An Ode to Rocco

A colleague of mine wrote me a lovely note this afternoon appealing for more press coverage for his colleague, Rocco the Rock of Sesame Street. Rocco being one of my favorite characters, I of course agreed. What follows is the culmination of these events.
  
Ryan Dosier - Rocco. Wouldst a rock by any other name sound as sweet? I think not. For what other name speaks such monumental achievement as that of Rocco? For a staggering 12 years, Rocco has been firmly established as a rock-solid character on Sesame Street. Making his first appearance in the show's third decade of entertainment, Rocco has been a part of Sesame Street ever since, becoming someone that we all too often take for granite--er... granted.

As Zoe's pet rock, Rocco the basalt rock has displayed his versatile acting skills by dressing as a ballerina, a doctor, and he even got to play the bass in the Rock Rock Band. Rocco also has an extended family who visit him on his birthday including Rocky, Rockmoninov, Uncle Rock, Aunt Rock, and Little Rock; all of whom are exceptionally proud of the great work Rocco is doing in the show business.

But Rocco's greatest achievement is perhaps his ability to bring out a more three-dimensional side of Elmo. Whenever Rocco is present, Elmo displays jealousy, anger, resentment, and disbelief. Zoe often uses this to her advantage, claiming that Rocco would prefer going to the park as opposed to saying the alphabet. (However, true fans of Rocco know that he is a rock who appreciates his letters.)

Rocco has amassed quite a following in his tenure on the Street. The praise for the talented young rock actor seeps through interviews with the likes of Fran Brill and Kevin Clash. Fran Brill loves Rocco so much that she has even started a Facebook fan page that Rocco has since used as his own outreach to his many fans.

The page is riddled with wonderful tidbits about Rocco and his work, including his many personal interests:
"[Rocco] Enjoys skipping, splelunking, rappelling, '40s swing music, and decent masonry. Rocco can often be found dressed up in embarrassing costumes (not his choice). He is a great raconteur and tells side-splitting jokes."

Truly Rocco's vast filmography, versatility, and wonderful sense of humor have set in stone the career path of this shining young star. His talent is seemingly limitless and the peak of his career can't be far off. Recently, Rocco could be seen in the background of the Academy Award nominated film 127 Hours. He was up for the part of the rock that crushed James Franco's arm, but the producers decided to go with a boulder actor.

What does the future hold for Rocco? One can only speculate... and become a fan of him on Facebook to follow the career of this stalwart performer. A rolling stone may gather no moss... but there's nothing saying it can't gather a few Facebook fans along the way.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Zoe

ZOE

Performed by...
Fran Brill

First appearance...
Sesame Street Season 25, Episode 3136, "Around the Corner" (1994)

Most recent appearance...
Sesame Street Season 41, "What I Am" song

Best known role...
Sesame Street's resident tutu-wearing, dance-loving, pet-rock-having orange little girl monster.

Best friend(s)...
Elmo, Big Bird, Rocco, Rosita, Abby Cadabby

Famous quote...
"Don't joke me!"

WHO IS ZOE?
Zoe is a rambunctious, fun-loving three year-old monster who lives on Sesame Street. First developed along with a whole crop of new characters as part of Season 25's "Around the Corner" initiative, Zoe is one of the few remaining characters from that period to still remain prominently on the show (others include Rosita and Baby Natasha). Zoe was one of the few Muppets to be made into a prominent character without having first appeared as an Anything Muppet or a background character (e.g., Elmo, The Count). Zoe was developed with a character in mind and was put on screen because she was a girl character who complimented Elmo in every way--including appearance.

In her early years, Zoe did not wear any clothes other than her prized barrettes, bracelets, and necklace. Because she was introduced in to the show to counteract the predominantly male-Muppet cast, Zoe exhibited many characteristics of a little girl including her love of her doll, Mimi, and her desire to play princess with Elmo or other characters. Eventually, however, Zoe grew out of the stereotype and quickly began to possess goals and desires, including a desire to become an astronaut. Zoe also grew to develop new friendships with Big Bird (whom she once called her favorite person), Telly, Rosita, and more.

In Season 33, Zoe began to wear her tutu everywhere she went. The tutu soon became a permanent costume for her and you would be quite hard-pressed to find a time in the past eight years when she has been seen without it. Zoe's love of ballet was added as another facet of her developing character, even garnering a special home video release called Zoe's Dance Moves in which Zoe showcased her love of dance for all to see.

