Muppet Fan Testimonials: Aaron Buitron

Greetings, Muppet fans! We're very excited here at The Muppet Mindset today because we've got a great new series entitled Muppet Fan Testimonials. Credit for this great idea for a new series goes to our friend Aaron Buitron, who wrote this first article for us. The premise for this series is that you, the Muppet fans, write an article that chronicles how exactly you became a Muppet fan. We want to know what sparked your interest, what held it, what sort of Muppet stuff you had as a kid--whatever you'd like to tell us! We're really excited to hear from Muppet fans about this. If you would like to write your own Muppet Fan Testimonial, write up your article and email it to Ryan Dosier at muppetmindset@gmail.com and it will be posted on The Muppet Mindset shortly after!

Without further ado... The Muppet Mindset is proud to present our very first Muppet Fan Testimonial by Aaron Buitron!

Aaron Buitron - I was born on June 1, 1990, two weeks after Jim Henson’s death, so I suppose I’m what you’d call a second generation Muppet fan. I don’t think I could say exactly when I became a fan, but the circumstances around my upbringing certainly allowed for it. For as long as I can remember, three Muppet VHS tapes have been in my possession:  It’s Not Easy Being Green, a sing-along compilation with clips ranging from The Muppet Show to The Jim Henson Hour. Another was the Billy Bunny's Animal Songs, another sing-along which still makes me grin whenever anyone says “knee deep.” The last was Sesame Street’s 25th anniversary special, which I watched least of the three but still loved. I used to go around the house screaming “Count it Higher.” Overall, it was a pretty solid foundation for a three year old, I’d say (if I could say much of anything when I was three).

Growing up I was home-schooled, which meant I was home in the morning and afternoons to catch Nickelodeon’s Muppet Matinee which allowed me to see rare things like “The Secrets of the Muppets” and classics like Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas. Years passed and my Muppet fandom was casual but devoted, I watched my tapes and the rare TV appearances that occurred in the 90's but missed most of Muppets Tonight and all three theatrical movies that have been released in my lifetime. It wasn’t until 2002 when I discovered Muppet Central that my fandom reached a fever pitch. I acquired anything I could get my hands on, particularly pertaining to Rowlf. I received a Rowlf puppet that I carried around for months as well as the "Ol’ Brown Ears is Back" CD, which resides on my iPod to this day.

As a final testament to the depths of my fandom, for a home school project I once wrote a three page paper on the history of the Muppets complete with a paragraph for each principal Muppeteer and which characters they performed. I also included random details about the various buyouts of the Muppets in recent years. I guess I’m a weirdo, but to paraphrase the great Dr. Teeth, I’m proud of it too!

Well if that's not the greatest quote to represent us Muppet fans, I don't know what is! We really look forward to seeing more of these wonderful Muppet Fan Testimonials and we hope you'll contribute some to The Muppet Mindset. If there's anything we all share, it's a love for the Muppets--so now let's share how that love came about, shall we?

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier