My Unfinished Thoughts on Sid & Marty Krofft

I often write about Jim Henson and/or his work with the Muppets, or other projects of his from on this blog - but can I help it? The man is my biggest hero; he's one of the reasons I was inspired to become a puppeteer. That isn't to say that he's my only inspirational hero, though. There have been other noteworthy puppeteers whose influence has rubbed off on me - such as ventriloquist Shari Lewis: that's such an amazing skill, and a tough one to master at that. But perhaps the ones who have been a significant amount of inspiration on me are the ones who practically owned Saturday Morning TV in the 70s and 80s with their psychedelic worlds of strangers in strange lands befriending all sorts of wacky foam rubber creatures, while always thwarting off some outlandish villain in heavy make-up.

I am referring, of course, to Sid & Marty Krofft.

Walt Disney always said to put your name on top of what
you produce.

As much as I admire Jim Henson for what he's done with the art of puppetry, I admire the Kroffts for not only that, but also for their consistent and protective business practises as well (well . . . evidently, Marty is the one with a knack for business; Sid, not so much): as independent producers who worked tirelessly to keep their enterprise afloat with meager budgets that didn't even begin to cover the costs for their lavish sets and life-sized foam rubber creatures, the Kroffts are really the poster boys for artistic entrepreneurs. Taking advice from Walt Disney himself, the Kroffts never sold out to bigger conglomerate corporations (lookin' at you, Jim Henson Company), never sold off their intellectual properties (still lookin' at you, Henson Company), and managed to hold onto everything they ever created over their decades-spanning careers (my eyes haven't left, JHC). This is why the Kroffts are among my biggest heroes: they're savvy enough to make sure that nobody out there takes anything away from them, and remain very protective of what they've created . . . something that Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman learned the hard way after they sold the Alvin and The Chipmunks franchise to Universal Studios in the 90s. While much of what I've done to craft my puppetry comes from Henson, much of my business sense (or, what little sense I've been able to make of business) most definitely comes from Krofft - whatever I create, I intend to hold onto for dear life.

With dozens of shows, a number of specials, and even an odd number of movies under their belts, the Kroffts were recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th Daytime Emmy's this year!

If you can believe it, Sid & Marty Krofft are back in action! Just when you think they'd be spending time kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying the fruits of their labor from years past (Marty has said if you retire, and stay home watching daytime television, you'd be dead within a month), the Kroffts have brought in a surge of new projects, from their successful preschool series on Nick Jr. MUTT & STUFF, to digital reboots of SIGMUND AND THE SEAMONSTERS and ELECTRAWOMAN & DYNAGIRL, the Kroffts are certainly beginning to leave a mark on a new generations of fans to enjoy!

Not just ElectraWoman & DynaGirl . . . this is ElectraWoman & DynaGirl -
ON STEROIDS!

Granted, I haven't seen much of their new work - aside from seeing a number of episodes of MUTT & STUFF on Nick Jr., their reboots of SIGMUND AND THE SEAMONSTERS and ELECTRAWOMAN & DYNAGIRL are on platforms I don't have access to, so all I've been able to see of these are online clips, trailers, promos, and what have you. From what I've seen, it's absolutely amazing to see what the Kroffts can do when they actually have budgets to work with! If you know your Krofft history like I do, their shows from the 70s were almost always over budgeted . . . I don't think networks realize that puppetry is not an inexpensive art form - and while the networks would budget the Kroffts' shows for a few thousand dollars, it actually took a few million to create their expansive puppets, costumes, sets, props, and everything else. This time, however, that doesn't appear to be the case. In fact, looking at examples of the Kroffts' recent outings, the difference is quite startling: the production values look almost cinematic, and the puppets and suits almost look like something you would except to see from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. It's almost as if the Kroffts broke free from the confines of limitations and stomped them into the ground.

A magical world of flat, cardboard scenery

With that being said however, I'm also sensing a feeling that what the Kroffts are gaining in budgets and advances in technology, they're losing in charm. Both Sid and Marty have joked that back in the day, the networks would see how much they could produce for as little money as possible, and as a result, if there's one thing that their previous shows are known for is their campiness: through all the limitations the Kroffts had to work through, we got show after show after show after show with sets looking like they were made out of painted cardboard; stiff-looking characters with mouths that didn't necessarily hit each syllable properly, or large googly eyes that had no focus; not to mention the primitive, low-quality video tape recording. Nevertheless, the World of Sid & Marty Krofft was something people hadn't ever seen before, so it can definitely be argued that it was those limitations, small budgets, and campiness that gave Krofft shows their charm - because what they lacked in financial stability, they made up for with adventurous stories, engaging plots, unique premises, and wacky, yet lovable characters.

This isn't unlike what I wrote about a few years ago, about how puppets are now being built so perfectly and flawlessly that they're actually becoming cold and artificial in the process.

But to reiterate, one of the main reasons for the Kroffts' campy look of the 70s and even into the 80s was meager budgets handed out by the networks. Now that we're seeing what the Kroffts can do when they have actual budgets to work with, who knows? Perhaps if they had this kind of financial backing way back when, this could be what Krofft shows were meant to look like all along. As I said, there's certainly a very grand, cinematic scope to their current work that was lacking from their older work (with, perhaps, H.R. PUFNSTUF being an exception, considering it was shot on film as opposed to video tape). Clearly, these aren't the Krofft shows of previous generations . . . but again, the Kroffts are garnering all new generations of fans now that they're back in action, and it's wonderful to see they're still going strong after nearly six decades of psychedelic and magical adventures in puppetry and live action; who knows where all this may lead them in years to come?

