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 

News Update: May 20, 2014

MAY 20, 2014

On Friday, Sesame Street and Mashable teamed up to release a really fun new video starring Bert and Zachary Levi (Chuck, Tangled) going on a fun journey through Central Park on "A Lovely Sunny DAy." They sing a great song, dance, and even run into Grover. Watch it below!



Two weeks ago, Nicholas Stoller, co-writer of The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted and friend of the blog, was on the promotional circuit for his new comedy Neighbors. One of his stops was at Collider.com, where they asked him a few questions about the Muppets. His answers ranged from why he thought Muppets Most Wanted underperformed, and this interesting tidbit: "I know they’re working on something to get them back on TV. I have no idea where it’s at, but I definitely think so. I mean, they’re such rich characters, and it’s very easy to pitch on stories for them, and think of ideas for them. They don’t feel used up... I think there’s a big opportunity for that kind of variety show. You could do it partially live. There are all these things you could do with Muppets that you can’t do with a lot of other things." So that's potentially hugely exciting! We'll keep you posted on everything we were regarding Muppets on TV!

Cookie Monster is the star of yet another amazing installment of Sesame Street's "Crumby Pictures Presents." This time, Cookie Monster and the Muppets of Sesame Street are spoofing The Wizard of Oz. Cookie Monster plays "Dough-rothy," and it's all absolutely brilliant. Don't miss this!



The Jim Henson Company, Archaia Comics, and Roger Langridge are all teaming up to bring another exclusive adaptation of a screenplay from Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl. The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow was a script for an unproduced special by Henson and Juhl, which will now be turned into a comic/graphic novel illustrated and adapted by Roger Langridge (author/illustrator of The Muppet Show Comic Book series). Turkey Hollow will be released by Archaia Comics in November, 2014. Our friends at ToughPigs.com have all of the info in one convenient place. The official description of the project is below:

Turkey Hollow is a picturesque town where hundreds of years ago, unbeknownst to the citizens, a meteorite landed nearby a small brook on the outskirts of town. One Thanksgiving, while young Timmy Henderson practices his guitar, he’s accompanied by strange, unearthly, musical sounds. That meteorite wasn’t a rock at all but an egg holding seven furry, goofy monsters, each with a unique musical sound. After the initial shock, Timmy befriends the lovable creatures following him all around Turkey Hollow. Not everyone takes a liking to the visitors though and it’s up to Timmy to protect his new friends and save Thanksgiving!

Ahead of the season finale of Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge, Brian Henson and some of the Henson puppets and creatures took over NBC's Today last Monday. Watch the videos below to see the Today anchors awkwardly pal around with the Henson puppets and have a very nice chat with Brian Henson. My goodness I love seeing Brian Henson on TV.







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

Muppet Comic Mondays: The Four Seasons - Winter

 The Muppets: The Four Seasons - Winter

written and illustrated by Roger Langridge

 

James Gannon - So, it's come to this...

The final issue of Roger Langridge's The Muppet Show Comic Book has been released, and a month shy of two years after it was due. The Winter issue, which was to be the first story in the arc under BOOM!, now completes the collection on a certain holiday the Muppets know all too well: Christmas. You just can't make Muppet anything and not eventually do a Christmas version of it. There have been special edition Muppet Christmas Palisades action figures. You can't punt a football and not hit Muppet Christmas something or other. So, it's about time they did it in comic book form.

Basically, it's a Christmas only the Muppets can have. The Chef tries to make a Figgy Pudding that goes horribly wrong, Gonzo tries to wrestle the Figgy Pudding which goes horribly wrong, Sam the Eagle reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas" that goes horribly wrong, and Pigs in Space is made of horribly wrong. Piggy wants to put up Mistletoe for obvious reasons, Kermit has to get her a gift, Rizzo eats Gonzo's trained yogurt, and a refrigerator gets busted. Yep! Roger Langridge and the Muppets. You know the drill by now. It's wacky, Muppety fun that Roger Langridge is so spectacular at delivering.

With that, the era of the Muppet Comic book has ended. From the promise of short 1-2 page comics in the completely defunct Disney Adventures magazine, to BOOM! Comics' dual running Muppet comic lines, to the disappointing near loss of the final story arc, to the year of the magazine reprints that were a boon for those who had no access to the original issues and a bane to those who managed to grab every single one. What's next for the Muppets in comic book for are for Disney and Marvel to decide. I would be ecstatic if we saw a Marvel produced Muppet comic series, but I'm fine if we don't. Of course, I could also say how lackluster this release was (not a fan of the stock of paper they used), but that's biting the hand that released it. Marvel could have just left the series unresolved.

If there's one thing I took away from these comics, it's that I wouldn't have discovered Langridge without them. Snarked just ended last month, his stint on Popeye is ongoing, but he retired from the Muppet Comics with this arc. It makes you wonder if that was one of the key factors in BOOM! ending the license or if it was the other way around. As I said last time, it almost seems he left things open ended in case someone else takes up the Muppet pen.

Well, now that's over, we just have to wait for whenever the heck those Ape published Sesame Street comics come out. And Archaia... please PLEASE PLEASE do another volume of Fraggle Rock.

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

Muppet Comic Mondays: The Four Seasons - Fall

 The Muppets: The Four Seasons - Fall

written and illustrated by Roger Langridge

The Fall issue of The Muppets: The Four Seasons is here. I need to point out that, while this is the penultimate issue of the Marvel release, it really was the last issue of the comic out of order. There's still Winter, which was supposed to be the first issue left. Brace yourself, though, I'm going to bring it up a few times in the review.

Pops the doorman has reached the mandatory retirement age. As bad as the group wants him to stay, he has no choice in the matter. Pops is grooming his nephew, Nat Crochet, to be the new Muppet Theater doorman. Among his duties are rejecting unwanted talent that constantly harassed Pops. Meanwhile, Gonzo comes up with an idea, that only Gonzo can, which is just convoluted enough to work. Switch birth certificates, and do his usual crazy stuntman Gonzo thing before they realize the name on the certificate is wrong. And the best part? No one in the theater has a birth certificate (Animal ate his) except for Piggy. We have a lot of excellent character development on the part of Pops, a character that was low key on the original Muppet Show. According to this comic, he was in the military--we never saw that in the series. Even his Palisades action figure was based on his appearance in The Great Muppet Caper.

This issue has some pretty interesting sketches, considering how obscure the references are. Notably, Rizzo stars in a parody of a Windsor McCay comic strip, Dream of the Rarebit Fiend (in Rizzo's case, Gorgonzola), which would be the basis of the Little Nemo in Slumberland comics. I don't expect anyone but animation and comic history scholars to get that one; I barely did (college tuition well spent, I suppose). Meanwhile, Pigs in Space takes on a Flash Gordon style of its story telling. And one of the comic's original characters, Topaz the Dwarf from all the way back in Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson series returns to tell another one of his terrible poems.

This is a very good issue, almost seems like a fifth act for the Family Reunion arc due to the inclusion of the original character of Nat Crochet. But (as I stated earlier) as a grand finale of The Muppet Show Comic Book, it leaves me just a little unsatisfied. This was the last issue penned by Roger before he decided to leave the comic. Other than Pops sort of going to retire in this issue, nothing really says "Goodbye, and thanks for reading." That leads me to think Roger left it open to either pass on the comic to another artist and writer or to fit into the continuity of The Muppet Show. Either way, the bright spot in these being released out of order is that there's no continuity in this arc, making it episodic. Not even a small, continuous gag. So the last issue, which will have a much less satisfying ending to the series anyway, won't read as out of order. As far as I can tell, anyway. I'm really warming up to the cartoony, juvenile, dizzying covers. At least having someone draw them instead of using stock pictures is a big effort. They did manage to pop out of the rest of the comics on the shelves. But the real improvement in Marvel's handling of this comic? Other than one movie poster advertisement for The Avengers, there are no intrusive ads, leaving a smooth read this issue.

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

Muppet Comic Mondays: The Muppets - The Four Seasons, Spring

 

THE MUPPETS Issue #1 of 4

The Four Seasons: Spring

 Written and Illustrated by Roger Langridge

James Gannon - Back in October of 2010, the last issue of The Muppet Show Comic Book's "Muppet Mash" arc was released. During a delay in the production of the last arc, "The Four Seasons," BOOM! lost the license, and the rights disappeared into Disney owned Marvel in February of last year. Months later, they pledged to reprint everything that was already released in magazine form, leaving "The Four Seasons" once again lost in Marvel's hands. Almost two years from the last issue, Marvel has FINALLY given us the last story arc. Without any fanfare, Issue 1, "Spring" was released on July 4. Marvel started with the second issue written, "Spring," for some reason. Hopefully nothing gets hurt (running gags, or some big payoff at the end) by it being out of order.

Tonight, the Muppet Theater welcomes their special guests Colonel Marmaduke Bunch and Meredith, the Mountain Mama of Mgahinga, the greatest primate-based song and dance act in showbiz. Meredith is a gorilla, to the surprise of Pops and the delight of Animal. You see, Animal becomes quite smitten with her.  Rizzo has a conniption because of the interspecies relationship (until he realizes Kermit and Piggy are standing right behind him, that is). But he's not the only one unhappy about this revelation; Meredith's longtime admirer, Bruce (another gorilla) isn't pleased. Once again, we're treated to special segments intercutting the plotline, including Pigs in Space.

I really can't think of say anything to say that I haven't said about these comics in the past. They're still phenomenal, and while I think Jason Segel and his movie writing team brought in a new, classic energetic feel with The Muppets, Roger Langridge brought twice that much to The Muppet Show Comic Book.  He's moved on to the equally amazing IDW "Popeye" and BOOM! "Snarked," which I still goad you to all check out. He disappears as flawlessly into the spinach eating sailor as he does with frogs, pigs, and weirdos.

I'm completely grateful Marvel is taking the time to publish these last four issues, rather than losing them to eternity. However, there are a couple problems I have with this release. First off, there are advertisements interspersed into the issue, while it ruins the aesthetic BOOM! had when they published it (the credits are now on the first page instead of the inside front cover, but thankfully the two page spread isn't monkeyed with), that's just a reality of moving from a smaller company to a mainstream one. Hopefully that doesn't mean anything was edited out to make room.

Secondly, the new coloring company managed to be inconsistent and make some mistakes. While there was the occasional yellow beak on Sam or something, Colonel Bunch is colored differently in his number than he is the rest of the issue, and a simple internet search would show the Pigs in Space uniforms are not red. Also, we have new covers for these comics by Elisabeth Melaranci and Silvano Scolari, which have a wonderful sense of movement on them, but it makes me miss Amy Mebberson, James Silvani, et al. Those are just mild nitpicks, I assure you. If anything, at least the Marvel name will equal better distribution.

If this means Marvel will publish more Muppet comics, I'd be happy if they did. However, I'm just happy to see the last of Langridge's work finally coming out for fans who have been rabidly waiting longer than they needed to.

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

News Update: July 5, 2012

NEWS UPDATE: July 5, 2012
Back in March, 2009, the Jim Henson Company announced that they would be producing a brand new children's television series starring the Doozers of Fraggle Rock. And, like many Henson projects unfortunately, the series never came to fruition, with only a 30 second computer-generated clip being produced. Now, however, the Chronicle Herald is reporting that the series is finally going into actual production. This could be great news, or it could end up falling through again, but I like to hold out hope that one day we might actually get to see this thing. Putting the Doozers in their own show relieves a lot of the unavoidable high expectations Fraggle Rock fans have of a Fraggle-themed project. Fingers crossed!

The Muppet Show Comic Book by Roget Langridge is back! The final four Langridge-written issues, The Four Seasons are being released sporadically throughout the year. The first issue, "Spring," just happened to be released yesterday and is available in stores now! For awhile the first issue being released was presumed to be "Summer" (since, you know, it is summer), but our friends at Muppet Stuff have found the issue in stores and it is indeed "Spring." (See picture at right.) Whatever the case, get out there and buy it for yourself!

Archaia Comics, the company that distributes Jim Henson Company projects in comic book form, has scored six major nominations in the 2012 Harvey Awards, which honor excellence in comic books. Five of these nominations are Henson-related, with honors for Fraggle Rock, Jim Henson's The Storyteller, and Jim Henson's The Tale of Sand. Fraggle Rock is nominated for Best Original Graphic Publication for Young Readers, The Storyteller for Best Anthology, and The Tale of Sand for Best Graphic Album Original and Best Single Issue or Story. Congratulations to Archaia and all the talented people who contributed to these wonderful books! The Harvey awards will be presented on September 28th.

Finally, click on over to the Hostess with the Mostess blog for a look at the most incredible birthday party I have ever seen. This Muppet themed bash looks like an amazing good time, with so many gorgeous decorations and everything you might want sans actual Muppets showing up (but looking at these pictures, I wouldn't be surprised if they had). Enjoy!

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

The Return/Beginnings of Muppet/Sesame Comic Books

James Gannon - It's been a couple weeks of inexplicable Muppet Comics news. That's a phrase I haven't been able to say in a while.

Last year, BOOM! Studios' Muppet license (soon followed by the rest of the Disney licenses) expired, just before the final arc was ready for publication. Roger Langridge, the writer/artist for The Muppet Show Comic Book, was too busy with more important matters to get the comic done on time, but finished it before the license ended. Months later, kid friendly magazine reprints of the first few arcs of the comic were published by Marvel Comics to tie into the movie. These reprints were a great boon to those who weren't lucky enough to follow the line from the beginning, but many of those who caught every single issue were left wondering if we were ever going to get the last of the Langridge Muppet comics. After all, he planned to finish his tenure with the "Four Seasons" arc anyway.

Good news, everyone! Marvel is finally publishing the Four Seasons arc this July as a four-part miniseries, the way they were originally intended starting in July. That's all I ever hoped for, myself. I'm sure other fans of these wonderful comics agree. If this leads to new Muppet comics, that's great. If it doesn't, I'm fine with that too. What's important is closure. Better late than never, especially since many comic book storylines, even finished ones, go into limbo when licenses expire, titles get canceled, or the direction of the title changes. Meanwhile, Roger Langridge has moved on to new projects. If you love comics and you're not reading Snarked yet, do so.

But more inexplicable than the return of the Muppet series is the announcement by Ape Comics that they will be publishing a line of Sesame Street comics. Unsurprisingly, we're getting some of the same great Muppet comics talent in Amy Mebberson (her artwork graces the preview cover) and James Silviani. This will be the first actual Sesame Street comic book series. It's too early to say what we can expect out of this comic series, but keep in mind that Sesame Street's target demographic is just learning how to read. This means that it will either be an easy reader with less complicated language for the young ones, or it could be written with adults in mind to share with their kids.

Either way, with such fan involvement, you can almost assume there will be some great nuggets for the older readers and fans. It's too soon to say if we'll see some classic, fan-favorite characters, but there's no doubt we'll get some cameos at the very least. Remember, you don't have to recast characters when you're just drawing them. It's great that the last of the Muppet Big Three finally gets a shot at comics. I've been calling for a Sesame Street comic since the Fraggle Rock comics were announced. I just didn't think it was too likely.

All I can safely say is, it's going to be an exciting few months for Muppet Comic Book fans.

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

We'll Miss You, Mr. Langridge

James Gannon - News broke out last week on Roger Langridge's blog, The Hotel Fred, that he plans to leave The Muppet Show Comic Book. While there are some very personal reasons (which are his own business and I think we should keep it that way), he also feels that it’s time he moved on from the project anyway, feeling he’s done enough with the characters. Highly respectable, since I’m sure everyone would rather be left wanting more than seeing a stale, redundant project done joylessly by all involved (I wish The Simpsons wasn’t the first example that came to my mind).  While I do respect his wishes, I also feel a little uncertain.  After all, there are two obvious and completely different choices BOOM! has to make now. The Muppet Show Comic Book could go on with a different writer and artist, or they could end the comic with the last issue Roger penned. While we still have the Langridge's "Four Seasons" arc to look forward to (which is delayed because of aforementioned personal reasons) I’m just wondering about that future.  

Now, if it were to continue, this question arises... would the new writers and artists have to copy Roger’s style or would they be free to go on doing their own thing? In all my years of reading licensed character comics, I’ve seen some pretty shabby results. Generic situations, poor handling of the characters in writing and art, rigid looking artwork copied off of model sheets (some that actually USED cut and paste features from model sheets), unfaithfulness to the source material, and my personal NOT favorite the “heck with it, let’s just copy a story from the show and take any of the fun parts out if they get in the way” adaptations. Roger’s Muppet Show not only avoided that, but I have rarely seen someone take to the essence of a series AND manage to let his own voice come out at the same time. It was a perfect balance. Roger was free to do as he wished, and I hope the same can be said if they decide to find a replacement. I especially do NOT want to see someone laboriously copy his style character by character. That was a huge problem with the art in the Muppet Robin Hood series. Kermit looked exactly like someone trying to draw like Roger rather than Roger’s Kermit.

If they do decide to end the series on mutual terms, that gets me to wondering. We haven’t heard much about the Muppet Classics line in a while. There have been no plans after Muppet Sherlock Holmes that have been leaked, and one could either assume they have a big surprise, or there’s nothing after it. It would be a shame to see the Muppet titles vanish, as great as they were (for the most part). Frankly, I’m going to be a bit more upset when Darkwing Duck ends, because... well, Darkwing doesn’t have a bunch of viral videos and a movie coming out next year. If they do chose to end the series, though, I’d really like to see another direction taken with the Muppets.  Something that takes them away from the theater entirely, and utilizes more new era characters like Sal, Johnny, Pepe, and Dr. Phil van Neuter (who has yet to make a comic book appearance of any kind).

Don’t get me wrong... like all of you, I actually have no idea what the next step is. Those are both hypothetical scenarios. I really hope that we get to see the Muppet comics continue, be it with a new writer, a new series, or whatever. But in any case, Roger’s madcap, perfect representation of The Muppet Show will be missed, as will his wacky style of art. I was one of the first to actually LIKE that style, and it never needed  to grow on me. So, good luck with whatever is going on, Roger, we all thank you for those wonderful comics that were even better than we deserved.

Ryan Dosier - For over a year, Roger Langridge has been sitting at the helm of the Muppet comic book kingdom being grown by BOOM! Studios and Disney. From his first short comic strip in the now out of print Disney Adventures Magazine, Langridge has always been the go-to guy for Muppet comics--and with good reason! His writing of our favorite characters is better than a lot we've seen since Jerry Juhl stepped down as head writer. He understood the characters almost immediately and it showed through in his wonderful writing and his even more expressive illustrations. The Muppets became zany and expressive in their eyes and facial regions--something that most Muppet fans got used to seeing, but will now have to grow accustomed to not seeing... because Roger Langridge is stepping down from his post as writer/artist of The Muppet Show Comic Book.

The next arc, "The Four Seasons" will be Roger's last on the comic for personal reasons that we should all respect. It's just a crying shame... because he'll be sorely missed. It's truly incredible to think that this little gem of a comic has been going on continuously under Roger Langridge for a staggering 24 issues. Considering the release schedule of most of these issues (monthly), by the time Roger's final issue comes out, we'll have gotten two years of The Muppet Show Comic Book. That's nothing short of staggering for a comic series adapted from a 35 year old television show.

I don't consider it a stretch at all to say that Langridge's comics were one of the greatest Muppet things of 2009 and 2010. They didn't have the immense awesomeness power of, say, guest appearances on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and America's Funniest Home Videos and "Bohemian Rhapsody," but each issue was always consistently wonderful. The art was always gorgeous and expressive and Muppety, and the writing was all of those things and then some. Every month The Muppet Show Comic Book was a great treat to read and enjoy thanks to the hard work and dedication of Roger Langridge and his respect for The Muppets, Jim Henson, and The Muppet Show.

But Langridge's leaving does beg the unfortunate question... What next? Does the comic continue under a new team of writer and artist? Does it change after every arc like the line of Muppet Classics? Or does it, heaven forbid, end all together? My hope is that we see already-established Muppet fans working on the series after Langridge departs. I would love to see the series taken over by Amy Mebberson (Muppet Peter Pan, Family Reunion, Muppet Sherlock Holmes) or James Silvani (Muppet King Arthur) in the art department and Jesse Blaze Snider (Muppet Snow White) handling the writing. Between the three of them, I think we see the best grasp on the Muppets out of anyone. I believe Mebberson and Snider have both expressed their keen interest in taking over the project on their respective Twitter accounts... while Silvani's duties are needed elsewhere in the wonderful Darkwing Duck comic from BOOM! Either way, I just want to see this comic continued and these out-spoken, unbelievably talented Muppet fans are the perfect candidates to do so.

But no matter what happens with The Muppet Show Comic Book, one thing is for sure: Roger Langridge's contribution will never be forgotten. Who can possibly forget that gorgeous cover of the first issue featuring so many Muppets spread out on the page and Kermit's joy to have the whole family back together? The Muppet comics may not always be the biggest or most hailed project in the Muppet stable, but, quite frankly, they should be. Thanks to Roger Langridge, the comics are quality products and probably the best Muppet things you can buy.

Thank you, Roger Langridge. Jim Henson would be immensely proud!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

News Update: December 2, 2010

NEWS UPDATE: December 2, 2010

The latest news from the set of The Muppets with Jason Segel is that there are, well, Muppets on the set! Yes, a few days ago, On Location Vacations posted quite a few new pictures from the set featuring Jason Segel, Walter (who is looking wonderful), Miss Piggy, Kermit, Gozno, Janice, Zoot, Beaker, Bunsen, part of Scooter, and more! This is hugely exciting and the Muppets look AMAZING. More please!

There have also been three more celebrity cameo announcements for The Muppets: Mickey Rooney, Ricky Gervais, and Emily Blunt. Mickey Rooney was pretty much confirmed when a close friend of Rooney's posted a picture of two directors chairs; one that said, simply, "The Muppets" and another that said "Mickey Rooney." One would have to assume that means he's in the movie. Gervais and Blunt have been reported as being in the film by The Hollywood Reporter... but who knows what that means. What are your thoughts on these possible cameos?

Unless you live under a rock, then you've surely seen Cookie Monster's brilliant audition tape to be a host of Saturday Night Live. If you haven't (or if you have and just want to watch it again), check it out now...



The video has over one million views and the Facebook campaign page has over 100,000 members. With numbers like that, it seems highly likely that we'll be seeing Cookie Monster on SNL sometime in the near future. I for one am thrilled by this prospect and think that it would be an awesome, awesome outlet for the Sesame Street characters. Let's make it happen!!

Have a wall? Like the Muppets? Well then, you should consider ordering some Muppet FatHeads! What are FatHeads, you ask? Good question. FatHeads are basically a cross between stickers and posters. They're high-quality materials and are shaped like sports players, movie stars, and more. And now, there are Muppets! Check out the picture and see for yourself! As you can see, there are plenty of Muppets included: Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, Swedish Chef, Bunsen, Beaker, Rizzo, and Pepe. The cost is over $100... but if you have the wall space, it's definitely worth it!

There is some sad news for BOOM! Studios and The Muppet Show Comic Book as Roger Langridge announced that he is leaving the comic after the upcoming next arc ("The Four Seasons"). Langridge cited his reason for leaving as just wanting a change and a readjustment in his life which is entirely understandable. While we'll miss Roger an extreme amount, we at The Muppet Mindset would like to wish him a smooth transition and we sincerely hope he continues to make people happy with his incredible talent.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier