The Muppet Mindset

The Muppets Take Mairfair

2012-01-27T12:24:00.002-06:00

Spotted: Kermit on a whistlestop tour of London. He hopped into taxi cabs, and tweeted from his ~~lilly~~iPad. He made grown-ups green with envy by displaying his new Blue Peter badge and made children smile by stopping by Great Ormond Street. He edited The Sun and met Bob Geldof's daughter. All the while, taking the time to answer Qs with As over at DisneyMoviesUK's twitter feed. Stick with us as we retrace his steps (flipperprints?) and give you the lowdown on his visit to the United Kingdom's capital city.

First of all, Kermit announced that he would be taking over the twitter-feed at DisneyMoviesUK and what a great job of it he did! Although they have taken back the reigns (and keyboard, and fancy broadcasting kit) today, you can still see his tweeted answers to fans from yesterday (alternatively do a search for #AskKermit). I noticed a few great ones:

Joey Essex asked: Hey Kermit coming to see you later at the premiere, what are you going to be wearing so we don't clash? Stay REEM #AskKermit (No, we do not know what REEM means ourselves...)

To which Kermit responded: I usually go naked, but I’m going to premiere in a tux, so ok if U come 2 premiere naked #AskKermit (No comment)

Stephen Fry asked: Kermit, how often a day do you gargle to keep your tenor tones so supple?

Kermit answered: I gargle w/ fresh swamp water 3 X a day & 2 X a day Piggy grabs me by neck & shakes--keeping me supple & rattled

A girl called Laura H asked: will you be sampling the British cuisine while you're in London today?

And Kermit let her know: I luv British food! The damp weather brings out the very tastiest mosquitoes. Bzzz…Yum!

Similar questions and answers kept popping up all day on the twitter feed, providing endless hours of entertainment (in just 140 characters!)

But that wasn't all. Kermit also let us know through Twitter that he was popping into the esteemed establishment Great Ormond Street Hospital. Although we have not heard a report of what he got up to there, it must have been a real treat for the kids to see him.

Later on, Kermit and Miss Piggy showed up for the red carpet premiere at Mayfair!

Now, as it happens...my name had been left with the lady at the gate.

So she quickly called security and led me off the premises. (I joke.) (Or do I?) But luckily there were plenty of photographers and reporters who DID get in, and they have released some classic pictures and videos and details of the premiere which are included below.

This, from LoveFilm, has some fun comments from Pig and Frog and Bob(in).

As you can see, Miss Piggy is there in a customer Giles Deacon. He told GraziaDaily (who?) "She was the biggest diva we've ever worked with," he revealed. "All the staff had to face the wall when she walked in."

The Telegraph also had some coverage of the Muppets premiere which they uploaded here. (And a GREAT Miss Piggy interview from a few weeks ago here.)

Some amazing stars came out to see The Muppets... and also some semi-famous people who we have photos of...

Georgia Salpa went straight in for the kiss (and was later spotted on a potential date with Joey Essex...unless that is just who Kermit turned into after a kiss from a princess? Perish the thought...)

Megafan Olly Murs was also there (and rumoured to have exclusive Muppet footage on his tour later this year...)

Stephen Fry was also on hand (researching a QI episode on amphibian and porcine cross species dating?)

On close inspection of this image from the night, you can clearly see that Kermit is sporting a Blue Peter badge on his laple. Could he have popped onto the kids show (ship?) while he was over here in the UK?

This morning, Kermit and Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy popped in to chat to Chris Moyles on (go figure) The Chris Moyles Show. They were all on form, with Fozzie cracking great jokes, Piggy cracking great insults and Kermit cracking up. The whole thing can be listened to here, but you might wanna skip to about 2 hours in (ish) when the Muppets arrive.

Finally (phew!) do not forget to watch The Jonathon Ross show tomorrow night in ITV! We heard from an insider that they are just great on the (custom built!) sofa with talk show host Jonathon Ross.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

News Update: January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T15:35:00.000-06:00

NEWS UPDATE: January 26, 2012

Good news for all you talented musicians who also happen to be Muppet fans out there (and I know you're out there)! Sheet music from The Muppets is now available for purchase online! Now you too can play hits like "Man or Muppet," "Pictures in My Head," "Me Party," and "Life's a Happy Song" on your piano, guitar, or just sing them out loud and strong! The book only costs $17 (plus shipping) on the Hal Leonard Corporation webpage. What more could you need?

Sesame Street is preparing to release a new DVD called "Best of Sesame Friends," which will feature the best clips from the most famous characters on the Street: Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Telly Monster, Snuffy, The Count, Zoe, and Rosita. The best part? YOU get to help choose the clips! That's right, you can now vote for your favorite clips for each character via Facebook! Voting ends on February 1st, so get in there and vote now! The DVD is set to hit stores in Fall 2012.

As we reported on Tuesday, The Muppets received an Academy Award nomination for "Man or Muppet" for Best Original Song! Well, music and lyric writer Bret McKenzie talked with MTV News about the nomination and his, as he called it, "surprise nomination." He even hints slightly at how he would like to see the song performed at the Oscars ceremony. (With a man and a Muppet... go figure.)

The folks who make the extremely popular PlayStation3 game LittleBigPlanet sure do love the Muppets. Awhile back, they released a special edition Gonzo suit for characters to wear, with the promise of more Muppet stuff soon. Well... they weren't kidding. Now available on PlayStation Network are fourteen different Muppet costumes (Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Bunsen, Beaker, Statler, Waldorf, Animal, Floyd, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Rowlf), over 200 stickers, and five levels and two challenges inspired by The Muppet Show. It is truly an amazing amount of content made with love and care. Don't believe me? What if I told you that Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, and Dave Goelz went in to record a bunch of gibberish sounds for the characters? Amazing. You can buy LittleBigPlanet and download the Muppet content now! Not sold yet? Watch the fantastic video below and you will be!

Our good friend at ToughPigs.com have discovered another preview of Bloopers from The Muppets via Entertainment Tonight. The bloopers show off 80's Robot testing his driving skills, Muppet Gary (who sounds an awful lot like Johnny Fiama) visiting human Gary and Walter, and much more. Remember, this is just a small sampling of what we'll be seeing, blooper-wise, when The Muppets hits Blu-ray and DVD on March 20th!

Last week Miss Piggy appeared as a guest judge on Project Runway All Stars on Lifetime and the All Stars had to create a cocktail dress for our favorite porcine diva. I won't lie to you, I haven't had time to sit down and watch the whole thing yet, but I've heard that le Pig was phenomenal (as she usually is) and proved herself a very worthy judge. You can catch the entire video of Piggy's appearance on the show thanks to Lifetime's website!

We would also like to send our love to Kermit, Miss Piggy, and James Bobin who are currently in the United Kingdom for the British premiere of The Muppets! Kermit was tweeting and answering questions from fans on the Disney Movies UK Twitter feed. You can read all of Kermit's hilarious and well thought out tweets on the Disney Movies UK page. And to close our News Update, check out this picture Kermit tweeted from the red carpet! The corresponding tweet read: "On Red Carpet doing interviews. Lots of questions abt #MuppetMovie, my tux & whether Piggy & I are wed. Yipes!"

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Bean Bunny

2012-01-25T11:53:00.000-06:00

BEAN BUNNY

Performed by...
Steve Whitmire

First appearance...
The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986)

Most recent appearance...
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005)

Best known role...
Sickeningly cute rabbit

WHO IS BEAN BUNNY?
Bean Bunny is a tiny rabbit known for being adorable and cute and sweet, much to the disdain of the other Muppets. As Gonzo the Great once said of Bean, "He's so cute... he's evil!!" Bean first appeared as the star of the little-known 1986 television special The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. In the special, Bean learns that he does have something to contribute and he isn't useless just because he's small. In a take on the classic "Boy Who Cried Wolf" tale, Bean saves the bunnies in the warren from a dog.

After this, Bean's star rose high as he became a regularly featured member of the Muppets cast with a supporting role in the Muppet Central segments of The Jim Henson Hour (1989). Bean was seen in all but one episode of the show's 12 episode run. During the show, Bean appeared in segments and sketches such as "Space Guy," "Bean Bunny and the Cuteness Thief," and, my personal favorite, "Beanbo," took the satellite dish off the roof of the studio, sang "La Bamba" with the cast, made his own work out video, and scolds people for saying the "P" word (puppet).

Once the The Jim Henson Hour came to an end, Bean Bunny continued to appear in Muppet television specials. In The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990), Bean was paired with Scooter for the first time as the duo explored Epcot. It was here that Scooter sighed, "Cute is [Bean's] middle name." to which Bean responded, "Actually, it's Norman." in his usual plucky demeanor. In The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990), Bean is seen running the projector that plays Jim Henson's biography until he somehow gets tangled in film and ruins the film. It is also in this special that Clifford calls Bean a "yo-yo."

Perhaps Bean Bunny's biggest role came in 1991 with Muppet*Vision 3-D, the 3D show at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios. In the movie, Bean messes up Miss Piggy's big song by blowing bubbles, aggravating her with a butterfly and a bumblebee, and forcing her onto water-skis. Sam the Eagle then tells Bean that he is "ruining this movie" and so Bean joins up with Waldo C. Graphic, the spirit of 3D, and runs away. It takes Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, and Sweetums to find Bean and convince him to come back for the finale--with fireworks! In the end, Bean sets off the fireworks and the show is an explosive success.

Bean Bunny's most well known role came with The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), where he played a Dickensian poor boy, caroling for Mister Scrooge in hopes of a shilling or shelter from the cold. Instead he got a wreath to the head and was forced to seek warmth in a pile of garbage. It wasn't until the end of the movie that Bean's luck turned when Scooge asked him what day it was--which was apparently enough for Scooge to throw down a bag of gold and ask Bean to go buy a turkey twice his size.

In Muppet Treasure Island (1996) Bean appeared silently and very briefly in the Benbow Inn. Muppets Tonight (1996-1997) saw Bean appear three times, twice in the background and once trying to sell Johnny Fiama chocolate so Bean's school can buy books. Sal Minella will have none of this, however, so he drop kicks Bean out a window. In Muppets From Space (1999) Bean was crushed by a door when Miss Piggy made her grand entrance. Bean also appeared in the background of It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) and The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005), marking Bean's most recent on-screen appearance.

An animated version of Bean Bunny appeared on Muppet Babies in twelve episodes throughout the sixth and seventh seasons of the show (1989/1990). In 2009, Bean played the part of Michael Darling in the Muppet Peter Pan comic book. Merchandise of Bean has been entirely exclusive to Walt Disney World with plush dolls, plastic toys, and a Vinylmation figure being released throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED BEAN BUNNY?
Although Bean Bunny did not appear in The Muppets (2011), he is still a fan favorite, semi-popular character thanks to his continuing role in Muppet*Vision 3-D and the wide popularity of The Muppet Christmas Carol. The other Muppets have an odd relationship with Bean... most of them find him too cute for them, bringing down their image. However, Bean is how most people see the Muppets: cute to an almost annoying point. Think of the fun the Muppets could have trying to stoop Bean from ruining their image. Also... might I propose a Bean Bunny/Animal pairing? Think about this, friends.

But the Muppets need Bean because he's sickeningly cute. You pair Bean alongside Gonzo or Floyd or Pepe and you can easily show that the Muppets aren't just cute and sweet and nice. They're crazy and sarcastic and adult. It could really shape the Muppets in a different light for a lot of casual fans and viewers.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

"Man or Muppet" Nominated for an Academy Award!

2012-01-24T09:51:00.000-06:00

Early this morning, deep in the hills of Hollywood, nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced. Muppet fans everywhere awaited the news of any nominations at all for The Muppets. Well, we didn't have to wait long to find out that The Muppets was nominated for Best Original Song with the touching, powerful, hilarious, magnificent "Man or Muppet" written by Bret McKenzie and performed by Jason Segel, Walter (Peter Linz), Muppet Jason Segel (Bill Barretta), and Jim Parsons!!

This is huge news, not only because it was nominated, but because "Man or Muppet" has a 50% chance of winning the Oscar, thanks to there only being two songs nominated in the Best Original Song category this year. The other song nominated is "Real in Rio" from the animated film Rio. We may be living in the year when, for the first time, a Muppet movie takes home an Oscar.

I'm sure most of you are wondering why only one song from the film was nominated, well, I was too. It turns out, in 2008, after Disney's Enchanted was nominated for three songs and ended up not winning for any of them, the Academy Awards announced that a limit would be placed on the number of songs that can be nominated per movie, so that votes aren't split between them.

But whatever, because Bret McKenzie, "Man or Muppet," and The Muppets have all been recognized and honored with a nomination, and that's what matters. Life's a happy song for "Man or Muppet," and surely for Bret McKenzie, Jason Segel, James Bobin, Nick Stoller, Peter Linz, and everyone else on The Muppets team! Our huge, sincere congratulations to all of them. I also have to say that I told Bret McKenzie he would win an Oscar for "Life's a Happy Song"... but we'll just pretend I said "Man or Muppet," because, quite frankly, they both deserve an Oscar.

The 84th Annual Academy Awards air on ABC on Sunday, February 26. It hasn't been announced yet if the song will be performed live, but with only two nominees it seems silly not to. I would be shocked if Jason and Walter, at least, weren't there to perform, and I honestly expect a lot more! We'll see!

It's a great day to be a Muppet fan, a Muppet of a man, or a very manly Muppet!! Congratulations all around!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Book Review: Memoirs of a Muppets Writer by Joseph A. Bailey

2012-01-23T15:44:00.000-06:00

Memoir of a Muppets Writer

by Joseph A. Bailey

$14.95 on Amazon.com

Chase Beecher - Alright Muppet fans, go back and think about The Muppet Show. Remember your favorite sketch. The thing that made you laugh out loud the most. The thing that you find on YouTube at four in the morning when you can't sleep and you need something to make you feel better. The sketch you go watch when you need a Muppet pick-me-up. The sketch you watch when you remember just why you love the Muppets in the first place. Chances are, Joseph A. Bailey had something to do with that.

I had the pleasure of receiving Mr. Bailey's book, Memoirs of a Muppets Writer, for Christmas. I started reading that baby with glee. It talked of explosions, and big yellow birds, and bearded guys with frogs on their hands. But I will get to that. I learned a lot about writing. I learned a lot about working for the Muppets. I learned a lot about Milton Berle. (There is a whole chapter on Mr. Television!)

The book illustrates Mr. Bailey's life and career writing for the Muppets for 20 years. Mr. Bailey begins to take us on a journey from his days as a Mad Man in the 1960's, to working for The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, and learning when Jim Henson passed. Mr. Bailey didn't even want to become a writer. He came from a working class family and got involved in his college newspaper because of a girl. That got him interested in writing (of course). He took some odd jobs, that took him to writing commercials. He wrote commercials and became a Mad Man in advertising until he showed up for work one day and the door was locked. That is one way to be fired.

Mr. Bailey takes us on his journey through writing for commercials to writing for children's shows. He wrote for a show called Jabberwockey, which, turns out, you can follow to Sesame Steet. Winning an award for Jabberwockey gave Bailey the gusto to call up Sesame and get an interview. After writing audition pieces, he was in, and that is where he met the great Jon Stone. Bailey and Mr. Stone forged a great and long lasting friendship, as detailed in the book. I myself, only knew of Jon as "the Godfather" of Sesame Street and the voice of "SC" of the audiobook of "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" but he is much more than that. There is a great story about Bailey and Jon visiting the Puebla in New Mexico and visiting an elderly Native American woman's home that has to be read to be believed. Mr. Bailey also tells us what Jon did with his 18 Emmys from Sesame. He made a coffee table from them. (I don't think I could put my cup on that!)

We learn a lot about writing and producing Sesame Street. The book not only gives you juicy behind the scenes information, but makes you appreciate the sketches that you know and love, the performers that brought them to you, and the time and effort that go into making them.

The book is also a great love letter to London, England. Mr Bailey writes with great detail what it was like to live there during the heyday of The Muppet Show. I feel like I could give you a weather report after reading the chapter entitled "Surviving London!" We learn the typical workweek of the show and just how crazy it was behind the scenes. Mr. Bailey gives us great stories about what it was like working in tight spaces with the great Don Hinkley and mentions that he is always thinking about writing a play about their days writing together. (note: You should, Joe. You should NOW!) I can only picture the pair writing classic bits like Fozzie on roller skates, while watching the performers on the floor, all the while having Jerry Juhl run in with notes on last weeks script. What a perfect storm.

Mr. Bailey tells a great story about The Swedish Chef. Mr. Bailey wrote the sketch for the Chef about Mexican lobsters. (Remember that one?!) Classic. Well, Jim Henson didn't want to do this sketch. He kept throwing it out of scripts! Jerry Juhl liked it and kept fighting for it until they filmed it and the rest is history. This is just an example of the "inside skinny" you will find in Mr. Bailey's book.

Some of the great "skinny" in this read is on the actual performers themselves. Mr. Bailey has great stories about riding around London in an old clunker belonging to Richard Hunt. Joe, Richard, and Jerry Nelson would hit the London nightlife after a long week of production on The Muppet Show. Mr. Bailey has a few great stories about the three of them going into pubs and hotel bars and really living high on the hog. (That's a pun!) Richard, in an act of merriment, even saved a young marriage!

So, I mentioned Milton Berle. Berle was very serious about comedy. He was Mr. Television, after all. Mr. Bailey devotes a whole chapter to him. He tells us how much Berle taught him, and everyone at the Muppets, about comedy. He walks us through the "why" things are funny. There is a great story about Dave Goelz dressed as a monster trying to hit Uncle Milton with a powderpuff when he yells "Makeup!" Dave could never seem to hit him in the "funny" spot, so there were several takes. Milton Berle was serious about comedy.

Mr. Bailey has great stories about the guest stars. Zero Mostel put Jerry Juhl in a headlock over a joke. Peter Sellers really did claim to have his personality surgically removed. Julie Andrews had that cow slaughtered right after her episode of The Muppet Show. (Okay, that last one might not be true.) (Note from Ryan: It's not true.)

Another thing Mr. Bailey was heavily involved in was Muppet specials. He wrote, with Jon Stone, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, one of my favorites, so I read this chapter with glee, learning a lot. He also wrote John Denver and The Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday and went on location to Aspen, Colorado with Jim and company to film it. A lot of people ask Mr. Bailey, "How hard can it be to write and film puppets? It's just a hand with a sock on it." He lovingly and exasperatingly explains in the chapter "Aspen, Colorado" how it is more than a sock. It was near impossible to film in Aspen when an early winter came. You will never watch this special the same way when you learn how some of it was filmed in an airplane hangar.

Big Bird was invited to Carnegie Hall to emcee a fundraiser with Bob Hope and his wife starring. Big stars were on the billing. Caroll Spinney agreed to do it under one condition: he had to have his own writer. Joseph A. Bailey was the guy. Mr. Bailey went to production meetings for the live event and had to tell producers and other writers what Big Bird could and couldn't do. Like, that Carol couldn't see through Big Bird's costume. They found that out on their own, though, when Bird almost fell into the orchestra pit! I found this part of Mr. Bailey's book to be a great cross-reference with Mr. Spinney's own autobiography, The Wisdom of Big Bird (and The Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch).

This book is a great resource to have, and it is an absolute must have for Muppet fans. You will learn how the show came to be, but even more fascinating what didn't. Mr. Bailey even touches upon his writing "Sesame Street Live!" You will learn about his days on both The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. It is a must have for writers. You will learn what it takes to write. (Mr. Bailey gives the best advice he has learned: re-write the Lord's prayer. It works!) Mr. Bailey teaches comedy, even when he's not trying to. He includes a glossary at the back of the book entitled "Everything I learned about writing in 50 years... the hard way." I think every writer needs it on their desk.

The bottom line is, Mr. Bailey's book is hilarious, insightful, juicy, heartwarming, and brought tears to my eye. Mr. Bailey stated more than once that writing Memoirs of a Muppets Writer was the most difficult thing in the world to write. I don't think I am alone in saying I am glad you did, Mr. Bailey. Viva Rameau!

Be sure to check out The Muppet Mindset's interview with Joe Bailey for even more information and great words from a great man!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

How To... Make Friends With a Rat

2012-01-22T12:19:00.001-06:00

Maxwell Jessop - Just as it did way back in 2010, this series will provide Muppet fans with the tools to reach a goal. Today, that goal is to make friends with the little vermin living in your basement or cellar. If Gonzo could do it, why not you? Well, here are the nine simple steps to do it!

The Muppet Mindset Doubtfully Presents…

HOW TO…

Make Friends With a Rat

Find a rat, whether in a basement, dark alley, at Pete's Luncheonette, or in a testing lab at C.O.V.N.E.T. Any rat will do.
Make sure you have food, rats love food. This will definitely win you over with a rat. Who knows, he might make you an honorary rat!
Once you've gotten on the rat's good side, get to know your rat. Was he named after a character from Midnight Cowboy? Does he have a crush on Brooke Shields?
In contrast to #3, tell him about yourself. You'll really hit it off if you're blue and a have an oddly-shaped nose.
Now for the really fun part, start hanging out with the rat. Once you do this, you're guaranteed a solid friendship.
Recite Charles Dickens. A little odd, but this will show of your zaniness and dedication to rampant narration.
Go on a cruise. More specifically, a cruise on a pirate ship. It'll be a little dangerous, odd, and risky for both your life and your wallet, but it'll be worth it.
By now, you two will be the best of friends. But to test the friendship, become roommates. If he's a true roommate and friend, he won't be bothered by your insane dreams about a goat and a dwarf and a jar of peanut butter.
Optional step: Buy your rat a hat, jacket, and white t-shirt to keep him both warm and clothed. It also gives him something to wipe his hands on after he eats.
If he's still your friend after all those misadventures and danger. You are lucky... and you've accomplished your goal! But remember cherish your friend even if he does have an uncanny craving for cheese (or pizza or cookies or bologna or cereal or crab cakes or chicken or apples or anything else for that matter).

DISCLAIMER: The Muppet Mindset is not responsible for any harm caused to you, your family, your friends, your pets, your teacher, your cousin Billy, or your crazy old cat lady neighbor by a rat that you tried to become friends with. We also do not guarantee, or even believe, honestly, that this article will in any way guarantee you a rat with friendship capabilities like that of Rizzo the Rat (TM). Rizzo is a fictional character and in no way represents real life rats and is legally not a real rat in this or any article written on or near The Muppet Mindset. Additionally, taking a rat on a pirate ship would further distance the chances of a friendship, and may also aid in spreading the Black Plague, which notoriously wiped out most of Europe and my great-great-great uncle Lou in the 1300s. Furthermore, The Muppet Mindset is not at all responsible for any contraction of rat bites, rabies, aforementioned Plague, obesity, death, hairy knuckles, leaky oil tank, faulty wiring, or any other illness, dysfunction, or minor mishap caused by your "friendship" with a rat or rat-like species. In conclusion, please don't sue us. The closest thing we have to a lawyer is Ryan's Cat when we put glasses on it to make him look funny. So... yeah. Just don't do what this article says. Honestly, you probably shouldn't even read it.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Interview with Muppeteer Peter Linz and Walter

2012-01-20T12:26:00.001-06:00

Ryan Dosier - Today I am so pleased, and honored, and proud to present The Muppet Mindset's third-ever audio interview, and perhaps our best interview ever. I had the extreme good fortune of talking with my friend Muppeteer Peter Linz, performer of Walter in The Muppets, Tutter in Bear in the Big Blue House, and a slew of others. Peter was both gracious, kind, and hysterical, and I think you can tell that we were both having a lot of fun in the interview. What's more, Walter actually happened to be around when Peter and I were talking and took time out of his big, movie star schedule to talk with me! Walter and I had met before, so it was wonderful to continue our repartee. But... enough out of me, I'll let Peter and Walter speak for themselves. The first video features only Peter, talking about the audition process for Walter, Muppets From Space, Bear in the Big Blue House, and a lot more. The second video features me and Walter just geeking out. Enjoy it... I know I certainly did.

All of my thanks, both professionally and personally, go out to Peter Linz for his kind heart, his witty mind, and his friendship. I know you're probably reading, Peter, so thank you! (PS - Still no PS.)

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

THE MUPPETS Blu-ray and DVD Details

2012-01-19T09:53:00.007-06:00

Be forewarned... there are a few minor Easter Egg and Bonus Feature spoilers, so if you'd rather avoid that and be totally surprised come March 20th, be wary!

The Muppets still hasn't entirely left theaters in the United States (and it still isn't even in theaters in the UK), but full details for the Blu-ray and DVD release, hitting stores on March 20th, 2012, of the 2011 film have already been released by Disney! Below is the complete listing of Blu-ray Bonus Features, straight from the official press release, including run-time on most and details on some.

The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History – We Think) - A laugh out loud look at the actors' funny gaffs and gags from behind the scenes of making Disney's The Muppets.
Disney Intermission: Groundbreaking Blu-ray Feature! - Pausing a movie will never be this much fun, as the Muppets take over the screen every time you stop the disc!
15:14 – Scratching The Surface: A Hasty Examination of the Making of The Muppets- Hosted by unit production manager monster J.G., the cast and crew take a behind the scenes look at making Muppet and movie history.
2:29 – Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song - Rapping his way through the story of his miserable life, Tex tells audiences why he turned out to be such a rotten guy.
3:08 – A Little Screen Test on the Way to the Read Through - This hilarious footage follows the Muppet gang as they go to their first table reading of the script.
9:45 – Eight Deleted Scenes
Spoof Trailers (Including unreleased spoofs!)
Audio Commentary with Jason Segel, James Bobin, and Nicholas Stoller

EASTER EGGS

1:13 Miss Poogy: The Oinkerview
1:20 Extended "Forget You" video (Easter egg)
0:57 Extended "Punch Teacher" video (Easter egg)
2:10 J.G. & Muppet James Bobin on the set (Easter egg)
0:42 J.G. Talks About Permits (Easter egg)

DIGITAL VERSION EXCLUSIVE

Inside Walter's Trailer – Take a peek inside Walter's star trailer as he prepares to play his big role.

DVD BONUS FEATURE

The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History – We Think)

These Bonus Features look absolutely spectacular! This is officially the most fully-loaded Muppet release ever. I'm most excited for the deleted scenes, the blooper reel, and the15 minute making-of featurette. But really, everything on here sounds fantastic. Plus, how great will it be to have all the spoof trailers in one convenient location?

For you techies, here are the technical specs for the Blu-ray release...

Presentation: Widescreen
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Sound: English 7.1 DTS-HD MA
Packaging: Amaray with O-Sleeve
Primary Language: English
Subtitled: English SDH, French, Spanish
Dubbed: Spanish, French
Closed Captions: Yes
Running Time: 103 minutes
For Region A use (Americas, East and Southeast Asia, U.S. territories, Bermuda) only

And the DVD release...

Presentation: Widescreen
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Sound: English 5.1 Dolby
Packaging: Amaray
Primary Language: English
Subtitled: English SDH, French, Spanish
Dubbed: Spanish, French
Closed Captions: Yes
Running Time: 103 minutes
For Region 1 use (US and Canada) only

And finally the various versions of the release, with links to pre-orders (on both DisneyStore.com and Amazon.com)...

THE MUPPETS: 4-Disc The "Wocka Wocka" Value Pack

includes Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy, and Soundtrack Download Card

THE MUPPETS: 2-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

includes Blu-ray and DVD

DisneyStore.com Pre-Order Offer:

includes FOUR exclusive Muppet lithographs and $20 off your next DisneyStore.com order

THE MUPPETS: Single-Disc DVD and Soundtrack

includes DVD and Soundtrack Download Card

THE MUPPETS: Single-Disc DVD

includes DVD

I don't know about you... but I absolutely cannot wait until March 20th!! (I also can't figure out which of the darn versions of this movie to get... but that's another story.)

Special thanks to ToughPigs.com and StitchKingdom.com for various things.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Red Fraggle

2012-01-18T12:09:00.002-06:00

RED FRAGGLE

Performed by...
Karen Prell

First appearance...
Fraggle Rock Episode 101: "Beginnings" (1983)

Most recent appearance...
A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
Free Comic Book Day at Meltdown Comics (live appearance) (2010)

Best known role...
Stubborn, tenacious, competitive female Fraggle; sports champion (specifically diving and rock hockey); Mokey Fraggle's roommate; Gobo Fraggle's rival

Best friend(s)...
Mokey Fraggle, Cotterpin Doozer, Gobo Fraggle

WHO IS RED FRAGGLE?
Red Fraggle is arguably the most popular character to come out of Fraggle Rock. She is athletic, energetic, and fun-loving. Nothing would please Red more than a swim in Fraggle Pond or singing a bouncy song or even playing a game with Gobo (as long as she wins). Red's relationships with every Fraggle are almost always competitive--but, since she's a Fraggle, you know she always remains friendly. (Fiercely friendly, even.)

Red and Gobo share what is perhaps the most interesting dynamic on the show. The two are always competing against each other, much to the danger and annoyance of their friends. The Season One episode, "The Challenge," in which Gobo, Red, and Boober get trapped in the Gorgs' Garden because of Red and Gobo's rivalry is the perfect example of their relationship. After spending the entire episode arguing about who should be the "boss" of the group, Red and Gobo say, "Good thinking, boss!" to each other in unison come the end and their safe arrival home. However, no amount of admiration for Gobo can make Red interested in hearing his Uncle Traveling Matt's postcards. She rolls her eyes and groans nearly every time they're brought up.

Mokey is Red's roommate, the two moved in together in Season Two in the episode "A Cave of One's Own," and her best friend. The two have a sort of Bert-and-Ernie repartee, especially when it comes to Mokey's creepy looking plant pet, Lanford. But even Red and Lanford solve their differences in the Season Three episode, "The Beanbarrow, the Burden and the Bright Bouquet," when they were lost and in danger together. Mokey and Red shared many meaningful moments, the most important of which being the entirety of Season One's "I Want to Be You," when Red decided she would rather be Mokey than be herself. Red's acting as Mokey not only solidified her character, but hit a chord showing how much respect the two friends have for each other both when Red wanted to be Mokey and Mokey told Red to just be herself.

Red and Boober's most prolific moment occurred in Season One as well, in "Marooned." The two friends were trapped in a rock slide, relying on each other and their dwindling supply of oxygen to stay alive (yes, this happened in a children's show). They discuss mortality, their friendship, their other relationships, and their lives. It all culminates with the beautiful "Friendship Song," one of the most moving songs from the entirety of the show. Red would continue to pester Boober at times after this moment, but knowing they had this bond makes it more playful than mean.

Wembley and Red shared more than a few moments together--mostly with Red being annoyed at Wembley's inability to make up his mind about anything. Red also enjoys enlisting Wembley for odd jobs and random tasks, such as helping (or watching) her practice racket balancing, as seen in Wembley's song "Help Me For a Change." However, just like with all of her other friends, Red remains loyal to Wembley when times are tough. She helped rescue him from the Gorgs' Garden in "Wembley and the Gorgs" and journeys to "The Terrible Tunnel" with Wembley and Gobo as well.

Throughout the course of Fraggle Rock, Red also shared moments with Cotterpin Doozer ("All Work and All Play"), Large Marvin (her fiercest competitor in swimming contests), Cantus the Minstrel ("The Minstrels"), and Uncle Traveling Matt ("Red's Blue Dragon"). Her competitive side got the best of her in "Playing Till It Hurts," when Red, trying to impress her idol, Rock Hockey Hannah, injures herself. In "Red's Blue Dragon," Red falls into another world inhabited by a ferocious blue dragon guarding a golden apple tree. When she tries to convince her friends and Gobo's Uncle Matt of what she saw, none of them believe her. Finally, in "Red's Sea Monster," Red encounters the Last of the Lily Creatures, a huge beast that wants nothing more than to be left alone.

Recently, Red Fraggle has been making live appearances everywhere from Comic-Con to Free Comic Book Day to the Fraggle Rock Holiday Toy Drive Benefit. Red has also been appearing in bumpers on The Hub network, which airs Fraggle Rock. At most of her live appearances, Red has enjoyed leading sing-alongs with the crowd, including the Fraggle Rock Theme, the "Beetle Song," "The Friendship Song," and more. Hopefully Red will continue to make more live appearances in the years to come.

RED FRAGGLE SONGS
Like any Fraggle, Red loves to sing and dance. Here are a few of her most well-known songs.

"The Rules Song (I'm the Leader Now)" with Cotterpin Doozer ("Red's Club")
"Chase the Wind" ("Playing Till It Hurts")
"One and One (I'm the One that Won!)" with Gobo, Mokey, Boober, and Wembley ("Red's Club")
"There's a Lot I Want to Know" ("Inspector Red")
"Dreaming of Someone" ("I Want to Be You")
"Do It On My Own" ("Let the Water Run")
"Muck and Goo" with Traveling Matt, Gobo, Junior Gorg, and Pa Gorg ("The Garden Plot")
"Friendship Song" with Boober ("Marooned")
"Beetle Song" with Mokey ("I Want to Be You")

RED FRAGGLE AND KAREN PRELL
Red Fraggle was the first (and still only) major character performed by Karen Prell. Karen didn't always want to be Red, however. When she auditioned, Karen tried out for the part of Mokey. She was disappointed when she was asked to perform Red instead. It wasn't until the Season One episode, "I Want to Be You," where Red impersonates Mokey, that Karen realized what fun being Red could be. And thank goodness she did, because Karen brought a life and energy to Red Fraggle that no one else could have. Karen is currently the only member of the original Fraggle Rock team to perform her character in the 2000s, doing numerous live appearances with Red.

WHY DOES FRAGGLE ROCK NEED RED FRAGGLE?
Red brings an energy and exuberance to Fraggle Rock that no other Fraggle can muster. Yes, all Fraggles love to sing and dance and play, but none more than Red. Her entire life is consumed by playing games, singing songs, and being silly--as long as you don't make her look silly. She is beloved by both girls and boys thanks to her fun nature. The episodes of Fraggle Rock that focus on Red always have the most profound lessons: being yourself is what people like about you, excluding people isn't always fun, winning isn't everything.

Red is also the sole Fraggle carrying on the legacy of Fraggle Rock in new appearances recently. Yes, this is probably because Jerry Nelson (Gobo) is retired and Steve Whitmire (Wembley) and Dave Goelz (Boober, Traveling Matt) are incredibly busy, but it's also because Red is the most popular and well-remembered Fraggle around. Her recent live appearances have been magical and wonderful, showing that the beauty of Fraggle Rock still lives on when tapped into.

Fraggle Rock needs Red for her youth and energy and fun and competitiveness. They need her because Red truly embodies the saying, "Dance your cares away, worries for another day."

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

THE MUPPETS - A British Perspective

2012-01-17T12:30:00.000-06:00

Today's article is written from another British perspective... that of my personal and longtime friend who goes by Beauregard around the Muppet fan community. He's pretty much the polar opposite of The British Correspondent, and he was lucky enough to see The Muppets this past weekend. We are just as lucky, however, because we've got his review! Enjoy.

I was lucky enough to catch a screening of The Muppets in London with a group of Muppet fans who were brilliant enough to write their own ending and get hold of tickets. We then spent the next five hours wandering around London discussing the movie in minute detail. I have not stopped smiling since. Thank you so much for one of the best days of my life. - Beau

"Your fans never left you, the world hasn't forgotten!"

That first part is certainly more than true. I can testify to that. Having been involved deep within the Muppet fanworld during even the quietest times of the Muppet existence, I know that there was never a time when fans of the Muppets were not eagerly excited, awaiting new projects or examining old productions with a fine-tooth comb (or should that be: brushing up on old productions with a fine tooth-comb, ba-doom-ch!). However, I cannot be as confident about the second part of this quote. Yes, you often see someone wearing a vintage Muppet t-shirt walking down the street, and although the word "Muppet" strikes a memory chord somewhere inside everyone you meet, that chord has been long buried under a ton of other priorities, fandoms, and general forgetting of the bunch of characters that made you laugh as a kid (or as a grownup). Certainly everyone that I know brings out The Muppet Christmas Carol once a year... but I am not as sure as Walter is when he states "The world hasn't forgotten," in the new Muppet movie.

Which is exactly why this movie starts in the place where it does. Without the Muppets. This is as much a movie about loving, hard-working, interesting human characters living their dreams as it is about the Muppets getting back together to put on a show. Which is why non-fans will be able to connect with it without necessarily appreciating all the other levels available to latch onto in this movie. I went in expecting to be irritated with Gary, Mary, and Walter for using up the first few scenes of the film, thinking that I wanted the Muppets to have every possible second of screen time. But within just a few short scenes I was laughing, awwwing and totally in love with these three characters. In fact, I thought to myself, "You know, this would make a great sitcom... A guy, his Muppet housemate and his girlfriend heading to the Big City, someone should get on that!" And that was the thing that I was least expecting for this movie, that the universe and scope of this movie was as much created for Gary, Mary, and Walter as it was for the Muppets themselves. (What I am trying to put across is that humans were not shoehorned into this movie, ala Ashanti or the Studio DC Disney Stars, but rather that the movie was ABOUT these humans and their interactions within the Muppet world... which is our world.)

Now that is not to say for a second that this is not a Muppet movie. It is, in every sense of the phrase. It is a Muppet movie about Muppets, starring Muppets, connected to Muppets, written by Muppet fans, and involving Muppet fans. So completely filled with the Muppets is this movie that if you were to take away the Muppets, you'd have no movie. Similarly, if you were to take away Gary, Mary, and Walter, you'd also have no movie. Such is the symbiotic relationship between those two story lines.

I must also stress that this is also a Muppet movie. And that is the part that gets me the most excited when trying to put across what this movie is. It is not a TV special or a straight-to-DVD release, it is a MOVIE, and it moves, lives, and breathes in the way that a movie should with space to explore the world of the Muppets more deeply than they have in many years (I would say since The Muppets Take Manhattan). Recent productions have been more of a snap-shot of the Muppets solving one simple issue (save the theater, return to the swamp, get letters to Santa) while this movie introduces a richer tapestry of storylines that will keep fans discussing and debating for years to come. These storylines include (but are not limited to) Walter's trip to LA to meet his idols, Gary and Mary's relationship being constantly interrupted by his brother Walter, Kermit's fall from fame and how he comes to deal with this, Kermit and Miss Piggy's relationship as it enters new territories, an oil magnate trying to destroy the theater, putting on a show with only a few days to rehearse, finding a celebrity star, Animal's anger management and The Moopets Revenge. (Great sequel title, by the way... listen up Disney!) All these storylines intersect and develop one another. As one story line finishes, another begins, until after an hour and a half of the movie we have spent a good long time in the world of the Muppets, surrounded by them, drenched in them, breathing their air. I know that some have criticized the movie for having too many less-developed plot lines rather than one, but for me this is a return to classic movie making where a movie doesn't explain every last detail but instead gives you a richer breadth of material to take away from.

I would love to chat in depth about all the things that I loved within the movie, but I know I would risk giving away too much, so instead I will wrap this review up with my overall feeling and then expound on a few things with one-word answers.

I am prepared to take my credibility on the line and give this movie a 5 out of 5 rating, not because it is a perfect movie in every sense of the word, but because it fulfills everything that it promised. We were essentially promised something for non-fans (1 star for Gary and Mary and Walter's development), something for fans (1 star for more Muppet references than you could ever collect in one place), comedy (1 star for amazing double-takes, one-liners, sight-gags, and falling over), drama (1 star for the villains, The Moopets, for making us cry at Fozzie's plight, and at making us fall in love with Miss Piggy and Kermit all over again) and music (1 star for life being a happy song, the pictures that will remain in my head, and the me that will be partying to these tunes for months to come). Five stars, out of five.

Some more quick thoughts:

Walter = Winning (He won me over and it took all my strength not to buy the plush immediately after)
Gary and Mary = Necessary (See comments above)
Kermit = Depth (I appreciate him on a whole new level now)
Miss Piggy = Composure (Such grownup writing for her, unbelievably good!)
Muppet Show within a show = Unbelievable (My jaw was in my lap for the ENTIRE second half of this movie, I kept thinking, "Is this real? Are they really showing us a rehearsal of The Muppet theme tune, in a cinema, in the UK, in 2012??")
Cameos = Sufficient (They did not steal the spotlight, but were more than fine in their own way)
Jack Black = Brilliant (Will say no more for the sake of spoilers)
Fozzie = Central (His voice was the only one that I struggled with, actually, I'll admit it, but it was pure delight to see him as a central character again!)
Miss Poogy = Mean (Yet hilarious)
Tex Richman = Evil (Yes, evil)
Uncle Deadly = Breakout (I am certain he'll be a breakout star after this)
Scooter, Rowlf, The Electric Mayhem, and Camilla = Back!!! (Yes, they are all back baaaaaaaby! LOVE!)
Music = Grin-worthy (I cannot stop humming the tunes and they make me smile. A LOT!)
Overall = Surprising (Yes, the movie surprised me on so many levels that even now I'm struggling to describe it in any better way.)

He struggled so much, in fact, that was the end of the review. My sincere thanks to our friend Beauregard for his write-up! I'm so thrilled that the film is finally finding its way into UK cinemas for you all to enjoy and devour!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Muppetology 101: Recasting of Muppet Show Characters Pt. 1

2012-01-16T11:37:00.001-06:00

Ryan Dosier - Good afternoon class, and welcome to the first lecture for Muppetology 101. If you're looking for Applications of Reinforced Concrete, it's down the hall. I know it's the start of a new semester, but we're going to jump right into things today with a lecture on a topic some of you may not be fully familiarized with: the recasts of Muppet characters performed by deceased or retired Muppeteers on The Muppet Show. Recently, numerous characters have been taken over by some talented individuals, so we'll discuss these recasts and show clips comparing the voices and performances. Take notes. There will be a quiz. (Probably. There will at least be some soda.)

Today's lecture spotlights the characters performed by Muppet creator Jim Henson. If you don't know who that is or what he did... you probably shouldn't be in this class.

KERMIT THE FROG

Originally performed by JIM HENSON (1955-1990)
Currently performed by STEVE WHITMIRE (1990-present)

The first and most important recast to be made in the Muppet universe came with the untimely passing of Jim Henson, when Steve Whitmire took over the role of the world's most famous amphibian: Kermit the Frog. The transition was not an easy one for Steve, but after over 20 years, Kermit has not only been respectfully similar under (or over) Steve, but he has developed and grown as a character as well. It certainly helps that Kermit is by far the most popular and recognizable character in the Muppet stable, meaning that Steve had numerous appearances and opportunities to become the frog and hone him.

Jim Henson built and perfected Kermit the Frog for Sam and Friends in 1955 and performed him for 35 years. Jim's final performance as Kermit was during an interview on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1990.

Steve Whitmire has performed Kermit the Frog since The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson in 1990 and has performed him almost exclusively (besides a few minor hiccups which we will discuss another time) since then, including The Muppets film in 2011.

ROWLF THE DOG

Originally performed by JIM HENSON (1962-1990)
Currently performed by BILL BARRETTA (1996-present)

One of the more difficult Muppets to recast after Jim Henson's death was Rowlf the Dog. Rowlf was very much a part of Jim Henson. His musical sense was displayed through Rowlf and his zen-like quality was possessed by Rowlf as well. It was so hard for Rowlf to find another performer that it took six years for Rowlf to find a voice again when Bill Barretta took on the dog. Bill didn't have a chance to hone his characterization of Rowlf until much later, when he performed Rowlf for a full segment on From the Balcony and a YouTube video called "The Skateboarding Dog Gets Served."

Jim Henson first performed Rowlf for Purina Dog Chow commercials in the 1960s. His last performance as Rowlf was in the 1990 TV special The Muppets at Walt Disney World where Rowlf performed "I'm Doggin' It" in the Walt Disney World pet care center.

Bill Barretta first performed Rowlf in Episode 102 of Muppets Tonight in 1996 during Garth Brooks "We Shall Be Free" number. He continues to perform Rowlf currently, giving him his largest role in years in The Muppets in 2011.

DR. TEETH

Originally performed by JIM HENSON (1975-1990)
Currently performed by BILL BARRETTA (2005-present)

Dr. Teeth, the band leader and keyboardist for the Electric Mayhem, proved another challenge to recast permanently, which helps to explain the silent and background roles of the Electric Mayhem in the 1990s and early 2000s. Why it took so long to recast the good doctor, I do not know, because once Bill Barretta took on the role in 2005, his gravelly and excited tones returned in full. By 2006, Dr. Teeth was singing full tracks on A Green and Red Christmas album.

Jim Henson's first performance as Dr. Teeth was also the character's first appearance in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence in 1975. He performed him exclusively up until The Muppets at Walt Disney World in 1990, when the good doctor led the Electric Mayhem in the song "Rock and Rollin' Around the World."
Bill Barretta's first performance as Dr. Teeth was in 2005 with the TV movie The Muppets' Wizard of Oz for the song "Naptime." He continues to perform him now, giving the band leader a few prominent lines in The Muppets in 2011.

THE SWEDISH CHEF

Originally performed by JIM HENSON (1975-1990)
Currently performed by BILL BARRETTA (1996-present)

The Swedish Chef didn't find a new permanent performer until Muppet Treasure Island when Bill Barretta joined the Muppet team. He was performed for the first time after Jim Henson's death by David Rudman in The Muppet Christmas Carol, but David just couldn't capture the Chef's voice. Thankfully, Bill Barretta brings a near-perfect performance to the unintelligible Chef, and has ever since 1996, with hits such as the viral YouTube videos "Popcorn," "Habanera," and "Ringing of the Bells."

Jim Henson first performed The Swedish Chef in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence in 1975. His final performance as The Swedish Chef was in 1990 when the Chef sold Bunsen and Beaker tacos in The Muppets at Walt Disney World.
Bill Barretta first performed The Swedish Chef in Muppet Treasure Island in 1996 where he dressed as a tribal pig and skewered vegetables. Bill has performed the Chef ever since, including his role in The Muppets in 2011.

WALDORF

Originally performed by JIM HENSON (1975-1990)
Currently performed by DAVE GOELZ (1992-present)

One of the easier recasts to make was for Waldorf, half of the team of Statler and Waldorf, the two Muppet Show hecklers. Perhaps it was because these two grumpy old men are so popular, or perhaps it's because they had such a large role in The Muppet Christmas Carol, but Waldorf went to Dave Goelz less than two years after Jim Henson's death. Dave has continued to perform Waldorf, alongside both Jerry Nelson and Steve Whitmire's Statler, ever since.

Jim Henson first performed Waldorf in 1975 in the TV pilot The Muppet Show: Sex and Viloence. His final performance was with Richard Hunt as Statler in The Muppets at Walt Disney World in 1990 when Statler and Waldorf sang "Who's Your Lady Friend?".
Dave Goelz first performed Waldorf in 1992 in The Muppet Christmas Carol. Dave has performed Waldorf ever since, for 20 years now, in countless appearances and projects, including The Muppets in 2011.

LINK HOGTHROB

Originally performed by JIM HENSON (1977-1990)
Currently performed by STEVE WHITMIRE (2003-2011)

Best known as the captain of the S.S. Swinetrek in the "Pigs in Space" sketches on The Muppet Show, Link Hogthrob's deep, goofy, voice proved hard to duplicate (or perhaps unnecessary), and Link remained silent throughout the 1990s. In 2003, Steve Whitmire performed Link's voice in a video game. It wasn't until The Muppets in 2011 that Link Hogthrob both spoke and performed for the first time in over 20 years. Link performed as part of the Muppet Barbershop Quartet, giving him not only his biggest role in two decades, but his biggest role in any Muppet feature film.

Jim Henson first performed Link Hogthrob in The Muppet Show Episode 203 in the first ever "Pigs in Space" sketch. His final performance with the pompous pig was once again in 1990 in The Muppets at Walt Disney World, where Link "helps" Charles Grodin's security guard character find the Muppets.
Steve Whitmire first performed Link Hogthrob's voice in 2003 for the Muppet Party Cruise video game. The most recent, and only second time, Steve performed Link was in 2011 in The Muppets.

THE NEWSMAN

Originally performed by JIM HENSON (1976-1989)
Currently performed by STEVE WHITMIRE (2008-present)

One of Jim Henson's goofier characters was the Newsman who hosted the Muppet Newsflash segments on The Muppet Show. Perhaps it was because no one else wanted to be blown up, crushed, and turned into things, but the Newsman did not return until 2001, when Brian Henson performed him for The Muppet Show LIVE at the MuppetFest fan convention. That would prove to be the Newsman's only appearance, however, until 2008 when Steve Whitmire performed him in a few hilarious sketches on Muppets.com. The Newsman has not appeared too often since then, but Steve Whitmire has performed him in every instance since when he has appeared.

Jim Henson first performed the Newsman in the first season of The Muppet Show in 1976. His final performance was in The Jim Henson Hour Episode 105, when The Newsman provided translations for the unhip while Bobby McFerrin read the musical news.
Steve Whitmire first performed the Newsman in 2008 in a Muppets.com video. He continues to perform the Newsman whenever he appears, including a few brief lines in The Muppets in 2011.

Well class, that's it for lecture this week. Join us next week when we discuss Frank Oz and the recasts of his characters from The Muppet Show (hint: they're all performed by Eric Jacobson). Remember... attendance counts for half your grade! So we had better see you there. Class dismissed!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

(Kind of) Weekly Muppet Quotes Spotlight: Fozzie Bear

2012-01-15T13:26:00.001-06:00

Ryan Dosier - I know what you're thinking... Casey Daron usually writes the (Kind of) Weekly Muppet Quotes pieces! Well, you would be right. But Casey is busy, and we needed a fun article for today... so here we are spotlighting that furry, fuzzy, funny-man... fabulous, free-wheeling, fast and frantic, Fozzie Bear!

"My problem was my need to tell jokes."
"Yeah! That was our problem too!"
~ Fozzie Bear and Floyd Pepper, The Muppet Show Episode 311

"No, he's not gonna sell your plunger."
~ Fozzie Bear to Gonzo, The Muppet Movie

"If you put enough sugar in this stuff it tastes just like ginger ale!"
~ Fozzie Bear, The Great Muppet Caper

"Oh Fozzie, what are you carrying the fish for?"
"Oh, just for the halibut!"
~ Rowlf the Dog and Fozzie Bear, The Muppet Show Episode 301

"We should travel by map!"
~ Fozzie Bear, The Muppets

"Sailing for adventure on the big blue wet thing!"
~ Fozzie Bear as Squire Trelawney, Muppet Treasure Island

"There was this sailor, who was so fat--"
"How fat was he?!"
"He was so fat that everybody liked him, and there was nothing funny about him at all..."
~ Fozzie Bear and a Drunken Sailor, The Muppet Movie

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

THE MUPPETS Wins at Critics Choice Movie Awards

2012-01-13T11:12:00.000-06:00

Last night The Critics Choice Movie Awards were held and broadcast live on VH1. These awards help kick off the awards season, leading into the Golden Globes this weekend, the Academy Awards next month, and numerous other awards in between. The Critics Choice marked the first awards that The Muppets was nominated for, being nominated for Best Comedy and "Life's a Happy Song," "Man or Muppet," and "Pictures in My Head" being nominated for Best Song.

The Muppets unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) lost in the Best Comedy category to Bridesmaids. But for the movie to be nominated alongside huge comedic successes such as Crazy, Stupid, Love, Bridesmaids, and others is a major honor for the film.

The Muppets did, however, take home the statue for Best Song for "Life's a Happy Song"!! This category was not broadcast on VH1, but the LA Times later confirmed the victory for them. This win only yields positive things for the movie and the song, giving it a much better chance of both being nominated and winning subsequent awards, including the coveted Oscar. Our sincere congratulations go out to Bret McKenzie, James Bobin, Jason Segel, and everyone on The Muppets team for their first big win of the awards season!

There was also a treat for Muppet fans watching the Awards last night, when Statler and Waldorf made a brief appearance via satellite, heckling movie stars and blockbuster pictures from the comfort of their home (or a home) in their bed robes. Thanks to our friends at ToughPigs, who found the video, you can now watch the two old geezers in their appearance below!

Get More: 17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Congratulations again to The Muppets for the big win for "Life's a Happy Song"! Unfortunately, the movie received no Golden Globe nominations, so our next big awards season event will come with the announcement of Oscar nominations on January 24th, with the Oscars ceremony on February 26th. It seems that The Muppets is a shoe-in for "Best Original Song" nominations there, and perhaps more... and more than likely we'll see some Muppets make appearances at the ceremony. But until then...

Life's a filet of fish... yes it is!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

News Update: January 12, 2012

2012-01-12T11:32:00.000-06:00

NEWS UPDATE: January 12, 2012

Last week, Elmo and Cookie Monster appeared on Good Morning America to show off their baking chops with co-anchor of the show, George Snuffleupagus (probably not his real name). Check out the video below to see everyone's favorite monsters and certainly someone's favorite George make red velvet cupcakes!

video platform video management video solutions video player

The Build-A-Bear Workshop stores, which I'm sure you've seen in a mall at least once and rolled your eyes, are going to be selling dolls/puppets (we're not really sure yet) of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy coming this February or March (we're not really sure yet), to coincide with the release of The Muppets on Blu-ray and DVD. You can see a picture of the upcoming dolls/puppets at right, and we've been told that if these sell well, more Muppets will be made available. Probably including Fozzie... you know, because he's a bear.

Target and Amazon.com are now selling five different box versions of Muppet-brand Band-Aids! The boxes are adorned with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal, Beaker, and Statler and Waldorf, while the Band-Aids in the boxes are emblazoned with all sorts of various Muppets, including some awesome Beaker and Swedish Chef ones. I don't know about you, but I've been purposefully scraping my knee just so I have a use for these. Check out a great picture of the Band-Aids below!

Once again, the folks at Sesame Workshop are pioneering an incredible interactive new product for Microsoft's XBox Kinect. I would call it a game, but based on the video you'll watch below, it seems like so much more than a game. We see Bert, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Grover being fully interactive and educational towards the player/viewer. The video shows a child helping Grover recover his coconuts, playing around in Elmo's World, and more. This is truly a revolutionary new product, and I'll be very excited to see what comes of it when it is released this Spring. For now, check out the video below!

Our friends over at ToughPigs.com have found another revolutionary interactive example of Sesame Workshop being awesome, with Bert and Ernie toys virtually coming to life on your iPad. The video shows an iPad digitally capturing figures of Bert and Ernie, and shows them talking and interacting with the user and each other. Imagine the possibilities here! Once again, the video is below.

UK Cinemas and MilkMatters are offering an interesting and hilarious promotion for The Muppets, Muppet Milk Bottle Covers! They are currently offering downloads of Kermit and Beaker covers (Kermit is seen at right) and Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo bottle stickers are coming soon. The best part? Even if you're not in the UK, you can download these stickers for yourself to decorate bottles of all sorts! (Although I would probably keep Beaker away from bottles of Uranium.)

And, finally, CartoonBrew.com is reporting that a new Jim Henson book by Jim Henson Company archivist Karen Falk is coming out this fall. Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal, from Chronicle Books will certainly be the go-to gift for Muppet fans this fall, as it sounds like a book adaptation of the fantastic Jim Henson's Red Book. Check out the official description of this sure to be must-have book below!

Compiled directly from the Henson workshop archives, this elegant and inspirational gift book adapts the diary that Jim Henson faithfully kept throughout his career, collecting rare sketches, concepts, photographs, and ideas from the creator of the Muppets and one of the twentieth century’s most influential artistic talents. Throughout, archivist Karen Falk offers behind-the-scenes details and insights into Henson’s writings and drawings and offers insights into Henson’s life, his magical creations, and the artistic process.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Animal

2012-01-11T11:49:00.001-06:00

Today's article was written by frequent contributor and friend of the blog Maxwell Jessop with additions by Ryan Dosier.

ANIMAL

Performed by...
Frank Oz (1975-2000)
Eric Jacobson (2002-present)

First appearance...
The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975)

Most recent appearance…
The Muppets (2011)

Best known role…
Crazed drummer for Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem; can be described with five words: Sex, sleep, food, drums, and pain

Best friends...
Floyd Pepper and Bunny

Memorable quotes...
"That... my kinda... wo-man!" ~ The Muppet Show Episode 105: Rita Moreno

"1, 2, 3--DIP!!" ~ The Muppet Show "At the Dance"

"EAT DRUMS! EAT DRUMS!" ~ The Muppet Movie

"RENOIR!!" ~ The Great Muppet Caper

"MAMMA!!!" ~ "Bohemian Rhapsody" YouTube video

"In... Control..." ~ The Muppets

Catchphrase...
“WO-MAN!!!”

WHO IS ANIMAL?
Animal is the wild drummer for The Muppet Show house band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem who is well-known for his fierce attitude and loud drumming. He speaks in short, yelled phrases that are often repeated for full effect. Although he has been heard speaking more complete sentences when in a more restrained mood, these instances or unsurprisingly few and far between.

Unlike the other Electric Mayhem members, who were based on famous musicians, Animal has no specific inspiration. However, it is popular legend that Keith Moon, drummer from The Who, was the reference source for him. Others have cited Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac. Despite this, Jim Henson's original sketch does not suggest Animal is derived from an existing musician.

Animal first appeared in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence pilot where, when he wasn't jamming with Floyd Pepper and the others in the band, he was chained and restrained in a basement cell. Following this pilot, Animal and the rest of the Electric Mayhem transitioned to regulars on The Muppet Show itself. There, he became a main character and gained soaring popularity.

Aside from his performances with the Electric Mayhem, Animal performed a number of drum solos, starred in a few backstage plots, and interacted with many guests. Stars ranging from Rita Moreno, Kaye Ballard, Lou Rawls, Harry Belafonte, James Coburn, Buddy Rich, Carol Burnett, and numerous others were the target of Animal's affections, drumming competitiveness, exuberance, and sex-drive.

Once the Muppets moved to the big screen, Animal's roles (and physical size, on one occasion) increased. Animal’s most famous movie moment occurred in The Muppet Movie when he saved the day by scaring off Doc Hopper after eating Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's Insta-Grow Pills. In The Great Muppet Caper, Animal laments his inability to see the Monet exhibit at the National Gallery. He defends the Muppets and saves Camilla the Chicken from the "BAD MAN!" by attacking Martin Price in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

After Jim Henson died in 1990, and Frank Oz began to take a lesser role in the Muppet world, Animal's roles became smaller and smaller. In The Muppet Christmas Carol his sole role was silencing a rowdy crowd at Fozziwig's Christmas party, while in Muppet Treasure Island he shouts about "PO-LI-TICS!" and never getting involved in them. Animal returned to slight prominence in Muppets from Space, joining Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Pepe to rescue Gonzo and Rizzo from C.O.V.N.E.T. by charming a security guard, played by Kathy Griffin, after running off from the group.

Animal is one of the most popular and recognizable Muppet characters today. He graces more merchandise than any other character, even Kermit. More Animal t-shirts, boxer shorts, pajama pants, and hats are put in stores nowadays thanks to his uber-popularity. The character is so beloved, in fact, that Animal was the mascot for the 1998 US Olympic Snowboarding team.

In recent productions Animal has taken an equal share of starring and background roles. In It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie his main scene was a brief shouting rendition of "Drummer Boy," and was only seen smashing Scooter's laptop in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa. With the rise of the Muppet viral videos on YouTube, Animal seemed a natural choice for hilarity in the short-form. He was paired with Beaker and The Swedish Chef for "Habanera" and "Ringing of the Bells," but Animal helped the Muppets win, and accepted, the Webby Award for "Bohemian Rhapsody" with his insistent cries of "Mamma" at the beginning of the song.

Animal appeared prominently both in The Muppets film and the promotion leading up to it. Kermit and the gang discover Animal at a Santa Barbara celebrity anger management clinic where he has learned to be "In... control..." of his raucous tendencies. It was discovered that the trigger to his anger issues were due to drumming. Animal resists and even fears the drums after this, and removes a crucial part from the Muppets and their musical capabilities. Can Animal return to drumming and help save the Muppets and the Muppet Theater from certain doom?

ANIMAL’S FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Animal's origins and family have seldom been mentioned, let alone seen (probably because most people are too afraid to ask and find out the truth). The sole exception came in the children's book "The Case of the Missing Mother" in which Animal's mother, LaVerne, is introduced and seen. The book shows that LaVerne is also a skilled drummer, implying that drumming prowess is inherited from the mother's side.

While most of the Muppet gang are Animal's friends, he shares a close relationship with Floyd Pepper, the bass player for the Electric Mayhem. Floyd serves as Animal's keeper and controls his wild behavior, reining him in (or chaining him in) with shouts of "Animal! Down! Back! Sit! Stay!" Animal and Floyd shared a duet of "Wild Thing" on the album Kermit: Unpigged. Floyd even accompanied Animal to the 2009 Webby Awards Ceremony to help accept their award, presenting the five word acceptance speech, "Another Webby bites the dust!" after Animal devours the award. It was also Floyd that reached out to Animal to take up the drums again in The Muppets.

Animal also has an unrestrained love for bunny rabbits, first revealed in "The Muppets on The Muppets" interview segment. This love was taken to a new level when a bunny, simply named Bunny, was seen as Animal's pet and favorite thing starting in 2008 in Muppets.com videos. Animal and Bunny shared a pad in numerous sketches, where the rabbit seemed more than happy to put up with Animal's over-affectionate attitude in exchange or pizza and a place to live.

ANIMAL MOMENTS
Some of Animal's most memorable moments are his exciting and over the top drum solos on The Muppet Show. Most notably, "Wild Thing" in Episode 202, where he rabidly sings and drums away to the popular song (which was surprisingly not written for specifically as a vehicle for Animal to perform) until Janice and a pig drag him off with over-sized butterfly nets. "Jam," later called "Sweet Tooth Jam," was an example of Animal's manic moves completely overwhelming the rest of the Electric Mayhem and the song itself. Animal's rabid chants of "JAM!! JAM!!" were enough to completely derail the song from its intended tempo.

Animal also engaged in a number of drum battles with celebrities. Of course, these are very memorable, even though Animal usually loses. His drum engagements with Harry Belafonte and Buddy Rich are prime examples of Animal's ability to lose control... and energy. The entire backstage plot of Episode 505: James Coburn should be mentioned here as well. In the episode, Animal befriends guest star James Coburn, who teaches him meditation and Zen. They later show off their peacefulness in the finale, "A Salute to Japan."

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED ANIMAL?
Animal is loud. Animal is rude. Animal is crude. Animal is pure Id. Animal is uncontrollable. But Animal is an irreplaceable and crucial member of the Muppets. Animal represents the part of all of us that just wants to be wild and go crazy! Sure, they have Gonzo, Lew Zealand, and Crazy Harry, but Animal adds on to that mayhem and makes it even more fun. Animal destroys everything, eats everything, is over-excited for everything... but he is just as important to Kermit's dream as any of the other Muppets (although Animal would probably dream of "shouting, drumming, and making people happy"). He pushes it to its furthest extreme, testing its limits to near breaking points.

One need only watch The Muppets to see how Animal is more than a one-dimensional maniac. He has issues, just like we all do, and the world tries to force him to conform. That's why Animal belongs with the Muppets... where he can be the wild, insane, uncontrollable force that he is deep down. In turn, that's why the Muppets need Animal, because he reminds them all that just losing control every once in awhile can have fantastic results.

Plus, The Electric Mayhem would be nothing without their fierce drummer. Floyd wouldn't have nearly as good upper body strength without holding back Animal's chain daily. Zoot would always be asleep without Animal's shouting to wake him up. And the entire band couldn't keep time or rhythm without the drums backing them up. Though he may go on to be a popular force in his own right, Animal is, first and foremost, a drummer for Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

In the end, Animal has just what the Muppets need: music and fun. He can't be replaced... and anyone who tried to replace him probably wouldn't wake up the morning after.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Tribute to the Tributes

2012-01-10T07:33:00.003-06:00

Muppet Covers (not those new Snuggies you can get)

Spotted: Jason Segel and Chelsea Gill (future Chel Segel?) meeting at the Ritz Carlton for cheese crackers (Ritz, naturally) and tea before heading out to the Chicago Film Critics awards where, we understand, awards are given to some of Chicago’s finest critics (Statler and Waldorf sadly missed out on an award this year, having no traceable linage to the windy city and because of Waldorf pulling a Kanye last year at the Oscars and interrupting James Franco to insist that, “I’mma let you finish, but the Muppets had one of the best videos of all times. I loved it, well, it wasn’t bad, well, there were parts of it that I didn’t like, it was terrible, it was awful, boo boo!!!”).

Our sources indicate that Jason Segal saw the gal (get it? See Gal?) when she posted a tribute to him upon the internet with lyrical wonders such as his being ‘the ring to her Smeagal’ (whatever one of those is) and suggested he was ‘super busy’ with ‘Miss Piggy’ (she’s a poet, did she realise that she had this ability?) Rumours abound that Jason’s agent (or his manager, or his mum?) arranged for the two of them to meet, have a drink and watch some awards being awarded to awesome Chicago films.

Anyway, this got me, The British Correspondent, to thinking, what if The Muppets were to take out some of the creators of great tributes to the Muppets posted, similarly, on the internet. So...I set out to find some and to post witty commentary (he says wistfully).

First up, ever thought that you want to make a Muppet tribute using almost every Muppet production ever but that you ‘can’t, can’t, can’t?’. Turns out, you can can can.

King Goshposh was reportedly delighted to have been featured so heavily in a tribute to the Muppets and promptly invited “Enshandur” out for a polite evening of Texas-wings and cha-cha-cha-ing.

Next, we shall be saying hello to this amazing tribute to "Saying Goodbye"...

Just days after this video was released on YouTube, Scooter got in contact with Pupepepets asking where he could get that exact jacket for himself as used in the video (unfortunately for him, I had contacted Pupepepets just before and acquired the jacket for myself...so snazzy and fashionable!)

But, moving right along...

Fozzie was quick to notice this fun ukulele tutorial as he too is a fan of the jingly small guitar (or...um...whatever a ukulele is...I mostly just use the word to win scrabble). Hopefully JDEggo and Fozzie will get to jam together soon enough!

It is hard to tell if this is a man tribute or a Muppet tribute, guess we should ask the question...

The very manly Jason Segal Muppet was quick to note this tribute to himself, and if he can ever get out of the mirror-world in which he and apparently The Big Bang Theory exists then he’ll be sure to contact Thefumusic for a lunch!

I think there is time for one more cover in this article before I have to get off YouTube and return to real life (but don’t worry, I’m going to go back there someday!)

I was unable to contact Gonzo to make a comment on this video because he was on a date with the cello.

Well, folks, that is all from me for today. I am not going to have a good browse through YouTube in search of any tributes that may have been made to a certain British Correspondent that we all know and love (Yes, me.)

Until next time, I just want to add that I love the creativity and awesomeness that is shown in these creations from Muppet fans and I hope it continues into 2012!

-The British C

Thanks to: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jason-segel-youtube-chelsea-gill-279836 for inspiration.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

#MuppetFanProblems

2012-01-09T11:54:00.001-06:00

Ryan Dosier - Yesterday on Twitter a lot of Muppet fans had a lot of fun playing around with a new hashtag. For those of you who don't know what a hashtag is (and there's no shame in that), it's a series of words, with no spaces, proceeded by a number sign (#) and placed at the end of a tweet (a single Twitter message) to include it in a theme or series of tweets using the same hashtag. Well, yesterday, I somewhat accidentally invented a fun new hashtag on The Muppet Mindset Twitter account: #muppetfanproblems

It all started when I was in the car listening to my iPod and I heard the familiar intro music to the song "Forget You" (which also has a not-safe-for-Elmo title). I grinned and was excited to hear the Chickens cluck the song as they do on the movie soundtrack for The Muppets. I was crestfallen, however, when, instead of Camilla, Cee Lo Green started singing instead. I knew the only people who would understand my disappointment were Muppet fans... so I decided to tweet about it. The tweet read, Getting excited to hear the Chickens cluck "Forget You" on your iPod and being disappointed when it's Cee Lo instead. #muppetfanproblems

This started a whole chain of tweets... not only from me on the Mindset account, but a whole heap of other Muppet fans jumping on the wagon to join the fun. Some of the tweets were serious, such as the following...

@aeonflash - They revealed what Gonzo's species is, instead of just making him a "Whatever." #muppetfanproblems
@EmTeeHammer - Missing Jim Henson terribly even though he died before you were born. #muppetfanproblems
@Westcoast_Brian - Trying to watch Muppets Take Manhattan with my niece and she asks "Where's Elmo?" #muppetfanproblems
@MuppetMindset - Waiting for Disney to release The Muppet Show Seasons 4 and 5 on DVD. #muppetfanproblems

But most of the tweets that happened last night were hysterical and a crazy amount of fun to read, retweet, and play along with. Here are some of my favorite from last night...

@MuppetMindset - Never being able to find the right dog for you because none of them play piano (at least not well). #muppetfanproblems
@joehennes - My roommate REALLY doesn't like it when I interrupt his bath time with a sing-along. #muppetfanproblems
@ianyoshi - Whenever I'm upset, a special guest star doesn't come and sing a song to me to make me feel better. #muppetfanproblems
@teverette11 - Unsuccessfully starting a whispering campaign in a restaurant. #muppetfanproblems
@bluebomber95 - Having to constantly throw fish in hope that they will come back, only to be disappointed. #muppetfanproblems
@Martinstern - Getting directions to "bear left" and knowing the reply "right frog" will get you nothing. #muppetfanproblems
@Rbnhoodga - Never having musical numbers break out at the supper club. #muppetfanproblems
@apbuitron - My parents won't let me try Hare Krishna. #muppetfanproblems
@MuppetMindset - Trying to test out your jokes on a real bear usually ends with claws for alarm. #muppetfanproblems
@puckrox - No one understands why you show up to prom with a chicken as your date. #muppetfanproblems
@Westcoast_brian - Checking every locker at the bus station to see if one of them has a jacuzzi. #muppetfanproblems
@LucasRoss - Having a childhood crush on a lady pig, only to find out years later she's played by a man. #muppetfanproblems #therapy
@jedikermit - Watching March of the Penguins and waiting for the songs and backflips... #muppetfanproblems
@Revolos55 - Every time you and your girlfriend sing a duet, the scenery falls on you. #muppetfanproblems
@muppetmusic - You thought Gonzo was playing the minister. #muppetfanproblems
@BloodyMarquis - None of us will probably ever know how to get to Sesame Street. #muppetfanproblems
@Westcoast_brian - When are they going to invent a word for old friends who've just met? #muppetfanproblems
@rwmead - Failing to understand the appeal of the Banana Sketch. #muppetfanproblems
@MuppetMindset - Am I a man or am I a Muppet? #muppetfanproblems

Wasn't that fun? (The answer is yes.) And the best part is... you can now follow a brand new Twitter account with nothing but #muppetfanproblems managed by yours truly over at @MuppetFanProbs! We'll be tweeting often using the hashtag and retweeting great ones from Muppet fans as well!

To find all of the tweets using #muppetfanproblems, check out the hashtag page on Twitter!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

The Ramblings of Jarrod Fairclugh, Muppet Nerd - Part 4

2012-01-08T14:23:00.000-06:00

Jarrod Fairclough Presents: The Ramblings of a Muppet Nerd – CLASH of the Titans

Jarrod Fairclough - The other day I was lucky enough to catch a screening of the documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, all about the life of Kevin Clash, who, as we all know, is Elmo. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it, because it is by far one of the best documentaries I've seen in a long time. There are very few documentaries I'd ever want to own. This one, along with Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, are the only ones I'll have in my collection. At least the only ones that will get a regular watch, anyway. But alas, this is not a review of the movie. This is my account of my meeting with Kevin Clash in 2008.

As I've said a few times on this site, on December 18th, 2008, I was given the opportunity to spend a few hours on the set of Sesame Street. For those playing at home, when I was there they were filming episode 4192, "Y a Quest? Y Not?." I watch that episode and think to myself "Hey, I'm like four feet away from that!" It was a great day, made possible by the fantastic guy Matt Vogel.

After meeting Matt, he went over and tapped a large man on the shoulder. This man I recognized as Kevin Clash, and he walked on over with a HUGE smile on his face. He shook my hand, and I told him what a giant fan I am of his, and how much I love Elmo. We spoke about Elmo's interviews on Rove. (A talk show in Australia. If you haven't seen the interviews, YouTube them, preferably the ones where Elmo is in the studio--they are much better than any of the Jimmy Fallon interviews, in my opinion, anyway) He told me those were some of his favorite ever interviews. And they must be, because part of one of the interviews made it into Being Elmo. He then told us to go wait in the arbor, and he'd be over there in a moment with Elmo...

Um... OKAY! Off Kevin went, and a few moments later he returned and put on Elmo. I can tell you now, that was one of the most bizarre, but most awesome moments in my life. As anyone who has met a Muppet will tell you, you totally forget that they aren't real. I could clearly see Kevin standing there, but I was having a conversation with Elmo, and he was responding and having fun. In true Elmo form, he was very inappropriate, and very funny. After a photo, and after I gave him a hug, Elmo responded with "You're all going to get wasted this weekend. Especially you!" as he pointed to me. At that point I was only 19, so I was legally prohibited from drinking in America, which I told him. Elmo told us "Well, Elmo will come out with you. He'll talk the barmaids into giving us drinks." I told Elmo that I only had another two years to wait until I could drink legally in the U.S. Elmo sighed and said, "Elmo got the bum deal. Elmo's gonna be three and a half forever..."

Kevin removed Elmo, and a wrangler took him away. I shook Kevin's hand and thanked him again, and said I'll be in touch with Elmo to organize a drinking session. He laughed, and asked what the legal drinking age is in Australia. I told him that it's 18. He looked a little confused, and then asked what age we get our license... I told him that it's also 18. Kevin smiled and said, "So you can legally buy beer on the same day you can legally drive on your own?" We all sort of nodded, because we realized how ridiculous it was. Kevin smiled, and as he walked off, laughed as Elmo, and said, "Ridiculous."

So that was my Kevin Clash experience. He was lovely, and funny and a genuine joy to be around. But something else happened that day that I want to talk about. It's no secret that Sesame Street is a common place that sick children go to through the Make a Wish Foundation, a group of people that do incredible work. On the same day I was visiting the set, a little girl and her family arrived a little after us. We watched as Leslie Carrera Rudolph and Abby Cadabby spoke to the kids, and the girls dad got a photo with Telly, which made us laugh. But when Kevin got Elmo and went over to the kids, it was magic. This little girls eyes lit right up, and she immediately grabbed Elmo and hugged and kissed him. In Being Elmo, there's a segment on Kevin and Elmo doing this sort of stuff for young sick kids. And what you see there is absolutely how it was when I watched this happen.

I'm assuming it's fairly common that these kids get a video of them meeting their favorite character. I've seen a couple on YouTube, and 99% of them are with Elmo. So, I sat on the stoop of 123 Sesame Street, next to Matt Vogel, Paul McGinnis, and Eric Jacobson, and we watched Kevin film with Elmo and this little girl. I can barely remember what he said Off the top of myself, the girl couldn't really say much, and Elmo just kept hugging and kissing her. She was in a wheelchair, and the video ended with Elmo jumping on her wheelchair and demanding to go home with the family. It was funny, and everyone laughed and applauded. And then, as Elmo was given to a wrangler, I watched as Kevin turned around, smiled at the girl's mother, and hugged her while she had a little cry.

The fact that this man can bring so much joy, and so much happiness to people from all ages, really is a compliment to the magnificent skills of Kevin Clash. This is a man who had a small red puppet thrown at him, and turned it into a worldwide phenomenon. I called this thing CLASH of the Titans. But I think that's wrong now. Because, in my opinion, Clash IS the titan.

Tune in next time for MOJA – The Museum of Jarrod Art, where I talk about my little drawings and doodles of the Muppets and Sesame Street. And stay tuned for my articles throughout the year, such as my wait for The Muppets movie, my collection of t-shirts, my various attempts to get my niece to watch Sesame Street, and much more!

Wanna come drink with me and Elmo next weekend?
Jarrod

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Saying Goodbye to The MuppetCast

2012-01-07T13:18:00.001-06:00

Ryan Dosier - It's always odd when a show comes to an end. After years of entertaining, engrossing, and enlightening you, it feels like saying farewell to a close friend... but a friend who you don't really know, yet at the same time a friend who brightens your world once a week. Today, we bid farewell to The MuppetCast, the weekly Muppet podcast started by my good friend Steve Swanson, which just recently conducted its final show.

For the past four years, The MuppetCast has been an amazing resource for Muppet fans. It brought us Muppet music, Muppet news, and gave Muppet fans one of their first outlets to express themselves and (literally) let their voices be heard. Perhaps The MuppetCast's biggest achievement, however, was Steve's uncanny knack of recruiting countless professionals to come of the show and talk to him about Muppets. The likes of Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, Kevin Clash, David Rudman, Fran Brill, and even Frank Oz all lent their time to Steve for extremely rare, wonderfully conducted, and beautifully meaningful interviews.

But, to me, The MuppetCast means quite a lot more. The MuppetCast was the first time I realized that I could contribute to the Muppet fan world. In 2007, I won a Muppet impression contest doing my take on Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and Steve was kind enough to let me keep doing the impression to introduce a few more shows. Thanks to Steve's help, I knew that there was more for me to do than just be a Muppet fan... I had something to contribute. This, of course, led to The Muppet Mindset... and I can safely say we probably wouldn't be here had Steve not given me those opportunities, and then showed unparalleled support for me and the site. I can honestly say that every opportunity I had to be a guest on The MuppetCast (all of which can be found here) was a treat and a delight--even when I had to work with that Joe Hennes character.

The true magic of The MuppetCast is Steve Swanson himself. The show is advertised as "Hosted by Steve Swanson," but that's not even the half of it. Steve edits, organizes, writes, plans, interviews, keeps up with emails, keeps up with phone messages, spends money, records, and somehow in there sleeps, has a wife, a social life, and eats. How he managed to do it for the past four years, I will never, ever know, but aren't we all so freaking happy that he did?

I've had the pleasure of a few encounters with Steve in person. Together, we hosted the sparsely attended, but still fun, Muppet Vault in Columbus, Ohio--and Steve not only let me sleep in his house, but he bought me breakfast, picked me up and took me to the airport, took me to his brother's house, and gave me a crap load of Muppet content that I had never seen before. That's just who Steve is... kind, giving, and personal. Not too long after, Steve and I happened to be at Walt Disney World at the same time and we met at Epcot and hung out for a few hours. The only way to do Disney better is to do it with a Muppet fan... especially one who is as big of a Disney fan as I am. Thanks to Steve for all of these moments, and many more, that we enjoyed together. I'm proud to call him my friend.

So it's with a heavy heart, but a confidence that Steve is doing the right thing for himself, that I bid farewell to The MuppetCast. We should all know, however, that we won't be saying goodbye to Steve. He'll still be around. We'll just have to look harder to find him! Now go, take a listen to The MuppetCast's Final Show, and join us as we bid a fond adieu and start the celebration of four years of The MuppetCast.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Interview with Muppet Designer Bonnie Erickson

2012-01-06T11:57:00.000-06:00

Today on The Muppet Mindset we are proud to present our first interview of 2012! And we couldn't be more pleased with our interview today, because it is with current Executive Director of The Jim Henson Legacy and designer and builder Muppets, including Miss Piggy and Statler and Waldorf. Bonnie worked on numerous Muppet projects, including The Muppet Show, The Frog Prince, Fraggle Rock, and The Muppet Movie, and also worked very closely with Jim Henson. Bonnie very graciously agreed to join us for an interview and answer a few questions about her work, her career, The Jim Henson Legacy, working with Jim, and much more. Read on!

Interview with Bonnie Erickson

Conducted by Ryan Dosier

RYAN:   Greetings, Bonnie, and welcome to The Muppet Mindset! Thank you so much for agreeing to the interview! It's such a pleasure to be able to talk to someone who has so much history with The Jim Henson Company as you do. I guess we'll start off with the beginning... How did you first get involved with The Jim Henson Company? What was your first job title?

ERICKSON:   Freelance costume designer. After an interview and a look at my costume design portfolio, Jim hired me to design... and build... the costumes for the Tales from Muppetland: The Frog Prince special. My educational background was in theatre and fine art. I had been working on and off-Broadway for several years as a costumer with a specialty in specialty costumes and masks.

RYAN:    You are now the Executive Director of The Jim Henson Legacy. How did this come about? What does your position here entail?

ERICKSON:   I joined the organization as a trustee in the mid-nineties, soon after it was established by Jane Henson along with Arthur Novell, Al Gottesman, and Richard Wedemeyer. For the past several years I have served as President working with Arthur Novell, our Executive Director. When he decided to take a less active role, the board asked me to take on the position. One of my first (and smartest) acts was to ask Arthur, who is still a trustee, to continue on as consultant.

Day to day I schedule board meetings, establish and oversee the budget, propose projects, and facilitate projects approved by the board, work with my staff to maintain our website. We function as a source of information and respond to the many questions that come to us. In the long term, we manage exhibits, loans and restorations of objects in the Henson Family Collection and work with our partners and the rights holders to make Jim's body of work available to the public in new and interesting ways.

RYAN:    Does The Jim Henson Legacy have any involvement with new projects being produced in the Muppet world? Or do you deal strictly with showcasing the great works of the past?

ERICKSON:   Although the Legacy is not involved in new projects from the Jim Henson Company, Disney, or Sesame Workshop, we do try to present the work of the past in new contexts that reach out to a generation that may not be so familiar to that work. Jim's work is still very relevant today... evergreen, like Fraggle Rock. Much has become iconic, such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, both of which have a lively following. There are community theatres where Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas has become an annual event. Young musicians are doing covers of The Muppet Show tunes. Still relevant and still kickin'.

RYAN:   One of the great new projects from the Legacy is Jim Henson's Red Book. How did the idea for this brilliant online resource come about?

ERICKSON:   Karen Falk, the archivist for the Jim Henson Company, wanted to find a way to use the diaries that Jim kept. She expanded on his entries with reminiscences from colleagues and photos she was able to find from the company files. Karen is also on the Legacy's board and worked with the Smithsonian to develop our traveling exhibition, Jim Henson's Fantastic World. She probably has more information about all of us than we can remember!

RYAN:    You are an incredibly talented puppet designer and you worked on numerous Muppet projects. What are some of the characters your work can be seen in the designs of?

ERICKSON:   Nice of you to say. The first project I worked on was as Muppet costume designer for The Frog Prince. Probably the best known characters are Miss Piggy and Statler and Waldorf. I also designed the Country Trio caricatures of Jim and Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson. The four human style puppets and body costumes for The Muppet Musicians of Bremen were my creations. Zoot, George the Janitor, The San Francisco Earthquake wrestlers, Dr. Strangepork, The Newsman, and others were my work. Jim and I developed Animal and together we built the Swedish Chef. Although I didn't do the design, I built Janice, Fozzie Bear, and Vazh for SNL's "Land of Gorch." I was at the right place at the right time and had opportunity to work on many characters for Jim. What fun it was!

RYAN:   You were the first to design Miss Piggy. What do you think is the most important aspect of her design?

ERICKSON:   Her ability to reinvent herself over time. She has evolved and grown into her role as an ageless diva. I'm proud of having given her an appropriate name. Frank Oz set the tone with the karate chop and the rest is history. I do think she has had some work done recently!

RYAN:   Can you talk to us a little bit about Jim Henson?

ERICKSON:   A subject near to my heart!

Jim's work has a whimsy and gentle anarchy that seems to appeal to people. It is not mean spirited but it is often irreverent. I believe Jim was one of the most confident people I have ever known and he inspired it in others. He trusted his judgement and because of that was able to rely on those he worked with to create the worlds he envisioned. He gathered about him people of different skills and disciplines who would often become lifelong friends.

He believed in the value of play. Experimentation was given great weight and nothing was wasted–not in the creation of characters or in the performance of them.

He was generous–with praise and with credit.

He believed in details and that even though a detail might not be apparent, it contributed to the cumulative effect of richness and texture that someone out there in the audience would notice.

He was a smart and fair businessman, multitalented, complicated and very tall!

RYAN:   I'd love to know your opinions on how the "Big Three" companies are handling Jim's characters and projects currently. Would you be willing to talk to us a bit about this?

ERICKSON:   Sure.

RYAN:   Terrific! Let's start with Disney and their work with the Muppets.

ERICKSON: Well, The Muppets movie has just come out and I believe the affection Jason Segel obviously feels for the characters comes out in the film. I'm delighted to see them back on screen. The performances of the puppeteers are wonderful and have lost none of their charm and quirkiness. The promotion was extraordinary. The trailers just got better and better, capturing that self-aware irreverence of the Muppets. As The Pig would say, I want more!

RYAN:   How about Sesame Workshop?

ERICKSON:   The focus for Sesame Workshop is certainly more international, with partnerships in many countries. That can't be a bad thing. Sharing the values of Sesame Street within the context of different cultures has to be a step toward more understanding and tolerance. Certainly this is one of the things Jim Henson espoused and would applaud. Here in the States, it continues to produce award winning programming for young children that a parent can trust! And it does it with humor. Another good thing.

RYAN:   And The Jim Henson Company?

ERICKSON:   So much is happening at the Jim Henson Company. The company continues to explore the possibilities of digital visual effects, animatronic creatures, animation, and soft puppets for the international media industries. Always developing new projects, the company has taken on a very important task of bringing science to pre school kids with Sid the Science Kid and natural history to them with Dinosaur Train. It has a new show Pajanimals for preschoolers, and a live show of puppet improv, Stuffed and Unstrung, for the adult audience of post schoolers!

RYAN:   How willing are these companies to work with the Legacy to showcase Jim's work?

ERICKSON:   All of these entities have been wonderful to work with and happy to help tell the Jim Henson story.

RYAN:   Is it easy to get Muppeteers and others connected to Jim involved in Legacy functions? Everyone I've ever talked to has always been thrilled to work with the Legacy in any sort of capacity.

ERICKSON:   Just as you say, we have had a wonderful response from our friends and colleagues, for which we are very grateful. Many have participated by introducing and doing Q and A sessions for the film retrospective we have toured nationally and internationally and that is currently part of the weekend programming of the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City. We have very generous colleagues.

RYAN:   Are there any upcoming Legacy events or surprises that you can share with us?

ERICKSON:   There was a Jim Henson Legacy: Amphibian Alumni Associates Reunion recently at the Museum of the Moving Image, the first one to invite anyone who ever worked with Jim or the Jim Henson Company. We had a huge and enthusiastic international crowd for a whole day. There were people exploring the newly renovated space, seeing the Jim Henson's Fantastic World exhibit, viewing a loop of rare Henson clips and attending a presentation of images from the past in the beautiful main theatre at the museum. The raffle of vintage collectibles mainly from our president, Craig Shemin's personal collection was a big draw. Richard Termine, provided a photo setup for everyone next to a large space where people could catch up with old friends.

But the latest news is that the exhibit at the museum has been so popular that it has been extended until March 4th, 2012. Also, there is a musical tribute to Jim planned for Carnegie Hall on April 14th, 2012. And that's just the beginning part of the year.

RYAN:   What are your favorite Muppet projects?

ERICKSON: Sorry, I love them all. The movies are great. I've just seen all of them again on the large screen. The Muppet movies are so different from The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth but the attention to detail makes them all endlessly interesting to me. Emmett Otter is so sweet. But I think, because it was the harbinger of things to come, I have a special place in my heart for The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence from 1975.

RYAN:   What about your favorite Muppet characters?

ERICKSON: No favorites. Nuh uh! None. Like 'em all! Just the same! Yup!

RYAN:   Carrying on Jim Henson's Legacy is obviously a hugely important task. What do you consider to be the most important aspect of Jim's Legacy?

ERICKSON:   The positive attitude he had about life and work. He never gave up and he took enough pleasure in the process to not be too worried about how it would work out. He loved what he did and I loved doing it too. I believe we all did.

RYAN:   Why do you think Jim's work lives on and flourishes as well as it does—even so long after he has gone?

ERICKSON:   So many people have come up to me at the film tour and the exhibits to tell me what good memories they have of the time they and their family or friends spent with Jim's work. There is nothing cynical about it. His characters are forgiving and accepting and tolerant of each others foibles. But they're not saccharine or cloying. He obviously believed that evil could be vanquished. That's also a good thing.

RYAN:   How can we, as Muppet fans, carry on Jim's legacy?

ERICKSON:   Keep believing that you can write your own ending! Follow your muse. Do what you love. All that stuff!

RYAN:   Finally, Bonnie, what is your favorite Jim Henson quote?

ERICKSON:   Actually, it's not one from Jim, but one written about him by his friend, Jerry Juhl.

"What Jim always wanted to do was to sing songs and tell stories, teach children, promote peace, save the planet, celebrate man, and be silly."

RYAN:   Bonnie, thank you so very much for this interview. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Thank you for everything you've done to carry on Jim's legacy as well. We Muppet fans are thrilled to see all the work done with it.

ERICKSON:   It was entirely my pleasure, Ryan.

All of my thanks to the lovely and kind Bonnie Erickson for agreeing to this interview. She is a true treasure to the world of Jim Henson and the Muppets and we are all lucky to have her working for the Jim Henson Legacy to keep the spirit and magic of Jim Henson alive.

Also my thanks to my friend Arthur Novell for helping to set up this interview.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Muppet Maestros: Shel Silverstein

2012-01-05T12:16:00.000-06:00

Hilarie Mukavitz - If you went to elementary school in the United States, you probably think you know Shel Silverstein. Go to any elementary school library and you will see multiple well-used copies of "Falling Up" and "Where the Sidewalk Ends" in the poetry section. You probably had someone read "The Giving Tree" to you at some point. However, like Jim Henson, the works of Shel Silverstein are a lot more varied and a lot more complicated than just his creations for children.

He was born Sheldon Allan Silverstein on September 25, 1930 in Chicago. In his early career he published his cartoons in various magazines, such as Look and Sports Illustrated. Starting in 1957 his work was featured regularly in Playboy.

In 1961 he published "Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book," based on one of his Playboy pieces, which satirized the usual style of children's alphabet books, and most definitely was NOT for children. Here is a sample page:

Silverstein did not begin to write children's books until the 1970's, when a good friend of his urged him to give it a shot. Silverstein's first children's book was The Giving Tree, and he continued creating children's books until his death in 1999.

Another little known part of Shel Silverstein's career was as a very prolific song-writer. Several of his songs, recorded by other artists, were highly successful such as "The Unicorn" performed by the Irish Rovers, "25 Minutes To Go" and "Boy Named Sue" performed by Johnny Cash and "Cover of the Rolling Stone" performed by Dr. Hook.

Three of Silverstein's songs were featured on The Muppet Show. In Episode 115 a character called Hillbilly Singer sang "Put Another Log on the Fire." In Episode 308, Loretta Lynn and the Baby Muppets performed "One's On the Way" which had been a hit for Lynn. In Episode 310, Marissa Berenson and several anything Muppets sing "You're Always Welcome at Our House"... which is very much in the same vein as "Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book," in that it sounds like a children's song on the surface, but it is loaded with very dark humor. All three songs can be heard on our Shel Silverstein Muppet Maestros Playlist.

Enjoy! And I'm guessing that next time you hear somebody read "Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout," you won't hear it quite the same way.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Dr. Phil Van Neuter

2012-01-04T13:18:00.000-06:00

Today's Weekly Muppet Wednesdays post is written by Michael Wermuth, Jr.

DR. PHIL VAN NEUTER

Performed by...
Brian Henson

First appearance...
Muppets Tonight, Episode 102: Garth Brooks (1996)

Most recent appearance...
Family Feud (2001) also seen at MuppetFest Fan Convention (2001)

Best known role...
Mad scientist (or "friendly veterinarian"), host of "Tales from the Vet"

WHO IS DR. PHIL VAN NEUTER?
Dr. Phil van Neuter is a scientist, and host of "Tales from the Vet," a recurring sketch on Muppets Tonight. In the sketch, Dr. Van Neuter presents scary, animal-themed, stories, with assistance by his brother-in-law and Igor-like sidekick, Mulch. But the stories, which include "Taylor, the Turkey Who Loved Thanksgiving" and "Percy, the Pork-Eating Pig."

Dr.Van Neuter has occasionally presented special editions of the segment, such as the time he read a fan letter asking about how he met his wife, Composta Heap (including his rendition of the song, "She Blinded Me With Science"), or when he and Mulch brought Arsenio Hall (who had died right before the show started) back from the dead. Perhaps the most memorable Dr. Van Neuter segment occurred when Mulch accidentally played a video from a Christmas party, where Dr. Van Neuter made a fool out of himself by getting drunk on eggnog.

After Muppets Tonight ended, Dr. Van Neuter continued to appear for a few years. In Muppets from Space he was a brain surgeon for C.O.V.N.E.T, where he almost sucked Gonzo's brain out with a Quadrilobal Brain Probe, until the lab rats interfered. It was revealed here that he hated rats, but he got over it by the end of the movie. Dr. Phil Van Neuter later showed up at the MuppetFest Fan Convention in 2001, where he had his only interaction with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. His last appearance occurred later in 2001 when he was among the Muppets who showed up for a week of Family Feud.

MEMORABLE DR. PHIL VAN NEUTER QUOTES
"A-E-I-O-U! Scared ya, didn't I? Yes, always!"

"If you experience any sort of unpleaseantness, please let me know. I would hate to miss it."

"Good news! You're covered with a ten dollar co-pay."

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED DR. PHIL VAN NEUTER?
It seems debatable as to why the Muppets would need Dr. Phil Van Neuter. After all, they already have their resident scientists, Bunsen and Beaker. In fact, since those two were main characters on Muppets Tonight, it's debatable that Dr. Phil van Neuter was even needed for that production. But Dr. Phil Van Neuter does add an energetic and comically frightening element to the Muppets. If Brian Henson ever goes back to performing with the Muppets, I'd like to see Dr. Phil van Neuter included again. If anything, he can be competition against Bunsen and Beaker.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Great Straight Men in Muppet Comedy Duos

2012-01-03T11:15:00.000-06:00

Great Straight Me in Muppet Comedy Duos

Hilarie Mukavitz - With all the great comedy duos, it is usually the "funny man" that we remember. We remember Lou Costello saying "Hey Abbooooott!" but not Bud Abbott's delivery that led up to that point. The comic in the duo often gets most of the credit. Today, however, I'd like to spend a bit of time talking about those unsung heroes in Muppet comedy: the great straight men of Muppet comedy duos.

Bert - played by Frank Oz
In the ongoing debate about whether it should be "Bert and Ernie" or "Ernie and Bert," I am firmly in the "Bert and Ernie" camp. Why? When a comedy duo is billed, the straight man's name goes first: Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, Martin and Lewis; and the one that had the most direct impact on the Muppets: Burns and Schreiber.

Bert is a rare example of Frank Oz getting to play the straight man. As hard as it is to believe now, initially Frank Oz and Jim Henson played around and traded off who was Bert and who was Ernie before Sesame Street began. Jim Henson once commented "Frank didn't like Bert. He felt Bert was too dull. But then after a while he realized that Bert's dullness was really a lot of fun, and he got into this dullness thing and turned it into this wonderful personality."

Bert and Ernie have the classic odd couple dynamic. Bert is the one with the routine, and usually the more rational of the two (as can be seen by the classic "banana in the ear" bit). Like many a straight man, there are the long-suffering looks at the camera when the goofy Ernie is pulling his antics. What makes Bert unique as a character is his passionate devotion to interests very few others share. (A trait which, as a geek, I can relate to strongly.) Bert loves oatmeal, argyle socks, pigeons, paper clips, and bottle caps and the letter W. There is even an example of a rare sketch starring Bert without Ernie in which Bert is surprised and delighted to find out that Rick Moranis shared a lot of the same interests.

Out of all the duos that Frank Oz and Jim Henson performed together, Bert and Ernie were the ones they performed for the longest time. They are also the only Muppet characters to be mentioned in Frank Oz's eulogy at Jim Henson's memorial service. If you haven't had the treat of hearing about "Bert in Self-Contemplation," I highly recommend it... just keep a Kleenex box nearby for the end.

Sully - played by Richard Hunt
Like Penn and Teller, Sully is literally the silent partner for construction worker buddies Biff and Sully. It is implied that even though we never hear Sully speak, it is probably because Biff never lets him get a word in edgewise. However, when given the opportunity, Sully demonstrates that still waters run deep, and that he has talents his usually oblivious partner is unaware of.

Sully is an accomplished musician... When Biff and Sully move a piano together, Biff can pound out a basic scale. When he leaves, Sully plays a Chopin prelude. When Biff forgets his radio, Sully actually constructs an entire piano to play so Biff can have music while he works. Sully also seems to have a side gig as a bass player with a band that Ernie leads. Notice that Bert specifically yells at Sully... probably because he's thinking "Hey, you have a loudmouth best friend too. You should understand what I'm going through." Also included in Ernie's band is another classic Sesame Street straight man: Mr. Johnson.

Mr. Johnson - played by Jerry Nelson
Let us pause for a moment and reflect on the special hell that is the life of Mr. Johnson (sometimes known as Fat Blue). It seems that he is fated, whenever he decides to go out to eat, to always be served by the cute, lovable, totally inept Grover. I would recommend to Mr. Johnson that perhaps he should start cooking for himself... but I'm guessing the grocery store cashier would also be Grover. Grover seems to be the only one working customer service jobs in Mr. Johnson's tortured universe. Mr. Johnson's name was revealed during Grover's stint delivering singing telegrams. Grover has also shown up in Mr. Johnson's world as a pizza delivery monster, a flight attendant, a street musician, a wig salesman, a department store salesman, an employee at a framing shop, a fitness instructor, a taxi driver, a move theater concession stand worker, a photographer, a hot dog vendor, a baker, a rental car company employee, a reality show host, and the star of "Spidermonster."

Kermit the Frog - played by Jim Henson
The ultimate straight man in the Muppet universe is Kermit. He's been straight man to Sesame Street characters, Muppet Show characters, humans, you name it. Besides his versatility, one thing that makes Kermit unique as a straight man is, when he is not showing frustration, he has a mischievous side as well. Kermit can give as good as he gets. Here are a few examples:

Kermit and Grover
When Grover is not pestering Mr. Johnson, he can often be found at Kermit's place. Grover makes repeated attempts to sell Kermit items that would require body parts that Kermit does not have: a nose-warmer, a toothbrush, earmuffs. Once, we not only see Grover try to sell Kermit sunglasses, but we get to see Kermit do a Groucho Marx impression.

It was also common for Grover to interrupt whatever Kermit was trying to teach with a "Heeeeey froggy babyyyyyy!!!" Although Kermit does manage to get Grover back a few times, particularly when Grover tries to talk about how great the number 2 is.

Kermit and Cookie Monster
Pretty similar to the Kermit and Grover sketches... except usually Cookie Monster's interruptions are about, surprise surprise, his single-minded pursuit of the cookie. Now and then ,Cookie Monster would show up playing a character. I especially enjoy the sketch from a Muppet Newsflash where we can see Cookie Monster in drag playing Little Red Riding Hood.

Kermit and Don Music
In the Don Music sketches, Don Music is attempting to compose commonly known songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Row Row Row Your Boat." To ease Don's frustration, Kermit gives suggestions for lyrics, which ultimately results in a totally different song such as "Drive Drive Drive Your Car" or "Mary Had a Bicycle."

Kermit and Forgetful Jones
The few sketches with Kermit and Forgetful Jones are classic. More than once Kermit has attempted to direct Forgetful Jones in a movie. You can see Kermit at his most frustrated when Forgetful has to sing the theme song to Oklahoma in this fan-favorite, truly classic example of Richard Hunt's ridiculousness and Jim Henson's almost broken attempt to keep from laughing.

Kermit and the Sesame Street Kids
There are multiple examples on Sesame Street of a Muppet playing the straight man to whatever child they are talking to. One example would be Herry Monster and John John. But, perhaps, the absolute best example is Kermit with a girl named Joey, who, when singing "The Alphabet Song," kept bringing up Cookie Monster, pushing Kermit to leave... but then bringing him back in the most adorable way ever conceived.

Kermit and Fozzie
As host of The Muppet Show, Kermit was basically the straight man to just about anybody that appeared, Muppet or guest star. One of the best combinations was Kermit and Fozzie: the Hope and Crosby of the Muppet world; best friends. Kermit is relatively patient with Fozzie, and keeps trying to help him succeed... but even his best friend the bear can push the frog over the limit. Moments such as "Good Grief, the Comedian's a Bear," Fozzie trying to negotiate with the help of Irving Bizarre, Fozzie after group therapy, and countless other examples illustrate the frustrating, hilarious, and unbelievably fulfilling (for both of them) relationship that Kermit and Fozzie share.

Kermit and Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy rose from being a recurring character to being a lead in just about a year after her debut. She was soon overshadowing Fozzie, which just goes to show the only person who can really upstage Frank Oz, is Frank Oz. Besides having a dynamic like a comedic duo, Kermit and Piggy are also sparring partners. They actually have a relationship similar to some of the pairs in romantic comedies in the 1930's and 1940's, such as Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Though I doubt Katherine Hepburn ever karate-chopped Spencer Tracy (although I bet she was more than capable of it).

The next time you are watching a Muppet project, and one of the characters is making you laugh, don't forget the straight man character who helped make that possible. I've barely scratched the surface here. Tell me, fellow Muppet fans, who are your favorite Muppet straight men?

Check out our Great Muppet Straight Men Playlist on YouTube!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Sesame Street Season 42, Episode Recap: Week 5

2012-01-02T11:51:00.000-06:00

Sesame Street Season 42

Episode Recap: Week 5

Shane Keating – Happy New Year’s Eve, everybody! Here’s another overview of this week’s new Sesame Street episodes!

EPISODE 4275 – SUPER MARIA

123 Sesame Street is in desperate need of repairs and Gordon has a hard time keeping up with them. He refuses to get a superintendent, but eventually lets Maria help him fix things and hires her as the super.

This street story had a definite classic feel. The focus on the humans (Susan makes an appearance!) and the use of classic characters (Big Bird, The Count, Super Grover) made this one a winner. And I still have "Together We Can Get Things Done" in my head.

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Oscar is somehow roped into a lecture on the word "stubborn" with Nicole Kidmen. Seriously, the non-Elmo Word of the Day segments are way funnier than the ones with Elmo and an animal or two.
Film: Can you find the letter V? Here's a hint: It’s a tree!
Abby's Flying Fairy School: Blögg's sludge balls fall into the school's water pool, so the students turn into fish and use their five senses to locate them. I can't believe they missed an opportunity to make a "herring" pun.
"Change the World" re-aired. I enjoy it enough, but I'd much rather they re-used something that wasn’t already played this season.
Cartoon: Toolbox Tedd repairs a robot.

EPISODE 4276 – THE FLOOD

Ernie and Bert stay with Gordon and Susan due a flood in the basement of 123. Meanwhile, Oscar bothers Maria and Luis while they try to fix the pipes.

What an age we live in; a street story without Elmo and instead Ernie and Bert, Oscar, Gordon, Susan, Maria and Luis. Now that’s a cast! It was a great street story that makes me wish Steve could be around for the show more often.

New Segments and Other Highlights:

John Krasinski and Murray show what "soggy" is. Hooray for a punchline!
Murray’s science experiments return. Today, he and the kids make a Rube Goldberg-esque contraption to get balls in a bucket.
No other new segments. Boo.

EPISODE 4277 – FALLING LEAVES

In the garden, Stinky the Stinkweed is buried by the autumn leaves. Elmo, Rosita, Chris and Leela find out which tree they're falling from and how to protect him from them.

This was alright, not as good as the other ones this week though. Stinky was super funny despite that. I'm not gonna lie though, I didn't care for the "Deciduous" song.

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Ken Jeong and Elmo explain what "deciduous" means. I'll admit, I never even heard of this word before. Good for Sesame Street for teaching me something to this day!
Murray and the kids make twirlers that will be able to fly.
Abby's Flying Fairy School: While learning about opposites, Blögg accidentally casts an opposite spell on himself, making him a dapper, proper and behaved troll-fairy. I’m pretty sure this is the last new one of this season. Hopefully, if the segment continues to next season, they make just as many (or more) new episodes.
Super Grover 2.0: A squirrel's shelf topples over, so Super Grover helps find a way to attach it to the tree. As glad as I am to see a new one after a series of repeats, I miss Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures.
Film: Kids in Africa recite a chant called "Shake Shake That Mango Tree." Reminded me of some mid-90's films they used to play.

I’ll see you in a few weeks with some of the last few episodes of the season. Happy New Year!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

The Muppet Year in Review, 2011

2011-12-31T14:24:00.001-06:00

Ryan Dosier - It's happened again... another year has come to an end. He were are the end of another one--a year so different from previous that it's crazy. This year we were treated to a brand new theatrical Muppet movie, The Muppets, for the first time in a dozen years. The Muppets have never been more all over the place than they were this year, and even we had trouble keeping up with it all. Here's our attempt to highlight all of the major Muppet-related events of 2011 in one simple swoop!

January -

The Muppets Shut Down Hollywood Boulevard, Jan. 13 - Our first glimpse of the incredible effort being put into The Muppets came when we saw over 100 Muppets and 200 dancers take over Hollywood Boulevard for a massive number for not one, but two nights. Even then, we still didn't really know how big it would be.
Uncle Deadly is Confirmed for The Muppets, Jan. 20 - And he simultaneously returns us to 1976 and makes us realize that James Bobin is fantastic.
The Muppet Mindset Interviews Kevin Clash and Elmo, Jan. 25 - Still our only interview with a Muppet... and probably the best interview we've done. Thank you, Kevin!
Cameos for The Muppets Pile Up all month long. We attempt a Great Muppet Cameo Rundown but it changes and changes almost weekly... so it doesn't exactly work. Except now it's finished and we know everything already.

February -

Toy Story Short Confirmed to Play in Front of The Muppets, Feb. 3 - That short turned out to be "Small Fry" and it did indeed play in front of The Muppets. Muppets and Pixar... a dream come true.
Cee Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow Sing "Forget You" with Henson Company Puppets, Feb. 13 - Not Muppets, alright? What's the difference... erm... do you have a lawyer? This could get complicated.

March -

Jason Segel and Amy Adams Visit CinemaCon to Talk About The Muppets, March 29 - They showed clips and talked about the movie and gave a million interviews afterwards... and, everywhere, Muppet fans grumbled about not being there.

April -

New York Times Writes Article About The Muppets, April 9 - Some of the facts aren't right... it didn't say much we didn't already know... but it had some great quotes and got us more excited. Job well done.
Muppet Vinylmation Series 2 Released, April 15 - Somewhere, a Muppet fan flipped out over being able to own a Waldo C. Graphic toy.

May -

Kermit the Frog Turns 56, May 9 - Funny, he doesn't look a day over 47.
Kermit Interviews at Pirates of the Caribbean Premiere, May 10 - How is this the first time Kermit has talked to Johnny Depp? Also... when can we sign Geoffrey Rush on for the next Muppet movie?
Teaser Poster for The Muppets Revealed, May 14 - They were closer than we thought... and I assume they still are. They might even be closer now.
First Trailer for The Muppets Plays Before Pirates, May 20 - Muppet fans everywhere debate whether or not to go see a fourth Pirates movie just for three minutes of Muppet glory... and most of them do.
"Green With Envy" Parody Trailer Released Online, May 23 - This was probably the biggest day of 2011, for me. It set the stage for everything that was yet to come. It still blows me away.
"The Fuzzy Pack" Parody Trailer Released Online, May 26 - Two parody trailers in as many days almost made our heads explode. It's that the main scene featured here was cut from the movie... but it built the hype for the movie so well it almost didn't need to be in it.

June -

"Being Green" Parody Trailer Released Online, June 16 - The third parody trailer for The Muppets was the best one yet and put Kermit and the gang in action hero roles... sort of. I still sort of wish the movie was in Swedish (but not really).
First Full-Length Trailer for The Muppets Released Online, June 18 - Another week where two trailers came in two days--we were really spoiled this year, Muppet fans. This first trailer gave us some insight to the actual feel of the movie, and not a parody therein. Plus, we meet 80's Robot and Miss Poogy.

July -

Sesame Street Spoofs DVD Released, July 5 - "Miami Mice" never looked so good! Plus, we can all Smell Like a Monster anytime we want.
The Muppets International Posters Revealed Online, July 11 - Floyd Pepper is snubbed on the poster... a trend which will unfortunately continue. Thankfully, Zoot was in the forefront for the first time ever.
Threadless Hosts a Muppet T-Shirt Design Contest, month long - Somehow, Jamie Carroll's spectacular "Muppetational Mosaic" design got second... I still demand a recount!
Sam Eagle Parodies Captain America, July 22 - And he did it both patriotically and normally.
Official Poster and Theater Standee for The Muppets Revealed Online, July 27 - Never before had more Muppets been held up by less people. (Thanks, Photoshop!)

August -

The Muppet Mindset Interviews Jerry Nelson, Aug. 5 - Technically this began in 2010... but it came to a wonderful close in 2011 with Part 4 of our interview series with the legend that is Jerry Nelson.
100 Days Until The Muppets Countdown Begins, Aug. 14 - Lucas Ervin brought us 100 different clips from The Muppet Show in his countdown to The Muppets. Yes, "Mahna Mahna" was included.
D23 Expo Showcases The Muppets, Jim Henson, Aug. 19-20 - Jim Henson became a Disney Legend, Kermit and Rowlf sang "Rainbow Connection," and two clips from the movie were shown. Plus, Ryan met Steve Whitmire and Eric Jacobson... win.
The Muppets: The Green Album Released, Aug. 22 - Who knew that "Our World" from Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas was just begging to be covered by My Morning Jacket?
The Muppets and OK Go Make a Music Video for "The Muppet Show Theme Song," Aug. 22 - Honestly? This single music video was better than anything between 2005 and 2007.
Animal and OK Go Perform on The Tonight Show, Aug. 31 - Animal was more realistic than Jay Leno!

September -

The Muppet Mindset Interviews Matt Vogel (Again), Sept. 2 - It's nice to know that Matt isn't tired of us (yet).
"The Pig With the Froggy Tattoo" Parody Trailer Released Online, Sept. 15 - It was a lot more than just a pig with body art! So many shots and screencaps, our breakdown of the trailer took two parts!
Commercials for The Muppets Begin on TV, Sept. 18/year long - The very first television promotion aired during the Emmys broadcast, and continued with spots during Glee, Modern Family, Community, and everything else.
The Internet Celebrates Jim Henson's 75th Birthday, Sept. 24 - For the first time, The Muppet Mindset hits over 3,000 visitors in one day. Thank you, Jim... for everything.
Sesame Street Season 42 Begins on PBS, Sept. 26 - 42 and still counting! Spider-Monster, "G," a Bert and Ernie street story... a great season was had by all.
Kermit the Frog Promotes Pistachios on TV, month long - In the first real commercial promoting The Muppets, Kermit shills (and shells) for the nuts he's nuts for!

October -

Miss Piggy Guests on So Random!, Oct. 2 - It pained me to watch the Disney kids... but Miss Piggy was a saving grace--at always. (And this time she didn't pay me to say it.) (At least not all of it.)
The Muppet Fan-A-Thon Begins, Oct. 3 - In their effort to reach a bazillion "likes" on Facebook, the Muppets begin begging everyone and tempting them with promises they may not keep.
The Muppets Tell You to Shut Up in AMC Theaters, Oct. 10 - In one of the many, many videos in the Muppets-advertising-things category, Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Pepe, Animal, Swedish Chef, and Big Mean Carl take over an AMC Theater and talk to a banana, text, microwave, and drum.
Second Full Length Trailer for The Muppets Released Online, Oct. 13 - We get our first glimpse of The Muppet Barbershop Quartet... including Link Hogthrob. Many wonder if it really is 2011 or if 1979 was happening all over again.
Rowlf the Dog Gets Interviewed by Yamaha, Oct. 14 - And I quote, "It's a howling good time. Don't bother barking at this one, just read it!"
Miss Piggy Gets a Photo Spread in InStyle Magazine, Oct. 20 - She's never looked better! (She did pay me to say that one.)
Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Rowlf Drive with Alamo, Oct. 24 - Rowlf's tongue becomes a star in its own right--and that's nothing to spit at!
The Final Parody Trailer for The Muppets Released Online, Oct. 27 - "Breaking Prawn," "Fuss in Boots," "Abnormal Activity," and a Muppet version of Happy Feet become more desirable than the things they're parodying.
The Muppets Take Over WWE Raw, Oct. 31 - Wrestling fans and Muppet fans take a moment to bond... and then someone threw a chair and it all went south.
The Muppets Take Over Wired Magazine, November Issue - Janice gets tangled in ear buds, Sam Eagle eats spaghetti, and Jason Segel dresses like Beaker... what more do you need?
Being Elmo Documentary Takes Over Theaters, year long - The great team at Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey put the film in numerous theaters all around the United States. Unfortunately, Elmo couldn't be at every screening.
WeLoveFine T-Shirts Hosts Muppet Design Contest, month long - More t-shirts, more Muppets, more money being spent!

November -

Kermit the Frog Graces the Cover of Entertainment Weekly, Nov. 4 - The only amphibian on the cover in 2011!
The Cast of The Muppets Gives Interviews, Nov. 7 - Walter begs Disney for The Muppet Show Seasons 4 and 5 on DVD, name-drops Palisades Toys, and solidifies himself as a favorite of Muppet fans everywhere.
The Electric Mayhem Gets Interviewed, Nov. 7 - In what was possibly the best-written Muppet interview of the year, Dr. Teeth and the band make their triumphant return. Just brilliant.
Kermit, Piggy, Walter, Jason Segel, James Bobin, and Nicholas Stoller Hangout with Google +, Nov. 8 - It was cute... it was jumpy... it was Google +, which is pretty pointless. But still fun!
Ryan Dosier Sees The Muppets Cast and Crew Screening, Nov. 10 - Ryan meets Peter Linz (the nicest guy ever), James Bobin (also painfully nice), and sees the freaking movie. He walks on air for six days afterwards.
The Muppet Mindset Reviews The Muppets, Nov. 11 - Spoiler: It was great.
Ryan Dosier Goes to the World Premiere, After Party of The Muppets, and Dancing With the Stars, Nov. 12 - Jason Segel says he reads The Muppet Mindset, Amy Adams is gorgeous, the Muppeteers and Muppet Wives are the greatest people on earth, and Ryan nearly passes out 40 times.
Disney Twenty-Three Magazine Spotlights The Muppets, Nov. 15 - And you thought magazines were a dying medium...
The Muppets Perform on Dancing With the Stars, Nov. 15 - Walter's first TV appearance has him singing, dancing, and whistling up a storm. That little guy can do it all!
Jason Segel Hosts Saturday Night Live, The Muppets Crash It, Nov. 19 - I have to assume that the Muppets are still upset that they didn't get to host... but Jason did do a nice job.
The Muppets Original Soundtrack Released, Nov. 21 - I still can't (and don't want to) get "Life's a Happy Song" out of my head!
The Muppets is Released in U.S. Theaters, Nov. 23 - Everything was great, everything was grand.
The Muppets, Jason Segel, Amy Adams Appear Everywhere, month long - There were barely enough talk shows to contain them all!
Disney Store Begins Selling Pepe, Walter Plush Dolls, year long - I've never been happier to own a doll of a shrimp and a guy in a blue suit.

December -

Walter Geeks Out on CNN, Dec. 7 - Walter mentions The Muppet Mindset in his interview... and becomes my best friend for life.
The Muppets Gets Nominated for Four Critics Choice Awards, Dec. 14 - They haven't won them yet... but they'll probably get at least one.
USA Today Names The Muppets the #1 People of 2011, Dec. 22 - I agree completely! Even though most of them aren't actually "people." (Although I guess they are below the waist.)
Muppets Poised to Take Over Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship, Dec. 22 - A brand new interactive Muppet game available only on the cruise! Start saving now, kids.
Kermit, Robin, and Jimmy Fallon Sing "When the River Meets the Sea," Dec. 23 - Jimmy Fallon: A Muppet's best friend.

And... that's a year! Good grief, what a year it's been for the Muppets! They've taken over everything and seem to have found their way back into pop culture... I sincerely hope they'll secure that position and hold it through 2012 and beyond.

It's also been an incredible year for me, personally (as frequent readers will know). I've got no words for it... other than unreal. It's all thanks to you, the fans of The Muppet Mindset, who keep me going day after day that everything that happened to me was possible. So thank you for that, happy new year, and I hope you've enjoyed this look back at 2011, the Year of the Muppet!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

What Muppet Fans Got for Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T13:28:00.000-06:00

What Muppet Fans Got for Christmas 2011

Ryan Dosier - Christmas has come and gone, 2012 is almost here... and we're showing off the Christmas gifts that Muppet fans like you (yes, you) received this year! We had an avalanche of emails with lists and lists of Muppet things fans got. Here's a brief rundown of just some of the things Muppet fans got... there were far too many individual things to list every single thing, but these were the most received by the most people.

The Muppets Original Soundtrack was the most widely received gift across the board. Over half of the people who emailed me got this as a gift--and they surely loved it!
Disney Store Muppet Plush were given to almost as many people. Kermit was the one who got given the most, followed by Walter, Animal, and Piggy. But the Fozzie, Gonzo, Rizzo, and Beaker plush were given a lot as well. Not many got Pepe, though... I guess he sold out faster than we thought.
The Green Album
Various Muppet DVDs including The Muppet Show Seasons 1-3, The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, Muppet Treasure Island, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, and more were given quite a lot--probably because Disney filled the stores with them this holiday season. Some folks also received Muppets From Space and The Muppets Take Manhattan on Blu-ray.
Muppet Vinylmation Figures were gotten by a few people, mostly the 9 inch figures of Tourist Kermit, Animal, Gonzo, and Sam Eagle--probably because they're the easiest to find on the Disney Store website.
The Muppets Books were bought quite a lot. The Junior Novel, the Theater Set, the Sticker Book, and all the others were distributed to many Muppet fans.
The Muppets: A Green and Red Christmas Album (2011 re-issue)
Muppet T-shirts from Threadless, Target, K-Mart, Wal-Mart and a ton of other places. There are a lot of Muppet shirts out there right now.
Muppet Socks
Muppet Boxers
Muppet Monopoly
Muppet Yahtzee
2012 Muppet Movie Parody Calendar

And so, so many more things. It was a very Muppety Christmas for many folks out there. But that's not all! Below we have the coolest gifts... rare, homemade, one of a kind, or just plain special items received by some of our readers. There are some really, really awesome items here, so enjoy!!

Bret Hansen was a very good boy this year, as Santa brought him the very rare 1983 Kermit the Frog telephone! I would never use any other phone again if I had this. Lucky duck!

Friend of the blog, Joel Swanson, received this awesome Muppet Snuggie featuring Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, and Animal! I love the design used here. And Joel's expression is priceless in this picture. It's a win-win!

Santa was possibly the best to Robert Hearn, who received this absolutely amazing record signed by JIM HENSON and Kermit the Frog! I have know idea where he found this, but I'm amazed and I want one. Just spectacular.

Lauren Grant got a really cool homemade blanket with some fabric that I've never seen before. It looks like the usual gang is on there, plus Beaker and Rizzo, which is awesome! I'd cover up with that!

A personalized Whatnot from FAO Schwarz went to Sean Jones. Now he has a new doppelganger to send to parties--they've even go the same jacket!

Lucy Parat and her whole family got three different Kermit hats! They match perfectly--as you can see in the picture--and it's awesome that there are so many different Kermit hat selections out there.

This beautiful, hand carved wooden piece was made for Jeremy Wilcox to spotlight his favorite Muppets, Gonzo, Kermit, and Scooter. Personal and homemade... what Christmas gifts should be!

Jim Windisch and his family had these great homemade Muppet Christmas stockings hanging over their fireplace this Christmas. I love the Kermit one... but Fozzie is a close second. I'm going to need one of these for next year.

Huge special thanks to everyone who sent us lists of what they got for Christmas... Bret Hansen, John Sheehan, Joel Swanson, Beth Kondrick, William Jardine, Robert Hearn, Lauren Grant, Sean Jones, Logan McQueary, Noah Ginex, Nall Lokie, Shane Keating, Julia Gaskill, Lucy Parat, Paul Liadis, Frederic Fontus, Jeremy Wilcox, Joe Vassalotti, Gavan Sullivan, Michael Verdi, Maxwell Jessop, Frank Scuderi, Darrin Granter, Bert Goldsnider, and Jim Windisch. You guys are the best!! We've never had such a great response! We'll be doing things like this more often from now on!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Dr. Julius Strangepork

2011-12-28T11:42:00.001-06:00

Today's post was written by Maxwell Jessop. If you would like to submit a Weekly Muppet Wednesdays post, contact Ryan Dosier at ryguy102390@gmail.com!

DR. JULIUS STRANGEPORK

Performed by...
Jerry Nelson (1977-1999)
Matt Vogel (2009-present)

First appearance...
The Muppet Show Episode 203: Milton Berle (1977)

Most recent appearance...
The Muppets (2011)

Best known role...
Resident scientist and inventor on the S.S. Swinetrek

WHO IS DR. JULIUS STRANGEPORK?
Dr. Julius Strangepork is the elderly pig scientist aboard the S.S. Swinetrek in the popular recurring sketch "Pigs in Space" on The Muppet Show. His jobs on the ship range from routine repair work to offering diagnostics on planets. Strangepork also made several odd inventions that, unintentionally, backfire on the crew.

The German-accented swine, while mostly appearing in "Pigs in Space" sketches, appeared in other places as well. He appeared as a rural-accented smoker in the chorus of "Cigarettes and Whiskey" with Peter Sellers, as Fritz, a murdered director in the murder mystery plot in the Liza Minnelli episode, and frequently appeared onstage as a pig chorus member.

Aside from his roles on The Muppet Show, Strangepork made non-speaking cameos in many of the Muppet movies. In The Muppet Christmas Carol, he did have a speaking role, as one of Nephew Fred’s party guests. He was also seen in animated form on the short-lived Little Muppet Monsters series during the Pigs in Space segments.

On Muppets Tonight, Strangepork made an appearance in another pig-themed sketch, "Bay of Pigswatch," as a beach commissioner. He was credited in this sketch as a "special guest." Following this, Strangepork faded to obscurity, much like Link Hogthrob. Though, in 2009, he made a silent comeback in the viral YouTube video, "Bohemian Rhapsody." This marked his first appearance in over a decade. In addition to the video, Strangepork was featured in every issue of The Muppet Show Comic Book and also was seen in The Muppets.

In 2003, Palisades Toys released an action figure of Dr. Strangepork in Series 4 of their Muppets action figure line. Much later, in 2011, Disney Parks released a Vinylmation figure of Dr. Strangepork in their Muppets Series 2 line of collectible Vinyl figures. A no longer used puppet of Strangepork currently resides at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside Link Hogthrob.

PIGS IN SPACE MOMENTS WITH DR. JULIUS STRANGEPORK
Here is a list of Strangepork's starring or standout roles in "Pigs in Space."

Strangepork activates the Electric Toaster (Episode 303: Roy Clark)
Strangepork invents the Disolvatron (Episode 307: Alice Cooper)
Strangepork switches bodies with Janice (Episode 314: Harry Belafonte)
Strangepork makes an invisible pill (Episode 324: Cheryl Ladd)

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED DR. JULIUS STRANGEPORK?
Why do the Muppets need Dr. Strangepork? Well, for starters, Pigs in Space is probably the most memorable sketch from The Muppet Show. So what is Pigs in Space without their scientist? He provides wacky inventions, helps when Link is too dumb (which is almost always), and makes the Swinetrek just the slightest bit more civilized. So, long paragraph short, the Muppets need Strangepork to help out at the Swinetrek.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Happy New Year (Not Quite Yet)

2011-12-27T17:09:00.017-06:00

Hello.

I do not know when I will get a chance like this again, so I am going to post quickly while it is still 2011 and hope that its the thought that counts (and not the days that are counted). Your regular host, Ryan, has fallen asleep on his keyboard after what appears to be much Christmas partying (recognisable by the paper hat on his head, the faint odour of Turkey, and the fact he is wearing an utterly ridiculous Christmas jumper...goodness...who knew there was knitwear so ugly...Hmm...perhaps someone gifted it to him...)

ANYWAY! As he has fallen asleep, I have snuck through the skylight on a rope made out of the lime green stockings that I had to wear as an undercover Elf and safety executive at the North Pole where I was checking in on the production of Muppet Bobble Heads for next year's Christmas stockings (which I realize is a very elaborate explanation for the reason that I was wearing lime green stockings in the first place, but probably still not believable...so...let's just go with it).

ANYWAY, as previously established, I have dropped into Ryan's room and nudged him aside so that I can quickly write all you marvelous Muppet fans a quick New Year's message from the United Kingdom (and suburbs of the same).

The Muppets themselves will be one thing connecting 2011 and 2012 in a unique way this year as the release of their movie on this side of the pond (UK direction) will not be until after the ball drops on your side of the pond (USA direction). For that reason alone, I already know that 2012 is going to be a great year for me (maybe my best yet!) and I hope that it will be a simply fantastic year for everyone else as well (Note: I realize also that this post seems far too cheerful for something to have been posted by TBC, but what can I say? This has been one of my favourite Christmases ever, what with receiving Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas on DVD, seeing John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together online and receiving more Animal Muppet mugs than I will ever need to drink out of from people who felt the Miss Piggy mugs were too pink for me).

ANYWAY, the end of 2011 brought us so much in the way of TV appearances, internet releases, and special merchandising throughout America, and I am sure this will continue well into 2012, so we will all have plenty of goodies to look forward to in the upcoming year!

On the downside, one of my new year's resolutions is to give up chocolate. So, yeah. That's it for cheerful TBC. Coming January the 1st, the grumpy, site-stealing, Moopet loving, villian reviewing, never-contraction-using, Big Mean Carl analysing, stiff-upper-lipped British Correspondent will be back...

Until then, I hope your Christmas was Merry and Happy, etc, and that you will have a SUPPER DOOPER AWESOME FANTASTIC FABULOUS New Year!!!

- TBC

(P.S. These fireworks remind me of Kermit crossed with Mickey Mouse...)

Muppet Fans: What Did YOU Get for Christmas?

2011-12-27T17:05:00.000-06:00

Ryan Dosier - Greetings, Muppet fans! Well, here we are, one of the saddest days of the year... December 27th. Why is it so sad? Because Christmas is long gone, and New Years is still a few days away. There is nothing too extraordinary about December 27th. (Apologies if your birthday is on December 27th--and Happy Birthday!! Where's the cake?) As you've probably observed, it's been rather difficult to keep up with our one article a day routine in this dull and busy (don't ask how that works) time of the year... Thus, I turn to you for assistance!

We hear at The Muppet Mindset want to know the answer to a burning, itching (should probably see a doctor about that) question... What did YOU, the Muppet fan community, get for Christmas [or other wintery holiday]?!

Simply send us a list (to ryguy102390@gmail.com) of all the Muppet stuff you received this year. We'll compile this list into an article, and post it for all the world to see! I'm very interested to see just how many people got The Muppets Soundtrack, Disney Store plushes, and other goodies. But what I'm most interested in, is any creative, personal Muppet gifts given to you (or by you, I guess) this year. We Muppet fans are a creative bunch, so there's bound to be some fun stuff out there to showcase... I'll even show off some of the awesome stuff I got!

So... send me a list, I'll check it twice, find out who got The Muppets Soundtrack thrice (guilty), and post it here on Friday, December 30th! So get your emails to me by midnight of the 29th and this business will be in business! Thanks, Muppet fans!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

(Kind of) Weekly Muppet Quotes - Christmas Spotlight Part 2

2011-12-26T11:44:00.000-06:00

Casey Daron - Happy Holidays! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Today I will be spotlighting a Muppet Christmas classic, The Muppet Christmas Carol! Here's your last present for the day, one that doesn't even need to be wrapped!

"At this time in the proceedings, it is a tradition for me to make a little speech."

"And it’s a tradition for us to take a nap!"
~ Fozziwig and Jacob Marley

"You're a little absent-minded, spirit."

"No, I'm a LARGE absent-minded spirit!"
~ Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present

"We were always heckling you."

"It's good to be heckling again."

"It's good to be doing anything again!"

~ Jacob and Robert Marley

"There are two things in this life I hate: heights, and jumping from them."

"Too late now. Come on, I'll catch you."

"God save my broken body!"

~ Rizzo the Rat and Charles Dickens (The Great Gonzo)

"Oh, wait, I forgot my jellybeans!"
"You can fit through those bars?"
"Yeah."
"You are such an idiot."
~ Rizzo the Rat and Charles Dickens (The Great Gonzo)

"Rats don't understand these things."

"You were never a lonely child?"

"I had twelve hundred and seventy four brothers and sisters."

"Boy! Rats don't understand these things!"
~ Rizzo the Rat and Charles Dickens (The Great Gonzo)

"Boomerang fish! Throw the fish A-WAY... and it comes back to me! Get 'em while they're fresh!"
~ Lew Zealand

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Merry Christmas from The Muppet Mindset!

2011-12-25T13:43:00.000-06:00

From All of Us To All of You,

Have a Merry Christmas

and a Happy Holidays Too!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Robin and Kermit on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

2011-12-24T12:10:00.001-06:00

Lisa Alexander - Merry Christmas, everybody! Or Christmas Eve, anyway, which is close enough. Lisa the Intern here to celebrate the utterly adorable present we got from the Muppets and Jimmy Fallon last night: Kermit, Robin, and Jimmy singing "When the River Meets the Sea."

If you haven't seen it, you need to. But maybe don't watch it until you've finished reading, because otherwise you'll be melted into a puddle of goop and won't be able to read. (Yes, I'm biased. Robin has always been my favorite. But that's beside the point.)

Now, the first thing you may notice about this appearance is that Robin's voice is a only slightly off. That's to be expected, what with Matt Vogel trying to do a VERY Jerry Nelson voice, and I really don't mind it at all. Matt's doing his best (and it's pretty darn good), and the characterization is SPOT ON, which is what really matters. And Robin hasn't spoken in a very long time, and I'm really too happy to have him back to really be overly nit-picky. (But mostly, the perfect characterization makes up for anything.)

The second thing you may notice about this appearance is that IT EXISTS! Kermit the Frog and ROBIN--note, one of the more MINOR characters--is singing a song with Jimmy Fallon on a late night talk show in 2011. I had such a hard time believing it that I keep making the same typo and trying to say that this is happening in 2001. There is no doubt in my mind that Jimmy Fallon himself had a huge hand in making this happen, and not just because it's his own show. He could have easily said, "Hey, let's get some Muppets here and sing something!" because we all know he loves the Muppets. But I suspect he specifically requested to sing "When the River Meets the Sea" with Kermit and Robin. Or, also likely, he requested to sing with Robin, and Disney said, "Well... nobody knows who Robin is. Mind if we send Kermit, too?"

My reason for suspecting he specifically requested Robin? Well, as he explained last night, he's always loved the album the Muppets did with John Denver. (Remember when he sang "Twelve Days of Christmas" with them, based entirely on the rendition they did with John Denver?) And when The Roots started to play "When the River Meets the Sea," he immediately told Kermit it's his favorite. Add those to the obvious fact that Jimmy Fallon knows who Robin is: when they sang "Twelve Days of Christmas," Robin sat on Jimmy's shoulder. (Have I mentioned I'm incredibly jealous of Jimmy?) Earlier in the week, when telling the audience who would be appearing on upcoming episodes of his show, Jimmy was trying to explain who Robin is. "Robin, you know--the little guy?" he said, holding his hands out to indicate Robin's approximate size, clearly excited that he would be performing with "the little guy." (Like I said... I'm SO jealous.)

As I mentioned, Robin's characterization was perfect. Matt may not have the voice quite down yet, but he clearly knows Robin's personality perfectly. He's five years old and RIDICULOUSLY excited for Christmas, imitating his uncle's signature "YAY" in celebration of the fact. Twice. And his scarf is adorable. He's also incredibly excited to perform and sing, and trying his best to be just as professional about it as his uncle: note his "Thank you" when Kermit compliments him on the first line.

And that reminds me--Kermit was great last night, too, clearly bursting with pride for his little nephew. And, y'know, his voice and characterization were great and all that other stuff we all know Steve Whitmire is perfectly capable of doing again and again. We all love Kermit. And Kermit loves Robin. And Lisa the Intern is very, very happy, to put it mildly. I lost track of how many times I watched this clip last night.

And speaking of the clip... now it's your turn! YAAAAAAAAAY!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

News Update: December 22, 2011

2011-12-22T13:22:00.000-06:00

NEWS UPDATE: December 22, 2011

USA Today's Pop Candy Blog has named The Muppets the #1 People of 2011!! In their annual "100 People of [Insert Year Here]" countdown, The Muppets beat out the likes of superstars Oprah, Melissa McCarthy, Tina Fey, Adelle, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone to take the #1 spot. As the website says, "1. The Muppets. OK, so they're not human. They often wear no pants. But who cares? Our furry friends made a welcome comeback this year, partly thanks to the talented Jason Segel. Here's hoping we see more of Kermit, Animal, Gonzo and company in the years to come." This is a huge win for the Muppets. Being named the most welcome entertainers of 2011 by one of the biggest news outlets in the country? Nothing wrong with that.

The Muppets Studio and Disney have created a brand new interactive application on Facebook called Muppet Messenger. The cool new feature allows you to send a video and text message to your friends' Facebook walls featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, or Bunsen and Beaker. You can provide a personalized message to your friends complete with video of their favorite Muppet! For the holidays, you can add lights and snow, but you can also have a basic message which hints that this feature will stick around for awhile!

Friend of the blog Jacquie Coe, owner/operator of JacquieLongLegs.com, has sent us a link to her latest craft project: making a Kermit the Frog sleep mask! The instructions are simple, the result is great, and your eyes and dreams will thank you. I love the use of ping pong balls for eyes... what else would you use, after all? This would also make a great, easy, cheap Christmas gift for the Muppet fan in your family! Bonus points if you make a Kermit collar to go with it.

Last week Oscar the Grouch appeared on NBC's special A Michael Bublé Christmas (don't worry, I didn't watch it either) where he performed with the titular Michael. As always, Caroll Spinney is magnificent as the grouch as he heckles the cheeriness of the season throughout the song. Check out the video, discovered by our friends at ToughPigs.com, below!

Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller recently sat down with the LA Times to discuss writing for the Muppets and The Muppets. The video included features the two writers talking about various plots they worked through, including the often-referenced Walter as a ventriloquist dummy plot, and some new information about multiple oil barons trying to destroy the Muppets. It's confusing, and I'm so glad they revised the script, but it's incredibly intriguing to hear about what could have been.

Finally, in major awesome production news, the Muppets have created a brand new interactive adventure game for Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship, set to launch next year. The Muppets "The Case of the Stolen Show" Interactive Game features the Muppets as they lose all of their favorite belongings, and its up to you (and Kermit and Pepe and more) to solve the mystery! To read all about the game, check out SitchKingdom.com and their press release. But for a hilarious behind the scenes video featuring Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Camilla, Beauregard, Rowlf, and Pepe at his finest, look below!

And don't forget that the Muppets will be appearing on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC TOMORROW, December 23rd! It was previously announced that Kermit and Robin will be appearing to sing "When the River Meets the Sea," but that is subject to change... but my fingers are absolutely crossed that the two frogs will be there!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Rugby Tiger

2011-12-21T10:54:00.001-06:00

Today's Weekly Muppet Wednesdays article was written by Maxwell Jessop.

RUGBY TIGER

Performed by...
Dave Goelz

First appearance...
The Christmas Toy (1986)

Most recent appearance...
The Secret Life of Toys Episode 113: "Who Shares Wins/It's a Giveaway" (1994)

Best known role...
Conceited tiger toy

Best friend...
Mew

WHO IS RUGBY TIGER?
Rugby Tiger is the adventurous toy tiger that starred in the 1986 TV special The Christmas Toy. In the special, Rugby was a relatively new toy who selfishly traveled to the living room in hopes of reprising his role as the toy inside Jamie, his owner's, box. Little did he know, there is a new toy in the box instead.

Rugby was often paired with Mew, an innocent mouse toy. Despite Rugby's criticism for being a "cat toy," Rugby truly loves Mew and expresses this feeling after Mew is frozen.

Eight years after the special, Rugby starred alongside his fellow toys in a short-lived Disney Channel series The Secret Life of Toys. In the show, we see his adventurous side and see his relationship with the other characters build.

In the final episode, Episode 113: "Who Shares Wins/It's a Giveaway," Rugby was going to be donated to a children's hospital. He had mixed emotions about leaving, but, in the end, Jamie's dad decides to keep Rugby.

RUGBY EPISODES
Instead of songs or moments, I've listed Rugby's starring episodes in the 13-episode run of The Secret Life of Toys.

Episode 105: "Climbers/Be Plush"
Episode 106: "Ditz and Datz/Mummies"'
Episode 109: "Down with Dinkybeard/Mr. & Mrs. Rugby"
Episode 113: "Who Shares Wins/It's a Giveaway"

WHY DOES THE SECRET LIFE OF TOYS NEED RUGBY TIGER?
Well, Rugby brings a fun atmosphere to the playroom just as other toys do! And even though he's sometimes conceited, Rugby is a very helpful toy who really loves his friends and the children. They need Rugby because he is deep down the friendliest toy of all.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Interview with Muppet Writer Joseph Bailey

2011-12-20T14:01:00.001-06:00

Interview with Joseph Bailey

Conducted by Ryan Dosier

RYAN:   We’re very excited today to welcome longtime Muppet writer Joseph Bailey onto The Muppet Mindset! Joe is here to promote his book, Memoirs of a Muppets Writer. Joe has worked on Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, along with numerous albums, songs, and stage shows. But who better to hear it from than the man himself, Mister Joseph Bailey! Welcome to The Muppet Mindset, Joe!

BAILEY:   Thanks, Ryan.

RYAN:   I’m sure you discuss this in the book, but could you give us a brief synopsis of how you first got involved with Jim Henson and the Muppets?

BAILEY:   Well, that is in the book. I started my writing career as an advertising copywriter. I was actually a Mad Man in the 1960s with a closet full of continental suits and an office on Madison Avenue. Some time around 1970, the agency I was working for went out of business. We found that out one Monday morning when the staff showed up for work and the door was locked. Since advertising was in a slump, I made ends meet by tending bar and working on commercial film sets--a lot of my friends were in film and theatre.

One day I got a call from a woman in that crowd. She had gotten a job in Boston producing a children's show called, Jabberwocky and she needed writers. I wrote some audition material and they assigned me a script. Over the next couple of years I wrote about 50 scripts for Jabberwocky. But then the show ran its course and went out of production. (In the name of disclosure, I should tell you I eventually married that woman and she still thinks I’m a pretty good writer.)

Not knowing what else to do, I called Sesame Street, talked my way past the switchboard and got an interview with Bob Cunniff, who was then the show's producer. I wrote some audition material for Bob and was hired by Jon Stone, then Sesame Street’s Executive Producer.

RYAN:   What was the first major project you worked on?

BAILEY: I was signed first to a four script contract. So, I would have to say my first project was Sesame Street Show Number 571. Later, I was signed to a season contract.

RYAN:   Who were some of the other writers that you enjoyed working with?

BAILEY:   Well, Jon Stone was also the Head Writer when I joined Sesame Street and he also directed most of it. Later on, I wrote for Norman Styles when he became the Head Writer. But, unlike many shows today, Sesame Street wasn't written by committee. A writer was assigned a script for a particular day's show, and he or she was responsible for the entire show script. So, although there were many fine writers on the staff, like Emily Pearl Kingsley or Ray Sipherd, we didn't actually work together. Eventually, I did co-write a lot of stuff with Jon.

RYAN:   What about the Muppet performers? Did you get to work closely with any of them?

BAILEY:   Sure. The first four seasons I worked on Sesame Street, I wrote about 20 scripts a season. And, I made it a point to be in the studio whenever anything I wrote was being shot. So, I got to know the original Muppet guys from those years pretty well. I consider Carroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson, and Frank Oz to be close friends, as I did with Richard Hunt and, of course, Jim. Dave Goelz and I became friends when I joined The Muppet Show in 1977. Since Jerry and Richard also worked The Muppet Show, we spent a lot of time together in London.

RYAN:   Many of the writers I’ve talked to always have favorite Muppets to write for. Which characters did you most enjoy writing for on The Muppet Show?

BAILEY:   Since I'm probably an anarchist at heart, I always got a kick out of writing for Animal. I also have a soft spot in my head for Dave Goelz’s Gonzo. I wrote the Swedish Chef/lobster bit as part of my Muppet Show audition material. Of course, Piggy and Kermit's relationship was a constant source of material.

RYAN:   What about Sesame Street?

BAILEY:   Since Carroll Spinney, who plays Big Bird and Oscar, was available every day on Sesame Street, I wrote a lot of material for his characters. Carroll, quite simply, is a genius. I also liked writing for Cookie. Carroll once told me that when you create a puppet, you indicate how intelligent it is by how much cranium you give it. Big Bird has a pretty good sized brain. Of course, it is made of feathers. Cookie has no cranium at all. He's a mouth with eyes. He's pure id. I used him to show the kids that we were on their side--that they weren't the only ones who occasionally have an attack of, I gotta, gotta, gotta have it right now, now, now! Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

RYAN:   One of my personal favorite Christmas specials of all-time is Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. What was the best part of working on that special?

BAILEY: Not to bring it up again, but Christmas Eve takes up a whole chapter in the book. Jon Stone was Sesame Street in those days, He was my co-writer on the special. But he was also the Executive Producer and the Director. So, Jon had a lot of visuals in his head that he didn’t put into the script. He didn’t have to. So, a lot of the show was a surprise to me when I first saw it screened.

I was at the skating rink when we shot the opening. But I had no idea how beautifully it would turn out, including Oscar's never-ending fall/crash down the stairs. A bit of inside skinny--When Big Bird asks Oscar if he's okay, my original line was: "Sure. I've been thrown out of better places than that." I guess Jon considered it to be too adult, so the "Let's go back and do it, again!" line was dubbed in later.

I also wasn't around when he shot the interviews with the Muppets and the kids about how Santa gets down the chimney. That was pure magic. The "Keep Christmas With You" sign language song was also a surprise. Most of the main story line was written in collaboration. Most of the "heart" was Jon. I wrote the Cookie-writing-to-Santa scenes. When Cookie gets Santa on the phone, it's Jon Stone doing Santa's voice. Most people don't know that I wrote the Bert and Ernie/Gift of the Magi sequence for a Christmas album several years earlier.

I was just at a screening of Christmas Eve at the Museum of the Moving Image. It was great to see it on a big screen in front of a live audience. But it's a little weird to hear people finally laugh at jokes you wrote over 30 years ago. It was also bitter-sweet since so many people on the show are gone now.

RYAN:   You worked on quite a few Sesame Street music albums as well. Can you talk to us about the process that goes into working on an album for the show?

BAILEY: Well, the Bert and Ernie/Magi sequence was instigated in a record meeting when Jim said, "Let's do something on the Gift of the Magi." That was how Jim worked. He'd throw out a rough suggestion and let you run with it.

The Bert and Ernie SING-ALONG album just started with an idea from Jon Stone to do, well, a sing-along. I was watching a lot of the Marx Brothers in those days. So, an idea hit me to do a riff on the state room scene from A Night at the Opera. It started with Bert singing in the bathtub. Ernie hears him and decides the bathroom is a great place to sing because of the acoustics. So, he joins Bert in the bathroom--with his piano. As the album goes along, more and more of the people and Muppet cast come in and sing along--some with instruments, like a bass fiddle and some by motorcycle like Herry Monster. Since a record album is basically a radio show, I could make it as outrageous as I wanted. And then, Jon liked it so much we did a video version of it on Sesame Street. That was quite a production!

RYAN:   One of the other challenging aspects of writing for The Muppet Show was writing for the various guest stars on the show. How much input did the various stars have on the material written for them?

BAILEY: Jim Henson was a very cordial man and that cordiality permeated The Muppet Show. So, before we started a script, Head Writer, Jerry Juhl, would call the guest star and ask them what they wanted to do. Usually the singers wanted to sing and the dancers wanted to dance. But Beverly Sills, the opera star, said she wanted to tap dance and sing a Country and Western song. We were happy to accommodate her.

Usually, there was a one-on-one interview with Kermit and the guest star. But when Peter Sellers saw the interview in his script, he asked what character he would be playing. When he was told to just use his own personality, he said he couldn't. He said he once had a personality but he’d had it surgically removed.

Finally, I guess Jim and Rudolf Nureyev dreamed up the idea of Nureyev dancing with a pig, in the famous Swine Lake ballet. Writers love music and dance numbers. It's three or four minutes we don't have to write. So, I wrote, "RUDOLF DANCES WITH A PIG," and continued writing the script. Jerry Juhl called me into his office and said we couldn't give the great Rudolf Nureyev a script that just said, "RUDOLF DANCES WITH A PIG." We needed a page and a half of "something."

I went back to my office and realized that I was supposed to create choreography for the great Rudolf Nureyev–Not exactly my strong suit. My inspiration finally came with the word, "perhaps." Perhaps the pig can lift Mr. Nureyev. Or, perhaps Mr Nureyev can throw the pig in the air and, perhaps the pig can land on him and knock him on his keister. I stretched that out for a page and a half.

RYAN:   Any favorite guest stars to work with?

BAILEY: Well, Bob Hope said some really nice things about The Muppet Show writing staff. Gotta love him for that! Jaye P. Morgan said she would do anything with a Muppet. All Elton John could talk about was his soccer team, Watford. One day after rehearsal, Edgar Bergen did about an hour’s private performance for us with all his characters. I remember Jim and the crew were sprawled on the floor like a bunch of 12-year-olds watching television. And, working with Milton Berle was like a crash course in comedy. I devoted a whole chapter in the book about working with him.

Zero Mostel came into the script read-through bent over with a cane. It was painful to watch him walk. He looked like a very old man on his last legs. I remember worrying if he’d live through the show. Half way through the script, he asked for a line change. Jerry Juhl said we’d look at it later. Zero asked again and Jerry put him off. Zero asked again, a little more insistently. This happened a few more times. Suddenly, with a great roar, Zero leaped to his feet, threw his cane in one direction and his chair in the other. He raced around the table and threw a hammer lock on poor Jerry. "I want that line changed!" Zero hissed at Jerry. Needless to say, Jerry changed the line right then and there.

RYAN:   What is your favorite memory of working on The Muppet Show?

BAILEY: Wow! That’s like asking a parent, "Who's your favorite kid?" But a few come to mind: Kermit playing a lady wrestler in drag; Fozzie doing his act on rollerskates; Gonzo jumping a motorcycle from the stage into the Statler and Waldorf’s box; and Piggy’s aerobic lesson. But, I’d also have to say it was the dedication pf the puppet builders and the cast to bring my humble scribblings to life. I mean, my scripts called for thinks like moose puppets, Japanese pole vaulters, and chicken cowboys. Whatever it was, the shop would go right to work on them. The finished character was usually better than I ever imagined. And then, the performances–Jim, Frank and the rest of the guys working so hard on every sketch. Nobody ever made a writer look better than the Muppets did.

RYAN:   What is your favorite memory of working on Sesame Street?

BAILEY: Again, the favorite kid question. Not to sound corny– well, okay–it was a privilege to use whatever talent I have to do some good in the world. But it’s a lot of little things that come to mind. I remember the first time I saw the Street set. I had never seen a whole street in a studio. I remember Jerry Nelson doing my voice while playing Oscar’s cousin. I remember tricking Oscar into saying, "party," and the whole cast going into his trash can to party. The rest of the script was a radio show from inside the can while they kept sending Oscar out for ice and soda.

I remember being on location in Taos, New Mexico. One cold, rainy day Jon and I were scouting locations in the Indian pueblo. A beautiful Indian woman who thought we were trespassing ran us out before we could explain who we were. I rewrote the script so that Big Bird had trepidations about going to the pueblo. But the cast explained to him that it was just somebody’s home and you behave the way you do in anyone’s home--politely and respectfully. After we wrapped, that same Indian woman invited us up into her own pueblo apartment as her guests. We had to climb up two or three stories on outside ladders to get to it. And Jon hated heights.

RYAN:   What was it like working with Jim Henson?

BAILEY:   Jim, personally, was a very decent and fair man. So, doing business with the Muppets was always a pleasure. Of course, Jim was a great performer, director and creator. But he had another rare quality that, as a writer, I really appreciated: Jim was a great producer. Most people think producers just raise money and take starlets to lunch. But the good ones have the imagination to actually see the performance in their heads as they read the script. Jim, and Jon Stone, could see every creative possibility in a script and then add a few more.

I always described writing for the Muppets as loading a blunderbuss, handing it to Jim and the Muppets, and then making sure there was a barn door in the vicinity. They never missed. But, they didn’t always hit the side of the barn door you expected.

RYAN:   Finally, Joe, can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

BAILEY:   Sure. Second star on the right and straight on 'til morning!

Thanks so very much to Joe Bailey for doing an interview with us. I encourage every Muppet fan out there to order Joe’s book, Memoirs of a Muppets Writer, for some fantastic behind the scenes stories, insight from the mind of a writer, and much more.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Twelve Favorite Muppet Christmas Songs

2011-12-19T12:42:00.000-06:00

Ryan Dosier - I know what you're thinking, "A list of things? That's Michael Wermuth, Jr.'s territory!" Well, that's true... but we've got nothing else to use for a post today, and it's almost Christmas, and I felt the need to list some of my personal favorite Muppet Christmas songs! These span from various Muppet Christmas productions (Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, A Muppet Family Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, Letters to Santa) to Muppet Christmas albums (John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, Green and Red Christmas, Merry Christmas from Sesame Street), and other places! So get your music ready, and prepare to have a listen to these wonderful Muppet Christmas favorites!

12.   "My Best Christmas Yet," The Muppets, A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
Say what you will about this 2008 special, but I just love this song. It's Paul Williams, it's Muppets, it's Christmas... it's hard to go wrong. The Muppet-filled finale gives us solo verses from the likes of Rowlf and Robin the Frog, the latter of which had not been heard since It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. But aside from that, this song stands on its own as fun both lyrically and tunefully. Kermit and Gonzo leading the vocals works brilliantly and showcases the wonderful voices of Steve Whitmire and Dave Goelz. What I love is all the little side-plots going on during this song: Swedish Chef revealing to the turkey that he made a tofu turkey for dinner, Zoot lighting a menorah, Fozzie giving Clare and Clare's mom Christmas sweaters, rats in stockings, Bunsen dancing with Beaker... everywhere you look is fantastic Muppet mayhem.

11.   "Everyone Matters," Kermit the Frog and Gonzo the Great, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
Another showcase for the beautiful vocals of Steve Whitmire and Dave Goelz, this song is the obvious emotional highlight of It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie for me. Yes, Kermit returning to the theater is fantastic, but nothing can top this beautifully sad, yet eventually uplifting song. The imagery of a down-trodden Gonzo singing with Kermit on a park bench is great. The message and lyrics and everything about this song is moving... "If only I could go back/and take another crack at/all the things I've left undone/I'd do them right" is such a great lyric, and speaks to us all in different ways. It's a crying shame that this song lost when it was nominated for an Emmy... I'll forgive, but only because it's Christmas.

10.   "Merry Christmas Baby," Pepe the King Prawn, The Muppets: A Green and Red Christmas Album
I believe this marks Pepe's first solo song ever, and it came on this great album released way back in 2006. Honestly, who knew Pepe could sing this well? I guess anyone that knows how unbelievably talented Bill Barretta is would realize that. This song is catchy, fun, and unbelievably well-performed and suited perfectly for Pepe, who joins the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Ray Charles, who also performed this song. I'm such a fan of this that I listen to it even when it's not Christmas, just for Pepe's fantastic vocals. Besides, how often do you get to hear Pepe call out to Zoot for a rockin' sax solo?

9. "Little Saint Nick," Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together Album
One of the Electric Mayhem's greatest performances is this Christmas classic from the Beach Boys. Dr. Teeth and Janice's leading vocals have never been better, and Floyd's repetitive back up singing is perfection. This song more than almost any other just sounds like Jim, Frank, Jerry, Richard, and Dave were having a ton of fun. I had a hard time choosing between this song and "Jingle Bell Rock" from A Muppet Family Christmas for my favorite Electric Mayhem Christmas song... but "Little Saint Nick" just barely wins out for having more Floyd. I love me some Floyd Pepper.

8.   "True Blue Miracle," The Sesame Street Cast, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
There are so many great songs and performances in this near-perfect Sesame special (and this isn't the only one you'll find on this list), it's impossible not to include some of them on any list of the greatest Muppet Christmas moments. This song performed by Bob, Olivia, Gordon, Susan, Maria, Luis, Mr. Hooper, David, Bert, Ernie, The Count, and more classic Sesame Street favorites is absolutely beautiful. You would really be hard-pressed to find a song that sings the beauty of the Christmas season better than this. Lyrics like, "Once a year, the street I live on sparkles like the sky--all hung with lights for Christmas!" make this song stand out as one of the true greats. And if that isn't a true blue miracle, I don't know what one is.

7.   "It Feels Like Christmas," The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Muppets, The Muppet Christmas Carol
It is so unbelievably hard to pick out just a few great songs from The Muppet Christmas Carol. Let's face it, they're all good. "One More Sleep 'Til Christmas" is a great showcase for Kermit, "Bless Us All" is one of the most beautiful songs ever... but "It Feels Like Christmas" always takes the cake for me. It's the real show-stopper of the movie, plus it boasts great vocals from Jerry Nelson as the Ghost of Christmas Present. It's another example of a fun Muppet number that you can't help but smile during. Also... Michael Caine tries (and fails) to dance at one point. How do you beat that?

6. "The Christmas Wish," Kermit the Frog, John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together Album
This song is not only one of my favorite Christmas songs ever, but one of my favorite Kermit songs ever. Jim Henson is so perfect here (as he so often was) and Kermit really never sounded better. Everything about this song is beautiful. It's a song of acceptance, it's a song of love, it's a song of peace. When Kermit sings, "I don't know if you believe in Christmas/or if you have presents underneath the Christmas tree/but if you believe in love/that will be more than enough/for you to come and celebrate with me," he's telling you and me and all of us that no matter who we are, as long as we love, we're okay with him. It's a message on par with any other message Kermit delivers. I love it.

5.   "Carol Medley," The Muppets and the Sesame Street Cast, A Muppet Family Christmas
When choosing a song from A Muppet Family Christmas, it might seem incredibly difficult... but it's not. The nine minute medley that closes out the special features a million Muppets, a million songs, and shines the spotlight on nearly every main character. It's amazing how confident Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, and the rest were in these characters by this point... so confident, that they knew the audience would sit and adore a nearly ten minute medley of songs. The Muppets were really at their peak at this point, and this medley exploits it brilliantly. Whether you have the slightly cut version released on most home video, or the full version from TV broadcast... it really is hard to top this.

4.   TIE: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," Kermit the Frog, A Green and Red Christmas Album, and Bert and Ernie, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Yes... it's a tie on the same song, but anyone who has heard both of these will surely agree with me. It's impossible to declare either of these versions better than the other. Steve Whitmire's sweet, calming, and loving voice as Kermit gives me shivers every time I hear it, and Jim Henson and Frank Oz never had a better duet as Ernie and Bert than in the culmination of their "Gift of the Magi" story. It also helps that this song is so perfectly suited for the Muppets that they've done it over 15 times (according to Muppet Wiki)... but none of them top the beauty and perfection of Kermit or Bert and Ernie.

3.   "Keep Christmas With You (All Through the Year)," The Sesame Street Cast, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Music, lyrics, vocals... all of them come to the forefront in this tour de force of Christmas caroling. Sam Pottle and David Axlerod completely outdid themselves with this perfect piece first debuting on the album Merry Christmas From Sesame Street, and used beautifully--twice--in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. I love the magic of Bob and the kids singing it while doing sign language with Linda, but then the finale version which brings the whole cast together to sing... perfect. Honestly, I think I would love any version of this song... and I'd really like for the Sesame gang to sing it again soon.

2.   "When the River Meets the Sea," Emmet Otter and Ma Otter, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
What is there to say about this Paul Williams song that hasn't been said before? It's perfect, it's beautiful, it's breath-taking, it's amazing. Numerous versions of this song have been done, including an exceptional rendition by John Denver and Robin, but none can ever beat the original. Jerry Nelson's Emmett and Marlyn Sokol's Alice Otter carry the tune like no one else. This song is also amazing for not pigeon-holing itself as an exclusively Christmas song. You can listen to "When the River Meets the Sea" anytime, anywhere, and still be moved by its beauty. Look for Kermit and Robin to sing the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on December 23rd!

1.   "The Twelve Days of Christmas," John Denver and the Muppets, John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together Album
Is anyone surprised by this song being number one? I hope not, because it really doesn't get better than this. John, Fozzie, Gonzo, Robin, Piggy, Scooter, Lew Zealand, Rowlf, Bunsen, Beaker, Statler, Waldorf, Beauregard, and Kermit sing this song with such gusto and hilarity that it can't be beat. From Miss Piggy's hysterical "ba-dum-bum-bum" to Gonzo singing about three French hens, to Lew Zealand singing at all... this is a wonderful piece through and through. Every time this song comes on in the car, I attempt to sing it in the voice of each Muppet... and it ain't easy. I also love the performance of this that the Muppets did with Jimmy Fallon a few years ago, featuring Sam Eagle, Pepe, Rizzo, and Animal, along with all the others. Hysterical, wonderful, perfectly sung... there is no better Muppet Christmas song... and perhaps no better Christmas song period.

Did your favorite Muppet Christmas song make the list? Tell us yours in the comments below!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Sesame Street Season 42, Episode Recap: Week 4

2011-12-17T11:46:00.000-06:00

Sesame Street Season 42

Episode Recap: Week 4

Shane Keating – Hey folks! There's been quite a lot of Sesame Street since last we saw each other. With all the Muppety-goodness surrounding the new movie, it's taken up all of our focus for the last few months, but I've still kept my eye on the new Sesame Street episodes. If you haven't seen them yet, here's what you've missed since late October:

EPISODE 4268 – ELMO AND THE BUTTERFLY

Elmo and Telly are reading through a book, full of fascinating bug facts. They find a lone butterfly fluttering around, so Elmo dresses like one to be its friend. After hanging out for the day, Elmo learns he must say goodbye when the butterfly's friends come to take him to warmer climates. A sweet story if anything. It's nice to know that in this age where the show is using more modern hip-hop and rap songs, they can still do a sweet, slow song like the one in this episode.

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Michelle Monaghan and Abby explain the word "fascinating."
In today's science experiment, Murray learns what devices can move a tin ball the farthest.
Song: "F is for Father"; cute bit.
"Elmo's Got the Moves" – A short song with Elmo, Abby, Big Bird and some celebrity cameos. I'll admit, I don't care for the auto-tuning (as the Muppeteers have actual, good singing voices), but for the hip-hop-style song it was, I think it fits the genre.

EPISODE 4269 – SIBLINGS

Baby Bear is having relationship issues with his sister Curly, who refuses to share his crayons, give back his seat, and play his games. Chris and Christy (his twin sister) help him understand that siblings are different and may not get along all the time, but still love each other. This was a fair street story. The songs in the flashbacks were fine; I don't think I’ve ever noticed how well Chris can sing before. And I dig his gold, Hammer pants!

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Abby helps Jimmy Kimmel show what a sibling is. Watch for Jimmy in drag as his sis!
Murray and Ovejita present the letter and number, as well as play "What's Missing" with a swing.
Cartoon: A song about the number 20. It's cute and made by the same folks who made the Y song from earlier this season.
CGI Animation: The Twiddlebugs find many uses for a paperclip. I wonder if they're going to make more segments with these guys.

EPISODE 4270 – LETTER “R” MYSTERY

Detective Alfie Bets, played by Adam Rodriguez, is vacationing on Sesame Street (as Hooper's has a high rating on "Travel-Travesty.com"), when everyone is missing stuff that begins with R. Leela's missing her roses and rake, Telly is missing his robot and remote and The Amazing Mumford is missing his rabbit Rodney. When his ravioli goes missing too, he gets back in action and, with Elmo and Abby's help, tries to track down the culprit. A good story with some nice CSI-stlye camera movements, which helped make a good gag during the stakeout scene. Plus, MUMFORD! And voiced by Jerry Nelson, no less! I like how the producers didn't put in an explanation for younger viewers as to who he is; they just treat him like he's always around.

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Grover, Amer'e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks demonstrate the word "compare." Once again, the non-Elmo Word segments prove to be the funnier ones.
Murray and Ovejita introduce everything again. Toward the end, they play a comparing game, with a rockin' intro song (with Ovejita wearing a stringy, blonde wig!)
CGI Animation: Ziggy the Zebra-saurus breaks it down and raps about shapes. No, really.

EPISODE 4271 – CAST IRON COOKS

Alan, Chris, and Elmo suddenly become contestants on the hit-show "Cast Iron Cooks," hosted by the Super Chef (Jason Schwartzman), where they compete against his Cast Iron Cooks to become the best cook around. During the rounds, Alan's meals aren't met with critical acclaim, but wins the show when the Cast Iron Cooks make little mess ups. A pretty fine street story. I particularly liked Jason's over-the-top performances, such as the times where he'd pop up from nowhere.

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Amy Adams and Elmo explain the word "ingredient." A nicely timed appearance I must say!
More Murray/Ovejita tune-ins that don’t pertain to science.
Sutton Foster sings to Elmo about her love of levers. A great Broadway-style number, with most the human cast included, including the seldom-seen Bob!

EPISODE 4272 – GETTING CENTERED

Telly catches the end of Leela's morning yoga class and is amazed at what he sees. With Elmo and Rosita's help, he tries to learn the "flamingo" pose, but can't keep his balance. Chris teaches him to find his balance point and Telly is finally able to do it! An alright street story, with plenty of nice Telly freak-outs and a great gag with Elmo at the end.

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Emma Stone and Abby demonstrate the word "balance."
In today's science experiment, Murray learns how to make a boat from tinfoil.
Bruno Mars and the Muppets sing "Don't Give Up." The song follows on the heels of last year's hit "What I Am," making a song about encouragement and using a plain, white background. It's really cute, with adorable Muppet choreography.

EPISODE 4273 – A PRINCE OF A FROG

Alan, Abby, and Elmo find a princess chasing a frog, trying to kiss it and turn it into the price she's always dreamed of. They help attract the frog, by acting like one and having Alan pretend to be a fly. When she kisses him, he remains the same. Abby uses magic to change him into a prince. But, the frog prince doesn't think being that way is fun and asks to be turned back. The princess sees the beauty of a frog and becomes his friend. I couldn't help but think this episode was similar to the one from season 39 where Abby tried to make Oscar a prince. Still, it was pretty good. I particularly liked Stephanie D'Abruzzo's performance as the princess and the song near the end.

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Conan O’Brien and Abby show what an amphibian is.
Song: "Letter M Day" – a notebook style segment. I've really started to like the segments that use a lot of alliteration.
"Spider-Monster the Musical": Grover (Frank Oz!) stars in a Spider-Man musical parody with Mr. Johnson as the unfortunate and only audience member. This is, hands-down, one of the funniest sketches they've done recently and one of their sharpest parodies ever. Kudos goes to Frank for all his great lines.

EPISODE 4274 – ELMOZILLA

Elmo is upset that all his friends are taller than him. With Abby's magical help, he grows taller... to the size of Hooper's Store. Despite this, Elmo is glad he's big and would rather stay that way. Chris, Telly, Baby Bear, and Abby try to convince him that being his regular size would be much better. Very cute story. Basically anytime Elmo emotes, a story has potential. There a number of funny lines from the side characters (Chris: "Abby, little girl, you gotta stop doin' these spells that are messin' with the laws of nature!")

New Segments and Other Highlights:

Drew Brees and Elmo demonstrate the word measure.
Some more new Murray tune-ins.
Cartoon: An animated segment by childrens' author Todd Parr about counting 10 doggy kisses.
Basically, everything else was a re-run; Abby, Super Grover and they even re-ran "Measure, Yeah, Measure" (which I saw no reason for).

Hope that caught you all up! Tune in next time for when Stinky gets covered with leaves, 123 Sesame Street falls into disrepair, and Ernie and Bert get stuck in a flood!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

News Update: December 16, 2011

2011-12-16T11:50:00.000-06:00

NEWS UPDATE: December 16, 2011

For the past few months, the Muppets have been the major darlings of Entertainment Weekly magazine. The Muppet Show cast reunited, the first image from The Muppets (and Walter) were revealed, and Kermit graced the cover of the magazine all in this past year alone. Well, the love for the Muppets continues in this week's issue, Entertainment Weekly's "Best and Worst of 2011" issue. As you can see at right, Kermit and Miss Piggy are very prominent on the cover of the issue out this week--right alongside George Clooney, Harry Potter, and all of the other prominent features in pop culture this year.You can read all about the issue on Entertainment Weekly's website, and you can find it on newsstands everywhere now!

One of the favorite props in The Muppet Movie is Fozzie Bear's Studebaker (well, technically his uncle's Studebaker)--a bear's natural habitat, obviously. Well, unfortunately, the Studebaker used in the film is in need of some serious repairs, as outlined by local ABC affiliate where the Studebaker Museum is located. The repair costs are in the upwards of $40,000... and it would be a crying shame to see Fozzie's Studebaker fall into complete disrepair. The Museum's website features an "Adopt-A-Car Program" with a wide range of donation options for adopting one of the Studebakers. Perhaps a generous and well-off Muppet fan might have the means to the end of fixing this true legend of a car.

A brand new, must-have book has been released recently for Muppet fans written by longtime Muppet writer and veteran of Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, Joseph A. Bailey. The book is called Memoirs of a Muppet Writer and is available on Amazon now for only $15. Below is an excerpt from the official description of the book!

"In his 20 year affiliation with Jim Henson's Muppets Joseph A. Bailey was a staff writer on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. He also co-wrote the television specials Big Bird in China, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and Rocky Mountain Holiday, starring John Denver and the Muppets on location in Aspen, Colorado. Additionally, Mr. Bailey wrote Sesame Street song lyrics, albums, five 90-minute Sesame Street Live! musicals, Muppet Business Meeting Films and special material for Big Bird's appearances in the White House and Carnegie Hall. The Muppet Show guest stars he wrote for include George Burns, Bob Hope, Steve Martin, Rudolf Nureyev, John Cleese, Milton Berle and Peter Sellers. For his writing, Mr. Bailey has garnered 5 Emmys, 3 Emmy nominations, a Writers Guild of America Award and a George Foster Peabody Award. Mr. Bailey lives in Manhattan with his wife, Gail. He indulges in occasional long-distance motorcycle trips and claims to speak French and play piano to the equal amusement of others."

Remember when Walter rocked Late Night with Jimmy Fallon alongside Jason Segel a few weeks ago? Well, Walter is back in an exclusive video from backstage on NBC as everyone's favorite new Muppet checks out the legendary Muppet Pipes in a closet in a guest room painted by Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Jerry Juhl. It's truly amazing to see old Muppet history meeting new Muppet greatness. Check out the video below!

This past Wednesday, Archaia Comics released a brand new comic book from a screenplay by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson's The Tale of Sand with illustrations by Ramon Perez. I have yet to pick up the comic, but it's on my "Must-Do-Immediately" list. BleedingCool.com has a great look at a really cool edition of the comic where they talk a lot about how great the comic is and what a wonderful tribute it is to both Jim and Jerry. Be sure to pick up your copy of The Tale of Sand as soon as you can!

Our good friends at WeLoveFine T-Shirts have released a whole horde of fantastic shirts featuring The Muppets and Sesame Street characters, including the winners of their recent Muppet t-shirt design contest. But the highlights recently are various 8-Bit designs that pit the characters in pixelated forms, a la the classic video games of the 1980s. There's a great one with the Muppets (see at right), Sesame Street, and featuring Bert and Ernie in Super Mario Bros.-esque poses. I've got to get at least one of these... now the only problem is figuring out which one!

Finally, Amazon.com has released images and slight details on the Blu-ray and DVD release of The Muppets. No official release date has been given yet, but rumors of a March 20, 2012 release are abounding around the internet. There are four different versions of the movie that will be made available on Blu-ray and DVD next Spring. First up is the Three-Disc Blu-ray "Wocka Wocka Value Pack" featuring the Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy, as well as the Soundtrack. Next is the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack featuring the Blu-ray and DVD. Then, the Single-Disc DVD with the Soundtrack. And, lastly, only the DVD, whose cover art is not confirmed yet. I don't know about you, but I'm not thrilled with the cover art on any version... but I'll just be excited to own the movie on Blu-ray and DVD the day it's available (if not before) (I don't know how that would work, but whatever).

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

THE MUPPETS Critics Choice Awards Nominations!

2011-12-15T12:59:00.000-06:00

With The Muppets being released about a month ago, Disney put it out into the public eye just in time for the movie to be considered for award show nominations. It's finally awards season and the nominations are rolling in. Yesterday, nominations for The Critics Choice Awards were announced and The Muppets hit all the right categories, being nominated for Best Comedy and Best Song for three songs from the film. Below are the entire list of nominations for Best Comedy and Best Song to show off the competition The Muppets faces when The 17th Annual Critics Choice Movie Awards airs on January 12, 2012 on VH1.

BEST COMEDY
Bridesmaids
Crazy Stupid Love
Horrible Bosses
Midnight in Paris
The Muppets

BEST SONG
"Hello Hello" from Gnomeo and Juliet
"The Living Proof" from The Help
"Life's a Happy Song" from The Muppets
"Man or Muppet" from The Muppets
"Pictures in My Head" from The Muppets

The Muppets faces very steep competition in the Best Comedy category, with Bridesmaids, Crazy Stupid Love, and Horrible Bosses being big blockbusters with great reviews... but The Muppets may be able to hold its own against them. But either way, it's huge that they even got nominated.

As for Best Song, if I may editorialize a bit, I think The Muppets has this one in the bag. I feel like "Life's a Happy Song" has the best chance of winning here (as well it should), but "Man or Muppet" is probably a close second there. Even though Gnomeo and Juliet totes Elton John and The Help has Mary J. Blige, I don't think either song has the lyrical or musical prowess to take down "Life's a Happy Song." I guess we'll find out on January 12th!

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that Golden Globe nominations came out today, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) completely snubbed The Muppets in all categories. This could be due to two factors... one, The Muppets has not been released in many non-U.S. markets yet, and the HFPA is comprised of journalists from Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, and The Muppets has yet to be released in most of these countries, so the voters aren't as informed, unfortunately. The second reason is that the Golden Globes are notoriously against nominating family films; in 2010, they nominated Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland over Toy Story 3 for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical). Both are great films, but the critical acclaim and success of Toy Story 3 is incomparable to Alice in Wonderland. So, basically what I'm saying is don't worry about the lack of Golden Globe nominations for The Muppets. The Academy Awards are much more favorable for family films (in recent years), and The Muppets is sure to rack up at least a Best Song nomination there, if not more.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Pops

2011-12-14T12:49:00.000-06:00

POPS

Performed by...
Jerry Nelson (1980-2002)
Matt Vogel (2008-present)

First appearance...
The Muppet Show Season 5 (1981)

Most recent appearance...
"The Muppet Show Theme Song" Music Video with OK Go (2011)

Best known role...
Stage doorman for the Muppet Theater; owner/manager of the Happiness Hotel

Well known quote...
"Who're you?"

WHO IS POPS?

Pops is the elderly, mustachioed stage doorman for the Muppet Theater throughout Sesaon 5 of The Muppet Show. Pops was usually unaware of the fame of the various guest stars coming on the show, and was fond of greeting them with a twangy "Who're you?" Pops welcomed guest stars at the beginning of every episode of The Muppet Show in Season 5, making it the first time in three seasons that Scooter's guest star dressing room cold open was not used.

Pops' role on The Muppet Show also included a few onstage performance appearances. These included singing the song "Puppet Man" as Geppetto with Pinocchio in the Senor Wences episode, the UK Spot "Once in Love With Amy" with Fozzie Bear when Melissa Manchester was the guest star, and being hypnotized by Professor Salamander during Wally Boag's episode. He also requested a song from Paul Simon backstage.

The biggest role in Pops' career came with The Great Muppet Caper, where he played the owner/manager of the Happiness Hotel in London, England. He welcomed Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo the Great to the hotel when they checked in. When they said they wanted to check in, Pops asked, "Really?" Later, he would explain the three methods of payment for the hotel: "A. Credit Card, B. Cash, C. Sneak out in the middle of the night." Pops would also appear in the crowd in The Muppet Christmas Carol during the "Scrooge" number.

Pops was absent from Muppet productions for a decade, until he reappeared in 2002 in the TV movie It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Carol, selling tickets to many excited people wanting to see the Muppet Christmas Spectacular. Pops would continue his trend of only appearing in Christmas-related Muppet projects when he was seen briefly working at the post office in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa in 2008. He appeared most recently in the music video for OK Go's cover of "The Muppet Show Theme Song." Pops actually spoke in a behind the scenes video on the making of the music video, for the first time since Jerry Nelson's retirement, performed by Matt Vogel.

Outside the world of onscreen Muppet productions, Pops made many appearances in Roger Langridge's The Muppet Show Comic Book series, reprising his role as stage doorman and picking up new roles managing props and mail delivery. In 2004, Palisades Toys produced an action figure of Pops for the ninth and final series in their Muppet line. Pops included his Happiness Hotel desk, the Happiness Hotel check-in book, a fly-swatter, a desk lamp, a bell, and Gaffer the Cat.

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED POPS?
Pops provides a new element to the Muppets... an old element. Yes, Statler and Waldorf provide the grumpy, mean, funny old guy perspective, but Pops is a kinder, different kind of funny. He's more inept than anything else, due to his old age and presumably poor eyesight. Pops' interactions with the various guest stars in the openings of The Muppet Show were always hysterical, and his goofy asides and remarks in The Great Muppet Caper were perfect. Who doesn't at least grin when he says, "Ya can never find a cap when you need one!" after Beauregard's taxi crashes through the lobby?

There's really no clear-cut reason why the Muppets need Pops... but he's a great foil to the other, more excitable Muppets and guest stars. A pairing that was hinted at once in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, but never fleshed out, was Pops with Statler and Waldorf. Three old guys just sitting around? What's not funny about that? I would love to see these three get together and goof around in future productions... but I'd settle for just bring Pops back again to be old and funny... and old.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

Muppet Maestros: John Denver

2011-12-13T12:15:00.000-06:00

Hilarie Mukavitz - Once, when I was a teenager, my friend Ben was giving me a ride somewhere. As I got in the car he didn't say a word, and just turned on the tape. The song was John Denver's "Grandma's Feather Bed." As soon as it got to the refrain I joined in: "It was nine feet high and six feet wide..." Ben broke into a huge grin and said "That was a test. You passed!" Ben had also uncovered my deep dark secret: I was a closet John Denver fan.

I was a teenager in the cynical, irony-infested 1990's. With the majority of my group of friends, liking someone as corny as John Denver just was not going to fly. So when I bought a John Denver CD as a Christmas gift for my mother one year, I felt the need to point out to the cashier that it was a present for somebody else. Even though, at that very moment, my hard drive was loaded with John Denver songs I had gotten from Napster.

Then two things happened that changed my point of view. The first, like happens to so many of us, was I got my butt kicked by adulthood and dealing with the real world. I struggled to find work my first few years out of college, and wound up spending a chunk of time underemployed and living with my parents. The experience deflated the rather snobbish attitude I'd had until then. One December, my mother and I were watching the Osmond Family Christmas special together. Mom and I found ourselves both getting misty-eyed, and laughed at ourselves for getting choked up by the Osmond Family. However it was then that I realized life is too short to like what you are "supposed" to like. I stopped hiding the fact that there's a part of my personality that is quite sentimental and a little bit corny.

The second thing that happened was a road trip. In the summer of 2008, I was going to go to Iowa for a writer's workshop and then do a small road trip through the Dakotas and Minnesota. That happened to be a year of major flooding in Iowa. The workshop was cancelled. I now had an extra week free. So I called a friend who had recently moved to Colorado. "Could you use a visitor? I can be there by Sunday." Thus began a 5000 mile road trip I took through the western states. Until that time, I had been kind of perplexed by people who were enthusiastic about nature. However, driving across Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Montana... like Fozzie Bear I felt the urge to start belting out a chorus of "America the Beautiful." Later when I talked about the trip to my mother she said "You had a John Denver experience!"

John Denver was born Henry John Deutschendorf on New Years Eve, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico. With a father in the military, his family moved often, and John found it difficult to make friends. When he was 12, his grandmother gave him a Gibson guitar. John didn't show a lot of interest in the guitar, until Elvis Presley started playing on the radio. He began playing in folk music groups. Eventually, he dropped out of college to pursue music full time. He changed his name to Denver, because of his love of Colorado, and because he was advised that "Deutschendorf" was too long to fit on a marquee.

In 1969 he had his first major success when Peter Paul and Mary covered his song "Leaving On a Jet Plane." In 1971 he had his first breakout hit as a solo artist: "Country Roads." In 1972 he released "Rocky Mountain High" which would later become one of the official state songs of Colorado. Denver would continue to have a string of hits such as "Annie's Song," "Sunshine on My Shoulders" and "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" throughout the 1970's.

Denver's first collaboration with the Muppets was in 1979 when he guest starred in Season 4 of The Muppet Show. He was featured singing "The Garden Song" (a David Mallett song that would later be covered by Kermit and Rowlf) and "Grandma's Feather Bed." Two other John Denver songs were performed on The Muppet Show by other guest stars; Jim Nabors sang "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and Cheryl Ladd sang "Sunshine On My Shoulders." All of these songs can be seen on our John Denver on The Muppet Show YouTube Playlist.

1979 was also the year when John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, both the TV special and the album, were released. The entire television special can be seen on another YouTube Playlist we've put together. When I was growing up, we had two copies of the album. One copy I was allowed to touch. The other copy was my mom's, so that we could listen to it without any scratches. The album features two John Denver compositions: "A Baby Just Like You" (about John Denver's son Zachary) and "Alfie the Christmas Tree." Besides the Muppet humor, and John Denver's crystal clear tenor, one of the greatest pleasures of this album for me is that you hear some songs that you rarely hear anywhere else during the holidays such as "The Peace Carol," "The Christmas Wish," "When The River Meets the Sea," and "It's In Every One of Us."

In 1983 the Muppets and John Denver did another TV special called Rocky Mountain Holiday, which also included another album they recorded together. While not as well-remembered or delightful as the Christmas special, it does have some great songs, and classic Muppet moments like the giant man-eating chicken. again, you can check it all out on our Rocky Mountain Holiday YouTube Playlist.

After the 1980's, John Denver's musical popularity began to go downhill. He began to focus most of his time on political causes such as fighting for the environment. John Denver passed away when he crashed in an experimental aircraft in 1997.

While many celebrities have worked with the Muppets over the years, John Denver had a special chemistry with them. John Denver tapped into the Muppets' innocent, idealistic, and gentler side in a way few others could. The only others that spring to mind are Julie Andrews, Paul Williams, and Harry Belafonte. One of the things I liked best about The Muppets movie was that I felt it was the strongest we have seen this aspect of the Muppets in years. While, sadly, John Denver and Jim Henson are no longer with us, they left us a Christmas gift that we'll treasure for many years to come.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

(Kind of) Weekly Muppet Quotes - Christmas Spotlight Part 1

2011-12-12T11:33:00.000-06:00

Casey Daron - Hello everyone! Happy Holidays! For the next few weeks, I will be spotlighting holiday inspired quotes from various Muppet Christmas movies and specials. For our first week, I will be spotlighting possibly the best Christmas special ever, Muppet Family Christmas.

"Look what I've got! Christmas cookies!"

"COOKIES?! NOM! NOM! NOM!"

"Who was that strange blue creature?"

"That my kind of fella!"

~ Janice, Cookie Monster, and Animal

"Fozzie, it's too cold to go outside!"

"It's not cold!"

"It IS cold!"

"Can I come in and warm up?"

"Okay, so it's cold."

~ Kermit, Fozzie Bear, and the Snowman

"Peace on earth! Give me presents!"

~ Animal

"And here's the guy I owe it all to--my inspiration, the one who got me into show business: Kermit."

"Oh, yeah, the lizard."

~ Fozzie Bear and Emily "Ma" Bear

"I'm Bert."
"And I'm Ernie."

"Oh, hi there, I'm Doc."

"Doc? Did you know that Doc starts with D?"

"Yes, that's true."

"And true starts with a T!"
"What's your point?"

"Where we come from, this is small talk."

~ Bert, Ernie, and Doc

"They're all having a good time. I like it when they have a good time. Now, how about those dishes Sprocket? Come on, I'll wash and you dry, okay?"

~ Jim Henson

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com