Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Dr. Julius Strangepork

Today's post was written by Maxwell Jessop. If you would like to submit a Weekly Muppet Wednesdays post, contact Ryan Dosier at muppetmindset@gmail.com!

DR. JULIUS STRANGEPORK

Performed by...
Jerry Nelson (1977-1997)
Matt Vogel (2009-present)

First appearance...
The Muppet Show Episode 203: Milton Berle (1977)

Most recent appearance...
Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Best known role...
Resident scientist and inventor on the S.S. Swinetrek

WHO IS DR. JULIUS STRANGEPORK?
Dr. Julius Strangepork is the elderly pig scientist aboard the S.S. Swinetrek in the popular recurring sketch "Pigs in Space" on The Muppet Show. His jobs on the ship range from routine repair work to offering diagnostics on planets. Strangepork also made several odd inventions that, unintentionally, backfire on the crew.

The German-accented swine, while mostly appearing in "Pigs in Space" sketches, appeared in other places as well. He appeared as a rural-accented smoker in the chorus of "Cigarettes and Whiskey" with Peter Sellers, as Fritz, a murdered director in the murder mystery plot in the Liza Minnelli episode, and frequently appeared onstage as a pig chorus member.

Aside from his roles on The Muppet Show, Strangepork made non-speaking cameos in many of the Muppet movies. In The Muppet Christmas Carol, he did have a speaking role, as one of Nephew Fred’s party guests. He was also seen in animated form on the short-lived Little Muppet Monsters series during the Pigs in Space segments.

On Muppets Tonight, Strangepork made an appearance in another pig-themed sketch, "Bay of Pigswatch," as a beach commissioner. He was credited in this sketch as a "special guest." Following this, Strangepork faded to obscurity, much like Link Hogthrob. Though, in 2009, he made a silent comeback in the viral YouTube video, "Bohemian Rhapsody." This marked his first appearance in over a decade. In addition to the video, Strangepork was featured in every issue of The Muppet Show Comic Book and also was seen in The Muppets.

In 2003, Palisades Toys released an action figure of Dr. Strangepork in Series 4 of their Muppets action figure line. Much later, in 2011, Disney Parks released a Vinylmation figure of Dr. Strangepork in their Muppets Series 2 line of collectible Vinyl figures. A no longer used puppet of Strangepork currently resides at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside Link Hogthrob.


PIGS IN SPACE MOMENTS WITH DR. JULIUS STRANGEPORK
Here is a list of Strangepork's starring or standout roles in "Pigs in Space."

• Strangepork activates the Electric Toaster (Episode 303: Roy Clark)
• Strangepork invents the Disolvatron (Episode 307: Alice Cooper)
• Strangepork switches bodies with Janice (Episode 314: Harry Belafonte)
• Strangepork makes an invisible pill (Episode 324: Cheryl Ladd)

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED DR. JULIUS STRANGEPORK?
Why do the Muppets need Dr. Strangepork? Well, for starters, Pigs in Space is probably the most memorable sketch from The Muppet Show. So what is Pigs in Space without their scientist? He provides wacky inventions, helps when Link is too dumb (which is almost always), and makes the Swinetrek just the slightest bit more civilized. So, long paragraph short, the Muppets need Strangepork to help out at the Swinetrek.

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

100 Days Until "The Muppets"

Today on The Muppet Mindset we are proud to debut a brand new weekly segment counting down the days until the November 23rd United States release date of The Muppets. Our friend Lucas Ervin has graciously agreed to take us through a trip on The Muppet Show ever Sunday leading up to the release of the movie with clips showcasing the awesome that is Muppets. Our intention is to have seven clips per post, thus one clip for every day leading up to the movie. Enjoy!

Lucas Ervin - Hello everyone, I'm Luke. I've been a lifelong fan of the Muppets, and with the new Muppet film just a little over three months from now, I thought it'd be fun to show some highlights of The Muppet Show on the Mindset leading up to the release date.

As most of you are aware, this is unlike any Muppet film that’s been done in many, many years. Sure, we’ll have the main characters like Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo. But after 21 years, Rowlf  and Scooter are being made main characters again, as well as everyone from the Electric Mayhem... not just Animal! Plus we’re going to see the return of many characters that haven’t said a word since The Muppet Show went off the air, including Wayne and Wanda, Uncle Deadly, Link Hogthrob, Julius Strangepork, Beauregard, Thog, and many more. Just with the movie trailers alone, it feels like you’re going to visit a family you haven’t seen in awhile that you’re very excited to see them all again. And the best part about the whole thing? It’s essentially a movie about The Muppet Show.

Let’s start with the seven most famous recurring sketches on the show, starting with Piiiiigs iiiiiiin Spaaaaaaace!

100.   Pigs In Space - This sketch started during season two, with two new characters created specifically for it: Captain Link Hogthrob and Dr. Julius Strangepork. And of course, they had First Mate Miss Piggy, who usually had to deal with her slightly dimwitted counterparts. It was set up to poke fun at Star Trek and other sci-fi television shows that were on during the 70's. The sketch was so popular that in 1981, NASA used one of the sketches as a wake up call for the crew on Space Shuttle Columbia two mornings in a row. It's also rumored that they will do a "Pigs In Space" sketch in the new movie.

99.   Muppet Sports - Based off of famous sports broadcaster Howard Cosell, Lewis Kazagger came along in season three, and brought with him a new recurring sketch: The Wild World of Muppet Sports. He covered such absurd "sporting events" as wig racing, blindfold sprinting, and horseshoe pitching. Sometimes he would even fall victim to the event that occurred. In our presented clip, Lewis attempts to find out where the racers get the real poo for their racing wigs.

98.   Muppet News Flash - Performed by Jim Henson, no other character on the show was more accident-prone than the Newsman. During the first season, however, he didn’t wear his glasses, he would sometimes interview the guest star, and his voice was much like Link Hogthrob’s. However, beginning in season two--with a voice closer to Dr. Teeth’s--all of that changed when every possible, horrible thing you could imagine started hitting him, falling on him, or blowing him up. He dealt with silverware, cattle, bowling balls, statues, rocks, chickens and even explosives, but still he would always come back again to report the news with great urgency.

97.   Bear on Patrol - A sketch that parodied cop dramas that were famous during the 70’s and 80’s, "Bear On Patrol" put Link Hogthrob and Fozzie Bear in silly scenarios that made the law enforcement on Dukes of Hazard look like NYPD Blue. In the first of many sketches they did during the Leslie Uggams episode in season three, a pig is caught impersonating an officer... or two. Note the wanted posters in the background of the clip feature Dr. Teeth, Animal, Floyd, and Janice.


96.   The Swedish Chef - There are few people who don’t know who this guy is. He’s been around since the first episode and is still one of the most famous characters in the bunch. He served chicken in the basket by shooting an actual chicken through a basketball hoop, made donuts by shooting a hole through a muffin with a blunderbuss, and made a wedding cake entirely out of onions. Jim Henson always worked the head and voice while Frank Oz did the live hands. People on the set loved watching the filming of the Swedish Chef bits because of all the improv that took place when shooting. Come for the food, stay for the insanity.

95.   Muppet Labs - Where the future is being made today! Few people know this, but before Beaker came along, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew was the only one around to fall victim to his projects. That all changed in season two when his faithful yet abused assistant Beaker came along, only speaking in "meeps" and "moops." Bunsen always seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Beaker didn’t want to be the first to test his new experiments--whether it was edible paper clips, fireproof paper or an evil rabbit robot--but somehow, Beaker would end up being shocked, blown up, or eaten. How Beaker survived so many years, we’ll never know.

