The Muppet Year in Review, 2012

Ryan Dosier - Greetings Muppet fans! Here we are again, New Year's Eve. This year, 2012 is ending (obviously) and 2013 is heading our way. But before we get there, it's our annual tradition to take a look at the past 12 months and see how they treated the Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and more! Let's get started, shall we?

January -

• The Muppets wins Critics' Choice Award for Best Original Song, Jan. 13 - And thus the awards season for the Muppets begins. Clear some shelf space, Kermit!
• The Muppet Mindset Interviews Peter Linz and Walter, Jan. 20 - Walter and Ryan Dosier bond over just about everything, and Peter disappears while Walter is on the phone. Weird.
• Muppet Show writer Joseph Bailey releases book Memoirs of a Muppet Writer, Jan. 23 - Who would've thought a writer would write a great book? (Answer: everyone.)
• "Man or Muppet" Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Song, Jan. 24 - Walter, unsurprisingly, passes out.

February -

• The Academy Awards Bar Original Song Performances at the Ceremony, Feb. 7 - It was a hard-fought battle and we still didn't get Muppets singing at the ceremony... but hey, we tried!
• Miss Piggy Hosts BAFTA Red Carpet Ceremony, Feb. 13 - BAFTA? I barely know ta! (Wow, that was terrible.)
• Disney Confirms Kermit and Miss Piggy Will Present at Oscars Ceremony, Feb. 18 - A frog and a pig at the Oscars? They'll fit right in!
• "Man Or Muppet" WINS the Muppets Their First Oscar, Feb. 26 - No one let Animal near it!
• Scooter Speaks at the TED Conference, Feb. 29 - He goes down in history as the greatest Ted of all time!
• The Muppet Mindset Interviews Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, February - To quote... "It was so magic!"

March -

• Disney Taps James Bobin, Nicholas Stoller to Write Another Muppet Movie, March 1 - That didn't take long at all!
• Jason Segel Steps Away from the Muppets, March 5 - And I still say he's incredibly noble for doing so.
• The Muppets Released on Blu-ray/DVD, March 20 - How many times have YOU watched it?
• The Muppets Receive a Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, March 20 - Now they can be walked all over all the time!
• Copper Pot Pictures Announces I Am Big Bird, Documentary About Caroll Spinney, March 29 - Even Oscar can't be grouchy about this!
• The Muppets Appear Everywhere  Promoting The Muppets on Blu-ray, March - Kermit visits Colbert, Electric Mayhem jams with Jimmy Kimmel, and a whole lot more.
• Disney Launches The Muppets Midship Detective Agency game for Disney Cruise Line, March - Who did it?! And why did they do it?! And... what did they do?

April -

• Kermit the Frog Wins 2012 Muppet Madness Tournament, April 3 - We like him, we really like him!
• Being Elmo Released on DVD, April 3 - The first (of hopefully many) Muppeteer documentary.
• Ape Entertainment Announce New Sesame Street Comic Book, April 5 - And they still haven't been released!
• The Muppets Named Family Ambassadors to New York City, April 13 - Mayor Bloomberg sure does love those furry fellas!
• Nicholas Stoller Reveals Details About Next Muppet Movie, April 14 - He's very good at revealing details like that.
• Jim Henson's Musical World Rocks Carnegie Hall, April 14 - Bringing Muppet, Sesame, and Fraggle characters together for the first time in years... and making Muppet fans everywhere pass out.
• More News About Next Muppet Movie Revealed, April 19 - Walter will return, Jason Segel definitely won't, and we all get really excited.
• Kermit and Miss Piggy Officially Announce Next Muppet Movie at CinemaCon, April 25 - Kermit tries to be the Lone Ranger, but Piggy won't leave him 'lone.

May -

• The Muppets and Sesame Street Win Webby Awards, May 1 - What a tangled Webby they weave!
• The Jim Henson Company Asks Artists to Design Fraggle Rock Anniversary Logo, May 21 - Draw your cares away, worries for another day!
• Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Appear on The Bachelorette, May 21 - Muppet fans got mad, I tried to defend the Muppets.
• Rango Writers Tapped to Write Fraggle Rock Movie, May 30 - Does that mean we can get Johnny Depp for the Fraggle movie?
• The Muppet Mindset Interviews Martin P. Robinson, May - He's the best monster/worm/Snuffleupagus a guy could interview!
• Ryan Dosier's Favorite Things About Fraggle Rock, May-June - One of my favorite article series this year.

June -

• Kermit and Pepe Visit London Promoting The Muppets Blu-ray, June 14 - Remember when Pepe puked on the London Eye?
• Sesame Street Wins 7 Daytime Emmy Awards, June 19 - The awards never stop for that show, do they? It's the best. Makes sense.
• FOX Announces Plans for Sesame Street Feature Film, June 19 - Maybe this time we'll Follow That Bird to Adventures in Grouchland?
• Disney Talks About Bringing The Muppet Show Back to TV, June 22 - Because apparently bringing it to DVD is too difficult.

July -

• Ryan Dosier Meets John Tartaglia, July 9 - And yea, verily, he was the best.
  
• Cookie Monster's "Share it Maybe" Video Goes Viral, July 10 - And Carly Rae Jepsen didn't sue! Huzzah! 
• The Muppet Mindset's 1000th Post, July 11 - Weekly Muppet Wednesdays focuses on Miss Piggy... because she wouldn't let us focus anywhere else.
• Super Grover 2.0 Has Fun at ComicCon, July 14 - Also some guy named Eric Jacobson was there.
• I Am Big Bird Begins its Kickstarter Campain, July 17 - Oh, I sure hope they make all the money they need!
• Elmo, Grover, and Abby Cadabby Go to the Olympics, July 24 - Sadly, Grover never got to try the luge.
• The Muppets Just For Laughs Gala Rocks Montreal, July 28 - Poor Sam Eagle had to go to Canada.

August -

• James Carroll Releases Amazing "Muppet Theater" Print, Aug. 22 - It's so pretty, I want to cry!
• Muppeteer Jerry Nelson passes away at age 78, Aug. 23 - Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for Jerry Nelson... and every day I miss him profoundly.
• Muppet Fans Remember Jerry Nelson (Parts 1, 2, and 3), August

September -

• Miss Piggy Joins Twitter, Sept. 5 - Things got awkward when Kermit followed her but didn't retweet anything.
• Disney Announces Muppet Vinylmation Series 3 for 2013, Sept. 11 - Animal, Newsman, Mahna Mahna, Snowth, and Uncle Deadly are all confirmed.
• Ben Folds Five, Fraggle Five Reunite in New Music Video, Sept. 17 - "Do It Anyway"? Okay!
• Open Letter to Disney About The Muppet Show on DVD, Sept. 24 - I still haven't found a stamp so that I can mail this thing...
• Elmo: The Musical - A Review of the Revue, Sept. 29 - The best new Sesame Street segment since... the one before it!

October -

• Mitt Romney Mentions Big Bird in Presidential Debate, Oct. 4 - Why can't we all just agree that Big Bird would be the best president ever?
• Big Bird Appears on SNL, Oct. 6 - In what was the classiest move of anyone in the presidential campaign, Big Bird makes light of the whole situation and says nothing bad about anyone.
• Muppets and CeeLo Green Perform Live in Las Vegas, Oct. 11 - Miss Piggy promised to CeeLo, "I won't 'Forget You.'"
• "All I Need is Love" Track Featuring CeeLo Green and the Muppets Released, Oct. 25 - Or, "How 'Mahna Mahna' Got Stuck in My Head for the Rest of the Year."
• Tribute to Jerry Nelson at Museum of Moving Image in NYC, Oct. 27 - It was beautiful, it was perfect, it was such an honor to be there.

November - 

• Next Muppet Movie Will Begin Filming in January, James Bobin will direct again, Christoph Waltz rumored for main role, Nov. 1 - And only one of these things was wrong!
• Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal Book Released, Nov. 5 - More rare pictures than you can shake a stick at! (So please stop shaking a stick at my pictures!)
• The Muppet Christmas Carol Released on Blu-ray, Nov. 6 - Merry Christmas to all, and to all higher-quality picture and sound!
• Sesame Street Old School, Vol. 3 Released on DVD, Nov. 6 - The best release of the year? Quite possibly.
• A Special Sesame Street Christmas Released on DVD, Nov. 6 - The most bizarre release of the year? Undoubtedly.
• Bret McKenzie Returning to Write Songs for Next Muppet Movie, Tentative Release of 12/20/2013 Given, Nov. 9 - Life IS a Happy Song!
• The Swedish Chef Cameos on Nerdist Video "Gersberms," Nov. 13 - The weirdest video of the year? By far.
• Kevin Clash Resigns from Sesame Street, Nov. 20 - Sigh.
• The Muppets: One Year Later, Nov. 23 - Guess what? The movie still holds up!
• "All I Need is Love" Music Video Released, Nov. 26 - It doesn't get much better than this.
• Ryan Dosier Meets Caroll Spinney, Nov. 28 - That was the night I hugged Oscar the Grouch... and my life was complete.
• The Muppets Appear All Over Promoting "All I Need is Love" Music Video, November - The Voice and Good Morning America could barely contain all of them!

December - 

• Neil Patrick Harris and Henson Puppets Star in Neil's Puppet Dreams, December - It's raunchy, it's sarcastic, and it's awesome.
• Disney Announces The Muppet Movie is Coming to Blu-ray in 2013, Dec. 5 - "Movin' right along to better picture and sound quality..."
• Kermit the Frog Appears on NBC's 30 Rock, Dec. 6 - He lived every second like it was Shark Week.
• The Muppets Soundtrack Nominated for Grammy Award, Dec. 6 - More awards?!
• Ty Burrell Confirmed for the Next Muppet Movie, Dec. 7 - Phil Dunphy will meet the Muppets!
• Sesame Street Tackles Divorce in Online Resource Kit, Dec. 15 - Of course it's handled extremely well.
• The Muppets Appear on WWE's Tribute to the Troops, Dec. 19 - And so kids, that's how Sam Eagle saluted Jon Cena for no apparent reason.
• Ricky Gervais Confirmed for the Next Muppet Movie, Dec. 19 - The most divisive news amongst Muppet fans all year? Perhaps

And that's the year! Thanks for following us all year long, Muppet fans. We appreciate you more than you could ever know! See you in 2013!





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

What Muppet Fans Got for Christmas - 2012, Part 2

Yesterday we showcased the first part of pictures of what Muppet fans received for Christmas this year... and today is the second part! (Go figure.) Enjoy!

Bruce Aguilar got Sesame Street Old School: Vol. 3

Christopher O'Connor got a whole bunch of Muppet goodies: Animal slippers, boxers, and a glass wall clock. Stationary/party ware and books, all wrapped in Muppet gift wrap presented in a Muppet gift bag.

Kerah, age 7, got a Kermit hat and doll, says Kerah's mom Stacey, "Mommy might be stealing the Kermit stuff by the end of the night."

Santa brought Craig Crumpton a Kermit Holiday plush, a 1979 Miss Piggy Christmas ornament, a Kermit Photographer plush, and the book For Every Child, A Better World

Dave Rosenberg got a Kermit PEZ, Pop! Vinyl figures, and Toys R Us Muppet dolls

Gordon Y. got a new t-shirt, Kermit and Animal dolls, and the Disney Store figure set

Jennifer Best got a Muppet fleece blanket, Fraggle Rock t-shirt, Muppet paper towels, Kermit watch, Henson's Place DVD, John Denver and the Muppets Christmas CD, Ludo and the Worm plush from Labyrinth, Muppet ornaments.

Frederic Fontus got a rare 1981 Sesame Street Live pendant and a host of other gifts

Lewis Middleton's son got a brand new Walter plush

Katie Lopez got a wonderful Kermit hat and a Walter plush

 Twitter follower J3h gets to wear this awesome Muppets t-shirt whenever he wants

Madelaine Swift got a really cool pillow, Kermit hat, and tote bag

 Gavan Sullivan got a Muppet tote bag, Toys R Us plush, a PVC figure set, a Statler and Waldorf Jim Shore statue, two water bottles, a "Before You Leap" book, a Winter Kermit plush, a popcorn figure, a Kermit Pillow Pet, and a Muppet Labs playset

Finally, Jeni Rizio (manager of http://carollspinney.net) and her husband Josh Hankemeier received this incredible piece of original artwork from the one and only Caroll Spinney as a Christmas gift

Well that's that! Hope you enjoyed seeing what other Muppet fans got for Christmas and that you too had a merry, Muppety Christmas!

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

What Muppet Fans Got For Christmas - 2012, Part 1

Last year we had a post showcasing the Christmas gifts that Muppet fans received that had a fantastic Muppety flair. We decided to make it an annual tradition! So, we continue it this year with part one!

Denise Frawley received a lot of Kermit stuff plus the 2013 Muppets calendar

Sonia in Mexico received a huge Muppets blanket and a Kermit-green sweater

Mike Slawinsky woke up to a huge pile of Muppety awesomeness this Christmas

Anthony Mazzuca got Jim Henson: The Works 

Erica Rodriguez opened up an awesome new Muppets t-shirt along with Sesame Street Old School Volumes 1 and 3

 Tyler Farley exuded Animal with a new shirt, shorts, and slippers

Gavin in the UK got this Christmas Kermit. Says Gavin, "Got this little guy from my wife. Think I'll keep him out all year round!"

 Santa brought Jenn's kids their very own Muppet Whatnots!

 Elliot Paulo was very good this year! He received a Scooter Mini Muppet figure, 1970s Bert puppet (with box), Of Muppets and Men, and more!

Barbara Barac got a cool Cookie Monster water bottle

Heather Faville now gets to cover up with this gorgeous Kermit blanket

 Alexander Bannon got these Kermit and Fozzie hand puppets and a book from Holland

Alora Cleere got this antique Miss Piggy bank with awkward slot placement

Our biggest little fan Ruby Snelson, age 6, sent us this wonderful custom Christmas card she made herself with all of her Muppety gifts! Kermit headphones, a Muppet Whatnot, Fozzie and Gonzo plush, and the Muppets 2013 calendar. Thanks, Ruby!!

Well, that's it for today, Muppet fans! Check back tomorrow for more Muppet fan Christmas gifts!





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

Dinosaus Animated Tribute Preview

A few months ago we spotlighted the early stages of the work on a computer animated short film based on the beloved 1990s Henson TV series Dinosaurs designed and produced by friend of the blog Davide Maugeri. Check out the first picture of the short, along with a brief description of Davide's work, below!

"Recently I've teamed up with some workmates to make a CG tribute to Jim Henson. A one and a half minute animated short featuring two characters from one of our favorite Jim Henson shows, Baby and Earl Sinclair from Dinosaurs. We'd like to stress that it is only meant as a homage and tribute to the genius of Jim Henson which made the series possible. Since this was a big hit in the early 90s and it ended up forgotten, our main goal is to bring these characters back to life and remind people they still exist, and they still can make us laugh like they used to. Here is a sneak-peek picture that shows both the characters as they appear in their new CG look. The short should be complete by the holiday season (December)."

And now you can check out three exclusive screenshots from the short. They look spectacular and I'm so excited to see the finished product! The characters look great, the emotions on their faces are fantastic, and the inclusion of one of the classic "Hugga Wugga" creatures is awesome! Enjoy.

We'll keep you updated with the progress on this short as Davide provides updates! Thanks to Davide for sharing this with us. We hope you enjoy the screenshots!





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