Recently, Zoe has become one of the girls again, creating something of a trio with Rosita and Abby Cadabby. The three girls are very prominent characters on Sesame Street, and at least one of them now appears in almost every new episode's Street Story. Zoe, Rosita, and Abby have sang "Because We're Friends" and "Guess the Seasons" together.

In Season 40, a new, smaller Zoe puppet was used because producers thought it made her look cuter. Unfortunately, all it did was make her look hideously scary--a fact that even Zoe's performer, Fran Brill, will admit. The puppet was, thankfully, disposed of after Season 40, and the regular, much more gorgeous Zoe puppet was brought back in Season 41. However, the dwarf Zoe puppet is still seen before every episode of Sesame Street in the theme song.

Zoe's catchphrase on the show started out as "Don't joke me!" and is a favorite thing for her to say. She also has a Zoe-Mobile, a soapbox style car that she drives around the street occasionally. A few years ago, writer Joey Mazzarino developed Zoe a pet rock, Rocco. Rocco was established as an imaginary friend for Zoe to bring around to play time with Elmo and she proceeded to use Rocco to get Elmo to play the games or do the things she wanted to do. For instance, if Elmo wanted to play tag, Zoe would say, "Oh, but Rocco doesn't want to play tag. Rocco wants to play hopscotch!" This caused Elmo an extreme amount of annoyance... and added another brilliant aspect to both Zoe and Elmo's character.

Zoe continues to be a major character on the show and remains one of the characters most produced on merchandise.

ZOE AND FRAN BRILL
Zoe has been performed by legendary Sesame Street performer Fran Brill since her development in 1993. Initially, Fran was unsure of how long Zoe would last as a character, but 17 years later, not only is Zoe still around, but she is more popular than ever. Fran eventually grew quite attached to the character and now makes countless public appearances with Zoe at screenings, book signings, and discussions.

WHY DOES SESAME STREET NEED ZOE?
After 17 years of Zoe's prominence on the Street, this section seems rather redundant--but darn it if it doesn't deserve repeating. Sesame Street needs Zoe for a number of reasons... the greatest of which is probably that she represents a wonderful, confident, uninhibited female lead character for little girl viewers to model themselves after. In a world of Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez... it's nice for girls to have someone like Zoe to look to as a strong character who can still be a girly-girl when she wants to.

Zoe is also one of the friendliest characters on Sesame Street (and that's saying something). When I got the chance to ask Zoe a question when I saw her live in Chicago, I asked her who her favorite friends to play with on Sesame Street are. Zoe had trouble coming up with a quality answer, since she had so many friends to get through. She mentioned Elmo, Big Bird, Maria, Baby Bear, Grover, and had to stop because she was afraid she would forget someone! Zoe is adorable and obviously loves her friends--which is yet another lesson she can teach the kids watching.

Zoe is a wonderful character who doesn't get enough credit from hardcore, adult Muppet fans. Most of us seem to think of her as just a female Elmo, hogging screen time from the likes of Bert, Ernie, and Grover... But Zoe is so much more than that. She is a confident, determined, incredible character who loves, laughs, and learns just like everyone else on Sesame Street. You say Zoe isn't a valuable part of Sesame Street? Don't joke me!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Coverage of Fran Brill and Zoe in Chicago, Part 1

Danny Beckwith - The weekend of November 13-14th (Note – The Programs for Saturday and Sunday were switched.) was a very memorable one in Chicago. The Gene Siskel Film Center began its Jim Henson retrospective with two great programs and one (or should I say two?) very special guest.

Here is how the Gene Siskel Film Center billed the first event:

Fran Brill and Zoe in person!

Jim Henson & Friends:
Inside the Sesame Street VaultVarious dates, Various directors, USA, 83 min.

This super-entertaining program highlights the contributions of Jim Henson and his early Sesame Street collaborators, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Fran Brill, and Caroll Spinney. In addition to old favorites, there are some extremely rare clips from specials and guest appearances on other television programs. Beta SP video.
--description courtesy of the Jim Henson Legacy

Emmy Award-winning puppeteer, actress, and voice-over performer Fran Brill will host the program on Sunday, November 14, accompanied by Zoe, her signature Muppet character.

Barbara Scharres, the Director of Programming at the Gene Siskel Film Center, took to the podium at 7:30pm. She began by introducing Fran Brill and listing her credentials from her amazing body of work. It was a wonderful introduction for a wonderful lady.

Fran Brill was simply glowing as she approached the podium to introduce herself and what the audience was about to see. She briefly gave some context to Sesame Street and setting up the first clip that would allow fans to get a glimpse of Sesame’s humble beginnings.

1969 – “The Ed Sullivan Show”

Clip was in color at screening.

Kermit and Grover appeared six months after the first season off Sesame Street aired. Kermit is playing a piano and singing, “What kind of Fool Am I?” Grover enters and does his classic, “Hey, froggy!” and slap. Kermit will not let Grover sing, so instead Grover pulls out a banjo. Finally, after an exasperated frog has had enough of Grover’s antics and calling Grover a “furry dumb dumb,” Kermit lets him sing. Grover calls in more Muppet monsters to help.

Fran came back up to the podium while the audience laughed. Commenting on how we were laughing at the odd amount of time Ed Sullivan shook Jim’s hand. She explained that Jim and Frank were probably the funniest duo of puppeteers, with Frank being the catalyst. She mentioned that Jim and Frank were great on set, but they didn’t really socialize outside of it.


“The Dick Cavett Show”
Ernie and Bert start off trying to look and act cool for the show. Ernie has convinced Bert that in Hollywood, everyone talks and looks a certain way, much to Bert’s reluctance. Dick Cavett enters and Bert begins talk in a very ridiculous fashion, using the same words that Kermit did as an agent in The Muppets Take Manhattan. Ernie, meanwhile, is quiet and slowly taking off the silly clothes. Dick wonders what is going on, and Ernie, much to Bert’s chagrin, looks quite normal.

Grover gets to help Dick with the lead in to the commercial. Grover, who can’t seem to see to cue cards, has the cue card man bring them closer. Even though they are close, Dick wonders why Grover can’t read them. Grover admits he can’t read. Dick helps him successfully make the lead in. Oscar the Grouch also gets to help with a lead in. Oscar just wanted to get to the trash on the show and wonders where the commercials are.

Dick then has a conversation with Carroll Spinney, still in his Big Bird legs, Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Jerry Nelson. Dick wonders if Carroll only got the job as Big Bird because of his legs. Jim then explains about Anything Muppets and Jim, Frank, and Jerry perform the song, “My Favorite Letter P.” (Available on SesameStreet.org.) This clip actually had a side-by-side comparison of the recorded segment and the live performance.

1970 – “The Flip Wilson Show”
Big Bird makes an appearance as a guest star and performs the song “ABC-DEF-GHI” with Flip Wilson.


1970 – Bob Hope Christmas Special
Big Bird makes an appearance and of course makes a crack at Bob’s nose. Bob wonders what kind of birds are Big Bird’s parents and what that makes Big Bird. Big responds with, “A chicken with a gland problem.”


1985 – Night of 100 Stars
Big Bird sings a song with Carol Channing.

1973 – “Julie on Sesame Street”
Julie Andrews did special with the Sesame Street characters. It was filmed in London and you could tell that a replica set because of the raised curbs. The real set did not have real curbs, they were painted on. Highlights include Kermit and Julie singing “Bein’ Green” and Biff, Ernie, Bert, and Julie performing hilarious versions of “Fugue for Tinhorns” from Guys and Dolls, with a great ending, and “Big Spender” from Sweet Charity with Cookie Monster almost devouring Julie.

Hollywood Squares
Big Bird and Oscar both appear as the secret square, though at different times. Someone asks what kind of bird he is and Big responds with, “I’m a Lark!”

“What’s My Line”
Big Bird appears as a guest.


“Family Food” with Richard Dawson
The Hungry family from Twin Forks, South Dakota appears on the show. (Available on YouTube.)


1984 – “Out to Lunch”
The Electric Company and Sesame Street take over ABC while the news anchors are out to lunch. The special included Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, and Carol Burnett (who also happened to be on lunch break). This contained a great Grover and Kermit sketch. Grover unwittingly is supposed to jump the Grand Canyon, as Grover Knover, on a motorcycle and turns it around on Kermit, who ends up plummeting to the bottom. It also included The Nighty Night Show where Cookie Monster plays Johnny Carson and Guy Smiley plays Ed McMahon.

1975 – “Johnny Carson”
Kermit and Jim Henson as guests.


1976 – “The Dinah Shore Show”
Jim and Frank are guests. Dinah asks if Frank is funny and Jim responds with, “As a man, he’s not that funny.” Jim recognizes though that Frank is a hilarious puppeteer. Jim then brings out Kermit and they chat. Frank brings out Grover and they discuss the Grover and Kermit relationship with the classic, “Hey froggy!” and slap to Kermit’s back. Kermit also says it's his 21st birthday and Grover did not get him anything. Grover asks Kermit what he wants and it can be anything. Kermit asks for Grover not to slap him on the back anymore. Grover responds with that is a very big request!

Fran then took to the podium again and explained the idea of Muppet inserts on Sesame Street. She said that they would try to film four inserts in one day, which was not a lot. Especially with Frank being somewhat of a perfectionist, they could do many takes, taking up a lot of time. And when Frank said it was the “Do or Die” take, that meant the absolutely last one. What followed was a series of classic inserts.

Episode #0279 – “Fish in the Cowboy Hat” Ernie and Bert
Episode #0494 – “Beat the Time” Cookie Monster, Guy Smiley
Episode #3594 – “Oklahoma!” Kermit, Forgetful Jones
The Sesame Street Special – Robert MacNeil, Kermit as an attorney, and Cookie Monster
Episode #2538 – “Captain Vegetable” Eddie, Andy, Captain Vegetable
Episode #2797 – “Exercise” – Betty Lou, Grover, four Anything Muppets
This clip showed behind the scenes footage of Fran Brill and Richard Hunt puppeteering. Richard was doing Grover.
Exercise #2773 – “The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree” Ernie, Honkers, Dingers
The clip also featured behind the scenes footage of the puppeteers.

1976 – “Mike Douglas Show”

Kermit sings a “new” song for the time, “A Song From Kermit.” Dom DeLuise also appeared on the show. After Kermit’s song, Dom promptly wipes Kermit’s mouth clean with a handkerchief and then tickles him. He also tries to give Kermit some water while the end credits are scrolling.

After the compilation of videos finished, Fran came back up for a Q&A session. She explained how she got started with Jim Henson while he was looking for puppeteers for the Ed Sullivan Show Christmas Special and how she and Richard Hunt went through training together. She answered a question about the difference between Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, and how the characters –with the exception of Kermit – did not cross over shows. She explained Zoe’s origins and then much to everyone’s excitement, took out Zoe!

Zoe answered some questions as well, with the help of Fran. After some more Q&A, Barbara Scharres informed the audience that Fran would be out in the lobby to take pictures and cut the cake!

Yes, there was a reception with cake afterwards hosted by the Chicago Reader! But not just any cake. A three-tiered cake adorned with Sesame Street characters including Grover, Ernie, Bert, Oscar, Big Bird, Count von Count, Elmo, and Cookie Monster. It was delicious. Oh yes, and there was sparkling wine.

Fran and Zoe cut the cake, with a little help. Zoe mentioned her favorite flavor of cake was chocolate and hoped the first layer was chocolate (which was actually the last layer!). After cutting the cake, Fran and Zoe took pictures and chatted with anyone who was still around, including Ryan and myself.

It was a great night lasting an impressive four hours. Fran Brill was an extraordinary speaker with an astonishing story and talent. But that was not the end of the wonderful world of Fran Brill – the fun would continue the next day!







The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

Interview with Legendary Sesame Street Muppeteer Fran Brill

Ryan Dosier - Greetings, Muppet fans! We have an extremely exciting post for you today! This past weekend I was in Chicago, Illinois at the Gene Siskel Film Center for the kick-off weekend of their third annual "Muppet Magic" series of film screenings, this year entitled "More Muppet Magic." I arrived in the city on Saturday for the screening of "Jim Henson & Friends," a collection of a bunch of extremely rare clips that highlighted the Sesame Street career of Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, and more. On Sunday I got to see "Sesame Street at 40" (even though it's 41), an awesome retrospective of the cast, both human and Muppet, and some great, rarely seen moments from the show. My friend Danny Beckwith (whom I had the pleasure of meeting and spending some time with at both screenings) will have a few articles discussing these screenings for The Muppet Mindset sometime soon!

But the real highlight of both days was the fact that both screenings were being hosted by legendary Sesame Street Muppeteer Fran Brill, performer of both Zoe and Prairie Dawn, and the first female puppeteer hired by Jim Henson to work on Sesame Street--and Fran also brought Zoe!! This alone would have been hugely exciting, but I have been in touch with Fran since October last year and we've been trying to do an interview together but it has just never panned out... until now! Yes, Fran, being the unbelievably nice lady she is, agreed to do a live interview with me right then and there before Sunday's screening! I could sit here for an hour or more and tell you how incredible Fran is... but instead, you should just listen to it in both parts of our amazing audio interview with the legendary, the amazing, the awesome Fran Brill!!

I'd just like to thank Fran from the bottom of my heart for doing taking the time to do this incredible interview with me and for being so incredibly friendly and wonderful this weekend. Fran, if you read this, tell Zoe I say hello--and I'll have to say hello to who you told me to say hello to a little later than I thought... but it'll still happen soon enough!

Thanks again to Fran Brill for the wonderful interview!

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

News Update: November 8, 2010

NEWS UPDATE: November 8, 2010

Ryan Dosier (yours truly) is featured heavily on the latest episode of The MuppetCast, Show #181. The show features Ryan, Joe Hennes, Ryan Roe (of ToughPigs), and Steve Swanson (of The MuppetCast) just having a friendly Muppet fan chat about recent Muppet news. We have a whole lot of fun with it (probably too much fun) and Joe and I's animosity toward each other gets set aside for the good of the Muppet fan community. You're welcome.

Muppet Sherlock Holmes #3 is due out this Wednesday, November 10. Our good friends over at ToughPigs have a 5-page preview (as always... lucky ducks) and it looks... well, it looks just like the previous two issues except this time we've got a role for the one Muppet character Amy Mebberson has trouble drawing--Pepe! But still, it looks good.

Fran Brill and Zoe will be appearing in Chicago, Illinois at the Siskel Film Center this weekend, November 13th and 14th presenting two Sesame Street screenings: Sesame Street at 40: Milestones on the Street and Jim Henson & Friends: Inside the Sesame Street Vault. Fran and Zoe will be hosting the two screenings and presumably signing autographs or taking pictures or something. The two screenings are presented courtesy of The Jim Henson Legacy. Ryan Dosier will be in attendance at both screenings, so if you are in the greater Chicago area, or feel like traveling to see Zoe, let us know or be sure to say hi when you see Ryan! For more information, check out the Siskel Film Center's website.

Since it's been so long since we've had one of these News Updates, The Muppet Mindset hasn't been keeping you up to date on the latest rumors about celebrities appearing in the upcoming Muppet movie. Well... here's a quick list for you to acquaint yourself with:

• Jason Segel - Obviously. He's writing and starring in it, playing Gary, roommate of new Muppet (and representative of every Muppet fan ever), Walter.
• Zach Galifinakis - Star of the 2009 hit comedy The Hangover and the recent 2010 movie Due Date with Robert Downey, Jr. In fact, Robert Downey, Jr. is the one who told E! Online that Galifniakis will be in the movie. How awesome is that?
• Amy Adams - Star of Disney's Enchanted, and said to be playing a love-interest of Segel in the film, Adams has been rumored for quite some time, but was finally confirmed in a brief blurb in the new spread in Entertainment Weekly.
• Chris Cooper - Best known for roles in American Beauty and The Bourne Identity, Cooper was also confirmed by the Entertainment Weekly article and is said to be playing the film's villain. Me likes. A lot.
• Rashida Jones - Well known for her starring role in NBC's Parks and Recreation along with starring with Jason Segel and Paul Rudd in I Love You, Man, Jones has been confirmed by an inside source of mine. Rumor has it that she'll be playing a network executive--and she's awesome and adorable and I approve.
• Michael Cera - Arguably the best-known rumored celeb for the movie, Cera has had many famous roles including performances in Juno, Superbad, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This info comes from News in Film which links to some site as a source that's really weird... but the article claims that Cera would provide the voice for Walter, the newest Muppet. If this is true, I could definitely see Cera's voice coming out of Walter... I just don't know yet how I feel about a non-Muppeteer doing it.
• Alan Arkin - Probably the second most well-known rumored celeb... Arkin is one of only two of these celebs to have won an Oscar (Chris Cooper being the other). Arkin guest starred on The Muppet Show and starred in Little Miss Sunshine. He's an incredible actor and I severely hope that this casting rumor is true. His rumored role is that of a Muppet Theater tour guide.

Those are all the celebrities officially rumored so far. There are other names that have been dropped (such as George Clooney and Ben Stiller in the casting call for the movie) but those have not been confirmed or solidified whatsoever. I for one remain ridiculously excited for this project and can't wait to see all of the talent that gets attached to this. And my fingers are starting to hurt because they're crossed so hard for Neil Patrick Harris to be in this thing.

The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier