The MuppetCast is sponsored by Bell, Book & Comic. Life Should Be More Fun!

A new segment debuts this week called Muppetology. Think of it as a way to dive even deeper into the rich history and backstories of Muppet characters, performers, and productions. This week we discuss Sesame Street’s “Spaceship Surprise“.

MuppetCast listeners receive special discounts when visiting or becoming members of the Center for Puppetry Arts! Visit their website today for details.

An article from the Toledo Free Press talks about Jim Henson (among a few other success stories), and reminds us how Jim pursued things more enduring than money.

Sesame Workshop is celebrating Baby Bear’s birthday on Saturday, May 9 at Sesame Place theme park! The park is located in Langhorne, PA, a drivable distance from Philadelphia and New York City.

Elmo recently helped launch a new planetarium show at Washington DC’s National Air & Space Museum. “This is one small step for a monster, and one giant leap for monsterkind.”

Don’t forget to pick up The Muppet Show Comic Book #2 and Muppets Robin Hood #1 on Wednesday April 29! Comic book stores have ordered so many copies of The Muppet Show #2 that the distributor is cleaned out, and is already working on a second printing.

If you compared every Muppet film side by side, which would win? David O’Donnel takes on this impossible question, and makes some very good observations.

Get yourself over to the Muppet News Flash and see the special “Vote for Beaker” video. Don’t forget to vote for Beaker’s “Ode To Joy” video in the People’s Voice Webby Awards!

Listener Nic K. sent two great links this week, one assisting a fellow MC listener in the quest for a long lost Sesame Street video, and one to the Muppet Wiki helping a listener from a few weeks ago in finding a special record player. Nic requested to hear Jose Feliciano’s “A World Without Music” from Sesame Street, and fellow listener Kate O. was happy to provide that song!

Elizabeth sent a link to Public Broadcasting Atlanta, and a special behind-the-scenes video they produced for the Center’s show “The Little Pirate Mermaid”.

New to The MuppetCast Flickr page: Muppet wallpapers from Darrin, John P. puppeteering Audrey II in a school production of “Little Shop of Horrors”, and a Muppet sticker sheet from Michele G!

Grant H. is a Canadian puppeteer and has a new Czech Black piece on his website, The Abstractions.

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 our friends at Bell, Book and Comic. Life should be more fun!

In this week’s review of the Tale of the Buny Picnic, we’ll talk briefly about some of the people who helped produce and perform in this special, but mostly we’ll focus on the story and the music. I think you’ll really like it.

Visiting the studio live this week are Joe Vecciarelli and James Songster, better known as the guys from Bunnies in Peril! James and Joe were a BIG fan favorite last year when they came on to talk about their experiences performing live all over the country, as well as “what it’s like” to do what they do working at Walt Disney World. This time we talk a little Muppets, a little Disney, and about what goes into performing the way they do. All you aspiring performance-type people, pay close attention! Joe (aka “Joe the Talking Mute”) is an avid web-surfer, as you’ll hear, and he has plenty of cool stuff to point us to, including:
A downloadable do-it-yourself paper model of the SS Swinetrek
Cirque du Monde (also their outreach programs)
It’s Unbelievable Magic
Bunnies in Peril
Joe’s Clown Page
The Unbelievable Magic YouTube Videos
The Ashville Viking Festival

James and Joe will also be appearing soon on episode #5 of Conjurers, Carnies and Collectors, which is another podcast to check out!

We also take a quick look at a band whose name has a Muppet tie-in: the South Austin Jug Band. Part of the name came from band member James Hyland’s Muppet fan-dom. Awesome music, and we get to hear James talk about the band and their new album.

Has children’s TV gotten worse over the years? Decide for yourself.

New Muppet Star Wars figures will be out soon. Star Wars.com has the inside scoop on the history between SW and the Muppets!

Farscape fans will be delighted to know that Boom! Studios is planning new issues of a Farscape comic book.

Got a spare $32 million? The Muppet Mansion is up for sale.

Based loosely on South Africa’s Takalani Sesame, Tanzania is getting their own Sesame Street very soon.

Do young children really understand what they’re watching? Some studies suggest they may not. This article also sheds some light on the subject.

Puppet Up! Uncencored now has their summer performance schedule posted. Check out the Avalon Hollywood and Henson.com!

And of course, make sure to check out The Muppet News Flash and Tough Pigs this week, two of the best Muppet blogs on the net!

Listener Nikki Sweigart sent in a link to an Oscar mini messenger bag, as well as the Kermit canvas bag at Target.

Lots of links to click, so get busy! If you have anything you’d like to email James and/or Joe, send it to me and I’ll gladly pass it on.

Questions/Comments can be emailed to me@muppetcast.com, or phoned in at 614-364-4270. Voice mails are always welcome.

Have a great week!

-Steve