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Googles 13th Birthday 2011

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58 Days Until "The Muppets"

Ryan Dosier - This week I'm taking over countdown duty from our friend Lucas Ervin, who is busy doing something with somebody or other. He'll return next week! But I'm really excited that Lucas let me take this week because it features some of my favorite Muppets... the Muppet Monsters! These gorgeously designed, often hilarious, always fun creatures have been with the Muppets since the beginning, since Mushmellon way back on Sam and Friends. And now, the Monsters are back--and in a big way. Sweetums, Thog, the Mutations, Big Mean Carl, Frackles, Behemoth, Luncheon Counter Monster, and, of course, Uncle Deadly, are all back for The Muppets this November. The following are some of the best Muppet Monster sketches and songs from The Muppet Show.

58.   Sir Avery of Macho
When comedian Avery Schreiber was the show's guest star, Miss Piggy had a lot of fun trying to convince Kermit that she was in love with Avery, not the frog. However, one of the episode's biggest highlights was this sketch featuring Avery as a gladiator as he fought back "the Monster of the Moors" (Sweetums) in a battle of insults--all while Kermit reported live for Muppet News. You can probably guess who won the fight.

57.   I Feel The Earth Move
In the fifth season of The Muppet Show, Loretta Swit stopped by for a few songs and dances. But undoubtedly the most well-remembered number for this episode is Loretta's song with Thog, where the giant beast demolishes an entire city, while Loretta appropriately sings "I Feel the Earth Move." The green screen technology used by Jim Henson and The Muppet Show team really shines through in this number. Watch as Thog picks up Loretta in his hands--absolutely incredible! Especially when you remember that this was only 1980.

56.   Comedy Tonight
The opening number of the Joel Grey episode of The Muppet Show took a dark and eerie turn juxtaposed against the classic song "Comedy Tonight." The number featured tons of Muppet Monsters and some of Jim Henson's strangest looking creatures as they haunted a town while singing their song and performing what they saw as "comedy" and what the audience saw as weird... yet funny at the same time. Amazing how often The Muppet Show walked that line.


55.   You’ve Got A Friend

This number was probably the most egregious and heart-breaking cut that had to be made to The Muppet Show Season 1 when it was released on DVD. The closing number from the Vincent Price episode is not only the best part of the episode, but also one of the greatest, spookiest closing numbers in the entire run of the show. Price's delivery of the song and the background accompaniment by the Muppet Monsters is spectacular... plus, there's a health dose of Uncle Deadly, which makes everything better.

54.   Once A Year Day

This fun number breaks up some of the creepy tension caused by Alice Cooper and his seducing of Miss Piggy in the episode of the show in which he guest starred. The Muppet Monsters run rampant backstage singing this fun little song led by Boppity, the blue Frackle. Loads of special effects fill this number, including the ghosts, the moving candle on Kermit's desk, and more. Brilliant puppetry throughout the entire number makes this a fantastic Muppet Monster showcase.

53.   Hey There Good Times

Leslie Uggams joins a band of full-bodied Muppet Monsters as they bounce through the song on an extremely bright and cheery and uncharacteristic set. Something I just love about The Muppet Show is how they can take such a bouncy, fun tune like this and have a band of Muppet Monsters perform it with Leslie Uggams, chanting "Bye, bye bad times!" and the rest of the chorus throughout. It's just so funny and smart. This number on its own isn't very memorable, but it is an incredibly brilliant idea executed wonderfully.

52.   Millions Of Us Who’re Ugly

In my mind, when it comes to Muppet Monster numbers you just can't beat this song. This anthem of under-appreciated, hideous creatures who still find themselves wonderful even though the rest of the world finds them ugly is inspiring. It may be a very silly song but the message of loving yourself for who you are is (almost) on part with "Bein' Green." Plus, it's a brilliant showcase for most of the man Muppeteers' singing abilities. I just love Jim Henson and Richard Hunt in this number.

58 Days Until The Muppets!!

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

Jim Henson's 75th Birthday

Ryan Dosier - September 24th is always a special day in the lives of Muppet fans, and this year is no different. 2011 marks 75 years after the birth of Jim Henson. Jim is responsible for everything you see here on this webpage and we truly wouldn't be anything without his being born on this day 75 years ago. Emotions are an odd thing on this day as well. We feel sad that Jim isn't here, but we feel happy that 75 years later, we're still talking about this kid from Mississippi who took his mother's coat, sewed up his dream, and created a legacy that continues to grow and inspire every day.

I always prefer to spotlight the happy over the sad when I have the choice, and on someone's birthday I think that's the best thing we can do. Just look at all the amazingly happy things happening for Jim on his birthday!

Google has changed its homepage design in honor of Jim Henson's birthday. Their current Google Doodle features six controllable puppet characters who are subject to your every mouse click. Click around, play with the keyboard, and have fun seeing what these Henson creations can do! This hilarious, heart-warming, wonderfully designed, and technically innovative piece is everything that Jim was about. Puppets, humor, technology, and weird. Be sure to check out Google and Henson's "Making of" video to find out even more about the Google Doodle!

The Jim Henson Company has been going wild on social media outlets over the past few days in celebration of Jim's birthday. Their Twitter feed has been overflowing with fantastic quotes about and by Jim, all with the hashtag #Henson75. If you want to join in the fun on Twitter, just tag your posts with #Henson75! Let's get it trending! On YouTube they've been posting a horde of classic Henson content including some content featuring Kermit and the rest of the Muppets owned by Disney. In honor of Jim's 75th, the fine folks at Disney have allowed The Jim Henson Company to post some great videos including "Rainbow Connection," "Mahna Mahna," Harry Belafonte's "Turn the World Around" from The Muppet Show, the Pigs in Space sketch from the Carol Channing episode of The Muppet Show, and the magnificent finale from The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson. Plus, YouTube's spotlight for today is on Jim Henson's 75th Birthday with tons of puppet videos for your enjoyment!

Sesame Street has uploaded and shared a plethora of incredible new content from its upcoming 42nd season, which starts on Monday, September 26th. Here we see Jim's legacy living on and on through the likes of Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, and the multitude of Anything Muppets on the show. Some of the incredible clips shared by Sesame Street on YouTube include "The Heaviest Catch" (with a character performed by Frank Oz), "Measure, Yeah, Measure" with Elmo and a Justin Bieber look-alike, Craig Ferguson and Elmo experimenting with chickens, Grouchology with Jason Jones, and the hysterical (and accurate) Glee parody called "G," which you can see right here below!

In case you'd forgotten, The Muppets is coming out in November and the promotion from Disney is currently all over the place. We've got a brand new, unfinished website about the movie on Disney.com (which also happens to be the number one featured link on all of Disney) and, both on Facebook and Twitter, The Muppets Studio has been getting our excitement level rising, saying "Rumor has it we’re announcing something huge on Monday. And yes, that’s right…we just started that rumor here." and later having Statler and Waldorf, who are still running the Twitter feed, chime in with, "All we keep hearing around the #Muppets theater is about Monday's "exciting news for our fans". You two are in for a real treat! Oh ho ho!" So... who knows what this big news could be, but I bet it really is just as exciting as they're making it sound (at least I hope it is)!

For even more Henson 75th celebrations, check out the ToughPigs.com thoughts on how to celebrate the big day!

And, finally, we'll finish out our Happy Birthday post with another Happy Birthday post... a brief piece written by Brian Henson for Google about his dad. It's really fun and touching, and you can read it all below! Following the piece is a tribute to Jim video shown at MuppetFest in 2001 which, I think, really says it all.

Remembering my dad, Jim Henson
When we were kids, my brother and sisters and I were always allowed to stay up late to watch our father’s appearances on The Tonight Show or The Ed Sullivan Show. No matter how late it was or how young we were, my mother would wake us up and trundle us down to the living room television. We’d be giddy—like Christmas. When he came home, he’d head down to the garage where he had a workshop, and repair everything that we broke while he was away—or build a dollhouse for one of my sisters. Jim never stopped making things.

He also loved games—card games, board games, all kinds of games. He was one of those rare parents who was always ready to play again. He loved dogs, particularly goofy ones. And he lived for those moments when everyone laughed so hard they couldn’t talk. I often walked onto the Muppet set to find everyone just laughing hysterically.

Although he loved family, his work was almost never about “traditional” families. The Muppets were a family—a very diverse one. One of his life philosophies was that we should love people not for their similarities, but for their differences.

Jim often had a little lesson about the important things in life: How to be a good person. How to believe in yourself and follow your dreams. And above all, how to forgive. If anything was stolen from one of us—like when the car was broken into—he would always say, “Oh well, they probably needed that stuff more than we did.”

He loved gadgets and technology. Following his lead, The Jim Henson Company continues to develop cutting-edge technology for animatronics and digital animation, like this cool Google doodle celebrating Jim’s 75th birthday. But I think even he would have found it hilarious the way today some people feel that when they’ve got their smartphone, they no longer need their brain.

Jim was clearly a great visionary. But he also wanted everyone around him fully committed creatively. If you asked him how a movie would turn out, he’d say, “It’ll be what this group can make, and if you changed any one of them, it would be a different movie.” Every day for him was joyously filled with the surprises of other people’s ideas. I often think that if we all lived like that, not only would life be more interesting, we’d all be a lot happier.

Posted by Brian Henson, Chairman of The Jim Henson Company



Happy 75th Birthday Jim Henson! We love you, miss you, and will never forget you! Thank you for leaving us with a legacy of wonder that will never, ever die as long as we believe in it.

Plus, Happy Birthday to Steve Whitmire as well! Thank you for everything, Steve. Because of you, Jim Henson's legacy, and frog, live on in the hearts, minds, and eyes of people everywhere.






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

"Tales of a Sixth Grade Muppet" Book Review

Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet

By Kirk Scroggs
Available at Wal-Mart, Target, and wherever books are sold

Book Review by KC Silva

KC Silva - Here’s a News Flash for anyone who still thinks kids’ books are just for kids: Hardly. In fact, grown-ups are more likely to get the biggest laughs from Kirk Scroggs’ newest book than readers in its presumably-target tweener age group. Grown-ups, that is, who are ardent Muppaphiles!

Scroggs' previous credits include an entire series of children’s books centered around "Wiley and Grampa," a full listing of which can be easily found on Amazon.com, but his newest, "Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet,"  is both a stand-alone story and an obvious tie-in to all things Muppety in honor of the upcoming film. Done in the part-text, part-cartoon narrative style made popular by the "Wimpy Kid" books, Scroggs proves he is wittier and a better artist than the author of that series, and draws laughs easily from any reader familiar with the Muppets. That said, don’t give this book to your 11-year-old nephew in the hopes that he’ll suddenly become a raving Muppet fan. The story presumes readers are already somewhat familiar with Kermit, Piggy, Muppet Labs, and of course the narrator’s hero, the Great Gonzo; but given that, any Muppet fan will find plenty to enjoy.

Although all of the Muppets are well written, the only character development takes place with the narrator, a sixth-grade outcast named Danvers Blickensderfer, who copies the insanely dangerous stunts of his idol Gonzo, ostracized by his classmates, harassed by his kid sister ("evil incarnate," claims Danvers), incomprehensible to his parents, and wishing desperately to be a Muppet. Of course, this being both children’s literature and a Muppet book, he gets his wish, waking up one morning inexplicably Muppetized. However, enjoying the fuzziness and quick recovery time after injuries which all Muppets are privileged to doesn’t mean Danvers’ social life becomes any easier...

What really makes this book a blast are the cartoons. Scroggs combines not just text narrative and childish doodles (which are supposed to be Danvers’ own drawings) throughout the book, but frequently includes comic-book-style illustrations... and those are often the best jokes in a book full of good ones! Even the one-liners he tosses off in these drawings are hysterically funny: a running gag about his little sister Chloe’s obsession with the Fluffleberries ("the world’s most diabolical children’s TV celebrities"), a gag about his school lunch lady, Gladys, Beaker "Meep" jokes, a mock-Billboard Top 10 list of the hit songs by the boy-band group Emo Shun... The most admirable things about these casually tossed-off jokes within larger cartoons are how well the drawings flow in the narrative; rather than simply complementing the story, most of them are integral to it, and it works extremely well.

As far as the Muppets themselves go, Gonzo is the focus of Danvers’ attention, but Piggy gets plenty of time, as do Bunsen and Beaker, Pepe, Kermit, the Electric Mayhem, and the cast of "Veterinarian’s Hospital." Other characters are featured several times, such as Rizzo, Sam the Eagle, Statler and Waldorf (who begin showing up, randomly heckling Danvers–guess that’s part of the whole territory of being a Muppet), Animal separately, Fozzie, and others. Almost everyone gets at least a cameo drawing, and the drawings are comic in all senses! Scroggs nails the persona of each Muppet he includes, even if they have only a few lines; it’s obvious within just the first couple of chapters that the author is a Muppet fan from way back, and whether kids or adults, he’s aimed this work at fellow fans who’ll get the in-jokes as well as the sillier ones.

There’s also a bit of satire: the aforementioned Emo Shun are antagonists of a sort, competing for fame alongside some of the Muppets in a "Fall on Ice" show, and every mention of the boy-band will tickle every hater of bland-as-white-bread teen pop singers. As an example, the list of hits garnered by Emo Shun includes such memorable tunes as “You Put My Heart in Detention, Girl” and “Girl, You Treated My Heart Like a Yo-Yo, Yo.” Piggy judging the entrants for the ice follies smacks highly of a certain ridiculously popular American talent show. The Fluffleberries movies are rated “G-5: Viewing this film could cause irreversible brain damage to anyone over the age of 5.” Though such snickers aren’t major plot points, they assuredly raise a grin and add to the entire atmosphere of the story.

Danvers, for all his social-outcast status, is nevertheless a witty observer of modern pop culture–something I believe is integral to Muppet fans in general, as the humor of Henson and Co often relied on the juxtaposition of social mores with absurd parodies of those same superficial "values." It’s clear the Muppets strongly influenced Kirk Scroggs’ outlook on life, and he does tribute to them extremely well... even in a book marketed for kids.

Dozens of Muppets, hundreds of good jokes and witty drawings, a main character every Muppet lover can identify with, an unexpected ending. Four out of five stars (only because I wished for a little more depth to the plot). Check it out!

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