Mulroney. About the intellectual equivalent of a mop. Anyway, if you haven’t seen the skit than you will think it is worse than it actually was, but I will admit it was tasteless and somewhat disrespectful. I read a more detailed article about it in the G & M and I can certainly understand why Bob’s family took Jerome and Rusty back. I think there is also bad blood between them and the CBC, since allegedly The Friendly Giant was cancelled without warning Bob first.
On a related note - the Hamilton ad for Bruce Springsteen - I was pretty shocked when I first heard it, although I did think it was very funny. But I can certainly appreciate why Hamiltonians would be offended, especially if they also heard Larry Silver’s comments. (Please give that guy some Paxil or something). Don’t know whether the ad should be killed although it’s always a shame to lose a witty, sarcastic ad.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:40 am
I think the family was right. I saw the ad and thought the puppets really didn’t belong there. You remember them in a certain setting and everything else is just wrong.
November 28th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
It’s all sooo typical of the CBC? As for the Fam. get over it! It’s a tribute to being gone and not forgotten.
I agree w/ Dave, “Hillarious!” That being said I look forward to Carlys’ Tickle Trunk skit. HaHa
November 28th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Didn`t see it but I have to admit that it makes me kinda queesy thinking of Gerome and Rusty “that way” (kinda like thinking about your parents “that way”) Furthermore why are we making fun of puppets when we can make fun of Hamilton?