Comic Con Street

San Diego Comic Con was held over the weekend, and as we noted in our News Updates, Sesame Street and The Jim Henson Company both held panels at the world's biggest fan convention. Updates on the Henson panel are still coming in, but the Sesame Street panels were a major success.

Our friends at Nerdist.com have a great recap of the main Sesame Street panel, which featured Eric Jacobson and Grover, Joey Mazzarino and Murray, David Rudman and Cookie Monster, and Carol-Lynn Parente (and hosted by Nerdist's own Chris Hardwick).

The first panel held for Sesame Street was a conversation with the Muppet performers and Muppets, hosted by the amazing Zachary Levi. Lucky for us non-Comic Con attendees, NerdHQ filmed the entire panel for us. It's half an hour long, and 100% delightful. I highly, highly recommend watching it. Joey Mazzarino and Murray steals the show.



Earlier that day, Sesame Street took to Vine to show off Bert's new cosplay costume. Is he Bertman? Batbert? The world may never know.



Then, Murray presented a special edition of "Word on the Street."



And finally, Cookie Monster found his favorite Comic Con costume.



Sesame Street also shared a lot on Instragram from the photo shoot available with Grover, Murray, and Cookie Monster later in the day. Check out some of the great photos below!



Chris Hardwick with his furry friends.



The Nerdist panel.



Zachary Levi with the gang.



Bertman scales the building.



Chris Hardwick with Grover.



Our friend Gina Selim with Bert!



We'll be back with more Comic Con coverage as it comes down the pipeline!





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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Humphrey & Ingrid

Written by Mike Baldasare and Ryan Dosier.

HUMPHREY & INGRID

Performed by...
David Rudman (Humphrey)
Joey Mazzarino (Ingrid)

First appearance...
Humphrey - Sesame Street Season 22 (1990)
Ingrid - Sesame Street Season 25 (1994)

Most recent appearance...
Humphrey - Sesame Street Season 35: Episode 4059 (2004)
Ingrid - Sesame Street Season 32: Episode 3955 (2001)

Best known role(s)...
Doting, dopey parents of Baby Natasha; husband and wife

WHO ARE HUMPHREY & INGRID?

Humphrey and Ingrid are slow-witted but parents of Baby Natasha, they are also a happily married couple. The duo were named after Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, stars of Casablanca. Humphrey and Ingrid worked at the Furry Arms Hotel during the "Around the Corner" seasons. Humphrey was proceeded on the show by Baby Natasha by a few seasons. It wasn't until Season 22, when Humphrey was introduced as Natasha's father. In his earliest known appearance on Sesame Street, Humphrey asked Maria to babysit Natasha while he has to go to the store.

Humphrey, Ingrid, and Baby Natasha appeared in many segments together, mostly prominent in the 1990s. Humphrey and Ingrid performed a number of songs together on Sesame Street, including "Natasha's Lullaby," which Humphrey sang to Natasha before bed and "Oh, Look What Our Baby Can Do," which Humphrey and Ingrid both sang, showcasing Natasha's many talents. A number of street stories, especially during the "Around the Corner" years, focused on Humphrey and Ingird taking care of Natasha, showing off her talents, or helping her learn new things.

When "Around the Corner" came to an end during Season 30 (1998-1999), Humphrey and Ingrid continued taking care of Natasha, but in much less frequent appearances. When Sesame Street changed its format during Season 33 (2002), they both rarely appeared in street stories while Natasha returned to being a solo character again. After 2001, Ingrid was not seen in any prominent capacity again. Humphrey most recently appeared on the show in Season 35: Episode 4059 (2004), where he reports the results of a porridge survey for Monster News.

WHY DOES SESAME STREET NEED HUMPHREY & INGRID?
Like most fan-favorite Muppet characters of Sesame Street, Humphrey, Ingrid, and Baby Natasha have been phased out of the show. It would be nice to see this loving and colorful monster family continue to make appearances in future episodes. The trio represents a loving, if silly, family relationship, which is important for kids to see.

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

The Muppet Mindset Most Wanted, Part 2

Ryan Dosier - Greetings, Muppet fans! When we last spoke about my journey to the set of Muppets Most Wanted last May, I had just gotten my picture taken with Walter and I had just watched a dozen Muppets shoot a scene in front of an Amtrak train. (To recap fully, just read Part 1.)

So! Where could we possibly go from there? Well, after getting our pictures with Walter, Matt Wilkie and I returned to the main hub where all the cast, crew, and extras were having lunch. It was a fully catered craft services lunch that you hear about. Honestly there was everything. Pasta, chicken, fish, cookies (more on those later), ice cream... everything. It was awesome. And Matt and I got to eat it for free and no one said anything to us. Very strange, wonderful times.

And yet the times got even stranger and wonderfuller. Matt and I sat down at one of the few empty tables and started eating. We were only a few bites in when Peter Linz and Matt Vogel came to sit with us. I don't know if this was because there was nowhere else to sit... but I doubt it. Almost immediately after sitting down, Peter and Matt whipped out their iPhones and started showing us pictures on-set pictures they had taken. I distinctly remember shots of Louise Gold and Annie Sue, Walter and Ricky Gervais in their trench coats, Peter and Bill Barretta performing the flamingos, the Muppet performers freezing at the gulag set, and so much more. It was unreal.

And yet it got more unreal. After lunch, the producers dismissed all of the extras, background puppeteers, and 90% of the crew, but somehow Matt and I got to stick around. At that point, things got crazy, as all of the Muppet performers--Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, and David Rudman--came to sit at our table. There we were, me and Matt, just casually hanging out with our heroes. No one questioned it, no one asked why we were still there... everyone was just so happy to sit and talk to us. Unbelievable.

Honestly, I can't think of any words to describe that moment. It completely blew me away to be in the presence of these people that I adore--and to be with them all at one time? I was stunned. I can't recall what we talked about, but I do remember lots and lots of laughter. I know that I was a part of something special there and I'm thankful for every single thing that led to that moment. Out of everything I've gotten to do because of The Muppet Mindset, I think that one moment, sitting with seven of my heroes as just one of the guys, is the culmination of it all.

And yet, it didn't stop there. While we were waiting (and at that point I wasn't even sure what we were waiting for), I asked to take a picture with Peter. Of course he said yes, so we posed for the picture... and then Dave Goelz wanders in because he was jealous he wasn't in the picture. Ridiculous. Here's that glorious picture:

After that, I noticed David Rudman was eating a cookie... and obviously I had to get a picture of that. The performer of Cookie Monster eating a cookie? Come on. Anyway, here's that picture:

At one point after that, the Union Station crew was putting away the tables, so we had to get up. I grabbed my backpack to move it out of the way. Dave Goelz saw me do this and said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you leaving?! You can't leave!" I said, "No, no I'm just grabbing my backpack." He was relieved. I was confused. And enthralled. The day just kept getting better.

And then the day turned into the best. We finally found out what we were waiting around for when some of the performers went into a back room to do some on-set ADR (automated dialogue replacement, aka dubbing). Steve, Eric, Bill, and Dave stayed behind for a rehearsal with James Bobin. There, in the grand hall of Union Station, Steve Whitmire pulled out Kermit, Eric Jacobson pulled out Fozzie, Bill took Statler, and Dave took Waldorf, and the four of them rehearsed the lines leading up to "We're Doing a Sequel" and the first few bars of the song.

So Matt and I sat there, watching our own private Muppet rehearsal and hearing the start of "We're Doing a Sequel" nearly a year before the film's release. I'm not kidding when I say that those lines of the song did not leave my head for 10 months until I heard the whole thing. I knew then and there that Muppets Most Wanted would be a hysterical, incredible experience. They must've rehearsed that opening a dozen times, because the lyrics were ingrained in my brain. Again, I could not believe I was there experiencing this.

After the rehearsal wrapped, everyone was finished and the day was over. At this point it was probably about 5 in the evening, making for a long, hugely fulfilling day. As we were leaving, Peter and Debbie McClellan told Matt and I that they would be filming another scene--this one on Hollywood Boulevard--two days from then. They said we could come and they would be in touch... so my trip was clearly just beginning. Hard to believe that after the day I had just had, there would be another day on set with the Muppets. But... more on that later.





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

The Muppet Mindset Most Wanted, Part 1

Ryan Dosier - Isn't life funny? One minute, it's 2013, the next, it's 2014, then it's May 2014 and you realize it's been literally an entire year since you had one of the greatest experiences of your life. What's worse, you realize it's been a year and you haven't written anything about one of the greatest experiences of your life. I can attribute this to many things... lack of approval from Disney, not wanting to spread spoilers--but mostly it's just me forgetting to sit down and write. But that's being fixed right now!

One year ago today, May 6, 2013, I was on a a bus headed for Los Angeles Union Station. I had been invited by my amazing friend Peter Linz to be his guest on the set of Muppets Most Wanted while they filmed a few scenes in LA after months of filming in London. It was (and still is) an unbelievable gift for Peter to invite me and a really, truly can never thank him enough or repay him for what I got to experience over the few days I was there.

