Heard this once said: Caine played his character as a very straight human, while Tim Curry played his character in Muppet's Treasure Island like he's himself an unhinged muppet. To the credit of both of these actors, it works perfectly in their respective movies.
Someone described respectful ways of interacting with children similarly --- you can bring yourself down to their level, or you can bring them up to yours. Both are respectful, and there's no "talking down" to anyone.
The Jim Henson Company was excellent at that. They always approached young audiences with respect above all. That's how Sesame Street works.
Speaking of which, I saw that HBO was pulling out of their deal with Sesame Street. Should we organize like a fundraising drive for that? The idea of Big Bird being off the air...isn't okay.
If I understand correctly, it was produced by and broadcast on HBO, and then broadcast on PBS a week later. I guess the number 4 and the letter T weren't paying the bills.