Halloween Hits on The Muppet Mindset

OoooOooOoOoOo! Hear that spooky sound? That must mean it's Halloween time again on The Muppet Mindset! Yes, we've got two weeks left before Halloween actually happens... but what better way to spend those two weeks than by enjoying some classic Muppet Mindset Halloween posts? Check out the spooky spots below!

Danny Beckwith's Muppet Monster Mash-Ups Fan Art

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

David Rosenberg's 31 Days of Muppet Monsters Fan Art

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• Week 4

Muppetology 101: Intro to Muppet Monster Cryptozoology

• Part 1 - The Muppets
• Part 2 - Sesame Street

The Muppet Mindset Halloween Costume Spooktacular

• 2009
• Part 1
• Part 2
• 2010
• Part 1
• Part 2
• 2012
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

There you have it! Enjoy, Muppet monsters!

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

Muppet Retro Reviews: Muppet Monster Adventure Video Game

Our friend Josh Gillespie has sent us a fantastic video review of the classic Muppet PlayStation 1 video game Muppet Monster Adventure from 2001. I know we're a few days late for Halloween, but this fun and (extremely) funny video begs to be shared as part of our Retro Reviews series. Watch below and enjoy the review of this great game!








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

Danny Beckwith's Muppet Monster Mash-Ups, Pt. 3

Today we're so excited to present the final pieces in our friend and contributor Danny Beckwith's Muppet Monster Mash-Ups series! Today we've got two more Muppets who have been monsterized as well as a final picture collecting all seven Muppets in one--which makes a fantastic desktop background... just sayin'. Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2, as well as Danny's DeviantArt page for the rest of his fantastic work!

Beaker as Frankenstein

Miss Piggy as The Bride of Frankenstein

Fozzie Bear as The Phantom of the Opera, Scooter as The Mummy, Miss Piggy as The Bride of Frankenstein, Beaker as Frankenstein, Rowlf the Dog as The Wolf Man, The Great Gonzo as The Invisible Man, and Kermit the Frog as the Creature from the Black Lagoon

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

Muppet Halloween Costume Spooktacular 2012, Pt. 4

Ryan Dosier - Welcome back my haunting hands, to our fourth and final installment of the Muppet Halloween Costume Spooktacular 2012! All this month we've been showcasing this year's new Halloween costumes from the Muppets and Sesame Street. Check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 before reading on for our snide look at adults dressed like Sesame Street characters!

OSCAR THE GROUCH ADULT WOMENS COSTUME - $59.99

LIKENESS - Well... it could be worse. This isn't too bad, actually. The use of the trash can is very creative but the weird Oscar hat throws me for a loop. Why does it need to have Oscar's eyes? Why not just put on the trash can lid and wear it as a hat, completing the costume and making you look like Oscar, not a girl who has Oscar coming out of her hair. 3 STARS
FUN FACTOR - The girl in the picture sure looks like she's having fun! I don't know what she's doing... but it looks like she's having fun doing it. Although I can't help but think that more than one "clever" person dressed as a surfer will tell a girl wearing this she looks trashy. 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR -Eh. Nothing too scary going on here. Unless the person wearing this walks around with an actual worm, not a worm like Slimey, and an elephant in a trash can... then it could get a little weird. 1 STAR

ELMO ADULT WOMENS COSTUME KIT - $24.99

LIKENESS - Well no one broke their creative bones when they came up with this... Yeesh. It's really just a glorified hat. Why not make the whole dress furry Elmo red? All I can picture is some Cruella DeVille knock-off who likes to wear Muppet fur. Nightmares. 1 STAR
FUN FACTOR - This costume is only fun until the hat is lost in the hustle and bustle of Halloween and loses any resemblance to Elmo. 2 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - I scared myself with that Cruella DeVille image... 2 STARS

BIG BIRD ADULT WOMENS COSTUME KIT - $24.99

LIKENESS - Ugh. Again. What? Why? Who is this appealing to? It doesn't even look like Big Bird... like, not even at all. The feathers don't even look feathery. This is the lazy-person's Big Bird costume! 0 STARS
FUN FACTOR - I don't know who would consider this fun. It's barely even a costume... it's just a yellow boa and a weird hair accessory. 1 STAR
SCARE FACTOR - Well... it's not as scary as the unlicensed "sexy" Big Bird costume. 1 STAR