I arrived at Union Station around 9:00am. Peter had told me to get there at 10, but I wanted to make sure I was there early enough. Getting there at 9 happened to work out extremely well, because as I was walking through the station trying to get my bearings, I just happened to run into Bill Barretta. Bill and I go back almost five years. He was the first Muppet performer I ever interviewed and met in person so it's oddly fitting that he became my guide through my first on-set Muppet experience. Bill swept me up and walked me around, showing me the train platform where they would be filming.

As we were walking out onto the platform, a security guard stopped us (obviously, since he was guarding a big-budget film set) and Bill simply told him, "We're with the Muppets" and we got through. Me. I was with the Muppets. It was unbelievable just to hear those words... and then we went out to the train platform. There were large black crates, obviously holding the Muppets themselves. There were animatronic rats sitting on boxes that Bill was delighted to show off. Thog's head was sitting on the ground and Bill said, "Go ahead and touch him. Take a picture if you want." So obviously I did. Then I nearly fainted.

Somewhere in here, I ran into my buddy Matt Wilkie, who was on set as a correspondent for ToughPigs. I can't express how glad I was to have Matt on set with me. Not only is he a fantastic person to have around anytime, anywhere, but he was just as geeked out and freaked out as me. The number of times Matt and I turned to each other and mouthed "Oh. My. God." or audibly gasped together is too many for me to count. We had a blast and there's no one I would've rather had alongside me on set that day.

After Bill walked us around the set, he took Matt and I to the main hub where the extras, puppeteers, and crew would wait in-between and after takes. The first person we ran into was Steve Whitmire. Steve, who I had met a handful of times before, lit up immediately when he saw us. We talked for a little bit about the movie, he signed a photo of Kermit I brought, and took photos with Matt and I. Then I believe he said, "I've gotta go out front and film something. Will you guys be around later?" Matt and I, stars in our eyes, nodded, and Steve said, "Great! We'll talk more" and went off to be Kermit the Frog. Nuts.

After our Steve encounter, Matt and I discovered the bounties of craft services (thanks to Muppets Studio chief Debbie McClellan, who assured us it was fine that we eat something) and had some coffee (bad idea, considering how jittery I already was) and breakfast. We sat down with the group of extra hands--the background Muppet performers. It was such a treat to talk with hugely fun and talented folks like Nathan Danforth (my awesome friend), Michael Oosterom, Bruce Lanoil, and Mike Quinn. Mike, especially, was incredible to talk to, with more than 30 years of history with the Muppets, plus credits in Star Wars (he's Nien Nunb!!) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Mike and all of the puppeteers treated us so well and I'm so glad to call them friends.

After awhile, Bill came back and assigned each of the puppeteers a character to perform. He sat down and rattled off names such as Wayne, Lips, Lew Zealand, Janice... I'm pretty sure I sat slack-jawed just hearing the Muppets I'd get to see in person. After he was done, Bill told Matt and I we could follow him out onto the platform. When we got there, we saw Kermit the Frog and I had to stop for a second. I had seen Kermit in person a few other times before, but I was never this close. I was six feet from the frog and he was on camera working his magic. The scene he was filming was unfortunately cut from the final film, but every take there was a line that required Kermit to turn and point. Each time he did, he looked directly at me and pointed, and each time my heart skipped a beat.

The scene they were filming also featured lines from Scooter and Beauregard, so David Rudman and Dave Goelz were standing off camera feeding the lines to Kermit. In between takes they both came over to talk to me and Matt. They were incredible as always (duh). During one conversation with David, he was so into our talk that he actually missed his cue. It was hilarious and probably my fault entirely... but everyone got a good laugh out of it. Eventually we were found by Matt Vogel and Peter Linz, who are two of the greatest people I know. They took us to more craft services and then talked to us for what felt like an hour chatting about the movie. Matt said, "Your the fans, ask us anything!" and they answered. It was crazy. It was here I first found out Matt was performing Constantine, found about about a helicopter scene, Walter jumping from a moving train, and more.

While we were talking with Matt and Peter, one of the puppet wranglers walked by carrying no fewer than six Muppets--including Dr. Teeth and Janice--and asked Peter if he wanted to take Walter now. He gave Matt and I a sly grin and said yes. Then he put on Walter and he came to life. Walter talked to Matt and I for a little bit and I seriously felt like a kid in a candy store. It was one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to do. It was my own private little moment with Walter and it doesn't get better than that.

And then they called for the puppeteers to get in place and true Muppet magic was turned on. There, directly in front of me, maybe four feet away, was Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Walter, Scooter, Rowlf, Swedish Chef, Floyd, Animal, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Lips, Bunsen, Beaker, Wayne, Lew Zealand, Sweetums, and Thog. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and honestly I still don't believe it. It was truly breathtaking and like a dream to see all of these Muppets alive right in front of me. It was fascinating to see James Bobin direct them (and boy is he brilliant at it). I honestly don't know if I'll ever see anything quite like that again. I have no words to explain how utterly amazing it was.

