Interview with Muppeteer John Tartaglia, Part 1

This past summer, I found out that Muppet performer and star of Broadway and television John Tartaglia would be performing in Disney's Aladdin musical in St. Louis, only a few hours away from me. Obviously I booked tickets right away. I got in touch with John (thanks to the wonderful folks from Being Elmo) and got to meet with him before the show. He was incredible. So friendly and personable and open and funny. He was endlessly complimentary, humble, and charming. It took a few months after that for us to finally get an interview together, but we did it and, I think, it's fantastic. It will be presented in two parts, so please enjoy Part 1 of my interview with my friend John Tartaglia.

Interview with Muppeteer John Tartaglia

Conducted by Ryan Dosier

RYAN:   John, welcome to The Muppet Mindset! Make yourself at home. Can I offer you anything? Food? Drink? Polka penguin?

JOHN:   A nice wine would be nice. I find a Merlot goes lovely with penguin polka dancing.

RYAN:   How did you first get interested in puppetry and the Muppets?

JOHN:   Well, according to my mother I was Sesame Street obsessed as a preschooler. But, I remember getting the Muppet bug when I accidentally ended up watching Fraggle Rock on an HBO free weekend. It was like I had found the secret of life. I was entranced and my poor family had to endear a complete Fraggle obsession for quite awhile. That led to The Muppet Show and Labyrinth and Dark Crystal, etc. on home video and the rest is history. It was a good time for Muppet home videos. When I was 11 or so I wrote to Jim Henson and said how much I loved him and the Muppets and how my dream was to graduate high school and work as a Muppeteer in New York City. I didn't hear back right away, in fact it was almost a year later when I sat down to write him another letter. I just figured he never got the first one, and no lie, that very day as I was writing him again, a knock came at the door and it was the postman (or post lady... I don't remember but wanted to be PC) with a package for me from The Jim Henson Company! Inside was a gorgeous 8x10 Jim had made out to me and a letter from his assistant. It was amazing and I'm pretty sure I peed myself from excitement. As one does. What's incredible is that as I'm typing this I'm sitting here staring at a picture of Jim here on the Jim Henson Company lot. It never is lost on me how lucky I am.

RYAN:   What are some of your favorite moments from the set of Sesame Street?

JOHN:   I think the unexpected moments. The ad-libs, the bloopers--we have a lot of em! And honestly the tender moments too--the Muppets have always had this way of making a touching scene extra touching. I just love those. I'm a sucker for moments like "Just One Person" or "Keep Christmas with You." But honestly, as cliche as it sounds--my favorite moments are with the cast and crew. We really are a wonderful family--dysfunctional and bizarre sometimes, but a family. Seeing Frankie Biondo (our lead cameraman who's been there since season one!) is something I look forward to every day. He's one of a kind and I love him! A very special moment happened recently. A few years ago, an award was created called the Richard Hunt spirit award--it's an award given by the cast and crew at our wrap party to someone that everyone feels continues the humor and spirit of Richard on set. Richard was known for keeping everyone laughing and motivated and in the grind of shooting a daily television series, sometimes that's needed! Anyway, this season I was the recipient of it, and as this was my first season back full time for many years, I was shocked and truly honored. I broke down and cried actually. It's my favorite award I've ever received above all others. I really mean that.

RYAN:   Who is your favorite Sesame Street character and why?

JOHN:   Oy, that's a hard one! It changes all the time as the years go on and I feel like I'm a wembler about it, but most usually it's Grover. Again, he can be hilarious but also very touching. Frank just had this ability to make you giggle uncontrollably on the set whenever he was in performing Grover. And then, if he was doing one of the talks with the kids, he could be so sweet and touching. So, for now anyway, it's Grover!

RYAN:   What is your favorite episode of The Muppet Show?

JOHN:   That's very hard to say as there are so many incredible ones. The funny thing is when I first got into Muppets they weren't on TV anymore and were only on a home video in the best of compilations so I really didn't know which show each skit belonged in! I still will watch the full season sets (where is season 4 and 5 Disney?!?!?!) and I'll get excited--like--"wait--that's from THAT episode?!?!"