And again, after those six decades of Krofft magic, they more than deserved their Lifetime Achievement Award!

Advances in Puppet Building: Are They TOO Perfect Now?

Trust me, these are not good puppets . . . and they're available at a Christian bookstore near you!

To be perfectly honest, I know that when it comes to puppetry, the actual building process is really one of my biggest weaknesses: I can perform a puppet, and I can certainly design a puppet, but to actually build one just isn't quite forte. However, I know good and bad puppets when I see them; we've certainly come a long way in the last sixty years or so in terms of puppet building: techniques and methods have improved and advanced, and in doing so, puppets can be built in ways that are absolutely pristine and flawless . . . perfect, even! But. . . . are puppets, perhaps, built a little too perfect now?

 

Showing how the Henson Stitch minimizes the appearance of seams on a puppet.

Before we get into that, we need to go over a little history lesson. When Jim Henson was bringing his Muppets into the world back in the 1950s, he wasn't just creating a bunch of wacky and goofy characters that we would come to love and adore, but rather, he was completely transforming the art of puppetry as we knew it: the true innovator that he was, Jim was pioneering a completely new style of puppetry that drew on earlier inspiriation from other styles of puppetry, combining them in ways to make puppets work better in many ways, especially the way they could be seen on film and television (the latter of which was also relatively new at the time). When being seen on television, a key to the Muppets' belief is that they appear as lifelike as possible; but they're puppets, so how is that possible? Remember, Jim was an innovator and pioneer: he developed methods of constructing and building puppets that minimized visible flaws and imperfections to help hide the fact they're puppets. One of the most talked about method of puppet construction that Jim developed is what's called "the Henson Stitch," this is a sewing technique that involves sewing into the edges of the fleece covering - it's a very painstaking method, but by sewing like this, you minimize the appearance of the seams. Of course, it also helps to have the right fabric as well: most professional puppet builders prefer to use a special kind of fleece known as Antron: Antron is a particularly fuzzy and frizzy fleece, so even after sewing, the fuzz of the fleece can be brushed over the seams to further minimize their appearance. In short: the fuzzier the fleece, the less likely you'll see seams.

 

Puppet builder extraordinare, Don Sahlin, gluing a foam pattern to create a puppet skull.

But building puppets is more than just sewing pieces of fleece together, you have to create an inner shell before you do anything else: this is what gives the puppet its shape, it's essentially the skeleton of the puppet, and the fleece is the skin. There are many different methods and techniques to putting together a foam skeleton, whether you cut patterns from half-inch to inch-thick pieces of foam and glue them together for simpler puppets, to carving and sculpting from giant blocks of foam for puppets that have more distinct shape to them. Much like sewing fleece, putting together the foam skeleton can also be a painstaking process that requires a keen eye and attention to detail, otherwise, you could end up with a lopsided, misshapen mass of foam rubber.

 

Aah! Visible arm rods! My face is melting!

As the old saying goes, "practice makes perfect." Puppets have been built in these ways for the better part of the past sixty years, so it's only natural that over that span of time, not only would these techniques improve, but others would be developed to help further make building puppets even better. Jim Henson didn't just create a new way of building puppets alone, his apprentices carried on and in time also developed and introduced additional techniques since the inception of the Muppets, and as they spread, even more people can find ways to improve on these techniques. Nowhere is that more evident than the Muppets themselves, the true modern pioneers of an ancient artform, and with the Muppets now back in mainstream media after a lengthy bout of somehow obscurity, more than a few people are taking notice: the Muppets certainly look different than they did before. Obviously, the main reason is because since Disney now owns the characters, the Jim Henson Company no longer builds the puppets, but rather, a company known as Puppet Heap does; the Henson Company does still build the SESAME STREET Muppets. As mentioned above, a key to building puppets it to make them seem as lifelike as possible, but even though it's always been a painstaking process, it seems to have become even moreso in recent years; it's not just advancements made in building techniques, but advancements in production technology is also playing a factor. One of the first things you may notice about newer Muppet productions is a serious lack of rods. How can this be? Puppet hands and arms are operated by rods, so how can they disappear? Digitally. As opposed to the older days of 35mm film and videotape, in this day of high definiton, more and more details are being picked up by cameras, and as a result, rods that were once barely visible on screen are now so much so that they need to be digitally erased in post. And again, because HD gets so much detail, one has to go to great lengths in building puppets to ensure seams are invisible. While this certainly shows what a long way we've come since the days of Jim Henson and Don Sahlin, somehow, something seems off about the entire process.

 

Fozzie's evolution from Muppet to . . . plush toy?

The benefit of the doubt could be that we haven't seen too many Muppet projects between the time of the Disney purchase in 2004 to THE MUPPETS smashing through the silver screen in 2011, but since then, many people have been talking about how "different" the characters look now. A combination in the evolution of puppet building and the advancements of production technology is resulting in pristine, flawless-looking puppets . . . but as much as they've gained in building techniques, something else in being lost at the same time. In a sense, the more they try to make puppets look as lifelike as possible, the more artificial they appear to be looking in this day and age. One common complaint I've been seeing lately is that Fozzie Bear no longer looks like a Muppet, and looks more like a teddy bear, or a plush toy - part of the problem is because certain furs and fabrics are hard to come by, and in many cases are no longer being made or are no longer available.

 

An older Anything Muppet with visible seams.

Hey there, handsome stranger!

In going to great lengths to improve the appearances of puppets on film and television, much of the puppets' charm is being lost at the same time. Building puppets to look good on film and television has always been a major facet of the entire artform, but what really makes or breaks the character is the performance: whether you have a beautifully crafted puppet, or an ugly mess put together with tape and chewing gum, it's all about the personality, and the life that's breathed into the character from the puppeteer performing it. Nowhere is that more evident than the number one frog himself, Kermit: as most people know, Kermit was not a frog when he was first created in 1955, he was simply an abstract character; he wasn't built using professional materials or high-quality fabrics - he was built from an old spring coat, and his eyes were made from a ping pong ball that was cut in half. In spite of the simplistic materials used to create the original Kermit, the personality was still intact, whether sitting on a wall and eating worms that turn out to be the noses of large monsters, or donning a little wig and lip-syncing to popular novelty records, this little vaguely lizard-like character was oozing with personality, which is what a puppet really needs in order to engage and appeal to audiences. Back in the 60s and 70s when the Muppets were really starting to find their footing, obviously they weren't perfect: sometimes heads were lopsided, sometimes fleece wasn't smooth, sometimes features were crooked or misshapen . . . but again, these characters had such wonderful and great personalities that you still loved them irregardless - it's similar to how Rocky and Bullwinkle had such incredibly smart and witty writing that the humor was enough to win you over the incredibly limited and lackluster animation. So what if you could see a rod here and there? So what if maybe a certain puppet was built in a hurry and you saw seams? There was still a warmth and realness to these characters just the same. In this day and age with puppets looking so pristine and flawless, while their endearing personalities are still intact, they're still losing that warmth and edge that they once had, making them seem a little cold and impersonal. I've said it before that sometimes advances in technology aren't necessarily so advance . . . could the same be said for puppets? Could the advances in puppet building actually be doing more harm than good? I think it's up for debate, from speaking for myself (from two perspectives: as a puppeteer and a puppetry afficianado in general) and other fans out there, I think perhaps the good is a little less.

 

Fleecy, pilly Bert, or silky smooth Bert? You be the judge.

 

You Never Know What You'll Find on eBay

Let's face it, eBay is a fascinating website (at least, it used to be, before it became Paypal exclusive): whatever you may be looking for in the way of forgotten old treasures, eBay was the place to look for them, and at the same time, you never really knew what you might have turned up when browsing through the site.

 

Every once in a while, however, there will be some kind of joker who tries to sell off really odd and unusual items on eBay, such as a piece of toast with Jesus' face on it, or a teenaged girl selling her virginity...

 

But this really is something you have to see to believe: some joker on eBay is selling what he claims to be actual Muppet puppets that were used by Jim Hanson [sic] and Fronk [sic] Oz on SESAME STREET, and that they were given to him by the former vice president of PBS... so, are they for real? I don't know, you tell me...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, well, this right here must prove that these things are legit!

 

What do I think of these?

 

 

My only guess is that puppet builder, Don Sahlin, was in a hurry and in a bad mood that day.

'P' is for Puppet

I happened onto this rather interesting little article/interview with Cheryl Henson, about some of the stigmas that seem to be placed on puppeteers about their work,  some of the same kind of "stock" responses they get from people when they're told what they do, and even why some don't even like the term, "Puppeteer" (in fact, in reading Jim Henson: The Biography, I learned Henson himself disliked the term, "Muppeteer", and prefered to refer to himself, and his colleagues, as "Muppet Performers").

 

'P' is for Puppet: It's Good Enough for Me by Leslie Strongwater

 

You can read it for yourself, but I have to be honest, I've actually been on the receiving end of some of these stigmas myself, such as... why is AVENUE Q the go-to puppetry reference people seem to keep dropping? And, in my own, honest, humble opinion, for a puppeteer to do children's birthday parties is pretty much the puppetry equivilant of working in fast food if you're trying to climb the corporate ladder.



Muppets at the Smithsonian

If you ask me, this is something that's been long overdue, but to coincide with what would have been Jim Henson's 77th birthday yesterday, as well as the release of the whoppin' new 600-page biography book, over twenty Muppet characters from SESAME STREET, THE MUPPET SHOW, and FRAGGLE ROCK have been donated by the Jim Henson Company to the Smithsonian (where the original SAM AND FRIENDS Muppets already reside).

If I ever had reasons for wanting to visit the Smithsonian, this is definitely the one, I would love to be able to see these first hand sometime, they all look to be in pretty good shape considering their age, despite some obvious wear and tear. You know what's really scary? I can almost pretty much pinpoint about what time period some of these came from (Ernie, Bert, and Elmo are definitely from the 1980s).

Miss Piggy in all her radient glory!

Two of my favorite monsters!

Ernie wouldn't go live at the Smithsonian without Rubber Ducky

Ol' buddy Bert!

It's time to play the music/it's time to light the lights/it's time to meet the Muppets on THE MUPPET SHOW tonight!

Fran Brill with Prairie Dawn!

Thank you Cheryl Henson for donating these to the Smithsonian!

Wish I was as close as this guy got! Wonder if he took that photo of Bert above?

My Mind Was Not Blown

So, BuzzFeed just published an article called 25 FACTS AND TIDBITS ABOUT THE MUPPETS THAT MIGHT BLOW YOUR MIND, however, as I was reading the article, I found that my mind was NOT blown. Why? Because I pretty much already know a lot of this stuff, that's why.

