Don't the kids have the same names throughout the show?
Yes, it's Patty and Jimmy. Dad is John and Mom is Sarah, FYI.
If that is the case.... then dear old Dad would be close to 100 in the last scene. The beginning one is at the turn of the century and he is already married with a children. That would make him at least 20 something if not older. You flash forward to even 1950 and he would be 70.
It's not supposed to be a literal passing of years. It's a
story with familiar characters you follow through each scene. CoP also used to only go from 1890's - 1960's as well if you remember. It premiered at the 1964-5 World's Fair.
Doubtful. The father (and the mother for that matter) would be far too old for the last scene, if he even lived that long. Plus we're to believe the children are still in their teens/twenties after ALL that time? I'm going with the TTA on this one.
First, the TTA addition is extremely new. And still incorrect. Right from the opening script of the show:
You know, Walt loved the idea of progress and he loved the American family. He himself was probably as American as anyone could possibly be. He thought it would be fun to watch the American family go through the twentieth century experiencing all new wonders as they came. And he put them together in a show called Carousel of Progress, which we are about to see.
Note it does not say "
four families."
Secondly, realize that when COP opened, the final scene was the 1960's. Just because they've updated it with a 1990's scene since then doesn't mean it's not supposed to represent the same family as if they were growing through the years. The actual ages are obviously not correct because it now spans over 100 years, but that's one of those
take it with a pinch of Pixie Dust sorta things. You're supposed to suspend disbelief a little and in Disney of all places, this shouldn't be so hard a concept. :lol:
And whomever wrote the CoP article for Wikipedia did a good job explaining it further:
Not much is known about the family: we do not know their last name, where they live (aside from being somewhere in the United States), or if they ever change location. The family does not (nor are they meant to) age 100 years. They age 3–5 years as the show progresses, to demonstrate how slightly older individuals can better enjoy new technology. Each of the four scenes is set during a different season of the year, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, and on the day of a holiday that typifies each season. The progress of the year through the progress of the seasons metaphor for the progress of the development of the modern age of electricity.
