News Update: August 1, 2014

AUGUST 1, 2014

Disney has been fast and loose in releasing previews of the Muppets Most Wanted Blu-ray Bonus Features. Last week, we got previews of Ricky Gervais' bloopers and Rizzo's letter to the filmmakers. This week, we get to see the entirety of the Statler and Waldorf Cut of the film. Check it out below!




Even more bonus features were shown off this week, with a preview of Tina Fey in the Muppets Most Wanted Blooper Reel. Watch the hilarity below!

According to sources, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is being released on Blu-ray on October 7th. The release is already available for pre-order on Amazon, but no details about bonus features, other than general "deleted scenes" and "bloopers." Presumably, these features will be exactly the same as the DVD release of the TV movie from a few years ago. It should also be noted that this release comes from NBC-Universal, not Disney, since NBC-U owns the rights to the TV movie.

This week, an enterprising Muppet fan, whose daughter is too young to go to San Diego Comic Con decided to bring Comic Con to her, by creating and performing his own panel featuring Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear. The picture is below, but be warned, you may explode from cuteness. (Thanks to our friends at ToughPigs.com for finding this amazing picture!)

Disney Videos Online has released a special Disney Channel segment featuring Kermit and Constantine. The segment, "10 in 60" challenges the two frogs to answer ten questions in 60 seconds or less. Check out the video below!



Disney has announced an upcoming new web series starring the Muppets. "Disney Drive-On with The Muppets" stars Walter and Pepe as they work on the Disney Studios lot. Apparently, six episodes of the series will be released very soon. According to our friend Peter Linz, these segments were filmed nearly two years ago, so it's fantastic that they've finally been released. The first full episode has been released and you can watch it right here, right now! UPDATE: The second episode can be watched on Disney Movies Anywhere!









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

Walter: Unsung Muppet Hero

James V. Carroll - 2011 brought us a new Muppet movie featuring an all-new character responsible for getting the gang back together. That’s just a movie, of course. The Muppets were already around and working in numerous projects over the decades since the loss of their creator and entertainment legend Jim Henson. The Muppets' closing credits led a lot of fans to believe that Walter had served his purpose as a fan-boy plot device. It was time for him to join Clueless Morgan and Polly Lobster on the unemployment line, or maybe he’d head over to some downtown Manhattan boardroom to pitch a new angle on Ocean Breeze Soap with Bill, Gil and Jill. That would have been a great injustice to such a delightful character and Muppet hero.

Our first glimpse of the spunky little fella came from a beautiful magazine spread for Entertainment Weekly. He initially received a backlash of fan criticism over the perception of a somewhat stiff, generic appearance. A lot was riding on his fleece and felt shoulders so I don’t blame him for looking a little nervous. Besides, simplicity is the heart of the best Muppet designs. He’s displayed enough wild expressions in The Muppets, crazy dance moves in the Lady Gaga & The Muppets Holiday Spectacular and a very passionate performance in “The Weight” number for Jimmy Fallon’s epic Late Night finale to legitimize his place with the rest of the gang.

In recent years we have seen the Muppets begin to grow stale without new characters and new situations to explore. Every theater troupe knows the vitality of this. The Muppet Show had a way of throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. Unfortunately, the gang doesn’t currently have the privilege of a weekly show, but Walter seems perfectly content with being thrown against anything for the sake of his friends. That, by itself, is not enough. It is important that he distinguish himself from the other Muppets. His debut certainly showcases his fanaticism, musical prowess and whistling skills, but it does a lot more than that. Peter Linz portrays Walter as a live-wire and that’s a genuine thrill to watch.

Walter's rise to fame was swift. His character was thrust upon the public whether we were ready for him or not. That’s a really big gamble that has been tried several times before with mixed results. Clifford served a similar role in the ill-fated Muppets Tonight. Fans were already familiar with the character from The Jim Henson Hour, but his character hadn’t really been established with a wider viewing audience. His initial introduction on stage exclaiming, "Hi, I'm Clifford. Your homey made of foamy!" was kind of cringe-worthy and outdated, even by 90s standards. Most of us warmed-up to him over time. The poor guy had big flippers to fill and it was a mistake to hire anyone except Kermit to host a Muppet show. Lesson learned. Clifford has some funny moments and he’s one of the more visually stunning Muppets. I was hoping his character would develop over time, yet it appears he's taken an indefinite sabbatical along with the extremely talented Kevin Clash.

Pépe is an example of the correct way to introduce a Muppet. The prawn, like fellow diva Miss Piggy before him, began as more of a chorus Muppet than a main player. He immediately struck a chord with everyone and the writers followed suit. The rest is history. That's how it usually works. Pépe, along with the rest of Bill Barretta's stock of characters, helped revitalize the Muppet brand in the late 90s. He also lends a legitimate spark to the rather hollow Muppets From Space. I imagine poor Seymour is somewhere clipping coupons and living on canned beans. I hope Pépe remembers to send a check to his forgotten friend every once in a while.

Walter didn't have several episodes to cultivate his persona. He had one shot to make an impression. This humble little guy wasn’t some interloper trying to take Kermit's place like Matt Vogel's masterfully performed Constantine in Muppets Most Wanted. Instead, he became the guide for young audiences to experience the Muppet gang for the first time. He was a helpful fan whose adoration for Kermit is apparent in nearly every frame of the 2011 film. This could have been the formula for a rather dull character if not for the absurd lengths Walter takes his helpfulness. This is evidenced by his willingness to be tossed over an electrified fence as many times as it takes in order to meet with Kermit.

Some fans and critics have claimed that Walter only serves as a needless version of Scooter. I'm going to invoke my own inner-Walter and choose to see that as a misunderstanding rather than the blatant Muppet racism that it probably is. While Walter has a warm skin tone and often serves as Kermit's helper, the similarities end there. Walter is timid and gracious. Many people misremember Scooter. He's not the nerdy one-note computer enthusiast that the Muppet Babies made him out to be. Richard Hunt provided him with a very colorful, passive-aggressive personality. Scooter confidently elbowed his way into the Muppet group through nepotism. After all, until recently his Uncle J.P. Grosse owned the Muppet Theatre. Scooter has lofty dreams of becoming a rock star as seen in his "Six-String Orchestra" number and his idolization of Muppet Show guest star Elton John. These are things that would easily cause poor Walter to run through a wall or faint. Scooter has a playful side and can be a little stinker at times. He often delights in the chaos that ensues while attending to Kermit’s needs. An argument could be made that he has a hand in encouraging some of this backstage grief for his own amusement. Scooter had an agenda during those early days and worked hard at it. That’s what solidified him as a lovable main player that David Rudman continues today while he accompanies Scooter as he scolds TED audiences about perceived technological slights against puppets in the digital age and helping the gang figure out the new Toyota Highlander.

Walter didn’t save the Muppets from Tex Richman. He saved the Muppets from a zombie-like fate of retracing old steps. Walter’s presence, and the possibilities created by it, has breathed new life into the group. The Muppets never went away like Segel and Stoller suggested in their movie, but they haven’t been this lively or fun in years. The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets From Space, and It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie are all noble attempts at bringing back the magic, yet the main cast often appears to be suffering from a peculiar melancholy. Walter brought some much-needed spark back into the Muppets and that makes him a hero in my eyes. It’s also what keeps the Muppets from merely being nostalgic relics of the past. They have a future and Walter is part of it. I enjoyed him. I hope he stays with us for a very long time and brings some new guys like Constantine with him to join our favorite fuzzy anarchists.

Walter is not Scooter, he's not a Clifford-type, and he's certainly not a generic whatnot. Walter is earnest. He's so kind-hearted that it blinds him to many obvious obstacles around him. That often causes him to become self-involved with his own selflessness and all of this behavior appears to come by choice rather than delusion. Or maybe he chooses the delusion. Either way, it's clear that he's kind of a mess and that’s what makes Walter a Muppet. A very manly Muppet!

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

The Muppet Mindset Most Wanted, Part 3

Ryan Dosier - Hi-ho, Muppet fans! Ready for more of my storied trip visiting the set of Muppets Most Wanted last May? If you're not, read Part 1 and Part 2 to catch up with what happened so far! To recap: I spent an amazing day on set at Los Angeles Union Station with ToughPigs' Matt Wilkie where we met Walter, watched the Muppet film, were treated to a private rehearsal of "We're Doing a Sequel," and spent the entire day with all of the Muppet performers. Yeah. All of that.

The day after my first day on set, I had lunch with huge Muppet fan and now great friend of mine Rachel Herrick. You know Rachel from her great Muppet movie video reviews that she did for The Muppet Mindset. This was my first time meeting Rachel and it was wonderful! After that, I went to Disneyland with my awesome, awesome friend Raymond Persi (story artist at Disney Animation Studios and voice artist in Wreck-It Ralph). Ray told me he was probably getting on set the next day as well through his Disney connections. I was excited.

The next day, Peter Linz texted me telling me Disney would be sending me a call sheet for filming that day with information about where to park, when to show up, etc. The call sheet is an amazing little souvenir and I'll always treasure it. This is the first time I found out that they would be shooting on Hollywood Boulevard with 200 extras. I was floored. Peter told me to show up around 7pm and prepare to be there all night for shooting if I wanted to stay. Obviously I did. Eventually I worked it out with Raymond to ride with him to set and I was on my way--again.

When we arrived on set, we found that the entire block in front of the El Capitan Theater was shut down for filming. The crew was setting up huge shots, there was a crane, tons of lighting, and a whole lot of union workers. It was amazing. When we got there, we were greeted by Tracy Gilbert, who works at the Muppets Studio. Tracy led us into the El Capitan, through the main lobby, into the basement, into a room they use for kid's birthday parties. Tracy told us there would be press interviews with some of the cast and crew, but we were absolutely not there as press--which is a round about way of saying, "If you tweet about this, you die." We had no idea what to expect, but we were thrilled. Eventually, Matt Wilkie and Rachel joined us in the basement. I'm still not positive how Rachel got on set, but I'm still impressed.

Anyway! The press interviews got underway, and we saw the costume designer, producer Todd Lieberman, and Peter Linz and Walter answer questions from the crowd. I was just so blown away, I really don't remember asking any questions. I don't think I did. But it was crazy awesome. Afterwards, Peter and Walter took pictures with everyone again. Matt and I got in line for pictures, but the Disney people who were there when we took pictures with Walter the other day glared at us, so we stepped out. Here's Rachel's awesome picture with Walter, though!

After the interviews, the press (and all of us) were led outside to watch some filming. The scene we saw is actually the very first scene of Muppets Most Wanted, with Kermit, Piggy, and Walter standing in front of Jason Segel and Amy Adams lookalikes. It was really weird to see two unknown actors that vaguely look like Jason and Amy wearing their exact costumes from the end of The Muppets. But, it was amazing to see Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, and Peter Linz work. They were ad-libbing quite a lot, since the scene didn't really have any specific dialogue. It was awesome.

While we were watching them film, I ran into one of my favorite people: Cristina Barretta. Cristina is Bill's wife and we've been friends since 2010. Anyone who has read any of my stories about getting to do awesome stuff with the Muppets knows that 90% of the time, it's because of Cristina Barretta that I have such an unbelievably great time. Cristina had brought her son Jackson, her dad, and some friends to the filming and introduced me around to everybody. Then she wrangled Bill and Peter to take a picture with me (that she insisted she take). That picture is at right. Once again, I owe Cristina the world.

After that, we were brought back inside for more interviews. This one was with Kermit the Frog. After the interview, they announced Kermit would take pictures with us, and I nearly passed out. I was the last one in line, so when it was my turn to go up to Kermit for my picture, I was the only one. It took me a minute to realize what was happening, but before I knew it, Kermit the Frog was looking at me, smiling, and waving. Kermit said, "Hey, Ryan!" and I floated over. Kermit saw my t-shirt and said, "Wow, I love that shirt." He pointed at himself on the shirt and I felt Kermit touching me. Again, nearly passed out. All this time I completely forgot that Steve Whitmire was literally right there. It didn't even register with me, because KERMIT THE FROG was right there taking a picture with me. Here is that picture.

I really can't describe that feeling of meeting Kermit the Frog. So I won't even try, just know it happened and it was perhaps the highlight of my career. After our froggy photos, they brought us back outside again to watch more filming. But this didn't last long before we were taken back inside again, this time for Miss Piggy's interview. Again, they allowed us all to get pictures taken, and again I was the last one in line. What happened when I met Miss Piggy is still my favorite thing. I walked up to her, waved briefly to Eric, and I said, "Hello, Miss Piggy." Miss Piggy rolled her eyes and grumbled "Hello, Ryan..." I had no idea what to do, so I laughed and said, "Did I do something wrong?" At this point I should mention that the entire Los Angeles press corp was standing there watching this interaction. Miss Piggy looked at me, then looked at the press corp and said, "No, no. This is Ryan, one of moi's many stalkers!" I was literally stunned silent and that's when they took the picture. Sheesh.

So after Miss Piggy nearly killed me, we went back outside for even more filming. It was around this time that the press members started to leave, so the whole shoot became a lot more informal. We got to talk to Eric Jacobson for a long, long time. The lot of us stood in a circle, in the middle of the road on Hollywood Boulevard, and just talked and talked to Eric for at least half an hour. He is the nicest, funniest, most intelligent guy and I really can't get over that fact. He's such a delight and I love every second I get to spend hanging out with him. After we talked, we took a picture.

By this time it was at least midnight and the production showed no signs of slowing down. Rob Corddry came in and filmed his cameo. David Rudman performed Scooter. Thog walked down Hollywood Boulevard. It was amazing. At about 1:00 am, the production paused for dinner (at least I think it was dinner) and everyone walked over to the adjacent Hollywood High School to have craft services in their cafeteria. I think it was probably Matt Vogel or Bill Barretta that invited me, Matt, and Rachel to come eat (Raymond had already left at this point), so obviously we did. Once again, the food was amazing, but the company was even better. Dave Goelz invited Matt and I to sit at his table with him, so we talked to Dave for quite a bit. Later I got to talk for awhile with Debbie McClellan, which is always wonderful, and John Bernstein, who works on DVD/Blu-ray content for Disney and who oddly enough went to my college. We bonded over pizza places and crappy dorm rooms.

After the food, everybody returned for more filming. We saw Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Walter, Rowlf, and Scooter shooting the opening group scene from Muppets Most Wanted ("Those were paid dancers"). During this scene, Dave Goelz was dismissed and went out of his way to come say goodbye to us--insane. The scene was so funny, and went over so well. The best part was Fozzie/Eric never being able to nail his line when the tumbleweed blows through the background. Every time he would flub it, the tumbleweed wrangler would have to run across the street, grab the tumbleweed, and run back. Movie making at its finest.

They shot different coverage for each character, so during some shots Matt Vogel wasn't needed and he came over to talk to us. Again, I can't reiterate how freaking cool Matt Vogel is. He treated me like family and was always so interested in talking to me. He's really the best. We took a picture in front of the Disney Soda Fountain store, so it looks like we're cross-promoting Iron Man 3.

Not too much more happened between then and the end of filming. But when they were finally ready to rap, James Bobin called out, "Martini shot!" and we realized that we were watching them film the final shot of Muppets Most Wanted. It was incredible. They shot it, got it in that one take, and Bobin yelled cut. The entire street started applauding and cheering and hugging each other and we got to be there in the middle of it all. Truly magical and a moment I'll never forget. Eventually everyone started leaving, so I said my goodbyes to the performers. Bill, Matt, and Peter all hugged me and Steve, Eric, and David were so happy to have me there. Me. I still can't get over it.

By the time I got back to my hotel, it was 4:30 am. I had spent literally all night with the Muppets and I could not have been happier. And that's my story, Muppet fans. The story of how I met Walter, Kermit, and Miss Piggy, hung out with the Muppet performers, ate lots of craft services, and saw the final shot of Muppets Most Wanted filmed. Thanks for reading, believing, and supporting. I couldn't have done any of it without your support! I also have to say an endless amount of thank yous to Peter Linz, Debbie McClellan, Bill Barretta, Matt Vogel, and everyone who was so freaking kind to me.

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

The Muppet Mindset Most Wanted, Part 1

Ryan Dosier - Isn't life funny? One minute, it's 2013, the next, it's 2014, then it's May 2014 and you realize it's been literally an entire year since you had one of the greatest experiences of your life. What's worse, you realize it's been a year and you haven't written anything about one of the greatest experiences of your life. I can attribute this to many things... lack of approval from Disney, not wanting to spread spoilers--but mostly it's just me forgetting to sit down and write. But that's being fixed right now!

One year ago today, May 6, 2013, I was on a a bus headed for Los Angeles Union Station. I had been invited by my amazing friend Peter Linz to be his guest on the set of Muppets Most Wanted while they filmed a few scenes in LA after months of filming in London. It was (and still is) an unbelievable gift for Peter to invite me and a really, truly can never thank him enough or repay him for what I got to experience over the few days I was there.

I arrived at Union Station around 9:00am. Peter had told me to get there at 10, but I wanted to make sure I was there early enough. Getting there at 9 happened to work out extremely well, because as I was walking through the station trying to get my bearings, I just happened to run into Bill Barretta. Bill and I go back almost five years. He was the first Muppet performer I ever interviewed and met in person so it's oddly fitting that he became my guide through my first on-set Muppet experience. Bill swept me up and walked me around, showing me the train platform where they would be filming.

As we were walking out onto the platform, a security guard stopped us (obviously, since he was guarding a big-budget film set) and Bill simply told him, "We're with the Muppets" and we got through. Me. I was with the Muppets. It was unbelievable just to hear those words... and then we went out to the train platform. There were large black crates, obviously holding the Muppets themselves. There were animatronic rats sitting on boxes that Bill was delighted to show off. Thog's head was sitting on the ground and Bill said, "Go ahead and touch him. Take a picture if you want." So obviously I did. Then I nearly fainted.

Somewhere in here, I ran into my buddy Matt Wilkie, who was on set as a correspondent for ToughPigs. I can't express how glad I was to have Matt on set with me. Not only is he a fantastic person to have around anytime, anywhere, but he was just as geeked out and freaked out as me. The number of times Matt and I turned to each other and mouthed "Oh. My. God." or audibly gasped together is too many for me to count. We had a blast and there's no one I would've rather had alongside me on set that day.

After Bill walked us around the set, he took Matt and I to the main hub where the extras, puppeteers, and crew would wait in-between and after takes. The first person we ran into was Steve Whitmire. Steve, who I had met a handful of times before, lit up immediately when he saw us. We talked for a little bit about the movie, he signed a photo of Kermit I brought, and took photos with Matt and I. Then I believe he said, "I've gotta go out front and film something. Will you guys be around later?" Matt and I, stars in our eyes, nodded, and Steve said, "Great! We'll talk more" and went off to be Kermit the Frog. Nuts.

After our Steve encounter, Matt and I discovered the bounties of craft services (thanks to Muppets Studio chief Debbie McClellan, who assured us it was fine that we eat something) and had some coffee (bad idea, considering how jittery I already was) and breakfast. We sat down with the group of extra hands--the background Muppet performers. It was such a treat to talk with hugely fun and talented folks like Nathan Danforth (my awesome friend), Michael Oosterom, Bruce Lanoil, and Mike Quinn. Mike, especially, was incredible to talk to, with more than 30 years of history with the Muppets, plus credits in Star Wars (he's Nien Nunb!!) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Mike and all of the puppeteers treated us so well and I'm so glad to call them friends.

After awhile, Bill came back and assigned each of the puppeteers a character to perform. He sat down and rattled off names such as Wayne, Lips, Lew Zealand, Janice... I'm pretty sure I sat slack-jawed just hearing the Muppets I'd get to see in person. After he was done, Bill told Matt and I we could follow him out onto the platform. When we got there, we saw Kermit the Frog and I had to stop for a second. I had seen Kermit in person a few other times before, but I was never this close. I was six feet from the frog and he was on camera working his magic. The scene he was filming was unfortunately cut from the final film, but every take there was a line that required Kermit to turn and point. Each time he did, he looked directly at me and pointed, and each time my heart skipped a beat.

The scene they were filming also featured lines from Scooter and Beauregard, so David Rudman and Dave Goelz were standing off camera feeding the lines to Kermit. In between takes they both came over to talk to me and Matt. They were incredible as always (duh). During one conversation with David, he was so into our talk that he actually missed his cue. It was hilarious and probably my fault entirely... but everyone got a good laugh out of it. Eventually we were found by Matt Vogel and Peter Linz, who are two of the greatest people I know. They took us to more craft services and then talked to us for what felt like an hour chatting about the movie. Matt said, "Your the fans, ask us anything!" and they answered. It was crazy. It was here I first found out Matt was performing Constantine, found about about a helicopter scene, Walter jumping from a moving train, and more.

While we were talking with Matt and Peter, one of the puppet wranglers walked by carrying no fewer than six Muppets--including Dr. Teeth and Janice--and asked Peter if he wanted to take Walter now. He gave Matt and I a sly grin and said yes. Then he put on Walter and he came to life. Walter talked to Matt and I for a little bit and I seriously felt like a kid in a candy store. It was one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to do. It was my own private little moment with Walter and it doesn't get better than that.

And then they called for the puppeteers to get in place and true Muppet magic was turned on. There, directly in front of me, maybe four feet away, was Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Walter, Scooter, Rowlf, Swedish Chef, Floyd, Animal, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Lips, Bunsen, Beaker, Wayne, Lew Zealand, Sweetums, and Thog. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and honestly I still don't believe it. It was truly breathtaking and like a dream to see all of these Muppets alive right in front of me. It was fascinating to see James Bobin direct them (and boy is he brilliant at it). I honestly don't know if I'll ever see anything quite like that again. I have no words to explain how utterly amazing it was.

After they wrapped the scene, the Muppets were whisked away (I'm still miffed I didn't get a picture with Lew Zealand) and Matt and I finally got to talk to Eric Jacobson. Eric is really the nicest guy around and one of the easiest people to talk to. He signed a picture of Fozzie I brought and then asked Matt and I if we were sticking around for lunch. I believe we said, "If we're allowed to" and he said, "Of course you are! Come on with me." So Matt and I started to follow Eric... but then we had to stop because we saw Peter and Walter chatting with the members of the press that were on set that day. Eric went on to lunch and we told him we'd catch up with him later.

Thank goodness we stuck around, because, thanks to Debbie McClellan, Matt and I got to sneak into the back of the line of press people getting their photos with Walter. When I got to Walter he said, "Hey, hey, Ryan! What pose should we do? Ooooh! I got it!" Walter then jumped on my shoulder and grinned wildly... and so did I, because how can you not? Then this picture happened:

And I think that's where I'll stop the story for today. What happened the rest of that day is more than enough to fill another article, and then there's a whole other day on set as well! There's still lots more story to come, Muppet fans, so be on the lookout for Part 2 and Part 3 of my incredible visit to the set of Muppets Most Wanted--a year later!






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

Muppets Vinylmation Series 3 Chaser REVEALED!

The fine folks at Vinylmation World revealed late last night the confirmed, rare chaser figure for the upcoming The Muppets #3 Vinylmation set to be released at Disney Parks and Disney Stores on July 26th. As we predicted, the chaser is Walter, and he's even better than I could've expected! Check out pictures of the figure below courtesy of Vinylmation Exchange user Jay Oh.

I don't know about you, Muppet fans, but I seriously love Walter so much. Check out the entire roster for Muppets Vinylmation #3 in our post from last month.






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

News Update: July 28, 2013

NEWS UPDATE: July 28, 2013

A new piece of pretty awesome Muppet merchandise is apparently coming soon. We have only found it available for pre-order at ComicsInfinity, who provide this information about the cool piece: "This character-authentic polystone mini-bust is designed and sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons. Standing 6 1/2" tall, Kermit the Frog comes painted and ready to display." The bust is currently on sale for $64.70, down from the normal $70. Hopefully more Muppets will be made into busts soon. Check out the Kermit bust below and click over to ComicsInfinity if you wish to pre-order!

Our friends at ToughPigs.com found a musical little gem on YouTube this week from Canadian rapper Classified. His new song, "3 Foot Tall" features a sample from "Life's a Happy Song." Classified sampled Walter's line from the song, "When you're alone, life can be a little rough, it makes you feel like you're three foot tall. When it's just you, well times can be tough when there's no one there to catch your fall." The song is insanely catchy and really, really well done. Take a listen below! (WARNING: There are a few semi-explicit lyrics.)



Over on the suddenly-active-again Facebook fan page for The Muppets, the fine folks from Disney posted a cute little picture to promote the release of The Muppet Movie on Blu-ray on August 13th. The image, which you can see below, shows a few pages from Walter's scrapbook about his favorite film, The Muppet Movie. It's adorable and absolutely something Walter would do.

And, unfortunately, that's all the news this week. So... happy Friday! Go have some ice cream--on us! (NOTE: Ice cream will not actually be on us, unless you dump it on us because we didn't pay for it when we said we would.)

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

More News About The Next Muppet Movie

Ryan Dosier - Hey, remember The Muppets? That was a great movie, wasn't it? Gee, that must have been so long ago that we were showing off tons of news about that... It wasn't? It was less than a year ago? Huh. Then how come there is a steady stream of news about the next Muppet movie already coming our way? Because Disney finally has faith in the Muppets? If you say so!

But seriously... we all know that's the case, and I couldn't be more thrilled about that case (obviously). Just five days ago we showed off some major news on the new Muppet feature film from Nicholas Stoller, and already we have even more to showcase.

First and foremost, we have more news on the Jason Segel front. The star and co-writer of The Muppets recently revealed why he wasn't going to be writing or starring in the next movie, but yesterday he revealed that he won't even return for a cameo appearance. In an interview with The Playlist while on the press junket for his new film, The Five Year Engagement, Jason revealed why he wouldn't return for a cameo saying...

"No, no cameo. It was a very distinct choice on my part. Of course I was asked to do it. I did exactly what I set out to do, if that makes any sense. My goal was never to take over the helm of the Muppets. They have people who are better equipped for that. My only goal was to bring back the Muppets that I loved. And I did that. I kinda don't know what I have left to do in that regard."

Again, Segel proves that he just wants to let the Muppets be the Muppets without him. He is doing the honorable thing by moving on, realizing that none of the previous Muppet movies had recurring human characters, and continuing on that tradition. 


Meanwhile, Nicholas Stoller keeps talking about the next movie that he's writing with director of The Muppets James Bobin. While on another press appearance for The Five Year Engagement, friend of The Muppet Mindset, Elizabeth Leary, while reporting for ToughPigs.com, got the chance to ask Stoller a few questions about the movie. Here is the recap from ToughPigs: Walter will play a role in the next movie. It will be a complete story separate from the first movie, but there will be some "connective tissue." And having successfully reintroduced the characters, they're planning to concentrate on the comedy this time around.

All of those things sound excellent to me. More Walter? A new story? More comedy? Connective tissue? Like, like, like, and yeah, okay! This is so thrilling to hear about, and just another reason to be extra excited for what is to come. I think the most exciting thing, however, is that it hasn't even been six months since The Muppets was released in U.S. theaters... and we already have this much to say about the next movie. Just incredible.

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

(Kind of) Weekly Muppet Quotes Spotlight: Walter

Casey Daron - Happy Easter/Passover, Muppet fans! It dawned on me that I haven't spotlighted one of the most important Muppets of all time: Walter! So, this week, I have compiled Walter's greatest quotes. If this little guy doesn't make you proud to be a Muppet fan, I don't know what does!

"Your fans never left you, the world hasn't forgotten! All you need to do is show 'em again!"

~ Walter, The Muppets

"Throw me again!"

~ Walter, The Muppets

"Please, Kermit... You're my hero. You're on my watch." 

~ Walter, The Muppets

"Don't you guys remember? You're the Muppets! You do this to music!"

~ Walter, The Muppets

"I don't think they use the studio for anything but tours anymore."

"Nah, I think that's just an Internet rumor, like there's a country called Turkey." 

~ Gary and Walter, The Muppets

"There's oil under this studio, see? Sweet, sweet oil!"
"People still talk like that?"
"Maybe that's just how he sounded in my head..."

~ Walter and Mary, The Muppets

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

Muppetology 101: The New, The Old, and The Rejects, Pt. 2

Nicholas Napoli - Welcome back, class! Today we pick up our lecture on new Muppets at Christmas 1996 and Muppets Tonight, where the Muppet family got that much larger instantly and Clifford became one of the most despised Muppets. As a kid and even to this day as an adult I just cannot understand why Kermit wasn't hosting the show. Who was this Clifford and where did he come from? I did my research and found out he was actually a Jim Henson Character used in The Jim Henson Hour and even in The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson.

Later on, when I was introduced to Clifford again in Muppets From Space, my grudge against him was settled and I realized Clifford is actually a great character and would have made a great addition to the Electric Mayhem. Maybe not as silent as Lips, but had he worked his way in slowly as a background character he would have done much better. Instead, to many fans, he forcedly introduced himself into our lives as we tried to watch what we believed was a Muppet Show all whilst trying to come off as the cool, in your face, let's try and make the Muppets hip for this generation, I'm taking over as host for Kermit to keep things cool character who just annoyed us.

It wasn't Clifford's fault though, it wasn't even Kevin Clash's fault. They are both great, but sadly Clifford was the Muppet they decided to use during the "let's try to make the Muppets hip" era and sadly that is why he is gone today. Luckily the Muppets learned their lesson, be who you always have been or that same fate will await you. Also this was around the time where singing on television was considered embarrassing and not cool at all, so trying to host a Muppet variety show in the 90s wouldn't have worked anyway no matter who was hosting... now today all that has changed. It wasn't all bad for Muppets Tonight. Big Mean Carl and Bobo the Bear, for instance, were and are excellent additions. I hope characters like Johnny Fiama and Sal, Polly Lobster, Clueless Morgan, and Clifford, who were all great fun, can return someday.

Then last but not least there was the duo of Seymour and Pepe, they were two of a kind, one of them was a little bit forward, the other had a big behind. From season one of Muppets Tonight onwards I really liked the two of them as a duo. Sadly for poor Seymour, Pepe would become the true Prawn Star he was always meant to be. Honestly, he deserves everything he's accomplished during his time with the Muppets. Out of all the characters to have ever been introduced after The Muppet Show, Pepe is hands down my favorite.

Muppets From Space was the last attempt at helping some of the Muppets Tonight characters survive. Clifford, Dr. Phil Van Neuter, Johnny and Sal, Bobo, and Pepe made notable appearances in the movie. The only real new character introduced to us in Muppet From Space were the new rats and none of them stuck around as characters except for Bubba Rat.

Finally we jump twelve years to November 2011, which broughtt us our first new batch of Muppets in over ten years, some we liked, some we didn't, and some who had so many scenes cut we hardly knew they were in the movie. The Muppets introduced us to Walter, who won me over as soon as he complained to Disney about wanting The Muppet Show Season 4 on DVD. I didn't think I'd like him at first, but the facts that he's a true Muppet fan and performed by Peter Linz are exactly why he’s a great addition to the Muppet family.

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