I’ve decided to start a series to explore different “what if” scenarios related to the Muppets (“what if this happened,” or “what if that changed?”). In this series, I want to explore these scenarios, and why things may have worked out for the best in the end, regardless. When I first began to think up “what ifs” in the Muppet world, the first one is the natural question: What if Jim Henson was still alive today? Who would Jim be in today’s world? So many questions came to mind encompassing this idea and I just want to share my thoughts on them and hear what the Muppet fan community thinks about these ideas.
Would Steve Whitmire ever have taken over as a performer for Kermit the Frog? Based on all of the interviews I’ve seen and stories I’ve heard and read, I can’t picture Jim totally giving up performing Kermit. I could picture possibly passing the baton for someone else to take over characters like Waldorf or The Swedish Chef, but Kermit (and to a lesser extent, Rowlf) seem to be the ones closest to Jim’s heart. If Jim were alive, would he be their only performer? Would Steve Whitmire ever have performed Kermit? Or Bill Barretta taking over as Rowlf the Dog? With it being the last major project he was working on before his death, I immediately began to picture what “One More Sleep Till Christmas” would sound like with Jim as Kermit instead of Steve.
Would Disney have bought the Muppets sooner? The deal for Disney to buy the Muppets was in the works when Jim passed away, but it got me wondering if that deal would still have fallen through. And even if it did, would another deal have come sooner or been made sooner if Jim were around to fight for it? If the deal had been finalized sooner, would projects such as Muppet Treasure Island or Muppet Wizard of Oz ever have come to fruition? Would Muppets from Space have even happened since it was a film not released by Walt Disney Pictures?
Would The Muppets have a greater presence in the Disney parks? At the time of Jim’s death, Muppet Vision 3D was in production and plans were made for future projects that could bring the Muppets into the Disney parks. All the plans and proposals we’ve heard about, and fantasized over (such as Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor or The Great Muppet Movie Ride). If Jim were alive, would these plans have been realized? And more importantly, would those attractions still be around today? Could a Muppet-centric land, or even theme park, have ever occurred like Sesame Place did?
Would The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted have ever been made, and would Walter have ever joined the Muppets? When I started thinking about these films, I thought how they were basically made due to Jason Segel’s love for the characters, and his wish for them to return to a national spotlight like they once did. If Jim were alive, would they have ever left that spotlight? Would the Muppets still be current? Would they need a major motion picture like The Muppets to bring them back to a new audience? Would Peter Linz have gotten the opportunity to become a major Muppet performer? Would Walter have ever been created if there was no The Muppets film?
There are so many other “what ifs” I could go through. But more importantly, I think this is something that we as Muppet fans can think about and discuss together. Comment below. Share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. How do you picture a world with Jim Henson alive today? Do you think he’d still be involved with The Muppets? Would he just be working behind the scenes or would we still see him performing Kermit the Frog today? Share your thoughts and let’s get a conversation going. I’m happy to say I have a few other ideas to make this a series of “What If” blog posts, and I look forward to talking to other Muppet fans about this and so much more. There’s a new Muppet television show and today is a great day to be a Muppet fan, and to meet other Muppet fans.
It’s never just “your birthday.” It’s your “birthday weekend” or “birthday week,” right? If you turn 18 on a Sunday, it’s your birthday weekend. If you turn 40 on a Wednesday, it’s your birthday week. If you turn 21 in October then…you get the idea.
As you can see it’s quite an important location to Mr. Henson’s legacy. It’s also where you can find some outstanding Muppet graffiti.
The plaque was placed across the street from Elstree and features a history of Jim’s career alongside a number of colorful pictures. It was unveiled by Louise Gold, Jocelyn Stevenson, Martin G Baker, and Barry Wilkinson. The Mayor, Richard Butler, as well as other councilors were also part of the unveiling ceremony.
Lots of people stopping by the show this week! Rich and Sarah from 
The New York wing of The MuppetCast (Jarrid and Teresa) takes over this week, presenting the audio from a recent screening event at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI). The event is called “
“It’s in the singing of a street-corner choir, it’s going home and getting warm by the fire, it’s true wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas…”
You Must See: Muppet Christmas Carol is the best, if you ask most Muppet fans. It feels the most like a Jim Henson-made Muppet production, possibly because it was the first major production undertaken after his death, and the fact that it was directed by his son, Brian Henson.
You Must See: Muppet Family Christmas, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, and Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. All 3 are essential viewing for Muppet fans of any age.
You Must See: The Bells of Fraggle Rock tells the “Fraggle” equivalent of a holiday story, in which Gobo goes off to find the Great Bell of Fraggle Rock. Cantus the Minstrel (performed by Jim Henson) appears as an unlikely guide, and the Fraggles find the true meaning of the holiday season within themselves. That sounds like something you’d read on the back of the VHS box, doesn’t it? But I really wrote it myself, just now.
You Must Listen To: Almost all of them.
On Monday, July 11, Feinstein’s/54 Below hosted an evening that can easily be described as one word: “Muppetational!” Often referred to as “Broadway’s living room”, the club was filled with Muppet fans young and old as a tribute was held for the music and mayhem of Jim Henson and the Muppets.
The show started appropriately with the house band performing their own rendition of “The Muppet Show Theme” and the night even included two hecklers in the audience “balcony”, performed by comedians Dru Johnston and Noah Forman, offering familiar quips and comments to the night’s performances and comedy routines in a way only Statler and Waldorf could. The evening included a mix of songs, comedy bits and stories that highlighted Muppet memories from the movies, television shows and more. Rick Lyon (Avenue Q, Sesame Street) absolutely stole the show when he walked on-stage, duffle bag in hand and discussed his history with the Jim Henson Company and his special connection to Jim Henson, having worked for him as a puppeteer and puppet builder. He noted how he built his own impressive puppet replica of one of Jim’s characters in tribute to his mentor and then proceeded to open up his duffle bag and pull out a Kermit the Frog puppet. He made sure to clarify it was not a Muppet, but his own puppet replica of the character. Lyon, using his own take on the Kermit the Frog voice, then went on to sing “Bein’ Green.” In that moment, the entire room, no matter what age, became children again as everyone gazed upon their favorite amphibian singing his signature song.
Rick Lyon wasn’t the only Muppet alum in the show, as Stephanie D’Abruzzo (Tony Award nominee for Avenue Q, Sesame Street) and Jennifer Barnhart (Avenue Q, Sesame Street) also took the stage to perform, each also discussing their love for the Muppets and Jim Henson, as well as honoring their fellow Muppeteers. Barnhart performed, on ukuele, her own tribute to Jerry Nelson, whose 82nd birthday would have been the day before, by singing “When the River Meets the Sea” from Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. D’Abruzzo performed two beautiful songs from Sesame Street: “Imagination” and “Little Things.”
Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita (Dames At Sea, Matilda the Musical) channeled her inspiration by performing Miss Piggy’s “The Christmas Queen”, a track on the Muppets holiday album A Green and Red Christmas. Her performance included the Miss Piggy-like diva behavior and determination to be the center of attention. The Skivvies (Nick Cearley & Lauren Molina), a musical duo who perform literally stripped down to their underwear, sang another song from The Muppet Movie as they performed “Movin’ Right Along”, with Cearley wearing a Kermit the Frog collar and Molina arranging her hair to resemble Fozzie Bear ears. Their performance included a “fork in the road” as a large fork was raised from the audience, and a hitchhiker looking for her way to 54 Below.
Grace McLean (Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812), George Salazar (Godspell), Julia Mattison (Godspell), Molly Pope (Molly Pope Likes Your Status), Laura Shoop (She Loves Me) and Emily Padgett (Bright Star) also performed Muppet favorites, everything ranging from “I’m Gonna Always Love You” to “Man or Muppet” to “Don’t Blame the Dynamite.” The evening concluded with Rick Lyon returning to the stage with his Kermit, now with a banjo around his shoulder, as Kermit mentioned that the final number was written inspired by Jim Henson’s favorite movie The Wizard of Oz. The two then proceeded to sing “Rainbow Connection” and were quickly joined onstage by James Monroe Iglehart, Max Crumm, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, The Skivvies and Jennifer Barnhart. Of course, a Muppet tribute wouldn’t be complete without a performance of “Mahna Mahna” which the house band sang as the show came to a close.
We all have our favorite Muppet character. Whether it’s Kermit the Frog or The Great Gonzo or Animal, each one of us can name him or her and the reasons why we love them so much. However, some characters are a bit more quirky than others, and one such character who came to mind for me was Bean Bunny. 
In the early 1990s, there was a major push to integrate Bean Bunny into the major Muppet cast of characters. Bean was given lead roles in both the television special 
Bean Bunny is a character you either love or hate. But the truth is, he was created for just that purpose: for you to “love to hate” him, or “hate to love” him. He’s sort of an anti-Muppet, reslishing his cuteness even as the other Muppets distance themselves from that quality. Bean Bunny is cuteness incarnate. In The Muppets at Walt Disney World, Scooter explains Bean’s role in the Muppets by saying, “That’s his job. You see, the rest of us got sick of being cute, so we hired him to do it.” 
We were all ecstatic in late October when ABC announced a full-season order of The Muppets. However, less than a week later we learned that showrunner, co-creator, and executive producer Bob Kushell was exiting the series. Furthermore, it was disclosed that the show would have a ten-episode run, followed by a winter hiatus, to return on February 2 with a final run of six new episodes for Season 1. It was also reported that the show would be retooled during the break.
There’s currently a lot of talk about what exactly is going on at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and what attractions are coming (Star Wars, Pixar) and going (Animation Academy, Backlot Studios Tour). With the rumor that Pizza Planet may close, it got me thinking about the area surrounding MuppetVision 3D and its history of Muppet attractions rumored to show up around there, making it a “Muppet land”. Perhaps my favorite rumored attraction was a restaurant that would have been run by Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat called “Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor.” With Pizza Planet already serving the same kind of food and its location close to MuppetVision 3D, it would be a natural fit to make this restaurant happen today.
I’ve read two sides to the story, one in which Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlor was to be set where Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano sits today, and another where Pizza Planet is currently located. I can’t determine its exact location, but from all the research I did, the planned restaurant was everything a Muppet fan could hope for and more. The proposed story was that Gonzo and Rizzo had decided to get into the celebrity restaurant business, just like how Planet Hollywood was opened in the early ‘90s with help from Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Gonzo and Rizzo hired the Swedish Chef to run the kitchen for them. The walls of the restaurant would have been similar to the lobby and pre-show area of MuppetVision 3D, featuring recreations of props from Muppet films and shows and random sight gags.
This Thanksgiving, as we all gobble down on turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and all of those classic Thanksgiving treats, a bigger Thanksgiving tradition will occur that morning for the 89th time: 
The 1981 parade featured Beauregard’s taxi, with Beauregard driving around the parade carrying passengers Kermit, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo to promote The Great Muppet Caper. The Kermit balloon and Sesame Street float made appearances in the 1980-1982 parade, before being joined by a third Henson property for the 1983 parade: Fraggle Rock. The popular children’s show debuted its own float that year, featuring Junior Gorg sitting on top of a set based on the Gorg’s garden, while Uncle Traveling Matt hid below Junior’s sight. Below the garden set, the float opened into a set of the Fraggle caves, where the main Fraggle characters played instruments and sang, including other Fraggles around them, with two specifically balancing on a seesaw. This was a lavish set filled with so much going on, especially for a parade float. The Fraggle Rock float returned for an encore performance in 1984 alongside the Kermit balloon once again as well as a Sesame Street car replacing the typical float. The show used its walk-around characters of Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Bert to march alongside a car carrying Oscar the Grouch in puppet form. While the walk-around characters would return in other parades to promote Sesame Street Live!, this was the only appearance of a Sesame Street car, with 1985 and 1986 returning to the usual format of having a Kermit balloon and a Sesame Street float. The 1985 parade saw the Kermit balloon rip its stomach along Central Park West after heavy rain weighed down the balloons that year. The balloon was punctured by a tree and almost fell onto spectators, with its left foot dragging along the street. The balloon ended with about 20% helium remaining inside and had to be carried by its handlers, dressed in Kermit green. Both returned in 1987 as well, which also saw Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog accepting the Rollie Award live on the telecast, an award for their years of service to the parade. 
For the 1988 parade, the Kermit balloon did not return, instead joining the Sesame Street float was a new Big Bird balloon. Designed by Michael Frith, best known for designing such Muppets as Fozzie Bear, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth and so many more. The Big Bird Balloon featured the character wearing a winter cap and a sweater, and carrying alphabet blocks. The Big Bird balloon and Sesame Street float returned in 1989. 1990 brought an explosion of Muppet appearances with the returns of both the Big Bird balloon and Sesame Street float as well as walk-around characters and the return of the Kermit the Frog balloon after the 1985 incident. Kermit and Miss Piggy walk-arounds rode in a Rolls-Royce car, while Ernie and Bert walk-arounds marched along the parade route singing “Do You Like Me?”, a song featured in a segment on Sesame Street. The broadcast also incuded a tribute to Jim Henson, who had passed away earlier that year. From 1991 to 1997, the Kermit and Big Bird balloons as well as the Sesame Street float made various appearance, also joined by walk-around characters of Kermit and Miss Piggy again in 1994. A new Sesame Street float debuted in 1998 and continued alongside the Big Bird balloon through 2000. In 2001, the Sesame Street float was joined by a Kermit walk-around, who appeared on a commemorative float with other classic children’s characters, while a new Big Bird balloon made its debut. The previous balloon had its stitching frayed and was extensively patched up, with the new one showing Big Bird playing a pair of cymbals. 
2002 saw the introduction of a new Kermit the Frog balloon, 78 feet long, 61 feet high and 36 feet wide, containing 11,000 cubic feet of helium. Kermit became the official holiday mascot for Macy’s in 2002, with Kermit riding on Santa’s sleigh at the end of the parade as well as joining Miss Piggy for an interview with Today Show weatherman Al Roker, promoting their new TV movie that aired a day later, It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. The 2002 Sesame Street float celebrated a message of peace and universal goodwill as the American cast of the show were joined by international Sesame Street characters from all across the world including characters from the show’s adaptions in Egypt, China, Germany, Mexico and Israel. The Sesame Street float and both the Kermit and Big Bird balloons were joined in 2003 by a third balloon: Super Grover. These four parade pieces returned for 2004, although with a new float, a colorful recreation of the 123 Sesame Street apartment building with Big Bird’s nest on display at the front of the float, carrying Big Bird alongside Elmo and Zoe, while other characters pop out from the windows. The two balloons and float returned in 2005 and 2006. 2007 saw Abby Cadabby join the Kermit the Frog balloon and Sesame Street parade float. Standing at 56 feet long, 37.5 feet wide and 48.5 feet high, both Abby and her magic wand are filled with 16,100 cubic feet of helium. 
In 2008, the Kermit and Abby balloons as well as the Sesame float were joined by a special live performance by the real Kermit the Frog. Kermit sat perched on a log wearing a candy cane striped scarf on a special Central Park float. Joined by Camp Broadway, Kermit sang a brand new Christmas song written specifically for the Macy’s parade called “I Believe”. This format returned in 2009, including Kermit returning to perform “I Believe”, this time on the Bountiful Harvest Cornucopia float alongside Disney Channel star Tiffany Thornton, who at that time was starring on the Demi Lovato sitcom “Sonny With A Chance”, and who also recorded a music video of the song with Kermit that aired frequently on Disney Channel at that time. From 2010 through 2012, the Kermit the Frog balloon and Sesame Street float made appearances in the parades.
As you can see, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, besides becoming an American tradition and beloved parade, show and television event, has a long history and close ties to Jim Henson and his characters. I can only hope that the future will bring more balloons and floats. Wouldn’t it be cool to have the Electric Mayhem bus return riding down the parade route promoting “The Muppets”. Or a balloon flying high in the sky of Animal with drumsticks in hand and most definitely chasing the Rockettes dancing in front of him. Thanks for reading this, and I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
This topic is extremely interesting, in that it has been attempted by Sesame Street twice as featured stories, but only once did it finally make its way to the public. I was surprised to learn the topic was brought up much earlier than I thought. In 1989, a song appeared on Sesame Street in an episode of the show’s 22nd season. The song appeared during a News Flash sketch with Kermit the Frog interviewing a bird. Besides the topic it addresses, what’s special about this sketch is that it was the last day Jim Henson spent time in the studio recording Sesame Street material. 
3 years later in 1992, 
More than 20 years later, the issue of divorce was approached again, this time successfully. Instead of focusing on how a character is going through the process, the show illustrated how a character has gotten over a divorce. The topic was featured in a new research initiative for Sesame Street called “Little Children, Big Challenges,” a multimedia outreach program that focused on helping children persevere through changes and challenges in their life. It was specially made available for the general public through various family courts, counseling services, parenting and child care programs and other similar outreach outlets. The video and research kit were both released online in 2012 and featured a current Sesame Street popular character, Abby Cadabby, explaining to Elmo, Rosita and Gordon that her mommy and daddy are divorced, while she also shares the emotions she went through during this change in her life. Kevin Clash, who also performed Elmo, directed the special episode, in possibly one of his final performances as the character before resigning from Sesame Workshop. This special also includes the same song from the News Flash sketch in 1989, “The Bird Family,” here with the little bird performed by John Tartaglia, alongside Abby Cadabby and his bird parents, performed by Kevin Clash and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, who also performs Abby.
This week, I wanted to take a different approach to my “What If” series. I could go on and on imagining what it would be like having performers like Richard Hunt or Jerry Nelson with the Muppets today, but I’m sure I’d be repeating myself. We’re so lucky to have Frank Oz around still, and I loved seeing him appear at Star Wars Weekends earlier this year to discuss the Muppets a little, as well as seeing him on the PBS special about Jim Henson (which I highly encourage everyone to watch, purchase and support!). Yet while Frank isn’t totally absent from the Muppet community, he’s still not around as much as I’m sure we’d all hope he was. Sure, Frank once in a while finds his way back to Sesame Street to perform a sketch as Bert or Cookie Monster or Grover. But his presence is still often missing, even if wonderful performers such as Eric Jacobson and David Rudman have stepped in and taken on the roles of his characters brilliantly. The 2011 Muppets film itself proved how remarkable Eric Jacobson is at especially performing Miss Piggy, and David Rudman has certainly given Cookie Monster new life with viral videos. Why did Frank Oz really leave it all behind? Will he ever return? And what would it be like if he didn’t leave?
Why did Frank Oz leave the Muppets? From my own research, the reason why Frank Oz retired from the Muppets was due to his directorial career. After directing The Dark Crystal alongside Jim Henson in 1982, the two began to pursue separate projects, with Henson creating Labyrinth and The Storyteller, and Oz directing comedy films such as Little Shop of Horrors and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Frank’s first solo directorial film, however was The Muppets Take Manhattan, which gave him the opportunity to get comfortable in the director’s chair in a familiar surrounding. In 1989, The Jim Henson Hour premiered on television and Henson included segments known as “MuppeTelevision” to feature his classic Muppet characters. Due to the demands of his film projects, Oz filmed solo segments with Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy, including the special “Miss Piggy’s Hollywood.” 
Will Frank Oz Return? What I find most interesting about Frank Oz is, I think his return would come down to business and respect. Frank was originally approached for the 2011 Muppets film, but turned it down as he didn’t like the script or feel the film did the characters justice. Now I personally loved the film, but I do wonder why Disney wouldn’t just give Frank what he wants at least one time. Let us have one Muppet film or television special with Frank Oz in control, at least as a director. If he would agree to make one last performance as Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear, I’m sure we’d all be thrilled. I think what he brings to the Muppets is classic comedy again. He knows how the characters work (and don’t work) and along with Jim Henson, was part of one of the greatest comedy duos of all time. In recent interviews, Frank has said that he would return if he were asked. Why is Disney not asking? It could be over money or it could be over concern with whether or not Frank can keep the “Disney image.” I don’t know and I don’t want to speculate. What I do know is that, as Muppet fans, we want the chance to see Frank with the Muppets again in some capacity. 
While I’ve grown to love Eric’s Miss Piggy, I miss seeing Frank’s Fozzie Bear on screen, and found myself often wishing he’d at least return to play that character, although I think Eric is slowly grasping the character much better with each performance. The Muppets need Frank Oz. They need that “father figure” who knows the characters like the back of his hand and knows where they belong and where they should go. I think with the loss of Jim Henson and Jerry Nelson, the company needs a voice to keep the integrity of these characters, although I applaud individuals like Dave Goelz and Steve Whitmire who have been working with the characters for so many years and continue to introduce them to new audiences. So in conclusion: Disney, please bring back Frank Oz. If not as a performer, let him direct a Muppet project. Let him bring the characters back to where he feels they belong.
Jim wanted to show that puppets could make socially relevant points and jokes for adults just as easily as for children. And boy did they! Were Jim’s TV shows appropriate for children? Usually, but they were made with an adult audience in mind. There were many lessons to be learned through, and the Muppets changed the world for the better as Jim had hoped. But it was, first and foremost, all about entertainment.
Hi-Ho! Wocka Wocka! I thought I would use my first post to introduce myself and share a little bit about myself and my love for the Muppets. My name is Jordan Harff and I am a 22-year old college student currently pursuing my Bachelor’s in film and video, already having an Associate’s in journalism. I live in Long Island, New York and have lived here my whole life. I’m the oldest of 4 kids and we all have been, at some point, involved in Community Theater as actors, while I have also had the fortunate opportunities of being able to be a director and stage manager of musicals a few times in the past. Since before I was born, my father has been a children’s pastor, and through this I was exposed at an early age to a gift he possessed since college: puppetry. 
What a humongous show this week! First, JD Hansel stays true to his word and re-records the new MuppetCast intro (with some coaching from yours truly). Next, Joanna May Hunkins from the Cleveland Stage Alliance joins me to talk about the upcoming show The Electric Mayhem: A Musical Tribute to Jim Henson. 