The MuppetCast is sponsored by Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more Fun!

Thanks to everyone who’s been sending pictures for The MuppetCast Flickr page. Lots of new additions this week!

Super Grover is the subject of this week’s Muppetology. Faster than lightning, stronger than steel, smarter than a speeding bullet…and he is cute too!

Special thanks to Ben and Kevin from Missing Link Puppets for this week’s show intro! You can find their official YouTube channel here.

MuppetCast contributor David Blain has a lot of stuff you need to check out! First, there’s the Jim Henson Company official YouTube channel. Then we have the Muppets on Ed Sullivan, James Taylor singing “Jelly Man Kelly” on Sesame Street, Sherri Lewis with Big Bird, and The Muppet Show Live from Muppetfest.

Jake from England has a link to a favorite Muppet Show moment: Steve Martin in “Dueling Banjos” (played with only one banjo).

Ryan Dosier has started a shiny green new Muppet blog! Set your bookmarks now to The Muppet Mindset.

John Pinizzotto sent a link to the Stuff You Should Know podcast; in particular, an episode all about how the Muppets work! This podcast is done by the folks at HowStuffWorks.com, which also has a great article about the Muppets.

Marj Harris found a picture of Grasso & Langone on cheezburger.com, with one of those twins-separated at birth pictures of Statler & Waldorf. Too funny!

Brandy Long has a formidable collection of Kermits, check them out here.

Melanie from Maple Shade had a question about an unfinished Muppet project that I’m trying to collect more information on, but in the meantime look at all of these unfinished projects! Nature of the business I guess, there are too many ideas and never enough time.

Tony from Chicago mentioned the audiobook format of Michael Davis’s book “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street”, which is read by Caroll Spinney. You can pick up your copy right here.

Thanks for listening! Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              614-364-4270      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

The MuppetCast is sponsored by Bell, Book & Comic. Are you ready for Free Comic Book Day?

In 2008 Disney’s Muppets Studio released some all-new viral videos of some of our favorite Muppet characters (complete with Statler & Waldorf heckling at the end). One of these has attracted so much attention and admiration from fans that it’s now been nominated for a Webby Award! Watch Beaker’s Ode to Joy and then vote in the People’s Voice Award poll.

Thanks to Tales From The Laughing Place magazine, we now have something of a release date for The Muppet Show Season 4 DVD collection. Unfortunately it won’t be until 2010. However, we now also have new Muppet Whatnot Workshops coming to Disney’s California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

If you or your child is a fan of Sid the Science Kid, you can look forward to a week of new episodes starting on May 4. Check your local PBS listings for details.

Film.com is set to feature all-new Henson Alternative branded web series S.U.D.S. and Alt/Reality, along with a few clips of the live Henson stage show Puppet Up! Uncensored.

Australian parents will be happy to hear that Sesame Workshop is partnering with Brumby’s Bakeries to expand their Healthy Habits for Life program. Special Sesame school-ready items are being given away with certain purchases.

Sesame Workshop will receive the lifetime achievement award this summer at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy awards. Congratulations!

Check out Elmo’s appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last week. In fact, head over to ToughPigs.com and check out all the recent Muppet TV appearances!

Listener Cory sent links to REM’s “Furry Happy Monsters” and The Muppet Show’s “Danny Boy“. Both classic Muppet bits, check them out. He also asked about a video, and I think he’s talking about the Sesame DVD “Sleepytime Songs & Stories“. For about $8, might as well pick it up!

SesameStMuppets from the Muppet Central Forums has a new video project to share with The MuppetCast audience: a puppet version of “Romeo & Juliet”, with plenty of Muppet references.

Stay tuned next week, when we’re scheduled to talk to Sesame Workshop about the Summer 2009 travel season, and where you can find Sesame characters and experiences around the country.

Questions/Comments about the Muppets or The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              614-364-4270      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide. Follow the show on Twitter and join the Facebook page too!

Have a great week!

-Steve

My fist guest is Kevin Knight, who recently had the opportunity to see Mr. Caroll Spinney speak at a convention and later had an extensive and very interesting conversation with him. Spinney has performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street since the first show in 1969, and also recently served as the narrator for the audiobook version of “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street”. He turned 75 on December 26.

