News Update: March 29, 2012

NEWS UPDATE: March 29, 2012

We're thrilled to inform you that friends of the blog, Copper Pot Productions, are producing a hugely exciting new documentary bout Caroll Spinney, the man who is Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. The documentary is called I Am Big Bird and it won't be out for quite awhile, but Copper Pot has released an incredible trailer for the documentary on their Vimeo site. Watch it below and try to contain your tears and excitement!


I AM BIG BIRD Trailer from Copper Pot Pictures on Vimeo.

Speaking of the wonderful Caroll Spinney, the fine folks at Rock Cellar Magazine have an incredible interview with Mr. Spinney. There are some amazing insights here, such as why he never made any money off of Sesame Street albums, which celebrities he became friends with, and much, much more. It's a truly wonderful, fantastic interview that you simply have to read. Don't miss out on this one!

A few weeks ago we reported about upcoming Muppet vinyl figures from Funko POP! Well, the people at Muppet Wiki have finalized production images for the figures and they look fantastic. The first series includes Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, Dr. Teeth, Mahna Mahna, and Snowth. The Mahna Mahna and Snowth figures look especially awesome, but all of these figures are bound to be must-owns when they hit store shelves in April!

Speaking of April, on April 14th at Carnegie Hall in New York City, they will be hosting an incredible musical performance called "Jim Henson's Musical World." Hosted by the amazing John Tartaglia, the performance will feature an incredible array of special guests are slated to appear and perform. They include Muppet/Sesame Street performers Dave Goelz, Kevin Clash, Eric Jacobson, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Karen Prell, Pam Arciero, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rollie Krewson, Lara MacLean, Sesame Street humans Alison Bartlet (Gina), Sonia Manzano (Maria), Loretta Long (Susan), Roscoe Orman (Gordon), Bob McGrath (Bob), Alan Muraoka (Alan), and Nitya Vidyasagar (Leela). And it that's not enough to either get you to buy a ticket or make you seethe with jealousy, then wait till I tell you that Paul Williams will also be there. (So will SNL alumnus Rachel Dratch, but no one seems to know why.) If you're in New York City, or if you have the money to travel there on April 14th, you should absolutely buy your ticket to see this performance!!

A while back we reported that the new Disney Cruise Line vessel, The Disney Fantasy, would feature a brand new interactive mystery game on board starring the Muppets. Well, this game is The Muppets Midship Detective Agency, and with the inaugural launch of the Disney Fantasy came the inaugural launch of the game. The awesome people who run Inside the Magic have posted a video on YouTube with full gameplay footage of the game on board. It's a lot of fun. Bobo, Beauregard, Lew Zealand, Rizzo, and lots of Pepe... it's fantastic! You'll note that there are instances where Steve Whitmire is NOT doing Kermit's voice, but since it's still in the early stages of the game, that's sure to be corrected down the line.








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

News Update: December 22, 2011

NEWS UPDATE: December 22, 2011

USA Today's Pop Candy Blog has named The Muppets the #1 People of 2011!! In their annual "100 People of [Insert Year Here]" countdown, The Muppets beat out the likes of superstars Oprah, Melissa McCarthy, Tina Fey, Adelle, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone to take the #1 spot. As the website says, "1. The Muppets. OK, so they're not human. They often wear no pants. But who cares? Our furry friends made a welcome comeback this year, partly thanks to the talented Jason Segel. Here's hoping we see more of Kermit, Animal, Gonzo and company in the years to come." This is a huge win for the Muppets. Being named the most welcome entertainers of 2011 by one of the biggest news outlets in the country? Nothing wrong with that.

The Muppets Studio and Disney have created a brand new interactive application on Facebook called Muppet Messenger. The cool new feature allows you to send a video and text message to your friends' Facebook walls featuring Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal, or Bunsen and Beaker. You can provide a personalized message to your friends complete with video of their favorite Muppet! For the holidays, you can add lights and snow, but you can also have a basic message which hints that this feature will stick around for awhile!

Friend of the blog Jacquie Coe, owner/operator of JacquieLongLegs.com, has sent us a link to her latest craft project: making a Kermit the Frog sleep mask! The instructions are simple, the result is great, and your eyes and dreams will thank you. I love the use of ping pong balls for eyes... what else would you use, after all? This would also make a great, easy, cheap Christmas gift for the Muppet fan in your family! Bonus points if you make a Kermit collar to go with it.

Last week Oscar the Grouch appeared on NBC's special A Michael Bublé Christmas (don't worry, I didn't watch it either) where he performed with the titular Michael. As always, Caroll Spinney is magnificent as the grouch as he heckles the cheeriness of the season throughout the song. Check out the video, discovered by our friends at ToughPigs.com, below!



Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller recently sat down with the LA Times to discuss writing for the Muppets and The Muppets. The video included features the two writers talking about various plots they worked through, including the often-referenced Walter as a ventriloquist dummy plot, and some new information about multiple oil barons trying to destroy the Muppets. It's confusing, and I'm so glad they revised the script, but it's incredibly intriguing to hear about what could have been.

Finally, in major awesome production news, the Muppets have created a brand new interactive adventure game for Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship, set to launch next year. The Muppets "The Case of the Stolen Show" Interactive Game features the Muppets as they lose all of their favorite belongings, and its up to you (and Kermit and Pepe and more) to solve the mystery! To read all about the game, check out SitchKingdom.com and their press release. But for a hilarious behind the scenes video featuring Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Camilla, Beauregard, Rowlf, and Pepe at his finest, look below!



And don't forget that the Muppets will be appearing on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC TOMORROW, December 23rd! It was previously announced that Kermit and Robin will be appearing to sing "When the River Meets the Sea," but that is subject to change... but my fingers are absolutely crossed that the two frogs will be there!

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