After they wrapped the scene, the Muppets were whisked away (I'm still miffed I didn't get a picture with Lew Zealand) and Matt and I finally got to talk to Eric Jacobson. Eric is really the nicest guy around and one of the easiest people to talk to. He signed a picture of Fozzie I brought and then asked Matt and I if we were sticking around for lunch. I believe we said, "If we're allowed to" and he said, "Of course you are! Come on with me." So Matt and I started to follow Eric... but then we had to stop because we saw Peter and Walter chatting with the members of the press that were on set that day. Eric went on to lunch and we told him we'd catch up with him later.

Thank goodness we stuck around, because, thanks to Debbie McClellan, Matt and I got to sneak into the back of the line of press people getting their photos with Walter. When I got to Walter he said, "Hey, hey, Ryan! What pose should we do? Ooooh! I got it!" Walter then jumped on my shoulder and grinned wildly... and so did I, because how can you not? Then this picture happened:

And I think that's where I'll stop the story for today. What happened the rest of that day is more than enough to fill another article, and then there's a whole other day on set as well! There's still lots more story to come, Muppet fans, so be on the lookout for Part 2 and Part 3 of my incredible visit to the set of Muppets Most Wanted--a year later!






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

Sesame Street's Daytime Emmy Nominations - 2014

Every year I'm always eager to see how many Daytime Emmy nominations Sesame Street garners--and every year it's in the double digits, which blows me away. This year is no different, as Sesame Street has received 15 nominations for Season 44. Below is the list of all 15 nominations for Sesame Street:

• Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series
• Sesame Street
• Outstanding New Approaches – Enhancement to a Daytime Program or Series
• Sesame Street
• Sesame Street: Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration
• Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series
• Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (as Sigrid, Carrie, Flantine, Velvet and Old Lady)
• David Rudman (as Baby Bear and Cookie Monster)
• Joey Mazzarino (as Stinky, Murray, and Davy Jones)
• Outstanding Writing in a Children’s Series
• Sesame Street (Head Writer: Joey Mazzarino; Writers: Molly Boylan, Annie Evans, Christine Ferraro, Emily Kingsley, Luis Santeiro, Ed Valentine, Belinda Ward, John Weidman)
• Outstanding Directing in a Children’s Series
• Sesame Street (Kevin Clash, Ken Diego, Joseph Mazzarino, Scott Preston, Lisa Simon, Matt Vogel, Nadine Zylstra)
• Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction
• Sesame Street (Dan Kelley, Lighting Designer)
• Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing
• Sesame Street (Tom James, Supervising Editor; Jesse Averna and John Tierney, Editors)
• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing – Live Action
• Sesame Street (Chris Prinzivalli, Sound Mixer; Michael Barrett and Michael Croiter, Re-Recording Mixers; Dick Maitland, SFX Mixer)
• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Live Action
• Sesame Street (Michael Barrett and Chris Prinzivalli, Supervising Sound Editors; Michael Croiter, Supervising Music Editor; Jorge Muelle, Music Editor; Chris Sassano, Sound Editor; Dick Maitland, Sound Effects Editor)
• Outstanding Original Song
• "ABCs of Moving" (Chris Jackson, Composer; Joey Mazzarino, Lyrics)
• "Rhymes with Mando" (Lin-Manuel Maranda, Composer; Luis Santeiro, Lyrics)
• Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling
• Sesame Street (Costume Designers/Muppets: Erin Slattery Black, Elizabeth Hara, Michelle Hickey, John Douglas James, Rollie Krewson, Lara Mclean, Colette Nickola, Anny Ozar, Connie Peterson, Jane Pien, Sierra Schoening, Polly Smith, Jason Weber; Costume Designers: Brian Hemesath, Jared Leese)

As you'll no doubt note, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph is not nominated for Abby Cadabby. The Emmy nominations are chosen based on episode submitted, and apparently Abby was not in the episode that Leslie is nominated for. How amazing is it that she is still nominated without even needing Abby?

We at The Muppet Mindset would like to offer our huge, heartfelt congratulations to everyone nominated for Sesame Street. Special congratulations go out to our friends Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, David Rudman, Joey Mazzarino, and Matt Vogel on their extremely well-deserved nominations.

The 41st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards winners will be announced on June 22nd.

