News Update: June 13, 2014

JUNE 13, 2014

Netflix is the new streaming home for both The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper. Both films are now available to watch on Netflix Instant service. So if you don't have both films on DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, or laser disc, there's finally a way for you to watch these Henson/Muppet classics! If you don't have access to any of these means... I'm so sorry. With these additions, this leaves only The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, The Muppets, and Muppets Most Wanted as the only Muppet feature films not on Netflix. Hopefully these will be added soon as well.

As we reported in our last News Update, Archaia is publishing a new graphic novel based off an unproduced 1968 screenplay from Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl called The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow. The graphic novel will feature art from the extremely talented Roger Langridge (of The Muppet Show Comic Book fame). USA Today officially announced the project a few days ago, and our friends over at ToughPigs.com have done a bang-up job of collecting all of the info in one convenient place. Check it out! The graphic novel will release in stores this October!

The folks over at The 13th Dimension website recently posted a fantastic tribute to the late John Henson. The tribute goes in depth with John's career as both a puppeteer and an artist. The author, Aimee LoSecco, notes how John's work was always larger than life, yet completely relatable, which is one of the finest descriptions of the man I've heard. The whole tribute is very beautiful and I suggest giving it a read, plus you get to see some of John's rarely-seen Kermit golfing illustrations (see right).

A few weeks ago, Disney announced the release of Disney Infinity 2.0, a sequel to their ultra-popular Disney Infinity video game/toy system. With this announcement, it was revealed that Marvel characters would be playable in the game and a whole slew of new Power Discs (in-game items) were revealed as well. One of these Power Discs is Miss Piggy's U.S.S. Swinetrek (see right), which allows players to bring the Swinetrek into the game and ride it. Always great to see the Muppets getting more representation in the Disney family!

This week, Variety published an article interviewing the writers of Sesame Street, Joey Mazzarino and Belinda Ward, about the upcoming, groundbreaking 45th season of the show. The article is really interesting, discussing everything from their spot-on "Homelamb" parody to the challenges of writing for both kids and adults. It's incredibly interesting.

Last but not least, last week Ricky Gervais tweeted the picture below, revealing that he had filmed a guest spot on Sesame Street, presumably for the upcoming season. I'm so glad to see Ricky is still working with the Muppets and coming back to Sesame Street!

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

Remembering John Henson

Over the weekend, we learned of the shocking, tragic news that John Paul Henson, the son of Jim and Jane Henson, had passed away late on February 14th. As the Muppet community learned of the news, an outpouring of love and support remembering the great man was shown online. Powerful, beautiful tributes to John were released by The Jim Henson Company, The Jim Henson Legacy, and many more.

Below is a lovely, touching, in-depth tribute to John from The Jim Henson Company, originally posted on their Facebook page yesterday.

John Henson (March 25, 1965 – February 14, 2014)

John Henson was born in Greenwich Connecticut to his parents, Jim and Jane Henson. At seven years old, he and his family moved to Bedford NY, where they lived through John’s childhood years.

At sixteen, John, with his friend, John Kahn, bought an old school house in Saugerties, New York. Kahn then trained Henson in the arts of home building, furniture design, and sculpture. These disciplines would become John Henson’s life work.

Throughout his adult life, John worked with his family’s business, The Jim Henson Company, as an accomplished puppeteer. He performed the character Sweetums from 1992 until 2003, and worked as a full-body performer inside of creatures such as the Coca Cola polar bear, among others. After Jim Henson’s death in 1990, John became a shareholder and active board member in the company, and stayed involved in The Jim Henson Company until his death.

His main life passion always returned him to his projects in Saugerties, New York. He became a master in three-dimensional spatial design. His many homes and buildings in Saugerties reflect his unique design aesthetic and his extraordinary attention to detail. Each of his buildings is an art project, an immersive experience balancing function with artistic expression. His exterior, and fine interior work, utilizing a wide range of materials; from wood, to metal, to stone, created rooms of exquisite embracing craftsmanship. At the time of his death, John Henson had owned and extensively developed many properties in Saugerties, New York.

In 1996, John met the love of his life, Gyongyi Katona, and in 1999 they gave birth to their first daughter, Katrina. Their second daughter, Sydney, was born in 2003. John was a loving, playful, and dedicated father, and was very involved in all aspects of his girls’ lives.

John’s family commented, “John had the deepest soul of any man alive; sensitive, artistic, and extremely compassionate, there was no limit to his love.”

A close friend of the family, Arthur Novell described John as, “a most remarkably kind and generous man who gave so much and asked for so little. He infused us with the light of his inquisitive mind, the spirit of his keen intellect and the genius of his talent to create. John will forever be remembered and cherished and talked about and somewhere in the Universe he will be rejoiced.”

John Henson is survived by his wife Gyongyi Henson, and his two daughters, Katrina (15 years) and Sydney (10 years), as well as his siblings, Lisa, Cheryl, Brian, and Heather.

Other tributes to this great, singular soul that was John Henson, included these lovely words from Muppet director Kirk Thatcher, who wrote..

"[John] had a huge heart, an easy laugh, a lopsided grin, twinkly impish eyes and a wild, creative streak that burned with a quiet intensity that shone through his life and art. He was a merry madman who played Sweetums in almost all of the Muppet projects I directed and he did it with the enthusiasm and silliness worthy of the big, sweet Ogre. I will miss him tremendously, but know that he's with his parents, Jim and Jane, heading off to make some crazy stuff with them in that infinite space that exists just beyond our physical senses, but we feel in our hearts."

On Twitter, Muppet performers Tyler Bunch and Stephanie D'Abruzzo as well as songwriter Paul Williams shared their support via Twitter, which you can see below.

“@cahuenga23: @tyler_bunch Did you work with the late John Henson?” Yes, on Muppets Wizard of OZ. He had a kind and singular spirit.
— Tyler Bunch (@tyler_bunch) February 16, 2014

"@cahuenga23:Did you work with the late John Henson?" Never got to work w/John but chatted at many Henson events. I will miss his smile.
— Stephanie D'Abruzzo (@DAbruzzoTweets) February 16, 2014

John Henson has passed away from a heart attack. Prayers for the Henson family. And tears. Too sad. pic.twitter.com/TA2F82AE4h
— Paul Williams (@IMPaulWilliams) February 15, 2014

Some truly gorgeous, touching fan art tributes to John were drawn by some talented artists as well.

"R.I.P. John Henson" by JohnnyBCartoonMan

By Eric Henderson

John Henson was a truly talented, beautiful, soulful man. As seen in the tributes and photos, he brought happiness and smiles and joy to those who knew him. As Sweetums, John gave incredible life one of the Muppets' most real characters. John not only embodied Sweetums in a puppet, but in life as well. Sweetums has a heart as big as he is, and John was the same way. I think I like Kirk Thatcher's description of John best... a Merry Madman.

We miss you greatly John. Thank you for sharing your magic with the world.

Our thoughts and love are with the friends, family, and loved ones of John during this tragic time.

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

News Update: February 16, 2014

JANUARY 16, 2014

Miss Piggy and the Muppets will be offering up their talents to home-shopping channel QVC next month in connection with both Muppets Most Wanted and "Miss Piggy's Haute Tote," a tote bag designed by the divine swine herself. Miss Piggy will be on QVC's Red Carpet Style event on February 28 at 9:00pm to exclusively debut her tote bag. But that's not all, because on March 16th, the Muppets (it's unclear which ones) will appear on QVC throughout the day to promote the movie, sell stuff, and probably wreak havoc. For more information, including a chance to enter to win a trip to the Muppets Most Wanted World Premiere, visit the QVC website.

Speaking of our favorite porcine princess, Miss Piggy received some major news this week with the reveal of her brand new wedding dress, which will be featured in Muppets Most Wanted. The dress was designed by beloved designer Vivienne Westwood. The dress is made entirely from recycled water bottles. You can learn more about the dress details and read a brief interview with Piggy and Westwood on Harper's Bazaar. Check out the dress below, and join us in speculating who Piggy will walk down the aisle with in Muppets Most Wanted.

Our friends at Sesame Street won the internet this week with the release of a new cell phone game: Flappy Bert. The game is based off of Flappy Bird, an addicting and challenging game released last week that was subsequently taken down by the developer. This led to a slew of rip-off games, but many people have agreed that Flappy Bert is the best of the lot. Plus, the game features the voice of Frank Oz, which is crazy in itself. You can play the game here: http://www.sesamestreet.org/cms-static/flappy_bert/

The Jim Henson Company has a new animated kid's show, Doozers, all about the little green working creatures from Fraggle Rock. Doozers will arrive with a 52-episode debut on Hulu starting April 25th. Jim Henson Company CEO Lisa Henson said, "Our pod squad is right at home with Hulu Kids, because Hulu is a company of builders and innovators like the Doozers, and because kids can learn from and spend time with these characters on-demand like never before." For more information on the new series, check out The Hollywood Reporter's report.

A whole bunch of exciting merchandise for Muppets Most Wanted is arriving in the coming months. Our friends at Muppet Stuff (who just started an awesome new website) shared a number of the new things coming up, including a talking Kermit plush, Kermit shoes (see right), OPI nail polish, and more. Not mentioned in the post are Muppet puppets coming to Toys R Us and FAO Shwartz, plush at Walgreens, and a number of other awesome things. Hope you've been saving your money, Muppet fans!

The Muppets are appearing in a new promotion for Subway restaurants coinciding with Muppets Most Wanted. Check out their new commercial, featuring Kermit, Miss Piggy, The Swedish Chef, and Subway's Jared below!



Earlier this week, a new Valentine's Day-themed spot for Muppets Most Wanted debuted online. The spot features lots of Tina Fey's Nadya character expressing her undying love for Kermit. I laughed. Multiple times. Watch it below.



Yet another promo for the movie debuted last night during the Winter Olympics and appeared online immediately afterwards. The Twitter review aspect of the commercials have reached their peak with this one. Watch below...



We close this week on a very sad note. John Henson, son of Jim and Jane Henson and performer of Sweetums from the late 80s to the early 2000s, passed away Friday night at age 48. The Jim Henson Company confirmed John's passing on Saturday and we join the rest of the Muppet community in sending our thoughts to his family and friends. John was a wonderful talent, a partner of The Jim Henson Company, and is remembered as a kind, generous, and thoughtful person. Thank you for sharing your talent with the world, John. You will be missed.

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