My second guest is Van, host of the Netcot podcast. Van has been podcasting for years, and even before his first episode he was very active in the Disney online community. If you’ve never heard Van’s work, this is the week to start subscribing to this Podcast Award-nominated show!

The MuppetCast is sponsored by Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more fun!

On January 30, William Paterson University will be hosting “Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration and Discovery with the Legendary Cast“. This special evening’s panel discussion will feature Frank Oz, Kevin Clash, Caroll Spinney, Marty Robinson, Fran Brill, and David Rudman. Also on the panel are Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, and writer Tony Geiss. Author Michael Davis will be the evening’s moderator. Tickets are still on sale, call 973-720-2371 or email boxoffice@wpunj.edu to reserve your seats.

If you live in or near Ohio and want to attend the first of (hopefully) many MuppetCast regional fan meets, email me and let me know you’re interested! Details on the meet are forthcoming.

NPR featured an excellent interview recently with Sesame Street creator Joan Ganz Cooney. Part of it is included in the show, but you should listen to the whole thing (about 8 minutes).

Paul Benedict passed away in early December at 70 years of age. Benedict is widely remembered as the eccentric British neighbor Harry Bentley on The Jeffersons. He also made several appearances on Sesame Street in its third season as The Mad Painter (video clips).

Fans of the TV show “Scrubs” will be happy to know that, when the show returns for its eighth season on its new home, ABC, the Sesame Street Muppets will join them for one episode. The episode titled “My ABCs” finds J.D. learning the hard way that not even Elmo and his friends from the Street can teach the gift of compassion to those who don’t care to learn. The episode also features Grover, Oscar the Grouch, and others.

I’ve literally had hundreds of book reviews for “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street” come through my inbox, nearly all of them favorable. Two that stand out to me come from the NY Times (in which the writer of the article comes “this close” to bringing his nose down a few inches out of the air) and the Muppet News Flash.

The ToughPigs crew has been busy posting a new addition to their Muppet Book Club series, as well as finding some pre-Sesame video footage of singer/actor Bob McGrath.

Muppets.com has been nominated for a Global Media Award by the National Academy of Arts & Sciences for their phenomenal work on re-designing the website to include over two hours in totally new Muppet content! Congratulations to our friends at the Muppets Studio on the nomination, and good luck! The winner of the award will be announced on January 8.

Farscape fans were no doubt busy reading the first issue of the new Farscape miniseries from BOOM! Studios. More to come, and remember to look for the Muppet comics in Spring 2009!

CSMonitor.com has a very nice article on the puppeteers of Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas, the stage musical which gave its last performance of the season today, January 4.

Henrik from Denmark found a useful tool for listeners outside the US who want to be able to visit websites like Muppets.com.

Listener Devin sent links to out-of-print comic book adaptation of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.

Ali from the UK sent a link to a very insightful strip from the web comic PVP.

Clay sent a link to Paul & Storm, two gifted songwriters who decided that Randy Newman needed to do a song about The Muppet Movie (PG-13).

Canadian listener Don sent a link to this story from Canada’s TheStar.com, talking about Canadian choreographer Paul Becker and his work on Letters to Santa.

Stay tuned for next week’s episode, where I’ll continue the much-requested Jim Henson Hour series! Our focus will be episode 5, titled “The Ratings Game“. This series has never seen a formal video release, so hearing the songs and skits on The MuppetCast is a wonderful way to relive some of those moments.

Questions/Comments about The MuppetCast can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voice line at 614-364-4270. Even better, stop by the Muppet Central Forums and discuss this and many other episodes with Muppet fans worldwide.

Have a great week!

-Steve

The Muppet List makes a return this week, with listener Bryan and I discussing Muppet lullabies. Keep yourself awake and enjoy the Muppet-y discussion and music!

The MuppetCast is sponsored by Orlando Attractions Magazine and Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more fun!

Questions/Comments can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Also stop by the Muppet Central Forums and say hello.

Have a great week!