ADULT GROVER COSTUME - $59.99

LIKENESS - Uhh... I... wow. I'm trying to figure out what to liken this to. Right now all I'm coming up with is likening it to a nightmare. That eerily realistic nightmare where the alien bursts from Grover's mouth? Yeah. That. I mean they got the perspectives of the upper part of Grover's face right... but then they stuck that guy's head out of his mouth and ruined everything. 2 STARS
FUN FACTOR - The only fun I could imagine having with this costume is if the guy inside is your waiter and then you keep telling him your order is wrong. Just because. 1 STAR
SCARE FACTOR - If this guy runs up to you and shouts "Hello every-bo-deeeeee!!" you can't tell me you wouldn't run. And run fast. 4 STARS

ADULT BERT MASK/SHIRT COSTUME - $31.95

LIKENESS - Honestly... not bad. Not great, but not bad. The shirt is awesome. The mask isn't bad at all... but the weird guy smiling under the mask just throws me for a loop. There should not be that many eyes on a person or a Bert. 3 STARS
FUN FACTOR - Loads of fun possibilities here. Perhaps the most fun would be had by playing checkers with a pigeon (obviously). 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - It could be fairly scary if the guy in the Bert costume uses his paperclip collection as a weapon... but other than that, not much scare to speak of. 2 STARS

ADULT ERNIE MASK/SHIRT COSTUME - $22.99 - $31.95

LIKENESS - Oh dear. How does the Bert costume work so well and the Ernie version work so... not well at all? Maybe it's the completely not right shirt? Maybe it's the odd facial expression of this guy. Really, the only thing that works here is the Ernie mask/hat thing. 2 STARS
FUN FACTOR - Ernie costume, you're not the one. You don't make Halloween lots of fun. Ernie costume I'm ready to run from you! 2 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - I can hear the menacing rubber duckie squeak coming down a dark alley... Creepy. 2 STARS

Well... that's it. We're all out of officially licensed costumes to review for Halloween 2012. However, we can't end this without linking you to a totally unlicensed, totally hilarious costume that you may want to consider buying if only for sheer laugh factor...

Yip-yip indeed.





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

Danny Beckwith's Muppet Monster Mash-Ups, Pt. 2

Our good friend and contributor Danny Beckwith has returned with even more stellar artwork in his Muppet Monster mash-up series! This week we're spotlighting spooky incarnations of Gonzo the Great, Fozzie Bear, and Rowlf the Dog as some of the most iconic monsters of all cinema! Be sure to check out Part 1 from last week to see monsterized versions of Kermit the Frog and Scooter!

Gonzo the Great as The Invisible Man

Fozzie Bear as The Phantom of the Opera

Rowlf the Dog as The Wolf Man

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

Muppetology 101: Intro to Muppet Monster Cryptozoology, Pt. 1

Ryan Dosier - Oh, finally! Now you students show up to class! I've been here for months teaching to an empty classroom. Where have you been?! What? What's that? The classroom door has been locked for the entire semester? ...The janitor is trying to sabotage me again! For the last time, Hugh, I did NOT steal your broom-handle polish! Sheesh. Anyway, class, welcome back finally. We're here in the middle of October and we've got Halloween on the brain! In class today we're examining the spookiest, scariest of the Muppets: the Muppet monsters! Today's lecture will focus solely on monsters from The Muppet Show and Muppets Tonight with an emphasis on other Muppet monsters next class.

• SWEETUMS
• Primarily performed by RICHARD HUNT (1976-1991) and MATT VOGEL (2008-present)
• Sweetums is perhaps the most popular and well known of the Muppet monsters from The Muppet Show. Although he first appeared in The Frog Prince, it was in The Muppet Show where Sweetums came into his personality. Sweetums became the gentle giant on the show, befriending Robin the Frog in the notable "Two Lost Souls" musical number. However, Sweetums sometimes continued to tap into his scary persona throughout the show as well, such as when he, masquerading as Short John Silver, helped Glenda Jackson, secretly the pirate Black Johnson, shanghai the cast and take over the Muppet Theater in Season 5 and trying to eat Cloris Leachman on a desert island in Season . One of Sweetums' more prominent roles was in The Muppet Movie, where he worked as a jack (not name, job) for Mad Man Mooney's used car lot. When Kermit offers to bring Sweetums to Hollywood with him, the monster runs off and Kermit and the gang leave. Sweetums run backs moments later holding his suitcase shouting, "Wait! I wanna go to Hollywood!" This scene was replicated in last year's The Muppets. Sweetums has been a prominent figure in the Muppet gang for many years.

• UNCLE DEADLY
• Primarily performed by JERRY NELSON (1976-1979) and MATT VOGEL (2011-present)
• Uncle Deadly, with his tattered clothes and blue, dragon-like figure, is probably one of the creepiest looking Muppets to emerge from The Muppet Show. In Season 1 of the show, when Uncle Deadly was introduced in the episode guest starring Twiggy, he was revealed to be a phantom haunting the Muppet Theater who had died onstage after the audience tore apart his performance. A semi-recurring character after this, Uncle Deadly would sing with Ethel Mermann, play cohort to Vincent Price, perform the song "Sheik of Araby," and star in the Muppet Melodrama series alongside Miss Piggy and Wayne. After Season 3, Uncle Deadly was silenced on the show and phased out almost completely. He did not reemerge from obscurity until last year, when he played a crucial role in The Muppets as the main henchman of Chris Cooper's villainous Tex Richman. Hopefully this is just the beginning of Uncle Deadly's return to prominence, as he is one of the most unique (in both personality and appearance) Muppet monsters in the entire repertoire. 

• THOG
• Primarily performed by JERRY NELSON (1970-1981)
•  Thog is one of the biggest Muppets ever built for any production. He was originally one of the stars of the 1970 television special The Great Santa Claus Switch alongside his green counterpart Thig. Thog went on to be a big (pun intended) part of The Muppet Show, appearing with many guest stars in the first and second seasons and performing in the theme song in every episode after Season 1. After The Muppet Show, however, Thog disappeared almost entirely. Like Uncle Deadly, Thog was resurrected for The Muppets last year and quickly became a favorite with moviegoers simply because of his massive size, even though he only appeared onscreen for a short amount of time. Only time will tell if we will continue to see Thog in future Muppet projects.

• DOGLION
• Primarily performed by VARIOUS (1976-1996)
• Another of the large, full-bodied Muppet monsters, Doglion was a tertiary player on The Muppet Show from Season 2 to Season 4. Oddly enough, Doglion never had a primary performer and was traded among the core Muppet performers nearly every time he appeared onscreen. Doglion holds a very notable place in the Muppet universe as being the very first Muppet to appear on the big screen. In The Muppet Movie Doglion can be seen in the opening shot of the film at World Wide Studios moving some props. Doglion was last seen performing with Paula Abdul on Muppets Tonight.  

• BEAUTIFUL DAY MONSTER
• Primarily performed by VARIOUS (1969-present)
• Beautiful Day Monster is an interesting Muppet for many reasons. He got his start on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969, but went on to appear semi-prominently on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, making him the only Muppet besides Kermit (and various Sesame characters who visited The Muppet Show, if you count them) to crossover between the two. The monster is perhaps best known for his sketch on The Muppet Show with Paul Williams where he continually asked, "Got anything cheaper?" and for the sketch on The Ed Sullivan Show where he tried to ruin a little girl's beautiful day. Beautiful Day Monster faded away after The Muppet Show, only appearing briefly in The Jim Henson Hour and on The Cosby Show. He returned in The Muppets last year and even sang a line in the finale reprise of "Life's a Happy Song."

• LUNCHEON COUNTER MONSTER
• Primarily performed by VARIOUS (1977-present)
• Although not widely recognized, Luncheon Counter Monster (who got his name from a sketch on The Muppet Show where he ate everything put on a lunch counter visited by guest star Nancy Walker) is one of the most-used Muppet monsters. He has appeared in everything from The Muppet Show to the Muppet Meeting Films to A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa all the way up to last year's The Muppets. Throughout all of this, Luncheon Counter Monster has never had a consistent performer--as was the case with many tertiary, "utility" Muppet monsters. But with one of the most unique designs Luncheon Counter Monster has remained a consistent presence in Muppet projects since The Muppet Show.   

• DROOP
• Primarily performed by JERRY NELSON (1971-1996)
• Droop was introduced as a character called Snivelly in the 1970 television special The Great Santa Claus Switch. When he next appeared in the pilot The Muppet Valentine Show in 1974, Droop was one of the main characters. This main status did not carry over to The Muppet Show for Droop, unfortunately, but he was featured in numerous sketches. One notable sketch he appeared in was the "Imagination" song with Ben Vereen in Season 1. Droop would go on to appear in every season of The Muppet Show and every Muppet film except Muppets From Space. He got to make a joke about a key grip in the "Scratching the Surface" bonus feature on The Muppets Blu-ray in 2012.  

