I’m just now realizing how much the ‘80s were a golden age of puppeting, and inanimate physical posing-based entertainment in general when you count claymation. Was it imitation of Henson and muppeteering or a matter of showoff cutting-edge special effects event!s analogous to Jurassic Park/Avatar? I dunno. Hollywood, man.

But not even Hollywood! MST3K! Dudes were like “let’s make something cool and ridiculous”, and “puppets” were an answer ready in the mind.

I guess the contemporary comparison is Flash animation maybe? Which I also guess is cutting-edge special effects, at the amateur level?