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

Muppet Performer Interviews from the Muppets Most Wanted World Premiere

As you know, (and if you don't, check it) your pals at The Muppet Mindset and ToughPigs attended the World Premiere of Muppets Most Wanted as members of the venerable press line. The popularity of our initial video was so huge that Muppet fans demanded more--and obviously we live to please. So we're thrilled to showcase the full interviews we conducted with the Muppet Performers. We interviewed Steve Whitmire, Peter Linz, Bill Barretta (and his awesome son Jackson), David Rudman, and Eric Jacobson--plus we talked to Dave Goelz, but not on camera. We sincerely hope you enjoy!









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

Muppets Most Wanted World Premiere Exclusive Coverage

Ryan Dosier - In celebration of Muppets Most Wanted's North American release, I am thrilled and proud and honored and so lucky to present our exclusive coverage of The World Premiere in Hollywood. Our coverage is a joint effort between The Muppet Mindset and ToughPigs.com and we couldn't be happier to share it with our great friends. Huge thanks to Joe Hennes, Matt Wilkie, Daniel Shick, Lindsay Kwek, and Cristina Barretta. Enjoy!!








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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Baby Bear

Today's article is written by Michael Baldasare.

BABY BEAR

Performed by...
David Rudman

First appearance...
Sesame Street Season 23 (1991)

Most recent appearance...
Sesame Street Season 43 (2012)

Best known role...
Sesame Street's resident bear; good friend of Telly Monster; artist of Hero Guy; porridge lover

Family...
Papa Bear (Father), Mama Bear (Mother), Curly Bear (Sister)

WHO IS BABY BEAR?

Baby Bear originally appeared on Sesame Street as a generic bear, though the puppet was used as a cub version of Flo Bear back in Season 18. The actual character first appeared in Episode 2909 where he ran to Sesame Street trying to hide from Goldilocks, who kept annoying him. He was a minor character back in the early 1990s. He became a main character after the show's twenty-fifth season.

He has been paired with Telly Monster since Season 24 and the duo have become long-lasting friends. His parents Mama and Papa Bear were added to the show during that season as well. His baby sister Curly was born on the Season 34 finale, turning the Three Bears into four.

Baby Bear's favorite food is porridge but tends to get very annoyed when Goldilocks eats his porridge. In Season 31, Baby Bear created an imaginary friend named Hero Guy and and a series of sketches involving him aired occasionally from Season 32 to Season 38. Baby Bear also attended Storybook Community School, which lasted from Seasons 36 to 37.

Baby Bear speaks with a speech impediment. He pronounces his Rs as Ws, much like Junior Gorg from Fraggle Rock. For example, "Super Hero" is said by Baby Bear as "Super Hewo." In the special Elmo's World: Happy Holidays!, he and his family celebrate Hanukkah.

Appearing in numerous episodes in every recent season, Baby Bear is one of the most popular, often-used characters on Sesame Street. He and Telly make a brilliant pair and as one of the only Muppets with a close, commonly seen family, Baby Bear can teach lessons about family life and learning from parents.

WHY DOES SESAME STREET NEED BABY BEAR?
Baby Bear has been around on the Sesame Street for over twenty years since the 23rd season and is still a regular character. Without him and the Bear family, Telly would miss his very best friend and would have to find another best friend and Goldilocks would sneak into the Bear Family's room to eat up all of their porridge. Now that Baby Bear still remains regular and has been part of the main cast, it's been great to have him as Telly's long-lasting best friend.

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

Muppetology 101: Recasting of Muppet Show Characters, Pt. 3

Ryan Dosier - Welcome back to class, class! We're continuing our series on the recasting of characters from The Muppet Show. Today we're looking at the characters of Richard Hunt, who died far too soon in 1992 after 25 years of performing and bringing joy to countless people. Richard's characters were some of the most genuine and personal characters ever to appear on The Muppet Show. Each of Richard's characters had an engrained aspect of Richard channeled through them, which made them that much harder to recast. In fact, his main character on The Muppet Show wasn't permanently recast for almost 20 years after Richard's passing. Since 2008, however, all of Richard's recurring Muppet Show characters have found permanent performers and excellent recasts.

• SCOOTER 
• Originally performed by RICHARD HUNT (1976-1990)
• Currently performed by DAVID RUDMAN (2008-present)
• Scooter was the alter ego of Richard Hunt on The Muppet Show; young, naive, wicked sense of humor, Scooter channeled Richard just as Richard channeled Scooter. This very personal connection to the character is what made it so difficult for the character to even return on the screen, let alone find a new permanent performer. Scooter didn't return to a Muppet production for eight years after Richard's death, in Muppets From Space in 1999, where he was performed by Richard's brother, Adam Hunt for the first and only time. Matt Vogel did Scooter's voice for the Muppets Race Mania video game in 2001, while Brian Henson took on the character for a small return to his go-fer role in 2002 in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. Rickey Boyd gave a great performance as Scooter in his secondary role in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz in 2005. When Disney began to pursue a Muppet renaissance in 2008, David Rudman, a close friend of Richard Hunt's, was chosen to perform Scooter permanently. David's Scooter has both the voice and personality of Richard's and is a true testament to how close David and Richard were.
• Richard Hunt first performed Scooter in the first episode of The Muppet Show Season One and continued to be the only performer of Scooter through The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson in November 1990, plus Scooter's major role in the Muppet*Vision 3-D pre-show, filmed in 1990.
• David Rudman first performed Scooter in Studio DC: Almost Live! Hosted by Selena Gomez in 2008 and continues to perform Scooter currently, including Scooter's return to prominence in The Muppets in 2011.

• BEAKER
• Originally performed by RICHARD HUNT (1977-1991)
• Currently performed by STEVE WHITMIRE (1992-present)
• Due to his popularity, Beaker was one of the first of Richard Hunt's characters to be recast after his death. Steve Whitmire began performing Beaker in 1992, first in The Muppet Christmas Carol, alongside Dave Goelz's Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. Steve would discover that Richard would inhale when he made Beaker's famous "mee-mee" sounds, rather than exhale, which made the recast transition near perfect. Steve performed Beaker through a string of YouTube video hits including "Ode to Joy," "Beaker's Ballad," "Habanera," and more throughout 2008 and 2009.
• Richard Hunt first performed Beaker in The Muppet Show Season Two: Episode 202 with Zero Mostel in 1977. Richard's final performance as Beaker was for Muppet*Vision 3-D which opened in 1991 and was filmed in 1990.
• Steve Whitmire first performed Beaker in The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992 and continues to be the sole performer of Beaker, including his major star-turns in YouTube videos and his role in The Muppets in 2011.

• STATLER

• Originally performed by RICHARD HUNT (1976-1991) 
• Performed by JERRY NELSON (1975; 1992-2002)
• Currently performed by STEVE WHITMIRE (2002-present)
• Statler, one of the old hecklers in the balcony on The Muppet Show was performed by Jerry Nelson in his first appearance in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence in 1975. Jerry was drafted into the army before Season One of the show so the heckler character was given to Richard Hunt to perform alongside Jim Henson as Waldorf. When Richard died in 1991, it was only fitting that his close friend Jerry Nelson take on the character that he originated. Starting with The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992, Jerry would perform Statler until his retirement from the Muppets in 2002. Due to health reasons, Statler was puppeteered by Steve Whitmire in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie in 2002, with Jerry dubbing the dialogue later. Steve Whitmire was then given the character to make his own later in 2002. He has continued to perform Statler almost exclusively (except for the later episodes of From the Balcony where Statler was performed by Drew Massey) for a decade now.
• Richard Hunt first performed Statler in The Muppet Show Season One in 1976. Richard performed Statler alongside Jim Henson's Waldorf until Muppet*Vision 3-D in 1991.
• Jerry Nelson first performed Statler in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence pilot in 1975, but could not perform the character for the beginning of Season One of The Muppet Show so the character was given to Richard Hunt. Jerry became Statler again in The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992 alongside Dave Goelz's Waldorf and performed him until his retirement after It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie in 2002.
• Steve Whitmire first performed and voiced Statler in Weezer's 2002 music video with the Muppets, "Keep Fishin'." Steve continues to perform Statler in every production, including The Muppets in 2011.

• JANICE

• Originally performed by ERIN OZKER (1976-1977)
• Performed by RICHARD HUNT (1977-1990)
• Currently performed by DAVID RUDMAN (2008-present)
• Janice, the lead guitar player for Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, was also not originally performed by Richard Hunt. Erin Ozker, one of the only female Muppet Show performers, performed Janice in the first season. When Season Two came along and Erin Ozker left the show, Richard Hunt was given Janice so that every main Muppeteer had a character in the Electric Mayhem. Janice remained silent for over a decade after Richard's death, until Matt Vogel did the voice for Janice in the 2001 video game Muppet Race Mania. Janice didn't speak again in puppet form until she was performed by Brian Henson in 2002's It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. Like Scooter, Janice was not permanently recast until Studio DC: Almost Live! in 2008, where once again David Rudman was chose to take over.
• Erin Ozker performed Janice in The Muppet Show Season One in 1976 until she left the Muppets in 1977.
• Richard Hunt first performed Janice and made the character truly his own in The Muppet Show Season Two in 1977. Richard's final performances as Janice were in The Muppets at Walt Disney World and The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson in 1990.
• David Rudman first performed Janice in Studio DC: Almost Live! Hosted by Dylan and Cole Sprouse in 2008. David continues to perform Janice with the rest of the Electric Mayhem, including their return in The Muppets in 2011.