I will say that one of my all time favorite moments that I think perfectly encapsulates Jim's humor and awareness of the world around him is The Muppet Show version of "For What It's Worth." It's gorgeous in the puppetry and singing and the cinematography, but still has a message tainted with humor. I just love it. And Jerry, as always, is heart breaking and sounds incredible. 

RYAN:   What about your favorite character from The Muppet Show universe?

JOHN:   Without a doubt it's between Janice and The Swedish Chef. Always hard to decide, but I'll tell you this--When we did the concert at Carnegie Hall they basically had to (nicely) ask me to stop putting on the Janice puppet. Love her.

RYAN:   You've expressed your love of Fraggle Rock numerous times. Would you like to talk a little bit about the show? It's your favorite Henson production, isn't it?

JOHN:   Well, I think people think I'm a little overdramatic when I say this, but I really do think it's one of the best television series ever made, not to mention one of the best children's series. To me, it's everything a quality show for kids should be. And as an adult revisiting it, it's amazingly profound. To think that they were never afraid to deal with death and loss and re-incarnation and spirituality--I mean, I can tell you as someone who creates children's television today, that's just not the norm. And yet, really, it should be. On a more Muppet-y level, I think it's some of the best puppetry ever done by the Muppets up to that point- both from a performance and design level. You had Steve and Jerry and Dave and Karen and Richard and Kathy and that amazing Toronto team that really were on a high and at their best. When you talk to Karen Prell or the late great Jerry Nelson, they oftentimes said it was something they're so proud of. It was just amazing. For me, I strive to someday create something that has impacted the world anywhere near as positively as that show has. I'm convinced Fraggle Rock is greatly responsible for shaping the lives of those of us who watched it in an important and positive way. Oh, and maybe it stopped war and stuff, so that's good.

RYAN:   I ask about all of these Henson realms because they were all brought together again--by you--for Jim Henson’s Musical World at Carengie Hall earlier this year. Can you talk a little bit about how this show came about and what your involvement in it was like?

JOHN:   It was magical from the start, really. I had been incredibly lucky to have performed three times before with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. The Pops are the best orchestra ever and Carnegie Hall is the most amazing concert hall in the world, so it was never lost on me how special those opportunities were. I had the idea one day of doing some sort of musical tribute for Jim and his worlds with the Pops at Carnegie Hall. When I pitched the NY Pops the idea they flipped as it turns out they're all huge Muppet fans as well. The fantastic Craig Shemin joined on board to write the script, I directed, The Jim Henson Legacy produced along with the Pops and we were on our way. I'm beyond proud of it--I think because I'm such a fan at heart, I wanted to create the concert that I'd been wishing would happen for so many years. Muppet Family Christmas was, and still is my favorite Muppet special and I think it's because of all of Jim's worlds up to that point being together and celebrating. It felt like this was a chance to do the same for Jim. And I can't gush enough about Bonnie Erickson and Arthur Novel and all at the Legacy and Craig and everyone at the NY Pops and Carnegie Hall and all three companies and all of the performers--everyone working together to make it happen--it was very Muppety in that way!

RYAN:   What was the most challenging aspect of making this show--with characters owned by three different companies--happen?

JOHN:   Well, it took two years to make it happen--as you can imagine, it was a LOT of logistics to work out now that all of Jim's worlds and properties are overseen by three different companies. The amazing thing was everyone was so excited about it and really all jumped in whole heartedly to play. So many of the folks running those companies now either knew Jim personally or grew up with the characters and it wasn't lost on anyone involved that this gathering of worlds hadn't happened in over 22 years. Sadly, the last time they were all together was for The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson. So, we felt a great weight and responsibility because of that. 

The other hard part was just deciding what to include and what we just didn't have time for. That really was hardest part--I mean, we wanted to do everything! And its incredible when you sit with the massive list of songs written for all of those television series and movies and specials and albums that Jim created. It just blows your mind how much material exists. When we were putting the show together there were definitely a few times things looked shaky or like they'd fall through and I'm not sure whether we were all stupidly naive or overly optimistic or what, but we just never doubted it wouldn't work out, and thanks to so many wonderful folks, it did.

RYAN:   What was your favorite part of the show?

JOHN:   Selfishly, singing with the Fraggles! My mother came to see the show and wept the entire time but wept hardest during the Fraggle medley. When I was a kid I'd sit there with my Fraggle puppets and dolls and put on shows for my family and sang all of the songs along with the albums. So, to be standing up there singing with the actual Fraggles and their performers in a concert I had conceived was very emotional for both her and me. Very full circle I guess. Plus, this was the first time the new Wembley puppet had been used and Steve hadn't performed him since Jim's memorial. To have Wembley and Red and Traveling Matt singing to me was amazing. I recommend it to everyone!

RYAN:   For you, what was the most magical moment of Jim Henson’s Musical World?

JOHN:   Without sounding precious, there were many. But, a moment that stands out was when we all gathered together to rehearse for the first time at The Carriage House, which is one of the original Muppet studios from back in the day, still in use. In that studio were so many incredible, talented, wonderful people, several who hadn't worked together in years. To look around the room and see Bob McGrath from Sesame and Karen Prell from Fraggle Rock joking around and Kevin Clash as Elmo next to Dave Goelz holding Gonzo was just surreal. That's when the enormity of what we had accomplished in gathering everyone together hit me. Plus, there was just this extra special feeling in the room--I'd like to think that Jim and Richard and all those who've gone on were there too somehow. It was amazing. I went home and cried. And watched the Golden Girls.

RYAN:   I know that there was no video taping of the show, which is unfortunate but understandable, but are there any plans to do the show again? It seemed like it was a major success back in April.

JOHN:   We really hoped that we'd be able to do it again in some form. But, to be honest, it was most likely a once in a lifetime experience. Since it was so much work for everyone involved and all of the logistics had to be handled and performers on different schedules in different places had to come together, and all of those factors, it was a miracle that we pulled it off once! But, I still have hope that it will happen again in some way. There were many who thought it would NEVER happen at all and it did, so, who knows!! Never say never. And in the meantime, that's what YouTube is for!

At John's insistence... here's video from the Carnegie Hall show! For more, check out The Muppet Mindset on YouTube!

Check back next week for Part 2 of our interview with John Tartaglia!





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

Jim Henson's Musical World Overview/Review

Jim Henson's Musical World Concert at Carnegie Hall

Alison Durkee - As most Muppet fans are probably aware, something incredible happened at Carnegie Hall on April 14. For two performances only, the different worlds of Jim Henson--Muppets, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock--all came together in the same show to celebrate Henson through music. While videos have already been posted here that capture many of the wonderful moments from Jim Henson's Musical World, I was extremely fortunate enough to see the concert in person. I attended the 3:30 performance of the show and was so incredibly thankful I did, as for less than the price of seeing The Muppets in an NYC movie theater, I was able to witness a truly extraordinary and unforgettable show.

As the audience entered Carnegie Hall and settled into their seats, a mix of Muppet video clips played on a screen above the stage, setting the Muppety tone from the very start. A few minutes before the performance began, I could see the Muppeteers sneak behind the black curtains that lined each side of the stage and take their places, and I knew that something truly special was about to begin. When it was finally time for the concert to start, the house lights dimmed as another video started up. This one was of Rowlf and Jimmy Dean from Rowlf's first appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1965. But just a few seconds later, Rowlf greeted us onstage live, popping up from behind a black curtain set up center stage. Telling us how he knew he would come back to Carnegie Hall but didn’t think it would take 47 years, seeing Rowlf right there, in the fur, was definitely an attention-grabbing way to start the show.

When Rowlf left, the concert officially began as the extremely talented New York Pops orchestra kicked things off with, appropriately, "The Muppet Show Theme Song." Hearing this song (as well as the concert's many other songs) played by a full orchestra in person was pretty stunning, but it was made even better by the fact that the Electric Mayhem (minus Animal) joined them onstage. The orchestra then segued into the theme songs for both Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock (complete with audience claps).

Following this overture, the spotlight circled around the theater as the familiar voice of Jerry Nelson filled the hall, introducing the concert's host: John Tartaglia! ......Who was, of course, nowhere to be found (this IS the Muppets, clearly something had to go wrong). So naturally, conductor Steven Reineke pulled out his cell phone and called Tartaglia, who appeared on the screen above the stage, still at home in his rubber duckie pajamas. When Reineke convinced him that the concert was, in fact, happening RIGHT NOW, and not next week as Tartaglia thought, he immediately headed for Carnegie Hall, miraculously appearing in the theater just a few seconds later. Stripping off his pajamas to reveal a suit with bright green pants, Tartaglia launched into "Sing" from Sesame Street, joined by the talented Essential Voices choir that accompanied many of the songs. He then talked a little bit about Jim Henson and how important music has always been to the Muppets, pointing out that doing musical numbers was how Jim Henson originally started the Muppets in the first place.

However, there was still the matter of the many special guests that Tartaglia invited to the concert, which he thought was next week. Reineke asked John if he had told them the wrong date, to which he assured him he had not. But as Reineke left the stage to use the "little conductor's room," Tartaglia confessed that he HAD told his guests the wrong date, and didn't know what to do. This, of course, was not a bad thing for Statler and Waldorf, who popped up in their traditional balcony seats, exclaiming, "You mean the Muppets aren't going to be here? This is our lucky day, we finally came to the right show!"

But sadly for Statler and Waldorf (and luckily for the rest of us), this Muppet-less performance didn't last long, as none other than Fozzie Bear himself appeared on stage. Forgetting that he was told the concert was next week and accidentally showing up today instead, Fozzie talked with Tartaglia, who asked Fozzie if he had been able to do any research on Jim Henson like John had asked. But all he found out, Fozzie replied, was that "they don't let bears in the New York Public Library." With that, Fozzie was sent off on a mission to round up the Muppets and get them to the theater while John kept the show going.

With Fozzie gone and no special guests in sight (An attempt to contact Sesame Street was only met with the Hooper's Store voice mail message "We're closed right now. Our normal hours are 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM, Monday through Friday."), John turned to the orchestra and asked if any of them wanted to be a star and perform with him. A violinist raised her hand and "Steppin' Out with a Star" started up, as Tartaglia and this "unknown musician" sang and danced in perfect synchronization around the stage. Of course, this musician was really Broadway actress and Sesame Street performer Stephanie D'Abruzzo, who starred alongside Tartaglia in the original Broadway production of Avenue Q.

After D'Abruzzo left, a familiar-looking Fraggle popped up. It was Uncle Traveling Matt, leading a tour of Outer Space for Red and Wembley! There to teach Red and Wembley about the "historic Carnegie Cave," Matt presented a slideshow of the "cave," which was supposedly built by Doozers as a summer home for Ma and Pa Gorg. Tartaglia insisted that no, this was actually not the case, but the Fraggles still stuck around to sing some Fraggle songs, performing a medley of "Follow Me," "Pass It On," "Workin'," "Wemblin' Fool," "Let Me Be Your Song," and the Fraggle Rock theme song. While seeing the Fraggles in person was pretty astounding to begin with, clapping along to the theme song with the actual Fraggles and watching as the rest of Carnegie Hall clap along in unison was extremely cool. Then, Tartaglia showed the Fraggles a picture of Jim Henson with Cantus the Minstrel, to which Matt exclaimed, "Cantus is being kidnapped by a Silly Creature!" When he calmed down, the Fraggles decided to stick around and watch the rest of the show from backstage.

Next to arrive was the Muppet that we had all been waiting for (or so she believes): Miss Piggy! The crowd was visibly excited when she appeared, arriving at what she believed to be her dressing room (the theater) early to redecorate. When told that the show was today, Miss Piggy exited in a panic and promised to return soon, frantically calling for her hair and wardrobe team. Then, a stage manager wandered onstage, offering to help out the show with some Muppet impressions. This stage manager was, in actuality, Saturday Night Live alum Rachel Dratch, who entertained us with some... interesting impressions, including a deadpan "Me want cookies. Nom nom nom." and "Elmo loves you. Tickle Elmo." But Tartaglia instead offered for her to join him in a song, as they performed Sesame Street's "Sing After Me."

This Sesame Street theme was continued as the orchestra launched into the show's theme song. As the song started to play, special Sesame Street guests suddenly began to appear, and Sesame adults Sonia Manzano (Maria), Bob McGrath (Bob), Nitya Vidyasagar (Leela), Alan Muraoka (Alan), Allison Bartlett (Gina), Loretta Long (Susan), and Roscoe Orman (Gordon) took the stage, joined by Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, and Elmo (much to the delight of the many children in the theater). The group performed a medley of "People in Your Neighborhood," "One Fine Face," "C Is for Cookie," "I Love Trash," and finally "Rubber Duckie." During "Rubber Duckie," Elmo provided the "squeak squeak" noises for Ernie, which led Steve Whitmire as Ernie to improvise a line acknowledging Elmo. Even from my very high up seat, I could see Kevin Clash laugh over the exchange, as well as his clear joy the entire time he was performing, which was fantastic to see. Being able to see the Muppeteers behind the curtains from where I sat was perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the concert for me, as being able to get even a tiny glimpse of their work in person was tremendously exciting.

The Sesame gang left the stage and Tartaglia headed into the audience, eager to hear some good Muppet memories. What he found instead was Muppet composer Paul Williams, who just so happened to have all his Muppet lyrics with him! Williams took the stage and said a few words about Jim Henson, including the fact that he was "the nicest guy [Williams] worked with in [his] life." He was then joined by some of the animals from Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas, who all performed "Barbeque," "When the River Meets the Sea," and "Ain't No Hole in the Washtub."

We were then greeted once again by Fozzie, who eagerly arrived with the... muffins that he had gathered on his mission. When Tartaglia explained that he had asked him to gather the Muppets, not the muffins, Fozzie was so disappointed with himself and the fact that he can never seem to do anything right. But John comforted him and emphasized that he still believed in Fozzie. Of course, this just so happened to lead perfectly into "Just One Person," which started out simply as Tartaglia singing to Fozzie. But we all know that "Just One Person" is best when performed by a whole group of Muppets, and this instance did not disappoint. As the song continued, more Muppets kept popping up, and by the end, on the stage were Kermit, Gonzo, Scooter, Beauregard, Rowlf, the Electric Mayhem, Bunsen, and Beaker. While I had seen Muppets in person before and had seen so many characters throughout the concert already, seeing all of them singing live in person was completely amazing.

The Muppets said a few words (looking out at the theater, Gonzo exclaimed, "I bet you could fit a million chickens in here!") before launching into a medley that included "The Muppet Show Theme Song," "Mahna Mahna," "Movin' Right Along," "Happy Feet," and "Together Again." Then, Kermit took a seat on the curtain's ledge and the other Muppets left, as he fondly remembered Jim Henson as the one who taught him about music, how to sing, and even how to put on a show, calling him his "right hand man." Tartaglia was impressed that Kermit could put on a show so well, since he knew that "it wasn't easy," just like some other things (hint, hint). While Kermit didn't initially take the bait (when first asked about some other things that are "not easy," he responded, "Math class?"), he finally gave in, performing "Bein' Green" as only Kermit the Frog truly can.

But of course, we couldn't possibly forget about Miss Piggy, who made a grand return to the stage with another announcement by Jerry Nelson. She started to launch into "Never Before, Never Again" before being stopped by Tartaglia, who apologized to her and said that the show was about to end. However, Miss Piggy was all ready to go (She was wearing three pairs of Spanx!), so John convinced her that while the rest of the cast was going to join them onstage for the final number, they would be singing backup to her. She agreed, and all the human performers joined the Muppets onstage to sing a moving rendition of "Rainbow Connection," with the audience invited to sing along. The show closed with Kermit saying a final goodbye to the audience in the tradition of his closings on The Muppet Show, and it was even complete with a signature Kermit flail, ending this thrilling concert with an equally thrilling conclusion.

When the show concluded, the entire cast took a bow, first with the Muppets and then with the Muppeteers themselves appearing from behind the curtains. To be able to give these amazing performers a standing ovation for not only this wonderful show, but for all the joy and amazing work they have given all of us over the years was one of the most fulfilling moments of the afternoon for me.

Overall, Jim Henson's Musical World was a ridiculously special experience that I'm so thankful I got to witness. While the simple act of bringing together the Muppet, Sesame, Fraggle, and Emmett Otter worlds in one performance is amazing enough, the concert was incredibly well done, and being able to not only see these Muppets live, but also get a glimpse at the Muppeteers performing them was such a tremendous opportunity. My only slight issue with the concert was that I wished the audience had been a little more enthusiastic and appreciative of what was happening onstage. While there were a lot of hardcore fans in the audience and everyone was clearly enjoying the show, it felt like (from the perspective of where I was sitting) a lot of people were treating it more like a casual concert and way to spend the afternoon instead of the special event that it was. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful tribute to the lasting legacy of Jim Henson and all the joy he brought to the world, and I can only hope that its success at Carnegie Hall means that we'll be seeing these characters performing together again at some point in the future. While different companies may own these characters now, none of them would exist without the incredible creativity of Jim Henson, and seeing them come together to celebrate the man that unites them through music was a truly remarkable experience, and one that I hope future audiences will be able to enjoy as well.

Pictures courtesy of Dave Hulteen, ToughPigs.com, and Muppet Wiki





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

Muppetology 101: Crossovers in the Muppet World

Ryan Dosier -Greetings class! We're back in session, finally, and your favorite professor (me!) has a great new Muppet topic to cover. A long standing but not often occurring tradition in the Muppet universe is crossovers between television shows in the Jim Henson pantheon. From very early examples such as Rowlf the Dog and Kermit the Frog appearing in the original pitch reel for Sesame Street to cameos from Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and the other Sesame characters in the first three Muppet movies.

These occurrences have been fewer and far between in recent years due to split ownership of the main Henson character families. To recap... The Walt Disney Company owns The Muppets from The Muppet Show, Muppets Tonight, and the Muppet movies. Sesame Workshop owns Sesame Street and all its characters. The Jim Henson Company owns Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, and a few other less-known character sets.

Today we will mostly be focusing on productions that were intended and written as franchise crossovers for the characters. We'll spend a little bit on one time crossover appearances in various episodes of The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, the Muppet movies, etc. We will not be considering Kermit the Frog's many appearances on Sesame Street as a crossover since he was a regular character for many years.

• ONE TIME CROSSOVER APPEARANCES



• Sesame Street Original Pitch Reel (1969) - Rowlf the Dog
• The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence pilot (1975) - Bert
• The Muppet Show Episode 102: Connie Stevens (1976) - Bert and Ernie
• The Muppet Show Episode 318: Leslie Uggams (1978) - Big Bird
• The Muppet Show Episode 518: Marty Feldman (1981) - Cookie Monster, Sesame Street Muppets
• The Muppet Movie (1979) - Big Bird, Sesame Street Muppets
• The Great Muppet Caper (1981) - Oscar the Grouch
• The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) - Sesame Street Muppets, Traveling Matt Fraggle
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - Sprocket, obscure Fraggle Rock characters
• The Jim Henson Hour "Secrets of the Muppets" (1989)- Sprocket, Doozer
• Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977) - Kermit the Frog
• The Christmas Toy (1986) - Kermit the Frog
• Dog City (1989) - Rowlf the Dog, Sprocket
• The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990) - Sprocket
• The Animal Show (1996) - Sam the Eagle
• Jim Henson Inducted Into Television Academy Hall of Fame (1984) - Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggles
• The Muppet Show Live at Muppetfest fan convention (2001) - Elmo
• Muppets, Music, and Magic: Jim Henson's Legacy at The Cinema Arts Centre (2007) - Gonzo, Elmo, and Zoe
• Muppets Race Mania video game (2001) - Doozer, Junior Gorg, Pa Gorg

• THE MUPPETS: A CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS
• January 21, 1986
• In celebration of 30 years of Muppets, Jim Henson brought this delightful television special providing a recap of highlights from the long, storied career of the Muppets. Hosted by Fozzie Bear, this special featured introductions from Rowlf the Dog, Scooter, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, Uncle Traveling Matt, and many more favorites. Throughout the show honoring Kermit's 30th Birthday, we see a slew of clips from The Muppet Show, the Muppet movies, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and even Muppet Babies. This production is a true labor of love from Jim Henson and the rest of his team. Hundreds of Muppets fill the ballroom and hysterical moments of interplay between the franchises occur. One of the greatest highlights comes at the end when Grover and Jim Henson share in a moment of hilarity that I certainly won't spoil.

• A MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS
• December 16, 1987
• One of the first major, narrative Muppet projects to welcome in members from every major Muppet family (at that time) was 1987's masterpiece A Muppet Family Christmas. This television special featured Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Doc, Sprocket, the Fraggles, and all of their friends enjoying the holidays at Fozzie Bear's mom's farmhouse in the country. If you haven't seen it, you absolutely must, as it is the true peak of Muppetness on screen. Moments such as Bert and Ernie's "small talk" with Doc, The Swedish Chef attempting to cook Big Bird, Kermit and Robin discovering Fraggles make this production truly one of a kind and incredible.

• THE MUPPETS CELEBRATE JIM HENSON
• November 21, 1990
• Perhaps the final professionally produced and aired special that we will ever seen which featured all of Jim Henson's creations interacting was this beautiful television special made to honor Jim Henson after his death in May, 1990. While this special mostly focuses on the core group of characters from The Muppet Show (and a few from The Jim Henson Hour such as Clifford and Bean Bunny) and little interplay between the franchises occurs, the final "Just One Person" performance featured numerous Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock characters to honor Jim. This is yet another must-see production for all Muppet fans. (Hint: Check YouTube.)

• JIM HENSON'S MUSICAL WORLD
• April 14, 2012
• The most recent and surprising crossover happened only a few days ago in New York City at Carnegie Hall. Jim Henson's Musical World was a huge musical performance made possible by The Jim Henson Legacy which included numerous songs from Jim Henson's productions played by The New York Pops orchestra. That alone would be pretty stellar, but the performance this past weekend took it to a new level, by including characters onstage from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and even Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. True, none of the characters shared the stage with characters from another franchise, but that was mostly due to a lack of hands. What is most important is that for the first time in more than 20 years, characters from the "big three" Muppet shows shared the stage at a major, professional, and company-sponsored venue.

Well, there you have it! Crossovers in the Muppet World. For even more detail on these rare and special occurrences, checkout Muppet Wiki's page on Crossovers and search YouTube to see some of these magnificent productions for yourself! Class dismissed! Remember that there might be a quiz if I can ever get my typewriter to stop catching on fire every time I type my name!

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

The Muppets Dominate Carnegie Hall

Yesterday something incredible happened. Something that hadn't happened in an official capacity in more than 30 years. Characters from Disney's Muppets Studio, Sesame Workshop's Sesame Street, and The Jim Henson Company's Fraggle Rock shared the stage and the spotlight. Yes, Muppets, monsters, and Fraggles all appeared in the unbelievable and unforgettable Jim Henson's Musical World performance yesterday at Carnegie Hall in New York City, accompanied by the New York Pops.

They sang songs, they danced dances, they made jokes, and the entertained a crowd of people for two sold out shows. There really isn't much to say here... but I can promise you that we'll have a full write-up of the show later this week. But for now, enjoy some very illegal pictures and videos from the performance. The first three videos and final picture come from the awesome Patrick Cotnoir, all the other pictures are from the amazing Dave Hulteen. The "Rainbow Connection" video is by ceejimama on YouTube.

Doc Bullfrog from Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Wembley, Red, and Uncle Traveling Matt Fraggle

Kermit the Frog

Beauregard, Scooter, Gonzo, Kermit, Fozzie Bear, and John Tartaglia

Roscoe Orman (Gordon), Bob McGrath (Bob) Dr. Loretta Long (Susan), John Tartaglia, Nitya Vadyasagar (Leela), Allison Bartlet (Gina), Alan Muraoka (Alan), and Sonia Manzano (Maria)

Elmo, Ernie, and Bert

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

The Muppets Take Manhattan... AGAIN

No... this isn't a sequel to The Muppets Take Manhattan, it's an unprecedented new partnership between The Muppets and New York City. Earlier today, New York named The Muppets their Official Family Ambassadors for 2012 and beyond. This morning at a press conference in New York, Mayor (and Letters to Santa co-star) Michael Bloomberg made the exciting announcement with the help of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, and Pepe the King Prawn. Check out official video of the announcement below! Be sure to skip ahead to about 10:40 to jump right to the Muppets!



This is huge news because it means we're almost guaranteed to see some New York-specific Muppet content advertising all the incredible tourist destinations in the city fairly soon. Right now you can even go to New York City's Official Tourism Website and get some written tips on shopping, itineraries, attractions, dining, tours and sightseeing from Miss Piggy, Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Walter, Animal, Swedish Chef, Bunsen and Beaker, and Pepe!

This hugely exciting news is just another reason why I wish that I could be in New York City this weekend. With the Jim Henson's Musical World show at Carnegie Hall tomorrow, every Muppet performer and countless people associated with The Jim Henson Legacy are in town rehearsing and preparing for a show that sounds more incredible than I would have ever imagined. Earlier today, The New York Times released a bit more information about the performance. Check out some of it below and prepare to be even more upset that you aren't there either.

Concert programs rarely get the advance secrecy accorded to Pentagon reports and Super Bowl playbooks. But elements of the events to be presented on Saturday by the New York Pops aren’t just classical, but classified.

“I’ve been given very specific instructions about what can be announced ahead of time and what can’t,” said Steven Reineke, the Pops music director.

One thing’s certain: “Jim Henson’s Musical World,” to be performed twice, will feature melodies and Muppets. It will also differ from other family concerts by the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall.

“It’s a real show,” Mr. Reineke said. “I have to learn lines, which is unusual for a conductor. There’s a story as well.”

A story? Yes, it’s mostly classified, but it will have much in common with the work of Henson (1936-90), right, the designer, puppeteer and filmmaker who created the Muppets. Written by Craig Shemin, president of the Jim Henson Legacy, an organization perpetuating Henson’s work, “it has to do with sort of bringing out the best in people,” Mr. Reineke said.

A few details: After an overture and a video montage he will introduce the actor, writer and puppeteer John Tartaglia, who first approached the Pops about a Henson tribute. But Mr. Tartaglia, the scheduled host, fails to appear. After Mr. Reineke calls him (Carnegie Hall will forgive the cellphone use), Mr. Tartaglia will be seen on video in his rubber-duckie pajamas, completely unaware that the concert is on Saturday. He’s not alone.

“It becomes this running gag,” Mr. Reineke said. Fozzie Bear is enlisted to help gather his fellow Muppets. Among those appearing are Gonzo, Kermit, Miss Piggy and the ornery Statler and Waldorf, who “just razz me throughout the show,” Mr. Reineke said. But he’s sworn to silence on performances by “Sesame Street” characters. Hints emerge from a few songs in a medley: “Rubber Duckie,” “C Is for Cookie” and “I Love Trash.”

Human guests are no secret. They’ll include the ensemble Essential Voices USA; the comedian Rachel Dratch; “Sesame Street” cast members present and past; and the singer-songwriter Paul Williams, whose “Rainbow Connection” (written with Kenneth Ascher) will be an audience singalong.

Despite the concert’s title, the 13 numbers won’t be Henson’s musical world, exactly, but worlds. “I don’t think anyone’s ever put ‘Sesame Street,’ the Muppets and ‘Fraggle Rock’ all on a stage together,” Mr. Reineke said. But of course they’ll harmonize.

Seething with jealousy yet? Good. Then I'm not alone. Hopefully the performance will allow audience members to videotape the proceedings... because we've been informed that an official videotape of this will not be done--or at least not released publicly. So, if I were you, I would head over to ToughPigs.com and pester Joe Hennes about bringing his video camera until he caves.






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