94.   Veterinarian's Hospital - Starring Rowlf the Dog as Dr. Bob along with Nurse Piggy and Nurse Janice, "Veterinarian's Hospital" was the story of a quack who had gone to the dogs. Rowlf was always performed by Jim Henson, and as, Dr. Bob, he would show just how unprofessional of a doctor he was by insulting the patient and throwing out corny jokes and wicked puns to Piggy and Janice. They say laughter is the best medicine, which explains Dr. Bob's parade of puns and lobotomy of laughing.

Only 100 Days Until The Muppets!!

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

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Link Hogthrob

Written by Ryan Dosier.

LINK HOGTHROB

Performed by...
Jim Henson (1977-1990)
Steve Whitmire (2003-present)

First appearance...
The Muppet Show Episode 203: Milton Berle (1977)


Most recent appearance...
Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Best known role...
Captain of the S.S. Swinetrek in "Pigs in Space"

Memorable quote...
"Who's your tailor? I love that outfit!"

WHO IS LINK HOGTHROB?
Link Hogthrob is the bumbling, none too bright, macho, chauvinist "pig" of the Muppets. His biggest role in the cast is that of Captain Link Hogthrob in the "Pigs in Space" sketches on The Muppet Show. Here, along with Dr. Julius Strangepork and First Mate Miss Piggy, he embarks on intergalactic adventures that usually go wrong because of his bumbling idiocy.

Sometimes on The Muppet Show Link also got to interact with guest stars. Peter Sellers gave Link an extremely rough massage, turning him into a porky pretzel; John Cleese invaded the Swinetrek, and Lesley Ann Warren discoed up a storm with Link caught in the storm surge.

Link has also been known to perform a musical number or two on occasion. His solo numbers include "I Talk to the Trees," in which he is interrupted by said talking trees, and "Sonny Boy," which he sang to a live piglet, and . He lilted "Sea Chantey" with Fozzie, Gonzo, Scooter, and Robin, "The Rhyming Song" with Fozzie, Scooter, and Annie Sue, "Macho Man" with Gonzo, and sang "La Ci Darem La Mano," "I Get Around," and "True Love" with Miss Piggy. His songs with guest stars include  "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" with Christopher Reeve and "Hard to be Humble" with Mac Davis.

Since he is one of the most unintelligent Muppets, Link was used on many occasions as a dumb character to foil the smarter ones such as Dr. Strangepork and Miss Piggy. Link was even brought back in The Jim Henson Hour as a main character in the Muppet Central segments of the show. Here he was once again used as the dumb character, in one episode even believing he has some ridiculous disease called Canadian Snout Fever.

In the Muppet movies, Link was relegated to cameo appearances. He appeared in the large crowd scenes of The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan and made brief cameos in The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. Since Jim Henson's death, Link was largely retired aside from these brief cameos. He also made vocal appearances in the Muppet video games "Muppet Race Mania" and "Muppets Party Cruise," voiced by Steve Whitmire in both.

Link Hogthrob finally returned to a speaking role in The Muppets (2011), his first speaking role in any Muppet feature film. He performed alongside Rowlf the Dog, Beaker, and Sam Eagle as the fourth member of The Muppet Barbershop Quartet, when they performed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" during The Muppet Telethon in the film. Hopefully Link will continue to get speaking roles in Muppet projects.

PIGS IN SPACE MOMENTS WITH LINK HOGTHROB
Since his "Pigs in Space" role was his most well-known, Link had many memorable moments in the sketches on the S.S. Swinetrek. These include...

• Sets off the "stuck pig" alarm (Episode 203)
• Refuses to let First Mate Miss Piggy make the mid-course correction, which she has studied for years (Episode 205)
• Asks First Mate Miss Piggy to do the laundry (Episode 207)
• Negotiates with space pirate Long John Silverstein (John Cleese) (Episode 223) 
• Turned into an outline of himself (Episode 307)
• Affected by the "Dummo Rays" (Episode 315)
• Asks Luke Skywalker who his tailor is (he loves that outfit) (Episode 417)

WHY DO THE MUPPETS NEED LINK HOGTHROB?
I'm under the firm opinion that Link Hogthrob needs to be brought back to the Muppets gang once again. He was such an integral, hilarious part of the group in The Muppet Show days and it's a crying shame that he hasn't returned in a speaking role since then. Steve Whitmire's voice for Link is perfect and now that Matt Vogel is trying out Dr. Strangepork (according to Bill Barretta), I'd say it's high time we see a new Pigs in Space sketch--perhaps make that the next YouTube video?