• BEHEMOTH
• Primarily performed by VARIOUS (1976-present)
• Behemoth is a very simple looking monster with a massively gaping mouth, giving him a very distinctive look. Although he only appeared in five episodes in three seasons of The Muppet Show, Behemoth managed to make a striking impression on Muppet fans. So much so that, after not being seen since an episode of Muppets Tonight in 1996, Behemoth was brought back for The Muppets in 2011, getting a hysterical line about Jack Black's teeth in the film and appearing in multiple promotional spots, sometimes being called Gene, perhaps named after performer Bill Barretta's brother Gene.  

• BIG MEAN CARL
• Primarily performed by BILL BARRETTA (1996-present)
• Big Mean Carl is the newest monster to be accepted into the core group of Muppet monsters. He first appeared in 1992 in the Muppet Meeting Films where he was performed by Dave Goelz and called "Chairman Budget." However, once Bill Barretta took hold of the character in 1996 he became Big Mean Carl and developed his overbearing personality. Carl would try to fit any entertainment need, becoming Carl the Big Mean Bunny, Carl the Big Mean Ventriloquist, Carl the Big Mean Bagpipe Eater, and numerous other incarnations. He was most prominent in the sketch on the show called "Swift Wits," where he would eat an adorable animal contestant after the idiotic game show contestant failed to answer the question. Carl remained in obscurity until 2008 when he appeared in the "Bohemian Rhapsody" video and A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa. Carl starred in his own viral video, "Stand By Me," in 2010 and returned for The Muppets in 2011.   

• FRACKLES
• Various character primarily performed by VARIOUS performers (1970-present)
• The Frackles are a group of Muppet monster characters first introduced in The Great Santa Claus Switch in 1970. This eclectic and creepy group of monsters includes Boppity (Blue Frackle), Gloat (Green Frackle), Snake Frackle, Mo Frackle, J.G. (Dark Green Frackle), at one point Gonzo and Droop, and various others of all shapes and colors. These Muppets are crucial in background roles on The Muppet Show and Muppet movies. Many Frackles were used in last year's The Muppets.    

Well class, that's all the time we have for today. Come back next week when there might be a quiz (if I can piece together the paper shreds after Hugh the janitor got to them) and hopefully the door will be unlocked! Until then... keep being spooooooky!






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

Muppet Halloween Costume Spooktacular 2012, Pt. 3

Ryan Dosier - Another October Tuesday means another part of the Muppet Halloween Costuem Spooktacular, 2012! Check out Part 1 and Part 2 from earlier this month before kicking back to enjoy some snarky observations on this year's crop of Sesame Street children's costumes!

SUPER GROVER 2.0 CHILD COSTUME - $34.99

LIKENESS - Honestly, this is a surprisingly accurate likeness of everyone's favorite furry, blue supermonster. The 2.0 armor is especially fitting here and really makes the costume extra awesome. Love the cape, the shoulder things, and especially the helmet. The Grover face is top notch and perfectly detailed and accurate. 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR - How can a kid not have a spectacular time wearing this and pretending to be Super Grover 2.0? If I had this when I was I kid, I never would've taken it off! 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Nothing about this costume is inherently scary at all. However, if the kid in the costume is going for maximum Super Grover 2.0 likeness and tries to help people in need... and also in true Super Grover 2.0 form fails that task miserably... then it could get a little scary. 1 STAR

SUPER GROVER GIRLS COSTUME - $39.99

LIKENESS - It's Super Grover-Girl! Just like Supergirl or Batgirl, only more Grovery! This costume is fairly... not great. Honeslty, it looks like this poor girl just threw on a blue bath towel and a red pillowcase. And who is the Grover mask on top working for? It looks like something is trying to escape from her skull! 2 STARS
FUN FACTOR - Even though the likeness isn't there, the fun factor still is. Everyone wants to be a superhero, and you can't do much better than Super Grover. (I look forward to your letters, comic book readers.) Plus, if it rains, she's already got a towel to stay dry! 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Again, not much scary to speak of here. Although the socks are a little much. Unless they're replicating Super Grover 2.0's trademark utility sock, in which case... kudos to you, random Halloween costume maker. 1 STAR

COOKIE MONSTER BABY COSTUME - $29.99

LIKENESS - Well, that's Cookie Monster alright. But it looks like once again he has satiated his appetite by eating another two year old--and he's trying to break free!! Quick, someone get the jaws of life--wait... no... that's poor phrasing. 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR - This costume is fun AND functional! Firstly, it's fun because your baby will eat all the cookies in your house, and what's more fun than a hyper baby? It's functional because it doubles as a blanket in the chilly October air! 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Again, not very scary here... only if Cookie Monster did eat your baby would this be scary. 2 STARS

ELMO BABY COSTUME - $29.99 

LIKENESS - Oh, great, now Elmo's eating children! What is this world coming to?! Ah well... at least the baby looks happy while he's being consumed. 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR - I imagine this would be the most fun version of Tickle Me Elmo ever. 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Not scary... but your two year old could get mistaken for a red shag rug, so be careful. 1 STAR

TODDLER GIRL'S FRILLY COOKIE MONSTER COSTUME - $19.99-$29.99

LIKENESS - I'll let some of the likeness slide here because I appreciate that they're trying to make a Cookie Monster costume appeal to girls... but still. The little Cookie Monster hat thing is the only thing on this outfit that looks like Cookie Monster. Though the cookies on the skirt are a nice touch. 2 STARS
FUN FACTOR - Fun, maybe, but what this costume is really saying to me is COLD. Can you imagine walking around on the night of October 31st wearing this thing? Freezing. 2 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Not scary, just adorable... which seems to be the theme of all of these Sesame costumes. 1 STAR

TODDLER GIRL'S FRILLY BIG BIRD COSTUME - $23.39-$29.99

LIKENESS - Last week I dubbed this costume "Mitt Romney's granddaughter loses her inheritance." But really, I like this little get up. The colors are really impressively chosen. It doesn't look anything like Big Bird at all... but it's well done. 2 STARS
FUN FACTOR - The girl in the picture sure looks like she's having fun! Do you think she has an imaginary Snuffleupagus friend? 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Nothing scary here... just don't let her near Mitt Romney. (That's what we call a two-week-old zinger.) 1 STAR

TODDLER GIRL'S FRILLY ELMO COSTUME - $21.09-$28.29

LIKENESS - Again, not much Elmo going on here, but the headpiece is well done. I also really like the inclusion of Dorothy the goldfish on the skirt. But... not an Elmo look-alike. 2 STARS
FUN FACTOR - How could anyone possibly think that a little girl wouldn't have fun dressing up as Elmo for Halloween? This costume is pure fun! 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Nothing scary to see here... again. Ugh. These cutesy costumes are ruining my snarky mojo. 1 STAR

Well, that's it for today's round up of Halloween costumes! Check back again next week for the adult themed, semi-terrifying Sesame Street costumes... including this!

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

Danny Beckwith's Muppet Monster Mash-Ups, Part 1

Starting this week and for the rest of the Fridays in October, we at The Muppet Mindset are thrilled to present some wonderful artwork from our friend and contributor Danny Beckwith! Danny has created a special series of art just for us for our 2012 Halloween celebration. Here's a quote from Danny explaining the work in his own word, "I just had so much fun doing each one! If there are two things I love the most, it's Muppets and Monsters." This week we're showcasing Kermit the Frog as the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Scooter as The Mummy! Enjoy (and click the image to make it bigger)!

Kermit the Frog as the Creature from the Black Lagoon

Scooter as The Mummy

Thanks to Danny Beckwith for letting us showcase his art! Check out Danny's DeviantArt account for even more spectacular work!





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

Muppet Halloween Costume Spooktacular 2012, Pt. 2

Ryan Dosier - We're back again with the next installment of our Muppet Halloween Costume Spooktacular series, where we put a snarky spin on this year's crop of Muppet and Sesame Street Halloween costumes! Don't forget to check out Part 1 before reading on... or just read on, it doesn't really matter.

"SASSY" TUTU ANIMAL, KERMIT, AND MISS PIGGY COSTUMES - $49.99 (each)

 LIKENESS - ...Huh? What? Did somebody say something? I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I was... definitely not staring at these girls. Just the costumes. Yes. Very professionally just looking at the costumes. Anyway... there's no real likeness here (although props to the Piggy costume for including gloves, pearls, and pig ears--and to that girl for pulling it off so perfectly), but despite the lack of likeness I'm still all about these costumes... for some reason. 1 STAR
FUN FACTOR - I'm choosing to abstain from answering this one with a number... but yes, fun could definitely be had. N/A
SCARE FACTOR - Shockingly enough, I actually am scared of these. Not the costumes, per se, but if I ever saw a girl looking like that, wearing this, I would be so scared and intimidated that my head might explode. So... yeah. Spooky. 3 STARS

ADULT SWEDISH CHEF COSTUME - $49.99

LIKENESS - Wow! Color me impressed! Quite frankly, I'm blown away by the effort some company somewhere put into this awesome costume. Honestly, it's perfect. The combination of the nose, mustache, and eyebrows really, really sells this. It's hilarious and everything about the outfit is really well thought out and well done. 5 STARS
FUN FACTOR - SO much fun can be had with this! Gosh, I'm just imagining someone wearing this and carrying around a stuffed chicken and sputtering mock Swedish nonsense. Perfect. 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - If this costume came with the Swedish Chef's famous blunderbuss or penchant to cook anything that moves, then I would up the scare factor... but alas, it does not. 2 STARS

ADULT BEAKER COSTUME - $49.95

LIKENESS - Wow. Again, PERFECT likeness. That mask is truly incredible. Why has it taken this long to get such a wonderful Beaker mask?! This is amazing. Also, HUGE bonus points for the gloves with only four fingers on them, a detail that no one asked for but make this costume that much more excellent. 5 STARS
FUN FACTOR - This costume would be a lot more fun if there was a Bunsen Honeydew costume to go along with it... but I guess for that all you need is a bald friend to paint his head lime green. Get on that, people who buy this costume! Even by itself, though, this costume is a ton of fun. I know I would absolutely go around the whole night meeping. 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - It is scary to think that everything bad happens to Beaker, so perhaps everything bad will happen to the person in the Beaker costume as well... maybe keep your distance from someone if you see them wearing this near anything sharp or flammable. 2 STARS

ADULT KERMIT THE FROG COSTUME - $49.95

LIKENESS - In the past, I've been very much opposed to giant head costumes like this... but for some reason, this one really works for me. I love the spindly-fingered globes, the facial expression is great (even though the man's face peeking out of the mouth is horrifying), and the collar is excellent. I don't really understand why this doesn't come with green pants and green, fuzzy flipper slippers... but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR - This costume makes a perfect couples costume. Kermit and Piggy are always a hit at Halloween parties (I assume, I've never experienced any of these in person), and with a costume that looks this surprisingly good, you'll get some compliments! Also... you can't not have fun if you wave your arms around and go "Yaaaaaaaaay!!" just like Kermit. 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - I will admit... the man's head looking out of Kermit's mouth freaks me out. It looks like Kermit was aiming to catch a fly and caught this dude with his tongue instead. DON'T SWALLOW, KERMIT!! 3 STARS

ADULT KERMIT, FOZZIE BEAR, AND GONZO COSTUME KITS - $50.00 (each)

LIKENESS - AHHHH!!! NO!! BURN IT!! What... why... these are just horrendously awful. Especially Kermit and Fozzie. Kermit's head is a bulbous mass of weird and Fozzie looks like a bad semi-truck accident. And then there's Gonzo... with his droopy eye, this floppy nose, and chili pepper shirt, there's not much more that could go wrong with that costume. Good lord. This also begs the question... WHO would pay $50 to wear THESE?! 1 STAR
FUN FACTOR - Nope. Nuh uh. No fun to be had here. Unless you're burning these costumes with fire. Or acid. Then you'll have a bang-up time. Otherwise these are just hideous creatures you want to flee from before they ingest you like the poor saps already inside. 0 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Yup. All about the scary here! Not only does it look like your favorite Muppets have been skinned and worn as battle symbols... but they're also just awful, awful costumes. Gonzo especially. Ugh. I hate that Gonzo. Even the guy inside these costumes looks miserable!! 4 STARS

THE MUPPETS FOZZIE BEAR COSTUME - $35.00

LIKENESS - Now see, costume makers, THIS is how Fozzie Bear looks! Honestly, this is the best Fozzie costume I've ever seen. I'm pretty impressed. Maybe it's just lingering horrors of the previous Fozzie costume... but this is not bad at all. The mask is fantastic, the tie is perfect, and the gloves are four-fingered! Accuracy! I really love this. Well done, costume makers! 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR - Ahh! So, what did the pharaoh say when he got scared? I want my MUMMY! Ahhh! Get it? Wocka! Wocka! See? FUN. Even more fun can be had if you bring a pie to throw in someone's (or your own) face. 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - I guess if you got cornered by this mask in a dark alley it could be kind of/totally freaky. But mostly this is just good ol' Fozzie, the least scary bear on the planet! (Except maybe Winnie the Pooh.) 2 STARS

THE MUPPETS ANIMAL COSTUME - $35.00

LIKENESS - Huh. This costume works too! Don't you costume making people know that I can't be as snarky if the costumes actually look good?! The mask is surprisingly great, the torn clothes are wonderful, the orange arms are nice, and again the four-fingered gloves seal the deal. Even though Animal has never worn a shirt that looks anything like that... this is still a wonderful likeness. 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR - Oodles of fun could be had with this one! Just don't chase around the girls in the first costumes shouting "WANT WOMAN!!" That might not end well for you. However, if you can get four other friends to dress as the rest of the Electric Mayhem, send me a picture and I'll say, "You win!" (Which sounds great, but really mans nothing.) 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Unless you're one of the aforementioned girls being chased by someone in this costume... scare factor is relatively low. 2 STARS

Well, that's it for this week's edition of the Muppet Halloween Costume Spooktacular 2012! Come back again next Tuesday when we look at Sesame Street costumes for kids! Including this one below, which I like to call "Mitt Romney's Granddaughter Loses Her Inheritance":

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

Muppet Halloween Costume Spooktacular 2012, Pt. 1

Ryan Dosier - Greetings and happy haunts, Muppet fans! Today marks the second day in October and the beginning of our yearly transition into Muppety Halloween mode! Oooooo! (That was a ghost.) The first two years of The Muppet Mindset, when October came around, I wrote two of my favorite article series that I've ever done: Muppet Halloween Costume Spooktacular, in which I provide my snarky take on that year's crop of Muppet/Sesame Street/Fraggle Rock Halloween costumes that are commercially available for you to buy. With all the excitement of The Muppets last year, I neglected to do it, but this year we're back with even more snark and even stranger costumes! As before, the costumes are judged on three qualities: Likeness, Fun Factor, and Scare Factor, ranked on a scale of 0-5. Today we're taking a look at the Muppet costumes for small children--from babies to tweens! Let's get started, shall we?

TODDLER BOYS KERMIT THE FROG COSTUME - $19.99

LIKENESS - Aww!! Look at his widdle face! Kermit has never been cuter (although when we get to the female adult Kermit costumes the type of cute will change). Is it sad that I'm contemplating buying this and holding onto it just for my future child? ...Don't answer that. Anyway... the likeness isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn good, surprisingly. The collar makes this costume great. (And, y'know, the adorable baby.) 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR - So. Much. Fun. I've seen some sites that are selling this alongside an adult Miss Piggy costume for a fantastic mom/baby pairing. Imagine getting dad and older sibling in on the act and having a whole family of Muppet costumes! Fun to the max. 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - I can't come up with anything scary to say about this costume... it does kind of look like Kermit is eating an adorable baby, but then you look at the adorable baby and you lose your train of thought. 0 STARS

BABY GONZO COSTUME - $19.99

LIKENESS - Nope, never mind, here's my future child's Halloween costume. This is great. The cape is spectacular and the eyes are really nice. The nose leaves a lot to be desired... but it's a baby, so we'll let it slide. Also of note... the product description for this costume says, "Your baby can become a member of the Frackles in our Muppets Gonzo Costume!" If your baby doesn't want to be a member of the Frackles then you've failed as a parent! 4 STARS 
FUN FACTOR - There's a great amount of fun you can have with this costume. Dress up the family dog as Camilla and your already on your way! Just don't shoot your baby out of a cannon. I know he's wearing a Great Gonzo costume but... just don't. 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - It'll only be scary if you do shoot your baby out of a cannon. 0 STARS

BABY ANIMAL COSTUME - $19.99  

LIKENESS - This one is the best yet! What a fantastic costume. Who knew Animal could be condensed so small so well? The pants and ripped shirt is a great touch, and the orange body area is great. But what sells it is the really, really great Animal head-piece thing. 100 times better than any official adult Animal costume we've seen in recent years. Plus, stick this thing on a baby in his/her "terrible twos" and you've got a fully accurate representation of Animal! 5 STARS
FUN FACTOR - I'm picturing an awesome family of five doing an Electric Mayhem group costume... and now I can't get the image out of my head. Someone please do this and put your baby on drums in this Animal costume. 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - How can you be scared of this cute little monster? I guess if the baby was as ravenous about food/women/bunnies/drums as the real Animal it could get a little frightening... but mostly just awesome. 0 STARS

BABY FOZZIE BEAR COSTUME - $19.99

LIKENESS - Is anyone else starting to think that this is what Muppet Babies should've been like? Or is it just me? Just me? Alright, moving on. Another pretty great costume. The bowtie is such a nice touch and the hat makes for a cute-splosion. The Muppet geek in me wishes the costume were fuzzier and more Fozzie-like, but I get why it's not and it's suitable as-is. 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR - A dual-baby Kermit and Fozzie costume collaboration would be incredible. Imagine two twin babies in the Kermit and Fozzie costumes! Gah! Spectacular. Bonus points if you give Fozzie Baby a rubber chicken and a Groucho mask in every picture. 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Nope... I've got nothing. None of these baby costumes are scary. The snarky side of me has been defeated for these. 0 STARS

TODDLER GIRLS MISS PIGGY COSTUME - $19.99

LIKENESS - And my snarky side is back! Yeesh. The hair looks... interesting. I guess for a baby costume this isn't terrible, but it's also not great. Also, the baby is kind of frightening. However, if I saw a pair of babies dressed as Kermit and Piggy... well, I'm sure I wouldn't care that the likeness isn't perfect. 2 STARS
FUN FACTOR - I don't really know what it says that someone might want to dress their child up as both a pig and a diva... but that's just me being overly analytical. Mostly this is just a harmless, fun little costume. 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - If you teach your baby Miss Piggy style karate then this costume gets some scare points... or awesome points, depending on how you look at it. 0 STARS

GIRL'S FOZZIE BEAR COSTUME - $39.99

LIKENESS - Umm... likeness? The only thing that is good in this likeness is the hat. I don't really know why a tween girl would want to dress as Fozzie Bear for Halloween, and that's good because this isn't really Fozzie Bear. It's just a Fozzie shirt/skirt thing. I will say that I like the choice of the bow-tie belt, and the hat is pretty nice, but beyond that I'm just left saying, "Huh?" 1 STAR
FUN FACTOR - I guess if your little girl is really into Fozzie and this was her only option then she could have fun with it. But I can't see many girls wanting to choose this costume over, say, a princess or that Twilight girl or something. But kudos to them if they do! To me, this costume doesn't look fun, just weird--and not in a good way. 2 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - This costume is scary only because it was made--plus those shiny black boots are disturbing. But not scary in a "BOO!" sense... but scary in an I want to boo it like Statler and Waldorf sense. 1 STAR

GIRL'S KERMIT THE FROG COSTUME - $30.00

LIKENESS - Again, not really a costume as much as it is a dress with Kermit's face on it. This isn't to say it's a bad thing... but when I think of costumes I think of masks and froggy flipper slippers and such. It's understandable why a little girl's Kermit costume would be lacking these elements, so I'll let this pass. However if you're going to call it a Kermit the Frog "costume," and it's just a Kermit skirt, expect to lose likeness points. 0 STARS
FUN FACTOR - On the fun factor I'm much more lenient here. This is a delightful little costume for a Muppet-loving little girl. Halloween must be tough for female Muppet fans, what with the lack of girl Muppets, so this is an acceptable solution, says I--and drastically better than the Fozzie costume. 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Nothing scary to see here. Move along! 0 STARS

GIRL'S ANIMAL COSTUME - $35.99

LIKENESS - Just like the Kermit costume above, the likeness to Animal is almost non-existant. This is basically an Animal groupie costume--which is fine! It's just not an Animal costume in the traditional sense in that it should look like Animal. However, one likeness point will be given for the tattered shirt and the chain wrist things. 1 STAR
FUN FACTOR - The drumsticks don't come with this costume, so the fun factor slips a little bit there... but even the product description says, "When she puts on this great costume, Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem is going to want her on the drums!" So... that could be fun, right? (I mean, not for Muppet fans who might have to watch that happen, but for the little girl.) 4 STARS
SCARE FACTOR - Again, not much to be scared about here--except for those shiny black boots showing up again. 1 STAR

Well, that does it for Part 1 of The Muppet Halloween Spooktacular 2012! Check back every Tuesday in October, for future installments! Next week we'll take a look at adult costumes, including this monstrosity:

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