Halloween with The Muppets!

Happy Halloween from
The Muppet Mindset!!

And don't forget to catch the Muppets big appearance on WWE Raw tonight on the USA Network! It should be on at 9:00pm/8:00pm central time... but it might vary by region, so check your local listings to be sure!

Also, check out some exclusive Muppety Halloween content provided to us by our good friends at Disney and The Muppets Studio! Have a spook-tacular, Halloween, Muppet fans!!

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

23 Days Until "The Muppets"!!

Lucas Ervin - We're nearly three weeks away from The Muppets and it's time to focus on none other than Gonzo the Great! Dave Goelz has performed Gonzo since the beginning. Gonzo is the artist of culture on The Muppet Show, delivering painful, dangerous, and weird acts week after week. In his personal life, Gonzo has a tender spot for poultry, and has been dating a chicken, Camilla, for many years (though he's not always sure the chicken he's with is Camilla). While he may be slightly misunderstood, Kermit will always let Gonzo perform, no matter how odd his attempts. Gonzo is Kermit's best friend, aside from Fozzie, and has had numerous unforgettable numbers with the many guest stars that have come through to host, like Peter Sellers and Paul Simon. While he is certainly indescribable, one thing is for certain... Gonzo truly is the greatest!


23.   Flight of the Bumblebee - Here's the beloved weirdo in his first act ever, long before he was beloved, eating a rubber tire to the tune of "Flight of the Bumblebee." Gonzo's first performance ended poorly, being booed offstage by the audience within the first few bites. When exiting, he exclaims to Kermit, "What do they know about great art?" Gonzo's first act in the first episode of The Muppet Show perfectly defined his misunderstood, never-say-die approach to performing. You'll notice that Gonzo is the only Muppet who wears a purple tuxedo as his main outfit throughout all five seasons of the show.

22.   Jamboree - Gonzo always seemed to sing songs that were just perfect for him. Case in point: "Jamboree," which was featured in the Raquel Welch episode in season three. In the song, Gonzo sings about not caring what other people say or think, and finding your own ways to have fun in life. This song was actually co-written by Frank Oz specifically for the show, and was so enjoyable that it appeared on The Muppet Show Music Album.

21.   Gonzo Hypnotizes Himself While Holding a 5000 lb. Weight - Here's Gonzo doing an act specifically for "students of the occult." He demonstrates his hypnotic talents by hypnotizing himself so that he can hold up a 5000 lb. weight with just one hand. Even Statler and Waldorf seem to be impressed. But, like all of Gonzo's acts, something goes wrong, and he accidentally snaps himself out of it, only to be flattened. This, of course, isn't the last time Gonzo wound up flattened after an act. He also became pancaked after his attempted free-falling rocket power act with Garth Brooks on Muppets Tonight.

20.   Act Naturally - Originally a UK spot on the show, Gonzo sings the Buck Owens classic "Act Naturally" in front of a mirror, and the mirrored version of Gonzo begins to take on a life of its own, startling him at first, but then turning into a rather nice duet. While Gonzo mostly wore the purple tux, here we see him wearing the same outfit he wore in The Muppet Movie when he was a plumber--a role which he will somewhat reprise in The Muppets in a few weeks. This is actually a really great number, so it’s a shame that Americans weren’t able to see it until several years later.

19.   Gonzo Rides a Motorcycle into Statler and Waldorf's Balcony - Here is one of the greatest--and most elaborate--Gonzo segments. He plans to ramp a motorcycle off the stage and land (safely) between Statler and Waldorf. The first attempt at his stunt backfires on him, and instead he rolls backwards off the stage. So when he comes back for a second try, Statler and Waldorf aren't worried at all. But Gonzo succeeds, crashing straight through their box, causing the two grumpy old men to faint. This is actually one of the most well-known clips from The Muppet Show, and can be seen quite often in Muppet documentaries and specials.

18.   John Cleese Fixes Gonzo's Arm Problem - In this episode, with the help of Crazy Harry, Gonzo catches a cannon ball with his bare hand. One problem though... his arm stretches out over five feet and is unable to do a duet with Robin later in the show. Tired of being teased by everyone backstage, Gonzo enlists in the help of John Cleese. As you can tell from the video, results were mixed at best. John Cleese later had a cameo in The Great Muppet Caper, where he helped a pig and a lizard who broke into his home find a restaurant (although, it's really more of a supper club).

17.   Wishing Song - This song acts as a sort of anthem for Gonzo. In the Madeline Kahn episode, Gonzo puts his love of chickens on the back-burner as he becomes completely enamored with Miss Kahn, and even dons a tuxedo and top hat to propose. When he finds out that Madeline didn't intend this, Gonzo starts feeling alone and depressed. He begins singing about his loneliness when Madeline reminds him that even though he should count the things in life that mean the most. It's a beautiful song whose message we tend to forget. Nobody can send a message about being happy with who you are like The Great Gonzo. This song was recently covered on The Green Album and appeared on a some of The Muppet Show albums.

ONLY 23 DAYS UNTIL THE MUPPETS!!

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

The Ramblings of Jarrod Fairclough, Muppet Nerd: Part 3

Jarrod Fairclough Presents: The Ramblings of a Muppet Nerd

I am a heterosexual male. I love the ladies. I've kissed over 2 girls!

But I am in love. With a man. So, please indulge me, as I write a Muppet fans love letter to Marshall Erikson himself, Jason Segel...

Dear Jason,
We've never met, and you may never read this, but my name is Jarrod Fairclough, and you have been a big part of my life for three years now. In 2008, I first saw you when I watched Knocked Up. And, to be honest with you, that could have been my last exposure to you. Because of my immense dislike for anything with Katherine Heigl in it, the film was tainted and left a bad taste in my mouth.

And then, in 2008, Forgetting Sarah Marshall was released, and I, for about two months, had every customer (I work in a grocery store) come up to me and say "You know, you look like the main guy from Forgetting Sarah Marshall." How I Met Your Mother had been around for a few years, but it didn't really get known in Australia until Sarah Marshall. I thought to myself, "Maybe I need to check this movie out," but I never got around to it.

Then, it was made known to me that you were writing a new Muppet movie. Firstly, I did what most Muppet fans would have done, and thought "Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it." And then it started getting more and more prominent in the Muppet world. And I thought, "Okay, maybe I need to check this Segel guy out." So I went and borrowed a friend's copy of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Then, it happened. For the first time in years, I had a belly ache from laughing in a movie so much. People ask me my favourite movie, and I say that it's a tie between The Muppet Movie and that piece of comedy brilliance.

The film was so good that I took a chance, without seeing a single episode, I went and bought the first four seasons of How I Met Your Mother on DVD, purely based on the fact that you were in it. I was finished those four seasons in five days (I wasn't studying then). Still now, every week, I watch at least 5–10 episodes from the 6.3 seasons that have aired so far (I'm downloading Season 7 as it airs in America--we won't get it here for another 4-5 weeks).

The point being, Mr. Segel, is that I was so confident you could make me laugh, that I spent over $100 I probably couldn't afford at that time of my life (long story involving copious amounts of cereal, SpongeBob, and The View--which shows you how dark that time was). And it was totally worth it. 

And that brings me to The Muppets. You lucky Americans only have another month to wait for this movie. I have another six weeks on top of that. January 1st I will be sitting in the cinema, on my own (I don't want non-lovers to taint my experience) where I will see the movie, and regardless of if I liked it or I loved it, I will be leaving my seat, going to the box office, and buying another ticket for the next session. I may even go enough times to spend $100 in one day, because I trust you that much. I can't explain how excited I am that you're writing and starring in this film, Mr. Segel. Jason Segel and Muppets together? That's like Jim Henson and God got together and said "Happy New Year, Jarrod." I have friends that aren't Muppet lovers, who have suddenly become intrigued in the movie when I mention you're involved. The other day, I went to see a movie, and for the first time since 1996, I saw Muppets on a big screen when the trailer was played. I seriously cannot explain how excited I became. I had a huge grin on my face the entire time, even though I've seen the trailer 50 times before.

Jason Segel, you are incredible. I saw Gulliver's Travels because you were in it (and Emily Blunt–she's a spunk). Every other day, if not every day, I have some sort of reminder of how funny you are, which gives me the confidence to say that The Muppets is going to be one of the best films I will ever watch. And I've seen Mac and Me.

Sincerely, Jarrod Fairclough
AKA, the guy who rings you every night and just breathes down the phone (I'm not creepy, I just have bad asthma)

Thanks folks. That got a bit weird in places, but I had to say it. Join me next time for the MOJA – Museum of Jarrod Art, where I go through some Muppet drawings I've done over the last year or so, with special comments by a good friend to me, and to Muppets, Sesame Street artist Joe Mathieu.

Do you think we should have rented a bigger car?
Jarrod.
P.S - Remember many many months ago I wrote that my sister was expecting her first child? Well, little Sienna arrived safe and sound 14 weeks ago (at time of writing) and she's the cutest thing on two legs.

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

Interview with "The Muppets" Sound Team Member: Rocco Fonzarelli

Today we have the pleasure of welcoming the first member of The Muppets production team to stop by The Muppet Mindset for an interview! We'll have a few more interviews with Muppet people in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout! But for now... read on!!

Interview with The Muppets Sound Team Member – 
Rocco Fonzarelli

Conducted by Ryan Dosier

RYAN:   Today on The Muppet Mindset we're thrilled to welcome one of the integral behind the scenes members of the team that worked on The Muppets. Rocco Fonzarelli had the incredible opportunity of being on the sound team that worked on the film and is awesome enough to sit and talk to us about it. Welcome, Rocco! Tell us a little bit about your job on the film. What is your official job title and what duties did it entail?

ROCCO:   My official job title is Gentlemens Monkey for the post production company 424 Post. My duties include making really bad cappuccinos, getting in everyone's way, holding the door for Muppets Supervisor Jill Breitzman, and pants ironing.

RYAN:   You got to work with some of the great Muppet performers including Dave Goelz and Bill Barretta when they came into the recording studio. What was that like?

ROCCO:   UNREAL! Our sound supervisor Kami Asgar (who also worked on Muppets From Space) had to introduce me to Dave Goelz and Bill Barretta because I was too shy to even say hello. Dave came into to do ADR (automated dialogue replacement) and loop some lines for Gonzo. I wish I could tell you the line, because it's great. Ask me after Thanksgiving so I can be free to speak. So... Dave says, "Nice to meet you." My response was something along the lines of, "Oh, I met you before in 2003 at the Muppet convention. You signed my coloring book." The sound crew erupted in laughter and everybody realized they had a fanboy on the set. To most of the sound crew, it is not as exciting as it is for me. Our mixer worked on Empire Strikes Back, so he was used to working with icons. Bill came in to loop some lines for Chef. I mentioned Johnny Fiama--my favorite Muppet--within my first breath of meeting Bill. After three takes someone says, "Okay Bill, let's do one more for safety," to which Johnny replied, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Johnny Fiama does not do more than three takes. Rocco knows, right Rocco?" I was like, "Please tell me we got that on tape." Sadly, we did not. I hate to use the word surreal so much, but it's nuts. As I am typing this to you now, Brett McKenzie is in front of me air guitaring to the music he has written and beautifully orchestrated as we do playback fixes, with James Bobin to my left.

Also, this week, I got another INCREDIBLE surprise from our Post Production Supervisor Jill. She basically says, "You, get in the car, were going to do promotions." I get in, and we wind up at the studio where the whole gang is filming some promotional commercials. As I said before, I went to the 2003 Muppet convention in Santa Monica where I met Gonzo, Floyd, Sweetums, Pepe, Johnny, Sal, Kermit, etc. But I ran into Miss Piggy for the first time backstage at the commercial taping that day... and she is breathtaking, literally breathtaking. Our conversation went something like...

PIGGY: Are you going to be okay? (to Jill) Is he going to be okay? Breathe, breathe, in, out.
ME: I'm sorry Miss Piggy, I just never thought I would get a chance to see you in person.
PIGGY: I know, I know, it's okay.

I can’t tell you how our conversation ended. It was too much for me to take in. Talking to Kermit was a little easier because we had met at the convention... I was talking to Sal about his short stint as a boneologist and he decided to grab Kermit and recreate that moment so that was really awesome. But Piggy... I can't even tell you what we talked about, I was absolutely starstruck.

RYAN:   You also received an incredible gift from Bill Barretta and one of his closest friends which came with a little help from director James Bobin. Can you talk us through this moment and how it felt to get such an incredible present? (I’m only slightly jealous.) (And by slightly, I mean entirely.)

ROCCO:   My boss, Princess Jill Breitzman, realized early on that I was a HUGE Muppet fan. Back up to last Thanksgiving... I was layed off from my job due to the MGM Studios going bankrupt. Then I found out I had to have heart surgery again. Long story short, I had a really rough year and Muppets Supervisor Jill and the sound team decided to do something really nice for me... they had Johnny Fiama come in and sing. While Jill was in New York doing a preview, she had a Rocco--I mean Rokko Muppet made for me at the Whatnot Workshop. They kept the secret really well for like a month until I got a call one Friday morning by boss Sean McCormick (gentlemens monkeys have a lot of bosses) to come to the stage immediately. So I came in and sat down and that's where the video takes over. I have watched it about 100 times and I still can't believe it.



RYAN:   So is Rokko a Muppet or a Moopet?

ROCCO:   Well, as you can tell from the leather Jacket, he is definitely a Moopet. Where as you and I have more of a Hi-ho attitude, he has more of a cynical world view. Like the other day, my boss Tim texted me and Rokko grabbed my phone and texted him back things a Muppet would never say. He gets away with a lot.

RYAN:   Is he in the new film?

ROCCO:   No, he tried out but... his screen test was with Amy Adams, and let's just say, it didn't go well. Now he has to stay at least 400 yards away from Ms. Adams at all times--at least that's what his restraining order says. He has been in the industry for a while. He was a production assistant on Americas Top Model, and had a bit part on That 70's Show as a bartender, so he has had an interesting career to say the least.

RYAN:   Is Rokko dating anyone?

ROCCO:   Well, the thing about Rokko is that he's a bad boy, and from what I have heard on both Oprah and the interwebs, is that chicks dig bad boys. Remember when Bobo and Cindi Crawford were dating? Don't quote me on this, but I think he had something to do with breaking up their engagement, and Katy Perry was a nice church girl when she met Rokko and now she's not aloud near Sesame Street. For a while he was trying to get in trouble so he could do community service to meet Lindsy Lohan, but I'm not sure if that worked out or not. His cell phone rings all hours of the night with the most random Muppets (Beautiful Day Monster, Behemoth, Crazy Harry, Frank Oz...) calling. Ever since he and Spamela Hamderson from Muppets Tonight broke it off, he hasn't been the same.

RYAN:   Just to aggravate the jealousy of Muppet fans even further... tell us how many times you've gotten to see the movie.

ROCCO:   I have seen the movie at least 20 times. In every stage and every edit. It is FANTASTIC.

RYAN:   Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favorite part of the movie to work on?

ROCCO:   The coolest thing was watching the story develop into what it is, and what you are about to see. They had a great story from the beginning but as the weeks and months passed, just watching how James Thomas (picture editor) shaped the story line, and gave the film such a natural flow was incredible.

RYAN:   Which character in the film do you think gets the biggest chance to shine?

ROCCO:   Well, without giving anything away, Walter, the new Muppet, represents us, the true Muppet fans. So, without sounding cliché, the character that shines is you. You are Walter. I am Walter. We are all Walter.

RYAN:   We've figured out, and you've mentioned a couple times to me, that this movie was made for Muppet fans. How do you expect Muppet fans, and non-hardcore fans, to react to the film?

ROCCO:   Everyone is going to love this movie. After going to several previews with people from all walks of life, it really touches people across the board. It's got it all.

RYAN:   As part of the sound team, did you get to work on the music for the film at all? If so, how do the songs measure up to previous Muppet classics? No, Brett McKenzie (1/2 of Flight of the Conchords) wrote all the songs and they are fantastic. I am a musician, so I really appreciate the songs. They are all instant classics. So funny, heart warming, and arranged and orchestrated to perfection.

RYAN:   What is your favorite part of your job?

ROCCO:   Talking to you man.

RYAN:   If you had to compare the "feel" of The Muppets to any of the other Muppet movies, which one would it be?

ROCCO:   There are elements of all the previous films in this movie. That is part of the genius that Jason and Nick captured so well.

RYAN:   What is your advice for Muppet fans waiting anxiously for the film to come out?

ROCCO:   Be patient, it's worth the wait. AND DON'T WATCH THE PREVIEWS! To me, watching the previews is like opening your presents before Christmas--or in this case Thanksgiving.

RYAN:   In your opinion, what should Muppet fans be most excited about?

ROCCO:   That we have a movie made by us for us. The crew of this film is filled with people who are Muppet fans and that shows on screen. And if it does well, because traditionally Muppet movies don't do big numbers at the box office, there will be more to come! So get out there and see it on opening day! And maybe a couple more times over Thanksgiving weekend!

RYAN:   Any final words you'd like to share with Muppet fans about the movie?

ROCCO:   You will not believe your eyes and ears. An instant classic!

RYAN:   One last question for you, Rocco... Is it November 23rd yet?

ROCCO:   ALMOST!

Thanks so much to Rocco for doing this interview with me. He really are living the dream! I'm sure I can speak for the whole Muppet fan community when I wish the entire team of The Muppets the best of luck and in saying that we can't wait to dump our praises on you.

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

News Update: October 27, 2011

NEWS UPDATE: October 27, 2011

The Disney Store has released a bunch of new Muppet stuff online and in their physical store locations. Among these are four brand new Muppet mugs featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo the Great--only available in-store, along with some new t-shirts, and eight wonderful new Muppet plush toys of Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, Beaker, Rizzo, and... Pepe the King Prawn! This is the first time a Pepe plush has been widely available, so be sure to get yours today, okay! All of these are available at DisneyStore.com | The Muppets and I've been told that even more stuff--including a Walter plush--will be coming out soon. So be on the look out!

The Muppets have released three brand new videos recently: two promoting their involvement with Alamo Rent-A-Car Company, and the other featuring Sam the Eagle as he shills out for "likes" in The Muppets Fan-A-Thon in the most patriotic way possible. Check out all three videos below--and make sure you bring an umbrella. Rowlf's tongue is flying!







A slew of great new interviews with cast and crew of The Muppets have filtered out onto the internet recently. Variety has a great little piece with Christophe Beck, composer for the film. In it, Beck talks about his exposure to the Muppets, why he enjoys them, and why he has loved working on The Muppets. An interview with Zack Galifianakis on BuzzSugar.com talks a little bit more about Zack's cameo in the movie as a character called "Hobo Joe." He also talks a little about his hope for the film and love of the characters. Director of The Muppets James Bobin talked with Film Journal International at great length and opened up about his love for the Muppets and his love for The Muppets. He really comes across as a great fit for the characters--which should be very satisfying to a lot of fans.

Kermit the Frog recently stopped by Toronto to visit and co-host the popular morning talk show CP24 to promote The Muppets and announce that he and the rest of the Muppets would be appearing in the annual Toronto Santa Claus Parade on November 20th. Luckily, CP24 posted two videos from Kermit's gig on their website and, as always, the Frog was fantastic. Take special notice of how he rolls around in the chair and be sure you watch both videos and stay till the end. There's a very special, adorable, understated musical treat.

Whilst in Toronto, Kermit met up with friend and co-star Jason Segel and the two talked about The Muppets with various news outlets. Toronto.com has a great piece and small interview with both the Frog and the writer/actor. In the interview, Jason talks about the fart shoes and explains why he thinks they work and people are over-reacting. It's basically what we said here the other day... you know how Segel likes to take all of our ideas. I mean, I was talking about a Muppet feature film long before he was!

In the major recent explosion of promotion for Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, Kevin Clash stopped by some talk shows for some rare appearances without a furry red sock on his arm. Our friends over at ToughPigs.com have the full collection of appearances, but check out below for the video from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for my favorite of the appearances. Also, take note, that The Muppet Mindset has interviewed someone that Jon Stewart has interviewed. How awesome is that?!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Kevin Clash
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Muppets are the stars of the November 2011 issue of WIRED Magazine subtitled "Fuzzy Logic." The cover features Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker and inside, seven pages are wonderfully overflowing with Muppets including Sam the Eagle, Janice, Statler and Waldorf, Gonzo, and a lot more. I can't recommend going out and buying this magazine for yourself highly enough. It's a wonderful item to have with a great piece on Jason Segel included (which has pictures like the one at right). However, if you can't afford the magazine or can't seem to find it for yourself, the wonderful folks over at ToughPigs.com have scanned the whole thing just for you (probably not just for you)... so check it out!

Our friends over at We Love Fine T-Shirts are hosting a Muppet t-shirt design contest and voting is--and has been--open. Voting ends on November 4, so get in there and vote for one of the shirt designs that are actually good, not some of the poorly Photoshopped uses of already existing material. The piece at right, designed by friend of the blog Dave Alvarez, is just one of the examples of amazing Muppet art in this contest. Go vote so you can get to wear one of these on your torso!

There are two great new promotional videos for The Muppets appeared on Disney.com recently. Thanks to our friends over at Muppet Musings, these two videos are now on YouTube for all to see! The first, "The Muppets: 10 in 60" features Jason Segel and Kermit the Frog as they attempt to answer ten questions about The Muppets in 60 seconds. This video features some fantastic new shots from the movie and some great interaction between Kermit and Jason. The second is the Disney Movie Surfers showcase of The Muppets wherein Kermit deems both Jason and the random girl interviewing them as honorary Muppets. Why wasn't I in that room at the time? Anyway... enjoy both below!

And, finally, there is a brand new final parody trailer for The Muppets now available for a bazillion viewings online!! Here it is--in all its amazing glory. The Muppets just parodied their own parody. That just happened. Watch it now!









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

Weekly Muppet Monster Wednesdays: Murray Monster

MURRAY MONSTER

Performed by...
Joey Mazarrino

First appearance...
Sesame Street Season 36 (2005)

Most recent appearance...
Sesame Street Season 42 (2011)

Best known role...
"Word on the Street" presenter, haver of little lamb Ovejita, show host 

Well-known quote...
"Hi! I'm Murray! And I wanna know... What's the word on the Street?"

WHO IS MURRAY MONSTER?
Murray is a large, fuzzy, red, excitable young monster who has risen to fame on Sesame Street in recent years. While his description may sound eerily similar to Elmo's, he's really quite different. Murray's main gig on the show recently has been going out into "the real world" and finding people who can tell him what the Word on the Street (aka, the Word of the Day) means.

Murray's first appearance was in Season 36, where he began appearing, with little fanfare, asking kids questions. Usually, since the curriculum called for it, Murray would spend these talk-spots asking kids about exercise or other healthy life habits. It's not widely known that during this time, Murray was just another unnamed monster performed by Joey Mazarrino. In fact, around the set they referred to him as "FilFil" because Murray's design was so similar to a character with the name FilFil on the Egyptian co-production Alam Simsim.

It only took two more years for Murray to gain his name and gain a specific role on the show in Season 38, when he began introducing every episode with his "What's the Word on the Street?" segment. With Season 39, Murray acquired his own segment within the show with "Murray Has a Little Lamb" where he and his pet lamb, Ovejita, visit different types of schools and learn something new every day.

Murray has not, and does not, appear in many Street Stories in the show. One of the few and most prominent examples of Murray's involvement in a Street Story was in Season 39's "The Golden Triangle of Destiny" episode. In the story, Murray assists Texas Telly in his quest to find said Triangle of Destiny. He spends his time in the laundromat with Leela as Telly takes on his journey.

Murray's star rose to astronomical heights in Season 40 when he became the sort of host of the new block format of the show, introducing segments throughout the show and the Letter and Number of the Day. In these brief segments, Murray exists in the real world interacting with children and adults alike to understand letters and numbers, learn new things, and introduce segments such as Super Grover 2.0, Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures, Abby's Flying Fairy School, and Elmo's World. Murray even announces the letter and number sponsors at the end of each episode, making him the first and last Muppet to be seen on the show every day.

Currently, Murray is hosting another new segment that takes place throughout the show called "Murray's Science Experiments," where he and Ovejita travel around New York City to conduct experiments with various children and teachers to explore ideas in the S.T.E.M. curriculum. This again gives Murray a starring role on the show, appearing almost as much as Elmo throughout every episode.

MURRAY MONSTER AND JOEY MAZZARINO
Murray is veteran Muppeteer Joey Mazarrino's first main character on Sesame Street. Joey and Murray make appearances together often and Murray really gets to show off his funny side in unscripted appearances. Joey has also stated that he likes to keep Murray off the Street and Street Stories, much like Fraggle Rock's Uncle Traveling Matt was rarely seen in the main setting.

WHY DOES SESAME STREET NEED MURRAY MONSTER?
Murray is one of the newest characters on Sesame Street, and as such he has an incredibly hard time of endearing himself to fans of the show who love such characters as Grover, Bert, Ernie, and Oscar. However, I firmly believe that Murray's fun-loving attitude and interactions with Ovejita are enough to establish him as a great character. He is able to teach while having fun himself, and helping the kids to have fun as well. And really, isn't that what Sesame Street is all about? Murray's sense of educational value while not sacrificing entertainment value is what makes him a fun character to watch and one who is certainly earning his place amongst Sesame Street's finest.

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

(Kind of) Weekly Muppet Quotes Spotlight: Bunsen and Beaker

Casey Daron - Hello, and welcome once again to (Kind of) Weekly Muppet Quotes. This week, the quotes will be spotlighting Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his somewhat trusty assistant, Beaker. Beaker is an instant fan-favorite, mainly because he gets tortured, shrunk, catches on fire, and, well, you get the idea. I am thrilled to see what Dr. Honeydew and Beaker make in the new movie. Now, go on, and enjoy this week's quotes!

"Mee mee moo meep meep mind."
"Yes, I think you have a beautiful mind, too."
~ Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie

"Oh, I'm so nervous. If I'm not funny, I won't be able to live with myself."
"Well, then you'll have to get another apartment, won't you?"
~ Fozzie Bear and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, The Muppet Movie

"Here is my assistant Beaker, here with a lighted blowtorch. He is going to show you how impossible it really is to burn fireproof paper."
~ Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, The Muppet Show (Episode 318)

"I'm Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, this is Muppet Labs, and I am tickled pink to announce the solution to banana problems."
~ Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, The Muppet Show (Episode 402)

"Now comes the Honeydew Shrinking pill. Take one, Beaker."
"Meep?"
"NOT THE WHOLE BOTTLE!"
"MEEEEEEEEP!"
"Oh, dear. Well, I guess that's all for today on Muppet Labs."
~ Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, The Muppet Show (Episode 306)

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