BOOM! Studios has announced that their next Muppet fairy-tale comic book series will be Muppet King Arthur. Written by Johanna Stokes, the comic will feature Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, and the gang as they embark on an adventure chronicling the heroic tale of King Arthur. An interior artist is yet to be announced, but cover artists include friend of the blog Amy Mebberson and Muppet Central Forum's Dave Alvarez (MUPPETMONKEY). Be on the lookout for more exciting news about Muppet King Arthur as it surfaces! The first issue is slated for release on December 23, 2009.Kermit apparently appeared on Good Morning America yesterday morning to promote the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" promotion. No video of this appearance has surfaced, so if anyone has any information regarding the appearance, please let us know!
Australian puppeteer and friend of the blog, Jarrod Fairclough has started his own blog! It's called Sesame Street or Bust and he hopes that it will help propel him into a job as a puppeteer for Sesame Street or The Jim Henson Company. It looks pretty cool so far, so check it out!
Today on The Muppet Mindset, we look at some of the new Muppet and Sesame Street Halloween costumes being produced for this year's fright season. I'll be reviewing each costume based on three factors, character likeness, fun factor, and scare factor. Each factor will have a rating of up to 5 stars.
Let's start off with everyone's favorite amphibian (apologies to the Geico Gecko), Kermit!
KERMIT THE FROG COSTUME - $50.00
LIKENESS: Umm... do I really even need to comment on this? The face mask looks decent, but the rest is just frightening. Never before has our frog looked so... bulky. However, if you'd like to go out as Fake Kermit, this is a fantastic likeness. 3 STARS
FUN FACTOR: I suppose this costume could be fun. I think it would be a lot of fun to have Kermit flippers to walk around in. And the mask isn't half bad, and would make a fun costume on its own. However I see no practical applications for a stuffed-looking tuxedo such as that. Although... at only $50 it would make a rather cheap prom outfit! 3 STARS
SCARE FACTOR: Halloween is all about scaring people, right? Well... if someone snuck up on me while wearing this Kermit mask, I would indeed freak out. Imagine that pudgy green hand slowly slipping over your shoulder and I dare you to tell me you wouldn't shudder! 4 STARS
MISS PIGGY COSTUME - $55.00
LIKENESS: Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's finally here! The coveted red dress, white glove, shoeless Miss Piggy costume! Kids of all ages will be rushing the costume shops just to dress as their favorite pig with paper cut out ears! Kudos to the designers for having what looks like a man dress as the pig. Frank Oz would be disturbed! 2 STARS
FUN FACTOR: The only fun I could have with this costume is the pig nose. The rest is just boring and easily bought at a store. The costume description says, "Be the apple of Kermit's eye when you dress in his Miss Piggy costume!" In that red dress... apple indeed! 1 STAR
SCARE FACTOR: This one isn't nearly as scary as Kermit... but it's still kind of creepy. Imagine some guy with a deep, Seth Rogen (imagine Rowlf, for those Muppet fans with no connection to the entertainment industry) voice coming up to you with this snout, wig, ears, and dress and belching out, "Hey bub, where's the bathroom?" Scary? Well... not so much scary as it is positively freaky. So... 2 STARS
MISS PIGGY LATEX MASK - $50.00
LIKENESS: First of all... if you're still looking at your screen after that freaky turn-around, I commend you. Second... AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! Sorry... had to get that out. Anyway! The likeness of this? Umm... I don't know which Miss Piggy puppet they were using as a model, but I'm glad it was never used in production. Cheese and crackers... It looks like the pig mask they wear in the Saw movies! 1 STAR
FUN FACTOR: The only fun you could possibly have with this thing is the thrill of throwing it off a cliff and panting, "You won't... hurt anyone... anymore..." I guess you could put on a nice performance of Muppet Saw VI with this mask... why you would want to is beyond me, but you certainly could. 2 STARS
SCARE FACTOR: This is by far the scariest Muppet costume this year--perhaps ever! Sheesh. Whoever designed this better hope Piggy doesn't see this... or she'll give them a fat cheek like they gave her with this mask! 5 STARS
ANIMAL COSTUME - $50.00
LIKENESS: Finally! A costume that somewhat looks like the Muppet it's supposed to! I actually really like this one. The mask is very Animal-like (despite suffering from the pink Animal head curse) and fun. I don't really know why an adult (who this costume is made for) would want to wear a mask like that, but it's still nice. I would say the jeans are good too, but apparently it doesn't come with them. What's up with that shirt? 4 STARS
FUN FACTOR: Now, see, this is a fun costume! I would love to go as Animal for Halloween. It would be fun to run rampant up and down the streets shouting "TRICK-OR-TREAT! TRICK-OR-TREAT! GIMME CANDY!!" Well... fun until the cops showed up. 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR: Animal is usually a naturally frightening character (except when around bunny rabbits), but here he just seems like a fun loving dude. This costume isn't really scary at all--although the eye-hole placement directly in his mouth is kind of an interesting choice. I'll just jot that one up to aesthetics. 2 STARS
THE GREAT GONZO COSTUME - $50.00
LIKENESS: YAY! It's everyone's favorite Muppet character, Steroid Gonzo! Isn't he fantastic folks? Look at those biceps! Look at that huge head that simply screams his catchphrase, "I eat chickens for breakfast AND take them out to dinner, wanna fight about it?" But seriously... proof that this Gonzo is on steroids... look at what they did to his nose. At least he retains his three fingers... 3 STARS
FUN FACTOR: Again... the only fun I could have with this costume is shooting it out of a canon. I guess the cape/outfit is fun... and a Gonzo costume could be customized from the blue furry arm and leg things. But... good grief, that mask! 3 STARS
SCARE FACTOR: The eyes and mouth of this Gonzo mask are just hideous... and the pose of his fist make him look like an old guy sitting on his porch shouting, "You kids get off my lawn!" So... if you're scared of old guys or bad Gonzo masks, this thing is like The Ring to you! 2 STARS
FOZZIE BEAR COSTUME - $50.00
LIKENESS: YES! Perfect! See? THIS is a good costume! This one just says "Wocka! Wocka! Wocka!" right off the bat. I'm a big fan of the very nice looking mask, the four-fingered hands, the bow-tie, and the furry costume. Brilliant likeness of everyone's favorite furry funny man! 5 STARS
FUN FACTOR: This costume is a lot of fun! I could see dads of all sorts taking their kids trick-or-treating while wearing this and just having a blast, telling bad puns the whole time. "Say, where does a vampire store his dinner? The blood bank! Ahhh!" 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR: This costume isn't scary... I mean, c'mon! It's Fozzie! How can Fozzie be scary? ...Well, okay, I guess if the guy inside it creepily sidles up to you and grunts, "Give Fozzie a hug" it would be scary. ...Great, I just scared myself. 3 STARS
LIKENESS: These are AWESOME. The likeness is spot-on. I mean... how can you look at these and NOT think Statler and Waldorf? I would love to go as these two old coots for Halloween! If... I had the money for the masks and someone willing to go with me wearing one of them. 5 STARS
FUN FACTOR: These are probably the most fun costumes here. Heckling every costume that comes your way? Heck yes. Heckling every little Hannah Montana or Spider-Man that comes to your door for candy? Heck yes! 5 STARS
SCARE FACTOR: The beautiful thing about Statler and Waldorf masks is that you can be fun, and scary, AND funny all at the same time! "Hey lady, nice mask!" "She's not wearing a mask!" "Do ho ho ho!" 5 STARS
And that's all we have time for today! Check back on Thursday when we'll review some Sesame Street costumes! Have you ever wondered what you'd look like inside Super Grover? Well... you'll find out!