But anyway, interesting little read nonetheless. See for yourself:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/25-facts-and-tidbits-about-the-muppets-that-might-blow-your

My Unfinished Thoughts on THE CUBE

Promotional ad for THE CUBE

If you're a devoted fan of Jim Henson, like I am, then you're probably familiar with, or at the very least have heard about one of his earliest television ventures, a special entitled THE CUBE.

For those who aren't as familiar with Henson's work outside of the Muppets, THE CUBE was an "experimental" television special for NBC in early 1969, that really put the "mental" in "experimental"; in a nutshell, the hour-long special was about a man trapped inside a containment known simply as "the cube".

Again, that's basically the plot in a nutshell, you have to really see this thing in order to really get an idea of just what's it about... that, and it also helps to read some summaries for a better understanding. THE CUBE focuses on a man, simply identified as "The Man in The Cube", played by character actor Richard "Dick" Schaal, who is imprisoned inside a cubical room that's composed of grids of white rectangles, he has no idea why he's in there, but he desperately wants to get out, even though apparently he can't.

I managed to finally see this special, in its entirety, earlier in the week, thanks to a posting on YouTube (excerpts have been available on the official Jim Henson Company YouTube channel for quite some time), it's really interesting to see one of Jim's rare earlier works, and one of his even rarer works that feature absolutely no puppetry whatsoever. One thing to start of with, is that this special seemed quite ahead of its time - there's actually quite a bit of swearing throughout the special... now, I know there's a number of people out there who have this idea of Jim Henson being a saintly fellow who would never allow such obscenities in his work, but that's a bit of a stretch (let us not forget this little verse from the "Happiness Hotel" song - "Still the management is cheerful, though the whole joint's gone to hell") - I'm not surprised so much that there's swearing in a Henson production, I'm just surprised he got away with it in 1969, when Practices and Standards were still observed, and such language really wasn't the norm until the early 1970s, when shows like ALL IN THE FAMILY came into vogue and paved the way for edgier television.

But, I digress, I find this special to be highly disturbing. I don't mean that it's disturbing to watch, but rather, the whole story itself is disturbing... both Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl (who not surprisingly co-wrote the special) really captured human anxiety really well: you feel just as frustrated and confused as the Man does whenever he's continually visited by an array of really bizarre and eccentric characters, ranging from an unnamed owner/manager and a maintenence worker named Arnie who provide him with advice that is of no help to him whatsoever, to Gestapo officers who place him under arrest, to hippy musicians who sing about containment and death, to a black man who dislikes the cube for how "white" it is, to a young woman who transform into an old hag while ragging about not trusting people, to an escaped prisoner of another cube who had obviously become institutionalized to his own cube (though he turned out to be an actor hired by the aforementioned unnamed manager) to even a monk whose spiritual advice offers no guidence at. All the while, the Man grows more and more desperate to get out of the cube, and like feeling his frustration and confusion, you also feel his desperation, and as much as he wants to get out of the cube, that's how much you want him to get out of the cube.

Behind-the-scenes, with Jim directing. Note co-writer Jerry Juhl in the background.

So, what exactly is this special all about? It's kind of explained in the twisted ending of the special, of which I won't spoil, but if you read summaries and descriptions of the special (remember when I suggested you do that?), the underlying message of the special is that apparently, The Man in The Cube isn't really trapped at all, he just THINKS that he is... in other words, he's not trapped in reality, he's trapped in his mind. Like I said, this really puts "mental" in experimental.

Both Jerry Nelson and Jerry Juhl make onscreen cameos in the special as well.

Check it out for yourself, and see what you think of it:

Jane Henson Has Cancer **UPDATE*

I was rather saddened to hear this, but as of yesterday, it was revealed by Cheryl Henson, via Facebook, that her mother, Jane, has been diagnosed with cancer.

Even sadder still is from the looks of things, Mrs. Henson is not doing too awful well right now, aside from still retaining a high spirit.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Jane, as well as the Henson family.

 

UPDATE APRIL 2, 2013: Well, unfortunately, it would appear that Ms. Henson has succumbed to her cancer, as she has passed on today. Sad loss, really sad.

The Muppets (2011) Review

Fore word

It's been a long time coming: The Walt Disney Company has had the Muppets in their possession since 2004, and the way they have handled the franchise has been anything but satisfying, but then again, what do you expect? It's another example of those Hollywood Horror Stories of these big conglomerate companies buying out the smaller guys for the sake of ownership, with little to no intentions of actually doing anything with them. Until now, under Disney's leadership, all we had gotten was a TV movie (The Muppets' Wizard of Oz in 2005) and a TV special (The Muppets' Letters to Santa in 2008), and countless other projects shelved... in fact, knowing Disney's history of shelving Muppet projects, I was doubtful that this movie would ever actually happen, so I was rully [sic] excited that this movie was indeed for real... but then I grew nervous when I read about who was in charge.

Now, I'm familiar with Jason Segel's work, and usually, his sense of humor is filthy. I know that's what comedy as a genre is mostly like nowadays, but the Muppets' brand of humor was always above that: even when the Muppets' edge got "dark" and "black", it was never done in tastelessness, so I was apprehensive about how this movie would turn out, even as I read numerous different production notes that made it sound like Segel basically wrote another one of his, "I wrote this thinking what would I do if this happened to me," kind of scenarios... which was funny back in the day of Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks, but not so much today. Even the story that Disney basically accepted the script written by Segel spoke volumes to me about just how much Disney really cared about the having the Muppets in their possession. So basically, I was excited, but nervous... I knew I had to see the movie for myself and see how it would turn out.

The Movie

I was either six or seven when I saw the Muppets in the theater for the first, and seemingly only time when I saw Muppet Treasure Island in 1996 (I even remember shouting out, "Hi Kermit!" at the screen when that classic Jim Henson Pictures logo opened the movie), so this was quite an experience to be able to see them in a theater again, even if I am all grown up, and in some cases, considered "too old" for the Muppets... but hey, who said you're too old for the Muppets? Jim Henson strived to make sure puppets weren't just for little kids, but for adults as well, that was the whole point of the Muppets... and it's nice to actually witness that I wasn't the only one who caught on with Jim's idea, as there was a surprisingly larger number of adults in the theater than there were kids... in fact, the theater was packed, and I think I only saw like maybe a couple of handfuls of kids. So, after sitting through like nearly an hour of previews, trailers, AND COMMERCIALS (I'm still surprised that we're watching commercials in the movie theaters now), the movie finally began. The first thing we're introduced to as a montage of home movies and flashbacks of two brothers growing up, who end up becoming the biggest Muppet fans in Smalltown (population 102), one brother, Gary (Segel) is human, the other brother, Walter (Peter Linz) is Muppet. Gary and Walter wake up the morning of a big trip to Los Angeles in celebration of Gary and his girlfriend Mary's (Amy Adams Still Being A Redhead Right Now Which Makes Her Look Like Jenna Fischer And I Keep Mixing Them Up) tenth anniversary (yeah, there's some serious commitment there, eh). Walter asks Gary to send him a postcard from the Muppet Studios, though Gary whips out an extra ticket, as the brothers are inseparable, which does put a strain on Gary's relationship with Mary (not to be confused with Mary from Kermit's Swamp Years). The three of them all have their own lists of what they want to do when they get to Los Angeles, but it would seem that all of the things Mary wants to do is pushed aside, the first place the three head to is the old Muppet Studio, which has fallen into a state of disrepair, much to Walter's surprise; during a tour, the guide points out what used to be Kermit the Frog's (Steve Whitmire) old office, and as the tour presses on, Walter sneaks inside to see for himself, in awe of what he finds, such as photos on the walls of Kermit with the various Muppet Show guests (and even a photo of him and Jim Henson), his old banjos, among other things, but suddenly, Walter realizes someone is about to enter the office, so he ducks out of sight, as Statler and Waldorf (Whitmire and Dave Goelz) discuss The Standard Rich and Famous Contract Kermit had signed back in 1979, with wealthy tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), and his associates Bobo the Bear (Bill Barretta) and Uncle Deadly (Matt Vogel), who claims to want to turn the Muppet Studios into a Muppet museum, but once Statler and Waldorf leave, Richman goes over his true intentions with his goons that he's discovered oil underneath the property, and actually plans to demolish the Studio to drill for oil. The only thing that can save the property is if the Muppets raise a million dollars before the contract expires; this freaks Walter out to the point that he literally spends the rest of the night screaming like a girl.

Walter desperately wants the Muppets to raise that money to save the Studio, so he and Gary and Mary start with the most logical place: Kermit's home, where the retired frog expresses his doubts about being able to raise that kind of money in such a short time, since the only way to raise that kind of money would be to put on a show, but he and his old friends haven't seen each other in several, several years. Walter convinces Kermit that he needs to reunite the Muppets and do that show, because the Muppets were known for giving out the third greatest gift ever: laughter (after children, and ice cream). Kermit agrees, and has his 80's Robot maid drive them around to round up the old gang, starting with Fozzie Bear (Eric Jacobson) in Reno, where he's performing with a lackluster tribute band known as "The Moopets"; Kermit talks Fozzie into coming along, especially when Fozzie realizes he really doesn't like performing with The Moopets, and is especially intimidated by the domineering Miss Poogy (David Rudman). Next stop is the Royal Flush plumbing company, as headed by CEO Gonzo the Great (Dave Goelz) who is reluctant at first, but quickly agrees to reunite with his old friends, after Walter tells him that watching his antics made him believe that he could do anything. Animal is even coaxed out of a celebrity anger management rehab facility, where he is sponsored by Jack Black, and has learned to be in control of himself, and to avoid anything having to do with drums. To speed things up, the rest of the roundup is done in the form of a montage: the Electric Mayhem is rounded up while performing in a subway, Sam the American Eagle (Jacobson) is rounded up while serving as a conservative news anchor, Crazy Harry (Vogel) is rounded up from demolishing Mount Rushmore, Scooter (Rudman) is rounded up from his job working for Google, Rowlf the Dog (Barretta) is even rounded up from sleeping in a hammock; just when it seems like the entire Muppet gang is rounded up, Kermit begins making plans for their telethon show, but the fact that Miss Piggy (Jacobson) missing is pointed out. As it turns out, Miss Piggy is now a plus-size fashion editor for Vogue in Paris, France... it's too far to drive to France, so the gang travels "by map" in old cartoon fashion to get to France, where the Muppets have to sneak in to see Piggy by appointment, in the guise of Muppet Man (the Muppets all in disguise as a large man); Piggy refuses to step back into the past, now that she has made a new life for herself in Paris, especially since Kermit never expresses any indication that he alone needs her, it's always about all of them. Needing a replacement for Piggy in the show, the gang reluctantly hires Poogy, and returns to Los Angeles to begin pitching their telethon show.

The problem is, none of the major networks, like FOX, NBC, and even CDE don't want the Muppets, because the Muppets aren't famous anymore, and are no longer a part of pop culture, but when CDE's most popular series, Punch Teacher, has ceased production due to a defamation lawsuit, and the network is left with a huge empty gap in their schedule, the executive, Veronica Martin (Rashida Jones) agrees to let the Muppets do their show, but only if they can get a celebrity host to ensure viewership. Later, the Muppets return to their old Studio, faced with the daunting task of fixing the place up, which seems nearly impossible, until Walter reminds them that they always did such things to music, so with Starship's "We Built This City" blaring in the background, the Muppets work on renovating their theater, with help from Gary, Mary, and Walter. Once the task is complete (or as complete as they possibly can), Kermit works on putting the show together, organizing the acts and numbers, and looking for a celebrity host, but suddenly, Piggy announces her return, only for the show, then afterwards, she's returning to Paris; Poogy informs her she's been replaced, but true to her diva fashion, Piggy lets Poogy know just who the real leading lady is with a swift karate chop to the chest, though Poogy tells them they haven't seen the last of her.

The planning turns out to be somewhat disastrous, the rehearsals are a train wreck, and Kermit has no luck in locating a celebrity host, which frustrates Veronica, who even goes as far to disagree with Kermit's feeling that perhaps he should host since he was a celebrity at one point. The gang continues to spruce up the theater, and tweak the show, and Walter is even invited to be a part of the show, since it was him who made this possible; Gary is happy that Walter is so happy, but Mary feels slighted since her plans for a romantic weekend with Gary have backfired, and her frustrations continue to grow as she carries on with her vacation by sightseeing and such by herself, while Gary and Walter continue to help the Muppets with their show. Time is running out, the show is still not ready, there is still no celebrity host, as the pressure begins to catch up with everyone, especially Kermit, who tries to appeal to Richman's better nature to let them have their old Studio back, but Richman refuses, because after reading over the contract, he realizes that not only will he possess the property where the Studio once stood, but he will also possess the Muppet name, which he plans to handover to his new clients: the Moopets. Like everyone else, Richman drives degradation into the Muppets that they are no longer significant, that the world has moved on, and that nobody cares about them anymore, which really dampens Kermit's spirit, as he gives up. Piggy decides to take charge, and comes up with a plan to nab a celebrity host: they partake in a black op to kidnap Jack Black from his trailer, much to Kermit's surprise, as they work feverishly to continue with the show, all the while Gary finally realizes that he's neglected the fact that he and Mary came to Los Angeles to celebrate their tenth anniversary, but when he returns to the motel to apologize to her, he finds that she has already gone home, leaving him a note asking him if he's a man, or a muppet. Both Gary and Walter search themselves, where Gary realizes that he is a man (a Muppet of a man), and Walter realizes he's a Muppet (a manly Muppet).

With time about to run out, the Muppets are finally ready to put on their show, but there are still some minor problems, such as having to hogtie a resistant Jack Black to a chair the entire time, having an audience consisting only of Hobo Joe (Zack G), Piggy refusing to perform her duet with Kermit and rehearsing with Pepe the King Prawn (Barretta) instead, and Walter lacking confidence in himself to find a talent for his act in the show. The show still goes on, much to the shock of Richman, who sees the broadcast for himself, and plans to sabotage the show at any cost when he sees that the show actually does begin to rake in pledges, and the audience actually increases. Even Mary is uncomfortable watching the program on TV, as she and Gary finally have a romantic dinner back home. The Muppet antics that we all know and love take stage, with Gonzo attempting to head bowl by chucking a bowling ball at the pin on Jack Black's head, only to find his fingers are stuck, to Sam, Rowlf, Link Hogthrob, and Beaker (Whitmire) forming a barbershop quartet to give their host a haircut, shave, and hot towel that literally shrinks his head. Jack even shares the sentiments of Waldorf and Statler, who have also amazingly shown up to see the show, as they sit through more of Fozzie's feeble attempts at stand up comedy, just like he did on The Muppet Show all those years. Even more celebrities suddenly drop by to help with the show by taking in pledges, including Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Neil Patrick Harris, James Carville, and a host of others. Richman and the Moopets arrive at the theater, where they cut the power to the studio, bringing the show to a grinding halt, but all hope is not lost, it would seem a couple of people have snuck in back stage to trip the breakers inside the studio, thus restoring power inside so the show can go on, and it turns out, that couple was Gary and Mary, who returned to Los Angeles from Smalltown via map to help support the show. The show goes on, to Richman's anger, as he decides to ascend to the roof to destroy the building's power antenna, forcing Uncle Deadly along with him, but once on the roof, Deadly finally decides he no longer wants to be a part of Richman's scams and schemes, just because he may have a menacing name on the outside doesn't change the fact that he is still a Muppet on the inside, swiping the wire cutters away and pushing Richman off the antenna (in old comedy fashion, of course). There are still a few problems, nobody can find Walter, and Kermit's duet with Piggy is about to go on, so Kermit hands over hosting duties to a nervous Scooter while he tries to patch things up with Piggy himself, giving Scooter the age-old trick to fight stage fright: just pretend the audience is naked. Just when it seems like Piggy already left for Paris early, a saddened Kermit pulls out his ripped up half of their mock wedding photo from The Muppets Take Manhattan, which pleases Piggy to see he kept it, as she did hers; Kermit finally brings himself to tell Piggy that he really does need her, and asks her if she'll stay, not for everyone else, but for him, to which Piggy agrees, as they go ahead with their solo: a really touching rendition of the classic "Rainbow Connection", which is every bit as heart-tugging and heartwarming as the original version as vocalized by Jim Henson in The Muppet Movie, even so with the rest of the Muppet family joining in, even with Animal on the drums, though he's supposed to avoid drums at all costs to keep in control with his anger management. Back stage, Gary gives Walter a much-needed pep talk about believing in yourself and growing up, and just in time too, as the Muppets see they still have a little extra time in the show, but they have no other acts to go on stage, so while they ponder on what to do next, such as Fozzie performing with his "fart shoes" (whoopee cushions tied to his feet), they suddenly hear a fascinating whistling tune coming from on stage, and discover it's Walter carrying on a solo of "The Whistling Caruso", to which a humble Walter receives a great round of applause, and flowers thrown on stage. All seems to be going great, until the very last minutes, where Richman throws his car into reverse, knocking over the telephone pole outside the studio, cutting off the phone lines in a last-ditch effort to sabotage the show, thus, bringing the total number of pledges in at a mere one dollar short of their million dollar goal.