But the Muppets need Link because he is such an excellent foil for the other Muppets. Every strong group needs a dumb character to play off of, and that should be Link. Fozzie has fit that role for awhile now and that isn't him. Sticking Link Hogthrob in there in place of poor Fozzie would make more sense and probably be more funny--at least more correct, character wise. Besides, Pigs in Space is one of the favorite and most memorable Muppet Show sketches that even non-obsessed fans have fond memories of. Why not bring it back again?

Link has been missing for far too long from the Muppet mix. Let's bring him back!

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

Muppet Comic Mondays: The Muppet Show Comic Book - Pigs in Space #0

The Muppet Show Comic Book

Pigs in Space #0 Review

James Gannon - Somewhere between the destruction of the Muppet Theater and the Road Tour of the theater troop lies Muppet Show issue 0. This stand alone story focuses on Rizzo and Fozzie trying to pitch a bold artistic vision based on the classic Muppet Show sketch series Pigs in Space. And uh… spoiler alert… you can kinda guess who they’re trying to pitch it to.  Right from the start something popped into my mind.  How come Rizzo has never been paired up with Fozzie before? The writing gives them a great chemistry as the shrewd Hollywood wise pitchman and his reluctant, nervous partner.

Now, Pigs in Space is my favorite segment of the Muppet Show, and I really liked how the animated version of the segment worked in the short lived Little Muppet Monsters series. The latter took them out of the same old set and put them on alien worlds, the fortresses of evil space fiends, and all those classic Sci-Fi standbys and clichés. This comic is more successful than that, giving it that great feel of the classic Muppet Show segment, blended of course with Langridge’s brand of Muppety humor. Link is just as vapid and vain as ever (the way he should be), and Piggy and Strangepork have to suffer his leadership. In fact, the action begins with Link wanting to flee the galaxy as soon as possible after accidentally insulting the Martian President’s daughter.

While this is a Pigs in Space based story, it still is a Muppet Show Comic Book. Breaking up the action is some of the usual skits, but with a themed twist. Muppet Labs features Dr. Honeydew with a Beaker-like Robotic assistant. Also breaking up the action is Rizzo and Fozzie trying to sell the story as hard as possible.  Even going so far as interrupting the actual “movie” to change a sequence where giant Chickens are going to boil them when the film producers complain about the instance of cannibalism.

And as this is a Sci-Fi story, we see a lot of nods to classic Sci-Fi movies. A scene in a bar resembling Star Wars (you can even see silhouettes of Han Solo about to shoot Greedo in the back ground) for example.  And the villain of the piece, Gonzo in a Ming the Merciless type role, who stole the Earth’s Moon to destroy his own planet. Apparently, he’s bored.  I thought that’s how that sort of thing works.

This issue sees a new artist, Shelli Paroline (apparently, she’s from Massachusetts! Yay us! ). She has an angular yet fluid look that gives everything a very animated look.  You could swear that if there was a Muppet Cartoon series on the horizon, it would at least look similar to this. This is what I wanted to see since the comic line was announced… different guest artists working on different stories.  Not that I don’t like Langridge’s work, that is.  But it seems that without the art work, his writing feels a lot more focused. The Pigs in Space segments of the regular comics are my favorite of all the comic adapted series, and this shows how amazing they’d be if they had the full issue to focus on this one sketch.  But I do have one little complaint.  If anything, this comic is too short. This really feels like it should be a 4 issue saga, or a side comic series instead of the fairy tale line. There’s just so much you can do with a Pigs in Space comic, and I think this only gave us a sample of what can be accomplished. But for one issue, it’s a heck of a ride anyway.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier.