News Update: June 19, 2014

JUNE 19, 2014

The biggest news this week is that Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will be appearing on PBS's annual A Capitol Fourth special celebrating the 4th of July. Kermit and Piggy will perform "Rainbow Connection" with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Jack Everly. The appearance will be in conjunction with the promotion for Muppets Most Wanted on Blu-ray and DVD August 12th. A Capitol Fourth airs at 8:00pm EST on PBS on July 4th!

The O'Neill Puppetry Conference is one of, if not the most important puppetry conference and gathering of puppeteers. The Henson family, especially Jim and Jane Henson, were and are integral parts of the conference and have been since its inception. In honor of that, and Jim and Jane's influences on puppetry, The O'Neill Puppetry Conference will erect a new building named in honor of Jim and Jane Henson. According to our friends at ToughPigs.com, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut is currently constructing a new building to dedicate to the Hensons, set to be unveiled in 2015.

Last week, we reported that The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper had been added to Netflix instant streaming. We also said that they should add the other Muppet movies to Netflix... and lo and behold, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island were added this week! Now, The Muppets, Muppets From Space, and Muppets Most Wanted are the only remaining Muppet features not on Netflix. Hopefully we'll see those and other Muppet productions will be added soon. But for now, you have no excuse not to watch Muppet movies!

As part of the promotional run for I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story, The LA Times profiled Caroll in a wonderful new article. The article shows, once again, how truly incredible Caroll is, stating that there's no way his final season performing on Sesame Street is coming anytime soon. "If you rest, you rust," Caroll says in the article. The article also sheds more light on Caroll's understudy for Big Bird, Matt Vogel, and has more info on the documentary that Muppet fans are dying to see. Be sure to give the exceptional article a read.

Yesterday Sesame Workshop announced an exciting new development for the future of Sesame Street. For their 45th season, Sesame Street will air both 60-minute and 30-minute versions of the show daily on PBS. The 60-minute show will continue to air in the mornings, with the 30-minute show airing in the afternoon. This allows Sesame Street to be watched by kids at home both in the mornings and afternoons. Below is some info from the official press release:

Furthering a commitment to using the power of media to educate and entertain America’s children, PBS KIDS and SESAME STREET will introduce a bonus half-hour program this fall on-air and on digital platforms. Starting Monday, September 1, the additional half-hour program will air on weekday afternoons on PBS stations, complementing the one-hour series that airs weekday mornings (check local listings). For the first time, selected full episodes of the 30-minute show will also be available for free online at pbskids.org/video, on the PBS KIDS Video App and on the PBS KIDS Roku channel.  By offering this bonus half hour of SESAME STREET in an additional timeslot and through a growing number of digital services, PBS KIDS hopes to reach even more children with one of America’s most beloved and educationally powerful children’s series.

“We’re thrilled to extend our reach on PBS. What better way to celebrate our 45th anniversary season than to touch more children’s lives,” added Terry Fitzpatrick, Chief Content and Distribution Officer at Sesame Workshop. “These days, families expect to be able to connect with their favorite SESAME STREET friends at any time of day. The new afternoon show is a great complement to our continuing efforts to reach more kids with engaging lessons that will help them grow smarter, stronger and kinder.”

The half-hour version of SESAME STREET will help kids learn a variety of skills, including the school readiness skills – such as impulse control and socio-emotional lessons – for which parents are increasingly seeking resources.

Each half-hour episode of SESAME STREET is a shortened version of each one-hour program and will include a “Street Story,” a “Word on the Street” segment, a celebrity vocabulary segment, songs, spoofs, dance breaks and popular segments like “Cookie’s Crumby Pictures” or “Super Grover 2.0.”

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

News Update: May 20, 2014

MAY 20, 2014

On Friday, Sesame Street and Mashable teamed up to release a really fun new video starring Bert and Zachary Levi (Chuck, Tangled) going on a fun journey through Central Park on "A Lovely Sunny DAy." They sing a great song, dance, and even run into Grover. Watch it below!



Two weeks ago, Nicholas Stoller, co-writer of The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted and friend of the blog, was on the promotional circuit for his new comedy Neighbors. One of his stops was at Collider.com, where they asked him a few questions about the Muppets. His answers ranged from why he thought Muppets Most Wanted underperformed, and this interesting tidbit: "I know they’re working on something to get them back on TV. I have no idea where it’s at, but I definitely think so. I mean, they’re such rich characters, and it’s very easy to pitch on stories for them, and think of ideas for them. They don’t feel used up... I think there’s a big opportunity for that kind of variety show. You could do it partially live. There are all these things you could do with Muppets that you can’t do with a lot of other things." So that's potentially hugely exciting! We'll keep you posted on everything we were regarding Muppets on TV!

Cookie Monster is the star of yet another amazing installment of Sesame Street's "Crumby Pictures Presents." This time, Cookie Monster and the Muppets of Sesame Street are spoofing The Wizard of Oz. Cookie Monster plays "Dough-rothy," and it's all absolutely brilliant. Don't miss this!



The Jim Henson Company, Archaia Comics, and Roger Langridge are all teaming up to bring another exclusive adaptation of a screenplay from Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl. The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow was a script for an unproduced special by Henson and Juhl, which will now be turned into a comic/graphic novel illustrated and adapted by Roger Langridge (author/illustrator of The Muppet Show Comic Book series). Turkey Hollow will be released by Archaia Comics in November, 2014. Our friends at ToughPigs.com have all of the info in one convenient place. The official description of the project is below:

Turkey Hollow is a picturesque town where hundreds of years ago, unbeknownst to the citizens, a meteorite landed nearby a small brook on the outskirts of town. One Thanksgiving, while young Timmy Henderson practices his guitar, he’s accompanied by strange, unearthly, musical sounds. That meteorite wasn’t a rock at all but an egg holding seven furry, goofy monsters, each with a unique musical sound. After the initial shock, Timmy befriends the lovable creatures following him all around Turkey Hollow. Not everyone takes a liking to the visitors though and it’s up to Timmy to protect his new friends and save Thanksgiving!

Ahead of the season finale of Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge, Brian Henson and some of the Henson puppets and creatures took over NBC's Today last Monday. Watch the videos below to see the Today anchors awkwardly pal around with the Henson puppets and have a very nice chat with Brian Henson. My goodness I love seeing Brian Henson on TV.







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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Jim

Written by Ed Castle.

JIM

Performed by...
Jim Henson

First appearance...
The Perry Como Winter Show (1972)

Most recent appearance...
The Muppet Show Episode 322: Roy Rogers & Dale Evans (1978)

Best known role...
Banjo player for The Country Trio; puppet representation of Jim Henson

WHO IS JIM?
Jim is the banjo player for the Country Trio band, alongside Jerry on guitar and Frank on bass. He first appeared with the band on The Perry Como Winter Show in 1972 where they performed "You Don't Mess Around with Jim." The following year Jim returned to TV with the band on The Dick Cavett Show to perform the classic tune "Mamma Don't Allow."

Jim would later appear briefly in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence pilot in 1975 sitting in with the Electric Mayhem. When The Muppet Show began in 1976, Jim would make a few appearances both with the Trio and solo. His first Muppet Show appearance was with the Trio in perhaps their most well-known performance of "To Morrow" in Episode 105: Rita Moreno. In the song, Jim took the lead vocals as the traveler who was visiting the fabled city of Morrow, Ohio. The Trio also performed "In The Summertime" in Episode 123: Kaye Ballard, where Jim once again sang the lead vocals.

Jim's final notable appearance was in Episode 322: Roy Rogers & Dale Evans in Season 3 where he and Jerry performed the song "A Four Legged Friend" while atop a pair of cows. It should be noted that in this sketch Jim referred to Jerry as "Tex".

Jim also appeared in the book The Muppet Show Diary 1979, a schedule book published in the United Kingdom, treating the year itself as if it were the special guest star of an episode of The Muppet Show. Jim was also notably immortalized in action figure form, as released by Palisades Toys in 2004, packaged in a special red-curtained box featuring a veritable who's who of Muppet characters, as well as biographical information and photos of Jim Henson himself.

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED JIM?
Without Jim Henson, there would be no Muppets...  Jim is a Muppet representation of Jim Henson...  It helps preserve the legacy and respect due to Jim himself, enough said.

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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Nigel the Conductor

Written by Michael Wermuth.

NIGEL THE CONDUCTOR

Performed by...
Jim Henson (1975)
John Lovelady (1976-1977)

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

Most recent appearance...
Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Best known role...
Orchestra conductor; rejected host of The Muppet Show

WHO IS NIGEL THE CONDUCTOR?
Nigel was originally intended to be the host of The Muppet Show. He was the main character in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence pilot, where he interacted with Sam the Eagle and Floyd Pepper in various meeting room scenes, playing games and telling each contestant in the Seven Deadly Sins pageant where to go. However, after the pilot was taped, Jim Henson had decided that Nigel was too wimpy a host, and when The Muppet Show became a series, Kermit became host and Nigel was demoted to orchestra conductor.

Nigel appeared throughout the run of the show, but he only had a handful of speaking roles on the show, all during the first season. His most notable speaking role came in episode 102, when he talked Zoot into doing the “Sax and Violence” number (by threatening to get a new sax player). In episode 123, it was revealed that Nigel had written the theme song, which the band wanted to quit over (he always thought of it as a hip tune).

In addition to conducting, Nigel often participated in group numbers, sometimes played instruments, and on two occasions showed off his whistling skills (for the songs “Big Noise from Winnetka” and “Sam’s Song”). After the show ended, Nigel occasionally appeared in the background. After being absent for a couple of decades, Nigel came back to conduct the orchestra in The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted, and also appeared in OK Go’s music video of "The Muppet Show Theme."

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED NIGEL THE CONDUCTOR?
The Muppet Show may not have needed Nigel to be the host (Kermit pretty much proved that), but the orchestra does need a conductor, and that’s where Nigel comes in. It takes a level head to keep control over the Muppet orchestra, and Nigel does it very well.

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

Rare Muppet Videos Now On YouTube

Yesterday our good friend Patrick Cotnoir did something awesome. He combed through his extensive collection of Muppet TV appearances and uploaded some of the extremely rare appearances to YouTube. We're so thankful to Patrick for uploading these videos--and even more thankful to him for sharing them with us. Check out the incredible videos below!

60 Minutes Backstage at The Muppet Show - 1979



Johnny Fiama and Sal on Larry King Live - 1996



Jim Henson on What's My Line? - 1974



Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee - 1990



Tales of the Tinkerdee Unaired Pilot - 1962



The Cosby Show episode "Cliff's Nightmare" featuring The Muppets - 1990



Big, big thanks again to Patrick! Enjoy the videos, Muppet fans.






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

Jim Henson: The Biography Now Available!

Jim Henson: The Biography

by Brian Jay Jones

Available now wherever books are sold

Ryan Dosier - I finished reading Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones over a month ago and this perfect piece of writing has been stuck in my brain ever since. After I finished the book I wrote up a "brief" review which I think expressed how I feel about the book pretty well. But now that Jim Henson: The Biography is finally available for purchase everywhere, I felt like I should say some more.

More than anything, I keep thinking that Jim Henson: The Biography is important. It is a necessary, enlightening, and amazing. Finally, Jim Henson's entire story and legacy are given their proper due--500 pages worth. Not only that, but the book is funny, touching, loving, exposing, and unendingly interesting. It is virtually impossible for you to not find something in this book that is new information to you. I could write an entire article filled with things I didn't know before reading this.

These are all reasons that you should go out and pick up a copy of Jim Henson: The Biography to read for yourself. There have been very few books or documents of any sort that truly capture everything that Jim Henson was--but Brian Jay Jones pulled it off. From Jim's Civil War-era ancestors to his long lasting legacy, the book covers it all. Jim Henson's life and career was one of the most impressive of the 20th century, but his story has never been told as fully as it is in Jim Henson: The Biography. Many of us can never know Jim Henson, but Jim Henson: The Biography is truly the next best thing.

Read our initial review for more thoughts on the book. Plus, read the entire prologue of the book for just a taste of the magnificent writing and storytelling that you will get when you buy the book. 

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

Muppet Retro Reviews - Jim Henson: A Sesame Street Celebration

Michael Wermuth - Jim Henson: A Sesame Street Celebration is a 1991 Sesame Street compilation album spotlighting performances from Jim Henson's characters, especially Ernie and Kermit. I have this album on cassette, and side A is basically a "best of Ernie and friends" side while side B is basically "the best of Kermit and friends."

The track listing is as follows:
1. Rubber Duckie - Ernie
2. But I Like You - Ernie and Bert
3. Ma Nah Ma Nah - Ma Nah Ma Nah
4. One Fine Face - Ernie and Elmo
5. Air - Guy Smiley
6. Imagination - Ernie with Bert, Big Bird, Grover, Prairie Dawn, Oscar, and Herbert Birdsfoot
7. The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree - Ernie, the Honkers, and a Dinger
8. Share - Ernie and Cookie Monster
9. Captain Vegetable - Captain Vegetable with Andy and Eddie
10. Dance Myself to Sleep - Ernie and Bert
11. I Don't Want to live on the Moon - Ernie
12. Bein' Green - Kermit the Frog
13. African Alphabet Song - Kermit and Ladysmith Black Mambazo
14. Big Round Nose - An Anything Muppet
15. If I Were - Kermit
16. Five People in My Family - An Anything Muppet Father and his family
17. Tadpole - Kermit
18. Caribbean Amphibian - Kermit
19. The Frogs in the Glen - Kermit
20. I Wonder 'Bout the World Above Up There - Kermit and the Kids
21. This Frog - Kermit

This is a great album. It features the songs fans would expect ("Rubber Duckie," "Bein' Green," "Imagination"), fan favorites ("This Frog," "Captain Vegetable"), and songs that might be a bit more obscure ("Big Round Nose," "Share"). In fact the packaging mentions that a number of the songs had never been released before. When I first got this album in 1994, I thought that line about previously unreleased tracks meant the album was the first time they were heard (and wondered why very few songs had a 1990 copyright date), as opposed to it meaning the songs hadn't been released on previous albums.

While there are many great songs sung by Jim Henson's characters that were omitted from this collection, I'd say that the biggest omission is "Do De Rubber Duck," which would have been an ideal choice since it features Jim Henson's three major Sesame Street characters (Ernie, Kermit, Guy Smiley). Additionally, I feel like almost every Kermit song not included should have been. At the time I got this there were quite a few Kermit songs I was seeing a lot, either on video releases or on the show, while most of the songs included are songs I either don't remember seeing before or hadn't seen in a long time and couldn't remember the lyrics.

I recommend this album if you are a fan of Sesame Street, Jim Henson, Ernie, Kermit, or all of the above. There may be some classics left out, but none of the tracks included seem out-of-place at all.

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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Sinister Sam

Today's post was written by Michael Baldasare. To contribute an article about your favorite Muppet for Weekly Muppet Wednesdays, email us at muppetmindset@gmail.com!

SINISTER SAM

Performed by...
Jim Henson

First appearance...
Sesame Street Season 3 (1971-1972)

Most recent appearance...
Sesame Street Season 20 (1988-1989), seen in the "High 12" sketch with Forgetful Jones

Best known role...
Mean-looking but harmless cowboy

Memorable quote...
"All right! Listen you varmints, I was out at the general store today and some hombre bought the last box of crayons! And I wanna know 'Y'!"

WHO IS SINISTER SAM?
Sinister Sam is a cowboy with a bushy, all-encompassing black beard who appeared in many of the popular Old West sketches on Sesame Street. Sinister Sam's personality is very similar to Bad Bart. In most sketches he appeared in, it seemed like he was going to make trouble to the townspeople, but he always turned out to be harmless. Sinister Sam and Bad Bart were very similar in that they were both made from the same Large Lavender Live Hand Anything Muppet pattern and both performed by Jim Henson.

Sinister Sam first appeared in a sketch where he came to a saloon looking for Doc Holiday. He questioned the frightened townspeople, looking for the doctor, but he found the fire fighter and the mailman. He said he was looking for the doctor because he had an itchy trigger finger. Sam found the doctor cowering under the table and wanted him to make his itchness go away--it was driving him crazy. Doc Holiday fainted and Sam shrugged to join the patrons for some milk.

In the late 1970's Sinister Sam appeared in his best known sketch, which was shown many times throughout the 1980's and 1990's. In the sketch, Sinister Sam storms in, announcing that someone had bought the last box of crayons, and he wanted to know "why." It turned out that he just wanted a black crayon so he could learn how to draw the letter 'Y'.

Sinister Sam made his last appearance in a parody sketch of High Noon called "High 12" during Season 20. In that sketch, Clementine didn't want Forgetful Jones to meet Sinister Sam, the meanest man in the West, at the train station at twelve o'clock--especially since it was their wedding day. Forgetful and his trusted horse, Buster, convinced her that "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." When Sam showed up, he told Forgetful, in a threatening manner, that he had something to say: That it was nice of him to remember to meet him at his train! Forgetful asked Sam for some lemonade, and Forgetful forgot his wedding to Clementine.

WHY DOES SESAME STREET NEED SINISTER SAM?
Like Bad Bart, the townspeople must know and understand that Sinister Sam is very trustworthy and mostly harmless, even though he looks very mean. They must know that they shouldn't be scared of him and be kind to him just because he looked mean. Sinister Sam is a good message of not judging a book by its cover.

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

Brief Thoughts on "Jim Henson - The Biography"

Ryan Dosier - Two weeks ago, I was beyond lucky to receive an advanced copy of the upcoming book Jim Henson - The Biography by Brian Jay Jones. Thanks to the immense kindness of the author, Brian Jay Jones, Random House sent me a copy to read and enjoy. And then, again thanks to Brian, I've been allowed to write up a few thoughts about the book for the site. So, here goes.

Jim Henson - The Biography is an astounding piece of writing. What Brian Jay Jones captured in 500 pages is nothing short of the most definitive, most complete, most painstakingly impressive account of Jim Henson's life that has ever been produced. No stone is left unturned in this beautiful piece of work spanning Jim's ancestors in Civil War times all the way up to Jim's memorial service in May, 1990. Seriously, I learned so much and appreciated so much more about every single project that Jim Henson worked on that I was completely stunned by the end of the book. This is no crash course in Muppet history, this is a fully detailed textbook with every piece of information you could want. But unlike a textbook, Jim Henson - The Biography is immensely entertaining, funny, witty, smart, heartwarming and, of course, heart breaking.

Some fellow Muppet fans I've talked to have been concerned that Jim Henson - The Biography might somehow paint Jim or the people who worked with him in a bad light. Let me dispell this concern because it could not be farther from the truth. Jones paints Jim in a light as bright as ever and humanizes him in a wonderful way. For years Jim Henson was this god-like figure to me with no faults, but Jones' writing not only shows that yes, he was an undeniable genius and renaissance man, but he was capable of missteps. Jones looks at Jim's faults and "failures" (since they really weren't total failures) from an analytical eye, pointing out why projects are not as beloved as others, why Jim or one of his colleagues may have acted the way they did, or why people vied for Jim's attention so voraciously. This biography is a perfect picture of who Jim Henson was, why people loved him, and how much the entire world was in awe of him--it's impossible not to love him and be in awe of him yourself by the end of it.

What comes across the strongest in Jim Henson - The Biography is just how impressive, dedicated, brilliant, hardworking, hilarious, and well-meaning Jim Henson was always. Brian Jay Jones' writing is a beautiful, well-deserved love letter to a man who created happiness for the world. Jones clearly loves Jim Henson as much as any Muppet fan, and it comes across in stunning detail on the pages of his book. You will learn so many things about Jim, Jane Henson, the Henson kids, Bernie Brillstein, David Lazer, Frank Oz, Jerry Juhl, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz, and an unending slew of other names than you can't find anywhere else. Jones was given unprecedented access to Henson archives and it is unbelievably clear that he made great use of that access.

So much for being brief, eh? But really, I cannot come up with enough positive adjectives for Jim Henson - The Biography. Every page is crammed with a new piece of information, an incredible story, a meaningful quote, or a detailed account of a great moment in Jim's life. The highest compliment I can give the book, however, came in the final chapter. Jones covered Jim Henson's final days on Earth in such beautiful, amazing detail that I cried not once, not twice, but three separate times before hitting the final page. Every chapter in the book is perfect, but the final chapter is something even more. Kudos to Brian for capturing it so beautifully in his writing.

Muppet fans, if you only buy one piece of Jim Henson related merchandise this year, please make it Jim Henson - The Biography. It contains information about everything you could ever want to know about Jim Henson (and I mean that) and there is virtually nothing better you could buy as a fan of Jim and Jim's creations. Buy it for yourself, buy it to educate your friends and family about why you love this man, but just buy it. I guarantee you will never regret it. The book is a stunning tribute to Jim and far and away the best piece of media ever produced about the life of this modern day genius. Thanks to Brian Jay Jones for creating this simply perfect piece of work. I can't wait to read this essential book again.

Pre-order Jim Henson - The Biography by Brian Jay Jones right now on Amazon for only $23.

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

Muppet Retro Reviews: An Evening with Jim Henson and Frank Oz

Adam Bush - There's nothing like watching old videos of Jim Henson puppeteering. If you've seen the behind the scenes footage from The Muppet Show DVDs, you've experienced what I'm talking about. To watch Jim in his natural habitat, in a time when he was inventing the world of puppetry as we know it now, is really thrilling.

In 1989, Jim Henson and Frank Oz were invited to perform at the Puppeteers of America national festival at MIT in Boston. Due to, as Frank puts it, their laziness, they instead ended up doing a Q&A session with the audience. There are two wonderful things that happened that evening.


1. It was filmed.
2. They brought a few friends.

Below, for your enjoyment, is An Evening with Jim Henson and Frank Oz. The camera work is terrible, the audio is hideous, yet the video is just fantastic. It's all about the content. Throughout the one-hour discussion, you hear from Jim on several shows and films, Frank talks about directing features, and they do plenty of performing with (to name a few) Rowlf, Cookie Monster, and Grover (I don't want to give all the character performances away. It's be fun to be surprised.)

Frank introduces the entire video circa 1993. As you watch this, it's cool to think about what was going on with Jim at the time. 1989 was the year he initially started talks with Disney to purchase rights to the Muppets, and it was during the only season of The Jim Henson Hour. It's also around the time he was developing Muppet*Vision 3-D for Walt Disney World.

Enjoy!

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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Sam

Written by Ryan Dosier. Special thanks to Chris Stulz for his always-stellar Photoshop work!

SAM

Performed by...
Jim Henson

First appearance...
Sam and Friends (May 9, 1955)

Most recent appearance...
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1984)
Also seen at The Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington D.C. (2006 and 2010)

Best known role...
Silent, lip-syncing main character on Sam and Friends

Fun fact...
Built in October 1954

WHO IS SAM?
Sam is one of the very first Muppets created by Jim Henson. He is the titular star of the first television show starring the Muppets, Sam and Friends. Sam is one of the few Muppet characters whose head is made out of rigid material. Most of the other Muppets of the time (and still today) are much more flexible. Though he was the star of the show, Sam was a completely silent character. Most of the sketches that involved Sam had him lip-syncing to popular songs or comedy albums of the period.

Though he was the star of the show, Sam appears in only one of the surviving episodes of Sam and Friends. After almost 60 years, the episodes of the show have worn away, leaving Sam to star in only one sketch. Thankfully, the sketch is fantastic and a true Muppet classic. In it, Sam lip-syncs to Louis Prima's "That Old Black Magic" with Kermit in a wig lip-syncing to Keely Smith's vocals. Sam appeared in many more episodes in the show's six year run, but no more have survived.

Sam and Friends paired Sam with many other characters, including Harry the Hipster, Yorick, Professor Madcliffe, Chicken Liver, Hank and Frank, and many other supporting characters. The biggest star to come from the show was not Sam, it was Kermit, who would later become a frog. Though Sam did not become a star after Sam and Friends, he did make appearances with Jim Henson, Jane Nebel, and the Muppets on three other shows, Today, On Our Town, and Footlight Theater.

Sam's final onscreen appearance came in honor of the third decade of the Muppets entertaining the world. In 1986's The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, Sam appeared alongside Harry the Hipster and Yorick in a silent but meaningful return appearance. Sam got to briefly reconnect with his old friend Kermit and let Harry handle the snide remarks while Yorick handled the food (aka Kermit). This was the last time Sam would be seen performed on television.

In 2006, Sam and the rest of the cast of Sam and Friends were on display at The Smithsonian Institution as part of the "Muppets and Mechanisms: Jim Henson's Legacy" exhibit. Four years later, in 2010, Jane Henson donated Sam and the rest of the original puppets from Sam and Friends to the Smithsonian and they are now part of their permanent collection. Though they are currently not on display, it is still an honor that Sam and the original Muppets will be part of the Smithsonian forever.

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED SAM?
Although Sam hasn't appeared onscreen in nearly 30 years, he is still one of the most important Muppet characters in history. He is one of the very first Muppets and he was the star of their first show. Without Sam, there arguably would be no future for the Muppets. Sam started the Muppet legacy and allowed for the great career of Jim Henson and his characters to happen.

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