Richman, bashed up and bruised, runs up on stage and informs them that he has won, that the Muppet Studio and the Muppet name belong to him now, and forces them to evacuate trespassing on private property, as the Muppets, Gary, Mary, and Walter do so reluctantly, even to the disappointment of everyone in the audience. Once out in the lobby, another pep talk ensues, this time as Kermit assures everyone that Richman can have their old Studio, and even their name, but the most important thing is that they have each other again, as a family, and it's all thanks to Walter bringing them back together and believing in them, and if they have to start all over again and work their way back to the stop from scratch, then that's what they'll do, because as long as they have each other, and believe in themselves, they can do anything. Kermit sadly, and reluctant, prepares to leave the Studio for the last time, but is surprised beyond belief to be met with the flash of photography, as literally hundreds of fans have flocked outside the Muppet Studio, all in support of the Muppets, and to express how much they're happy they're back; Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Rowlf, and the rest of the gang are touched to see their fans are still around, as they get the full-on Hollywood royalty treatment, complete with paparazzi-esque photography. Kermit extends his invitation to Walter to join the Muppet family, though Walter isn't sure he fits in, but Gary assures him that he does, and that this is where he belongs; Walter humbly joins in with his new family, as they lift them on their shoulders in celebratory fashion, as the crowds continue to applaud and cheer at the one responsible for bringing the Muppets back together, and bringing tears of joy to Gary's eyes. The mood just wouldn't be complete without the grand finale, a reprise of "Life's a Happy Song" from the beginning of the movie, but even then, the movie isn't quite over yet, during the first little bit of end titles, a rendition of "Mahna Mahna / Lullaby of Birdland" is sung by, who else, Mahna Mahna, the Snowths, and the numerous celebrity cameos, but something even more amazing happens: the Muppets miraculously soften Richman by providing him with that third greatest gift of all, laughter, after Gonzo's fingers finally loosen from the bowling ball, and ends up striking Richman in the gut. In the end, Richman decides to give back full rights to the Muppet Studio and the Muppet name to whom they rightfully belong, and Gary finally makes Mary's wish come true when he asks her to marry him.

Thoughts

Well... where do I begin? I mean, to see the Muppets in theaters for the first time since being a little kid, and to see them being brought back together for the first time in ages gave me such a high, I don't believe there was a single person who left that theater without a smile on their faces, and even some small groups of people I heard off to the side talking shop about the movie in typical Muppet Freak fashion. Walter was brought to life in such an incredible way by Peter Linz, and it was nice to see him have a meaty role for a change after years of background/minor/one-shot character, as well, it was also nice to see the likes of David Rudman and Matt Vogel perform outside Sesame Street for a change, especially since David used to do quite a bit of non-Sesame Muppet work up until the late 90s it seems, but he did fantastically bringing Richard Hunt's characters like Scooter and Janice back to life, and likewise, Matt was excellent as Sgt. Floyd Pepper and Uncle Deadly (though I thought his Lew Zealand was a little off)... and speaking of a little off, I couldn't help but notice it seemed like Eric Jacobson had some trouble keeping Fozzie's voice throughout the movie, but his always astounding performances of Piggy and Animal, and now even Sam the American Eagle make up for it. It was even a real treat to see appearances made by other, lesser known Muppets as well, like Wayne and Wanda, Beautiful Day Monster, Thog, Boppity, Nigel the conductor, and several others as well. I was pleasantly surprised to see Jason Segel take a departure from his traditional filth fare and really capture the essence of the Muppets' brand of humor, so many elements like breaking the fourth and fifth walls, the comic mayhem, and even the concept of traveling by map all brought back the spirit of the Muppets in such a grand way. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, there's a little bad in everything good, and I do have just some very minor quibbles regarding the movie... mainly with the songs. Music and show-stopping numbers have always been a big part of the Muppet universe, and the songs are almost always really terrific with great messages; the songs in this movie may have great messages, but they were all mostly very sappy, the show-stopping numbers were really cheesy, nowhere near as fun as say "Cabin Fever" from Muppet Treasure Island. The story flow was a bit of a roller coaster as well, being really slow and a drag in some spots, to suddenly being rushed through to get on with the plot in others. There were also a couple of notable absences from the movie as far as the Muppet cast goes: Pepe really only had one scene in the movie where he rehearses a duet with Piggy, and Rizzo the Rat was barely seen at all, which is a bit of a bummer, because the bantering between him and Gonzo had become such a big part of the world of the Muppets (though then again, I do have some inside info as to why that possibly is, but I am sworn to secrecy, so I won't tell). I think the final slap in the face was during the end titles where a disclaimer reads "Based on the properties and characters owned by Disney"... that really ticked me off, the LEAST they could have done was instead say "Based on characters developed by Jim Henson", but then again, Disney has been doing a great job (and I mean that sarcastically) at erasing Jim's name from Muppet products over the past few years, but that's show business, unfortunately. Lastly, I was also bothered by the constant use of chroma key, and I don't mean like with special effects like showing Muppet characters dancing in full body and everything, but just the fact that some scenes were simply shot with scenery edited in via chroma key bothers me: I know it's the cheap/economical way to do things in movies now, but it takes away from the warmth of realism of knowing that the characters really are in those settings.

Conclusion

I have to admit it, this movie did, indeed, turn out a lot better than I thought it was going to be; all things considered, I do believe that Jason Segel did do the Muppets a lot of respect and justice, so I give him kudos for that, I'm glad that he didn't ruin this movie with his own filthy sense of humor (though the fart shoes was still a little bit below Muppet standards), and the thrill of seeing the Muppets on the big screen is naturally a great big plus, as it's been such a long time to be able to have such an experience. Admittedly, I was about to fall asleep after 45 minutes of commercials, trailers, and previews, but in the end, it was worth the wait, and I say it's about freakin' time Disney kept one of their promises about the Muppets, and I'm glad they kept this promise, because this movie was absatively and posilutely fantastic! All things considered, despite the rough storyflow, the sappy show-stopping numbers, and the over-exaggerated hype that suggests the Muppets have literally been non-existent since the late 90s (not entirely true), I give this movie a big fat A minus and three out of four stars.

The Muppet Man

Wowie kazowie! It seems like the internet is just buzzing today over the fact that it's Jim Henson's birthday, and it's such a spectacular sight to see that over twenty years after his untimely death, that he is still remembered to this day, and his creations of the Muppets, and other fantastic puppety creatures are beloved by generation after generation.

In fact, I don't believe it's any secret that Jim Henson pretty much changed the art of puppetry as we know it, and may in fact, saved it as well; even longtime colleague and friend Frank Oz has once said, "He just exploited puppetry. People accept it now as normal, but then it was like brand new."

Although we live now in a world so dangerous that you can't even step outside to get the mail without the need of a bullet-proof vest, I do believe that in some small way, Jim did manage to live up to one of his well-known quotes: “When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there.”

To some, Jim Henson was a hippie. To some, Jim Henson was a dreamer. To some, Jim Henson was a puppet master. To some, Jim Henson was a genius. And to some, Jim Henson was an idol. Jim and his Muppets have certainly had a big impact on my life; it's hard for me to imagine a time where the Muppets weren't a part of my life, from growing up learning basics like the alphabet and numbers in entertaining ways from Sesame Street, to getting a kick of the antics that went on at the Muppet Theatre on The Muppet Show, to even darker, fantasy elements like The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth. Jim Henson is certainly the man I most admire, and look up; he is, in fact, the very reason why I became a puppeteer myself.

I can remember ten years ago, when A&E broadcasted an episode of Biography, about the impact that Sesame Street had made on young children since it's debut over forty years ago in 1969... naturally, Sesame Street wouldn't be as big of a hit as it had become, had it not been for Jim contributing such characters as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Ernie and Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover, The Count, and countless others. Of course, the special featured quite a bit of behind-the-scenes footage, showing all of the hours of draining and demanding work - from researching curriculum, to testing it with young audiences, to finally making it to the air - that goes into making the show ("We used to be able to tape two whole shows everyday, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon," Muppeteer Caroll Spinney once said, "we take longer now because we have much more special effects, and much more competition."). At eleven-years-old, seeing the work of people whose names may be more recognizable than their faces, like Caroll Spinney, Kevin Clash, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Martin P. Robinson, etc, was such a mezmorizing experience; I was glued to the TV watching how these people brought our favorite characters to life for television... it looked like so much fun, and to think, they also get paid to do this... who doesn't want that in a career? To be able to do something that you enjoy, and get paid for it? Needless to say, although I had toyed with the idea of possibly becoming a cartoonist when I grew up, I made my mind up from that moment on that I would be a puppeteer, and I'm happy to say that I have been for seven years now, and it's thanks to the inspiration and influence of a genius like Jim Henson.

It's still sad to think how Jim's life ended so soon, at the age of 53; I have no doubt that if he were still with us today, the Muppets, in general, would also probably be in a better place. I'm certainly glad that his legacy has been continued and has been kept alive for all these years, and even without his guidence, we have gotten some wonderful projects, ranging from movies, to TV shows, to TV specials, though without his guidence, I do believe that has caused some mild suffering in the big picture: Disney has made more promises than they've kept about the Muppets, all the while slowly erasing Jim's name from the franchise, and replacing it with their own (it's sad to me to see lesss and less of "Jim Henson's Muppets" on products), and although it's taken them all this time to finally give us a new (theatrical) movie, I still personally have some reservations about the film (mainly and specifically because of having Jason Segel at the helm). But beyond that, even without Jim, the Muppets continue to be a large part of our lives, and in fact, continue to influence the art of puppetry for newer mediums, such as the internet. I'm sure that would have made him proud.

I know that I, myself, and my friends and family from Muppet Central are always celebrating Jim's birthday every year, it's still really nice and touching to see that just about everybody out there is celebrating him and his work this year. All I can say at this point is: Happy Birthday Jim, thank you for sharing your visions and dreams with us, and for living up to your ambition for making the world a little better for having been here.