'Clifford' - seriously insulting.
Okay, you get a frog, a pig, a lobster, a rat - and a Rastafarian. The implication there is not good!
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MovieChat Forums > Muppets Tonight (1996) Discussion > 'Clifford' - seriously insulting.
And you also get "White People" puppets like Statler and Waldorf.
shareThey're obviously saying that all white people are old and angry.
shareIf i can chime in here...
Clifford has never actually been identified as a Rasta nor a "black person", the closest hint to his actual race/species is from Kermit refering to him as a Catfish.
I love it when people leap on any supposed racist implication...its the Muppets for Kermits sake, founded by someone who went out of his way to bring racial awareness and equality, understanding and love. Jim Henson was alive when Clifford was "created", and i really doubt he'd have allowed a heavy racial sterotype through into the public eye.
Yes Clifford sounds like a Rasta, thats just the way his character is...and i for one wouldnt want him any other way. Same as Rizzo, a rat, is from Brooklyn and as for Animal...well, i dont think we'll ever find that out.
Clifford didn't sound like a Rastafarian to me. To me, he just sounded...well..."jive". He was performed by Kevin Clash, who is black, so I just thought Kevin was creating a cool, jive character.
As for the species, Clifford always kind of looked like a babboon to me. Not that it's supposed to be "insulting" or "stereotypical", but just another animal along with the frogs, bears, pigs, chickens and what-nots.
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I always just thought of Clifford as a humanoid muppet, like Scooter and the Electric Mayhem (except Animal, of course). Race doesn't really make any difference, though I was surprised that he was played by the same puppeteer who plays Elmo.
The more people I meet, the more I get why Jane Goodall spends all of her time with chimps.....