-Steve

The MuppetCast is sponsored by Orlando Attractions Magazine and Bell, Book & Comic. Life should be more fun!

All links mentioned in the podcast and show notes can be found at MuppetCast.com.

The next MuppetCast Road Trip is coming up very soon! September takes us to Atlanta, GA, to the Center for Puppetry Arts. We’ll be celebrating the Center’s 30th anniversary celebration along with our friend from the Center and the Jim Henson Legacy.

Check out the Muppet News Flash for all the latest Muppet news releases. In the News Flash this week is the fact that Disney is planning several new Muppet specials, leading up to a new feature film!

Get ready for Elmo Live! It’s not a new stage show, it’s the newest Elmo from Fisher-Price. Elmo talks (moving his head and mouth just like on TV), stands, sits, crosses his legs, tells jokes, and does your taxes! Well, maybe not that last one, but give it time.

The MuppetCast extends its warmest congratulations to Marty Robinson and Annie Evans on their recent wedding, held on the set of Sesame Street! Read all about it, and see some of the video taken at the ceremony here.

Listener Brendan sent a link to Stupid Creatures, a website selling unique handmade creatures.

Corey started a new blog recently, and you can read it here! He also found a link to Entertainment Weekly’s Top 25 Visits to Sesame Street.

Olivia gives us an opportunity to examine the long-standing rumor that Cookie Monster will be taken off Sesame Street and replaced by a Veggie Monster “sometime soon”. Along with some great information found on the Muppet Wiki, there’s also an expanded explanation on Snopes.com.

Steve F. points us to Puppet Greetings, a website with lots of funny puppet greeting videos. Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, the performer of Sesame Street’s Abby Cadabby, has worked with the website in the past. Think of a video e-card featuring puppet jokes!

My special guest in the Profile of a Podcaster segment is Lou Mongello, host of the WDW Radio Show, and author of the Disney World Trivia books. And he owns and operates Dsiney World Trivia.com and produces a multi-part WDW Audio Walk-through CD set. Oh, and he’s publishing a brand new magazine. What’s he going to do tomorrow night? The same thing he does every night, Pinky.

David Quesal joins me for this week’s Muppet List. Also joining us, back by popular demand, is my wife Ashley! We cover all the bases, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and the Muppet Show. Email me if you’d like to be included in a future list.

Ryan Roe and Joe Hennes from Tough Pigs.com join me to discuss our reactions to the recent announcement from HIT Entertainment that Fraggle Rock’s 4th Season will not be a separate release, as have seasons 1 through 3. It will instead be included in a new Complete Series release. There are many sides to this discussion, and not everyone concluded that they’d be purchasing this new DVD set.

Questions/Comments can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Follow The MuppetCast on Twitter, and stop by the Muppet Central Forums to say hello.

Have a great week!

-Steve

I’m glad to welcome John Rick from the Disney Pincast onto the show, this week, as we discuss some of the collectible Muppet-themed Disney pins, and the phenomenon of pin trading in general.

The deadline for entries in the Make Something Cool for The MuppetCast Contest is June 15! Make sure to email your entries or have them postmarked by this date. Also email me if you need a mailing address to send it via regular postage.

The MuppetCast has begun collecting ideas for what might be included in a MuppetCast Care Package. This will be a collection of Disney and Muppet items, along with letters of support and items from our various hometowns for troops overseas. Right now, there is one package that we’re putting together, and it’s destined for a listener (and his fellow soldiers) stationed in South Korea. If this goes well, and if there’s interest, this might bloom into a wider-spanning project. Here is a direct link to the discussion on this topic at Muppet Central.

During our discussion of Muppet pins, it may help you to actually see the pins we’re talking about. You can do so by clicking on the links below (if you’re reading this on the website and not your iPod):
Bunsen and Beaker
Rizzo: Year of the Rat
Swedish Chef
Gonzo
Miss Piggy: Year of the Pig
NYC Thanksgiving Day 2004
Kermit’s 50th Anniv
Leap Day 2008
The Muppet Fountain
MV3D: Piece of History

John Rick also heads up the Central Jersey Disney Pin Traders club. Even if you’re not from New Jersey (like most of us), if you’re interested in Disney pins, you absolutely must check out their website!

Also happening this week:

Shoppers Drug Mart is in hot water with Sesame Workshop, after being caught selling cigarette lighters with unauthorized (of course) Sesame Street images.

Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas will soon be a musical! Wait, wasn’t it already a musical? Well yes, but soon it will be a hit Broadway show, thanks to Brian Henson and the folks at iTheatrics.

Take a look on the Muppet News Flash to get your up-to-the-minute Muppet news fix!

Gaston Morineau sent a link to a video he recently shot of Big Bird’s Beach Party, one of the Sesame Street shows now happening at Sea World San Diego.

Rafi Levavy pointed out a great new CD from Tony-nominated actress and singer Kerry Butler: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.

Our buddy Dwayne keeps fans in touch with Jim Lewis on the Ask Jim Lewis Thread over at Muppet Central. Read what Jim has to say to Muppet fans. Fascinating reading!

Thank you for taking the time to listen to the show, and for your continued support of The MuppetCast. It feels wonderful to know that there are so many people who were touched by what Jim Henson created, and that our world is indeed a little better for it.

Questions/Comments can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called into the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Also, stop in and say hello at the Muppet Central Forums! And don’t forget to check out Muppet Central Radio. Jam to some Muppet tunes!

Have a great week!

-Steve

The MuppetCast is brought to you in part by our friends at Bell, Book and Comic. Life should be more fun!

Lots of links and listener contributions this week, which is always good. Take a look at The MuppetCast Flickr Page to see some new photos of the Jim Henson Museum, located in Leland, Mississippi. Also a new photo of Muppet Merch abroad.

Here’s the link that Jon Melville talked about in his email that can take you to even more overseas (depending where you live) Muppet merch.

Check out some behind-the-scenes goings on at Sesame Street!

There are lots and lots of links to the news story that, yes indeed, a new Muppet movie seems to be in the works. Here are links to the story from TheFirstPost, The Muppet News Flash, JoBlo, and Variety.

The new Sesame Tree production in Northern Ireland is less than a month away from debuting on BBC2. The BBC News has the story.

Will we see any JHC: Unstable Fables video game titles in the future? It’s possible, since Genius Products is now getting into the video game business! Next-Gen.biz has the story.

Any fans of Johnny and the Sprites will want to pick up the newest DVD, in stores March 18.

Canoe.ca has a story about your chance to book a Sesame Street room, and even have some character experiences with your favorite Sesame pals!

And finally…Sam Plenty. You tell me what you think, I’m still undecided.

My special guests this week are Eric and Dan, our friends from Mouse Guest Weekly. Good laughs, good times. Remember, I’m hosting a meet at the Mouse Guest Experience in October. That’s more than enough time to plan a trip to join us! C’mon, what are you waiting for?

Finishing up with a great montage this week, including selections from Labyrinth, Muppets Tonight, and Playhouse Disney (hey, the song shows up on Muppet Central Radio, so gimme a break), and it all turned out nice again.

Questions/Comments can always be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or called into the voice line at 614-364-4270. Make sure to stop in at the Muppet Central Forums this week and say hello.

Have a great week!

-Steve

This week I’m pleased to be able to speak with Paul Barrie, host of A Window To The Magic. Paul is a class act, and one of the finest podcasters on the Net. Get a window into the WTTM podcast, and of course lots of other Muppet-y goodness.

Congratulations to Bell, Book and Comic on their first TV commercial! Available for viewing now on YouTube, check it out!

Nic Kramer found the blog of one of the Disney store design managers, and on it we see that we may be getting some more Muppet merchandise in the Disney stores.

David Quesal sent in this link to a Jim Henson Hour intro, and you can find lots more where this came from!

Tom Stewart sent a YouTube link to his friend George the Groundhog (and here I always thought he was a gopher!), waking up on Groundhog Day. Funny stuff, thanks Tom!

Questions/Comments can be sent via email to me@muppetcast.com, or called in to the voicemail line at 614-364-4270. Or just find me over at the Muppet Central Forums, 10 years going strong!

Have a great week!

-Steve