• SWEETUMS
• Originally performed by RICHARD HUNT (1976-1991)
• Performed by JOHN HENSON (1996-2005)
• Currently performed by MATT VOGEL (2009-present)
• Sweetums was one of the only full-bodied Muppets performed by Richard Hunt. Richard gave Sweetums a lovable but gruff attitude with his voice and mannerisms throughout the run of The Muppet Show and in The Muppet Movie. Sweetums took a five year hiatus after Richard's death, until Jim Henson's son John Henson took over the character starting in Muppet Treasure Island in 1996. John Henson made many appearances as Sweetums for almost ten years until The Muppets' Wizard of Oz in 2005. The next permanent performer to take on Sweetums became Matt Vogel in 2009. Matt has performed the character since then in various appearances.
• Richart Hunt first performed Sweetums in The Muppet Show Season One in 1976. He continued to both operate and voice Sweetums until 1991, when he performed only Sweetums' voice in Muppet*Vision 3-D due to his deteriorating health.
• John Henson performed Sweetums starting in Muppet Treasure Island in 1996, doing both the voice and body work. John continued to perform Sweetums, one of the only characters he performed, until The Muppets' Wizard of Oz in 2005.
• Matt Vogel first performed Sweetums in the "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day." promotions in 2009. He first did both Sweetums' body and voice in "The Muppet Show Theme Song" music video with OK Go in 2011 and continued to perform Sweetums in The Muppets in 2011.

Well, that's class! I promise that quiz is coming eventually... I've just got to buy a printer. And ink. And a computer. Yeah... we're not having a quiz. Never mind.

See you next week when we'll cover the recasts of Jerry Nelson's characters!

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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Miss Poogy

Written by Ryan Dosier.

MISS POOGY

Performed by...
David Rudman

First appearance...
The Muppets (2011), first seen in "Green With Envy" teaser trailer

Most recent appearance...
The Muppets (2011), recently seen in an on-set interview

Best known role...
Leader of the Moopets; opposite of Miss Piggy; lover of omelet stations

WHO IS MISS POOGY?
Miss Poogy is the anti-Miss Piggy; a ruddy, rough looking pig. She dresses in a leather jacket with lots of fishnets and chains. Miss Poogy's only role of any sort is as a Moopet who performs with Fozzie Bear in Reno, Nevada in the 2011 film, The Muppets. There, she acts as the leader of the gang of tough, mean Moopets which include Koormit, Joonice, Roowlf, and Animool. Miss Poogy dresses in a blonde wig, a white dress, purple gloves, and a boa for the act, in order to impersonate Miss Piggy (but if you asked Poogy, she'd say she doesn't need to impersonate that hack-pig anyway).

Miss Poogy joins up with Kermit the Frog and the rest of the Muppets for a brief stint in the movie after Miss Piggy refuses to return to help save the Muppet Theater and Studio. The Muppets soon regret their decision of hiring the tough pig when she brings out and starts sharpening a knife, asks for kerosene to burn some of Miss Piggy's old dresses, and gives off a generally threatening persona. That is, until Miss Piggy shows up to reclaim her spot among the Muppets. She and Miss Poogy have a showdown, but Miss Poogy's affinity for omelet station leads to her downfall at the karate chopping fist of Miss Piggy, proving that no one can replace Miss Piggy.

Miss Poogy returns later to join Tex Richman in his quest to destroy the Muppet Theater and Studio and brings the rest of the Moopets with her from Reno, including Foozie Bear. The Moopets join up with Tex Richman, Uncle Deadly, and Bobo the Bear and move to thwart the Muppet Telethon efforts in various ways during the show. Will they succeed? Will the Moopets replace the Muppets? See The Muppets in theaters one week from today to find out for yourself!

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED MISS POOGY?
Great question. They really don't need Miss Poogy, as it turns out. But it did take Miss Poogy and the rest of the Moopets to show Kermit and the Muppets just what it is that makes them so wonderful. Miss Poogy can't even hold a candle to the divine Miss Piggy, and her triumphant return proves that. The same can be said for the rest of the Moopets. Fozzie realizes this very quickly and escapes Reno and the Moopets to go back with Kermit and the actual Muppets--an act that truly means something. The Moopets, and Miss Poogy, prove the world and the Muppets that singing and dancing and making people happy is the most noble goal, and laughter is the greatest gift you can give the world.

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

Weekly Muppeteer Wednesdays: David Rudman

Today's Weekly Muppeteer Wednesdays post was written by Tom Stroud.

DAVID RUDMAN

Born...
June 1, 1964

Notable Muppets...
Baby Bear, Cookie Monster (2001-), Right Head of the Two Headed Monster (1992-), Sully (1992-), Scooter (2008-), Janice (2008-)

WHO IS DAVID RUDMAN?
David Rudman first worked with Muppets as an intern with the Muppet Workshop in the summer of 1981. After he graduated from high school, Richard Hunt helped him get a job as a Muppet performer, beginning with background characters in The Muppets Take Manhattan. He also began working on Sesame Street, beginning mainly with background roles.

After years of background roles, he finally got his first major role in the early 1990’s, with his new Sesame Street character Baby Bear. Around that time he also took over some of the late Richard Hunt’s characters, namely Sully and the Two Headed Monster’s right head. Although Sully was eventually dropped from the show, the Two Headed Monster and Baby Bear continued to be popular characters, and still are today. However, neither of them are as popular as David’s most recent role, Cookie Monster, which he took over in 2001 after Frank Oz’s formal retirement from performing.

David has performed with the classic Muppets as well, performing background characters in Muppet*Vision 3D, The Muppets at Walt Disney World, and Muppets Tonight. He also worked on The Muppet Christmas Carol, where he performed Peter Cratchit and the Swedish Chef. Recently (first in Studio DC: Almost Live!), David has taken over two of Richard Hunt’s most popular Muppet characters, Scooter and Janice. He performed Scooter and Jaince in A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, and presumably performed them in The Muppets as well.

He has also created a few non-Henson TV shows with his brother, Adam Rudman. Adam and David have created both Bunnytown, a Playhouse Disney show which David also produced and directed, and Jack’s Big Music Show where he played the appropriately named main character, Jack.

Rudman continues to work with both Sesame Street and the Muppets as one of the main Muppeteers. His work as Baby Bear and Cookie Monster means that David's work can be seen and heard in nearly every episode of Sesame Street and now that he has taken over Richard Hunt's characters for the Muppets, Rudman is heavily involved in almost everything they're doing as well.

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

People Muppet Fans Need to Know

Ryan Dosier - Recently, it has come to my attention that there are a lot of important Muppet people working right now that a lot of casual Muppet fans have never heard of. I was very bothered by this, since all of these people are doing such awesome things with the Muppets right now, it's a shame that they're not more well known among the fan-base. I thought I would solve that little problem by compiling a list of some People Muppet Fans Need to Know.

The Muppets

• Lylle Breier - General Manager of The Muppets Studio and all-around awesome lady. A lot of this recent push of the Muppets back into the limelight was thanks to her.
• Jim Lewis - Muppet Consultant and writer. He's responsible for making the Muppets just that: Muppets. He makes sure Piggy says Piggy things and Kermit says Kermit things and so on. He can probably be attributed to why the Muppets have been so good recently.
• Jason Segel - Writer and human star of the upcoming The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time. Segel's pitch for a new Muppet movie is what ignited this whole Muppet Renaissance. Also, self-proclaimed Muppet fanatic. Starred in the Muppet-referencing Forgetting Sarah Marshall and in the TV show How I Met Your Mother.
• Nicholas Stoller - Writer of the upcoming The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time. Has been promoting the heck out of The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time. 
• James Bobin - Director of the upcoming The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time. Has been noted as a sort of Muppet freak. Also directed Flight of the Conchords.
• Matt Vogel - Muppet performer. Performs Floyd Pepper, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, and others. Also writer and director for Sesame Street.

Fraggle Rock

• Cory Edwards - Writer/director of the upcoming Fraggle Rock feature film. Huge Muppet fan who knows exactly what he's doing.

Sesame Street

• Carol-Lynne Parente - Executive producer of Sesame Street since season 37. Accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys.
• David Rudman - Daytime Emmy-nominated Muppet performer. Performs Baby Bear and Cookie Monster for Sesame Street. Performs Scooter and Janice for The Muppets.
• Joey Mazzarino - Daytime Emmy-nominated Muppet performer. Performs Murray Monster and various other characters on Sesame Street. Also writer and director for the show.
• Louis Henry Mitchell - Associate Design Director of Special Projects for Sesame Street. Ace photographer, and one of the nicest guys around.
• Neil Patrick Harris - Self-proclaimed Henson fanatic. Most well known roles include Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Howser in Doogie Howser, M.D., and Dr. Horrible in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. No really important reason to know him... but he's at the top of my list for cameos in the next Muppet movie.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier