Search results for: “sesame street”

  • Video Review: Sesame Street Visits The Hospital

    Sesame Street Visits the HospitalAbout 2 months ago, I found myself in the ER for the first time in my life. 22 years old without one single trip to the hospital was quite the accomplishment. I’m all good now, but while there I found myself reverting to a state of childlike wonder with everything surrounding me. One video I used to watch as a child came to mind as I sat in the ER room with my mom and sister waiting on test results: “Sesame Street Visits The Hospital.” This 1990 direct-to-video special helped kids understand that the hospital is where you go to get better, and that it’s ok to be scared. But it’s also important to be brave and focus on getting healthy again. As a 22-year-old college student, riding the hospital bed to the X-Ray room brought back memories of watching Big Bird doing the same. I realized from watching that video as a young child, I never had any fears or worries about going to the hospital. All because of what I learned from Sesame Street.

    While characters such as Gina, Gordon and Elmo make minor appearances, the bulk of the video features Big Bird and his friend Maria, who takes him to the hospital when he gets sick. Big Bird hates being there and gets angry at Maria for taking him, until he begins to learn about what a hospital really is. The spcecial features two very catchy songs, and even after not having seen this video for years, I instantly remembered them. Sonia Manzano wrote both of these songs, although the second one she co-wrote in fact alongside Tony Geiss (who also wrote “Eight Balls of Fur”, “Elmo’s Song” and “I’m Proud to Be a Cow”).

    Big Bird Sesame Street Busy Getting Better All the TimeThe song “Busy Getting Better All the Time” features Big Bird meeting new friends in the hospital play room, as he begins to discover they aren’t just playing, but getting healthier as they play. One of my favorite characters in the song is the Grouch girl who is in the hospital because she’s feeling happy. The second song, titled “You Gotta Be Patient (To Be a Patient)” happens when Big Bird wants desperately to go home, so Maria and Orderly Jim explain that he needs to be patient and do what the doctors tell him, and pretty soon he’ll be able to go home.

    I appreciate how this video takes children through the step-by-step process of what a trip to the hospital is like. That way, when a child is actually in this situation, they already have an idea of what a hospital is all about, and that can calm their fears.

    Of course, this video isn’t the only time Sesame Street has tackled hospital visits and I’m sure it won’t be the last one. A 1985 storybook, “A Visit to the Sesame Street Hospital”, features Grover visiting the hospital to get his tonsils taken out. He’s nervous about spending the night there, so he takes a tour of the hospital with Bert, Ernie and his mother. In an interesting twist, a season 28 episode of Sesame Street in 1996 featured Maria going to the hospital, and Big Bird recalling his previous visit to the hospital to her daughter Gabi. Noah Wyle, at that time starring on the popular TV drama ER, guest starred as Maria’s doctor, assuring Big Bird, Gabi and Luis that Maria will be okay.

    Big Bird University of Michigan Children's Hospital StatueBig Bird continues to help ease children’s fears of a trip to the hospital at the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. There, a Big Bird statue was purchased from the Briarwood Mall and donated to the University of Michigan’s children’s hospital. It’s a beautiful statue of Big Bird and a really nice nod to Big Bird’s trip the hospital. He is still helping kids feel peaceful during what can sometimes be a scary time in life.

    Sesame Street really did a fantastic job addressing hospital visits and helping to ease any fears children may have about them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the topic is covered again in the near future, as it is an important thing for children to understand. I have fond memories of “Sesame Street Visits the Hospital” even to this day, and one day I’m sure I’ll show it to my children.

  • How Sesame Street Helps Children Become Better Siblings

    In continuation of my theme of topics Sesame Street has successfully addressed over the years, this week I wanted to focus on the subject of pregnancy and babies. I found it interesting how Sesame Street was able to turn a topic many children witness but can’t fully understand, and instead help children grasp concepts about motherhood and the introduction of siblings into the home. With the use of human and Muppet characters, Sesame Street has successfully presented this issue several times over the years.

    Maria Pregnant Sesame StreetWhile there was talk of having human characters go though a divorce on Sesame Street to highlight that important issue, it was instead decided to use Muppet characters, feeling children had grown too attached to the human characters on the show. With pregnancy, however, the idea of making a human character pregnant was more natural. Especially since star Sonia Manzano was pregnant herself at the time, which became a primary reason for introducing it into the show. They could incorporate Manzano’s own real-life pregnancy into the character of Maria.

    The topic of pregnancy became a season-long story arc in the show’s 20th season, first introduced in Episode 2558. In that episode, Maria visits a maternity clinic, taking Big Bird with her. This allowed kids to have a character to relate to, and ask questions they may have had themselves. Children, along with Big Bird, learn about the doctor checking the baby’s heartbeat, Maria’s blood pressure, and her weight. When Maria returns to the Fix-It-Shop, she demonstrates checking the baby’s heartbeat to Luis, Gordon, Linda, Oscar and Elmo. She later has a moment to herself in which she listens to the heartbeat, a sweet moment that allows children to see a mother’s love for her baby. She later shares a similar moment with Luis.

    Sesame Street Maria LuisThe story arc continued a few episodes later, when Maria’s mother came to visit Sesame Street and an ultrasound of a baby is shown to kids. It is a special device that allows the baby to be seen on a small monitor, with Maria’s doctor even pointing out the baby’s parts and Luis snapping pictures of a pregnant Maria. Maria’s mother also sings a sweet song called “My Baby’s Going to Have a Baby.” Later on in the season, Maria and Luis decorate the baby’s room with help from Big Bird, once again allowing for there to be a character in the story to whom children can relate. Another episode has dream sequences of Maria and Luis imagining what it will be like to hold their baby when it arrives, again putting special attention to the love of a parent to their child in the womb.

    Sesame Street Maria Luis Gabi BabyTowards the end of the season, Maria goes into labor, an important moment for children to understand (including a special part where Big Bird witnesses Maria doing breathing exercises). The season finale was dedicated to the birth of Luis and Maria’s daughter, Gabi. Telly Monster helps answer an important question many children have, when he has a sweet conversation with Susan and Gordon while they read a book to their son Miles. Telly asks how they could be doing something so normal when there’s so much going on around Sesame Street, with everyone being so excited for the arrival of the baby. Susan explains to Telly that even though having a new baby around will change things, many things will stay the same, a simple lesson that many children who are anticipating the arrival of a sibling need to understand. Even Oscar gets a special part of the episode when he realizes he’s happy the baby is coming (something grouches should never be). The episode ends with the cast visiting Maria and Luis in the hospital and meeting the new baby, with Maria even saying that the experience of giving birth was an adventure.

    Continuing into the next season, the show gave children the opportunity to continue to watch the baby grow, with one episode featuring Telly curious about Gabi learning to talk. By incorporating Sonia Manzanos’ real life pregnancy into the show, it gave Sesame Street a chance to help children understand what their parents are going through with the pregnancy, and how they can learn to adapt to having a new baby in the home. The show’s next approach was helping children deal with a new addition to the family, but that storyline didn’t come for almost 20 years.

    Sesame Street Telly Curly Baby BearIn Season 34, Sesame Street showed how children can adjust to having a new baby in the home, with the addition of a new character: Curly Bear, the baby sister of Baby Bear. Throughout the season, Baby Bear learns to adjust to no longer being the baby in the family, while also dealing with Curly Bear’s disinterest in porridge and her ability to growl louder than her big brother. What I love about this storyline is the sweetness of the relationship between brother and sister, with Baby Bear protective of his baby sister and Curly Bear being so fond of “Bebo” (her name for Baby Bear). It begins with a three-part episode focusing on the arrival of the baby, including Mama Bear pregnant and leaving for the hospital, and Gina taking care of Baby Bear while his parents are away. When Gina takes Baby Bear to the hospital to see his parents and new baby sister, Baby Bear sings a cute little song to his new baby sister called “I’ll Show You the World,” all about what kind of big brother he’ll be to her.

    The third part has a very important story arc in which Baby Bear shares with Telly how his parents haven’t been as attentive to him since the new baby arrived, and how things are changing because of the baby, including changing their bedtime song to include Curly Bear. Papa Bear has a moment with Baby Bear in which he assures him they love them both and will make time for both of them, eventually helping Baby Bear warm up to having a baby sister around.

    Baby Bear CurlyI personally love how Sesame Street approached the topic of pregnancy, and how much heart they included in helping kids understand and learn to adjust to having a new baby in the family. They used both human and Muppet characters to help highlight the story and, over the years, allowed viewers to watch Gabi and Curly Bear grow up and adjust to the challenges of going from baby to child and, for Gabi, from teenager to adult.

  • “Sesame Street LIVE” Coming to Madison Square Garden

    Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Madison Square Garden? Because the 2014 Sesame Street Live show “Let’s Dance!” – no, not based on the David Bowie song (though that would be awesome) – is coming to Madison Square Garden in early 2016! Ticket sales begin on September 29th and range from $15 to the $141 “Sunny Seats,” which include perks like meet-and-greets and premium seating.

    The official description for the show reads: Hosted by two live performers, Sesame Street Live “Let’s Dance!” offers an up-close, interactive experience like you’ve never experienced before! You, the audience, are invited to dance as all of your favorite Sesame Street friends join you on the floor – dancing with fans of all ages! In addition to ongoing dance parties, Elmo uses his imagination to “Do the Robot,” Cookie Monster teaches all “feets” to dance, and Ernie shares the fun of dance with the Sesame Street favorite “Shake Your Head One Time.”

    While I’ve never heard of “Do the Robot,” I am familiar with “Shake Your Head One Time,” and it’s nice to see a return of a classic song. I’ve personally never seen Sesame Street Live but for it to have lasted as long as it has it must be pretty darn good.

    So, who is the intended audience for this show? Obviously if you have children or even nieces/nephews that are fans of Sesame Street this would be something great to take them to. Or if you’re outside of the preschool age but still enjoy Sesame Street, I see no problem with someone older than 4 or 5 going to see this. Remember though, this is coming from a guy that went to see a Winnie the Pooh show when he was 12 (I’m not ashamed to admit that). Just don’t give the kids any weird looks.

    Below is a video preview of the show provided by Sesame Workshop:

  • Why a Sesame Street TV Network is Good for Fans

    Sesame Street Cast
    The “classic” cast of Sesame Street.

    In a recent WSJ interview, Sesame Workshop CEO Jeffrey D. Dunn admitted that Sesame has been eclipsed by other competitors who have chosen to expand from a collection of shows into a full-fledged network (Disney, Nickelodeon, etc.). “The advantage you have as a network is substantial,” Dunn said. “You can control your air time. We are a show. We don’t control our air time. We’re not a network.”

    After 46 years, the argument can certainly be made that the time has come for Sesame Workshop to grow from a TV show into a full-fledged TV network. Not to simplify the scope of what they do today; the Sesame Street program is distributed to countries around the world, and is packaged in countless ways to reach wildly different cultures, each of which educate their young in specific ways. The impact of Sesame Street is felt worldwide.

    Still, Sesame Street is one show amidst an ever-increasing number of alternatives for parents (and children). Digital distribution models via set-top boxes, Smart TV software, and tablet viewing offers parents limitless options for their children’s viewing. It’s more important than ever for Sesame Workshop to establish themselves as the major player in this new entertainment distribution model.

    Needless to say, it would be difficult for anyone’s programming schedule to grow from 1 hour daily into 24. You’d have to have mountains of content to handle an expansion of that magnitude. Forget about 24 hours, there are 168 hours in a week. Roughly 672 hours in a month. 8,760 hours in a year. How do you fill all of that time? It can’t be done with only one TV show, even Sesame Street. Surprisingly though, Sesame Street can fill roughly half of that. In its first 45 years, Sesame Street’s programming totals 4,385 hours. Season 46 airs this fall.

    What if Sesame Street did become a network? What would that mean for Sesame Workshop as an entertainment company, to suddenly have an exponentially larger window to present educational experiences to youngsters? There are pros and cons to the idea, but Sesame is already leaning that direction with their newly-launched digital streaming service Sesame Street Go. It’s hard to deny that “someday, little children, someday soon”, Sesame Street might grow from a TV show to an entire network.

    If that does happen, here are just a few things that could be a huge win for we their loyal fans:

    Television "Telly" Monster
    The original “Television” Telly Monster.

    Sesame Street is the best educational children’s show on TV. Given that unbiased assessment, it stands to reason that any new shows they create also have the potential to be head and shoulders above many other children’s shows. The educational research they put into everything they do is sound, and the production values are spectacular. No one can question the integrity behind everything Sesame Workshop does. They’ve also created characters and songs that we’ve loved for decades. Not only are they educationally sound, but they’re very, very good at creating musical earworms and visual eyeworms (is that a word? Because it is now.).

    The money is in the channel. In today’s digital environment, we can instantly watch nearly anything we want, anytime, anywhere. That’s wonderful for audiences, but terrifying for studios. It’s very tough to be a successful content producer right now. Every TV show is in competition with every other show, not just in one time slot, but in every second of every day. It’s impossibly hard and honestly I wouldn’t want to do it. And that isn’t limited to only television, obviously. Every YouTube video (even Sesame Street’s YouTube channel), every song, every blog post has a high probability of being gone from sight as soon as it’s published – an atom of hydrogen in a molecule of water in a drop of rain landing in the middle of a bottomless ocean. It’s even more difficult to make serious money from content production. YouTubers, musicians, and the like make a few dollars at a time, and YouTube and iTunes at the same time make millions. This happens in music, television, movies, and everywhere else in entertainment. You don’t want to be the content provider (“the show”) right now. The real money is in owning the channel of distribution. Sesame Workshop is a non-profit, but they are still a business, one run by very smart people. Becoming a network is the smart move.

    They could do anything in 24 hours. Having a full day’s worth of time to fill on a TV channel would give them the opportunity to create many different kinds of programs. Plus, they could take advantage of different time slots, something they’ve never considered before. In different hours of the day, they could show different programs. Who’s up at midnight watching the Sesame Channel? Not my 3-year old, for sure, but I’m awake, and maybe I’d enjoy watching their older, classic Sesame episodes…which for some reason they don’t feel are “right” for today’s children. But that’s a different discussion.

    Big Bird
    It’s all about the Bird.

    I want them to. Not to make this about me, but I think it would be great if they became a cable channel and I could watch them anytime I wanted. Granted I can do that now, on Netflix and the like, but there’s something appealing about the thought of flipping to their channel and watching whatever Sesame show is on, not having to choose it ahead of time. Didn’t Apple just have a lot to say about “human-curated content”? It’s the element of surprise. Our brains like that. Sesame Street is all about brains.

    Also, at this point I see no problem with them becoming a cable channel (other than the fact that cable providers are awful monopolies, but that’s also another discussion). There was a time when it made sense to broadcast on the public airwaves and be as accessible as possible because no one had cable, and their target audience was quite poor. That was then, this is now. Almost everybody has cable, a smartphone, or computer, or one or some combination of those. Large segments of the population (the U.S. population, at least) wouldn’t be shut out if Sesame Workshop had a cable channel.

    There are a hundred more reasons that a Sesame Street network would be good for fans. A network allows for more broadcast time, more time to fill means more shows, more shows means more talented people being hired, more talent and more shows means more new characters, and more characters and shows means more memorable Sesame moments in the future (that become the classic moments our kids will look back on later, just like we do today). Also, at this point everybody else has done it. It’s time for Sesame Street to take the next step forward.

    Sesame wasn’t the first TV show to feature puppets, but they quickly became the best at it. They won’t be the first network to spring from a TV production (hello Disney!), but because it’s Sesame Workshop, it would very likely be different – and better – than the rest.

  • Show #290: Introducing STREET GANG, the Movie!

    The 2008 bestselling book Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis is being made into a new documentary film! This week I’m joined by Executive Producer Trevor Crafts and Director Marilyn Agrelo to talk about what Muppet fans should expect, how the film will expand upon what’s in the book, and how Muppet fans can get involved.

    About the Film

    Street Gang will be directed by Marilyn Agrelo, director of the festival award-winning Mad Hot Ballroom. Agrelo will have access to Sesame Street archives through Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, and The Jim Henson Company. Using new animated sequences, new character and cast interviews, and exclusive archival materials, Street Gang will tell the origin story of the show and how creator Joan Ganz Cooney, director Jon Stone, and visionary Jim Henson came out of the ideals and the societal unrest of the sixties to make something that changed history.

    One of the film’s Indiegogo campaign (http://bit.ly/2eh6bR0) goals, in addition to creating new animation and new music, is to raise funds to rebuild the Season One Sesame Street set, taking the audience back in time. Additionally, the filmmakers will donate 15% of the net proceeds of the crowd funding campaign to Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational media organization behind Sesame Street, through its Yellow Feather Fund™ which helps the world’s most vulnerable children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

    Thanks For Listening!

    As always, you can email me@muppetcast.com with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

    Have a great week!

    Steve

  • Sesame Studios: A Fan’s Reaction

    Sesame StudiosOn Friday, May 6, Sesame Workshop debuted a new YouTube channel, Sesame Studios. Sesame Studios features engaging, educational content for kids in a digital platform. Lawyerherald.com described it as “a trendy addition to the assemblage, taking classic elements from the 46-year history of Sesame Street & modernizing them through internet presentation.” KeraNews.com summed up the content of the channel as, “a new wave of digital characters, segments and songs.” Mashable.com’s headline read, “A YouTube Channel with no Elmo.”

    That’s right – Sesame Studios’ videos do not include any of the familiar Muppet characters. You’re probably thinking, “A Sesame Workshop YouTube channel without Muppets?! What would that even look like?” Well, here is a brief breakdown based on the channel’s 6-day history:

    A new group of characters will be introduced.
    Marvie, a digital gumdrop-shaped puppet with fantastic fuchsia hair, will serve as host. She will be introducing new videos and playlists, as well as encouraging children to interact with the content. She encourages the children to share their creativity by having their parents post in the “comments” section of her videos, or by posting artwork to Sesame Studios’ Twitter (@sesamestudios) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sesamestudios/) pages. Marvie is very creative herself, as she shares drawings, poems, and dance moves with the viewers.

    Sesame Studios will feature original digital short videos ranging in length from 30 seconds to 5 minutes each.
    Videos on the new YouTube channel will focus on such curriculum areas as literacy, health, and social-emotional development. Three new videos will be added each week. Content will include live-action nursery rhymes, films on animals, animated songs and new digital series. Among these new series will be The Totems, Scribble Tales, and Words with Puffballs.

    It seems that Sesame Workshop is looking to continue the vision that Joan Ganz Cooney expressed at the beginning of Sesame Street‘s run: “It’s not whether kids are learning from television, but what they are learning.” In this case, something like “digital media platforms” can be used in place of the word “television”, and the statement still holds true when quality educational content is involved. The videos that have been uploaded to the channel are teaching kids about self-expression, caring for people and animals, hygiene, and diversity in families.
    Steve Youngwood, COO of Sesame Workshop, also sees the comparison, having described Sesame Street as “the original disrupter in kids’ media.”

    According to Sesame Workshop, “Sesame Studios represents another new frontier for us; one where we can bring our educational expertise to an emerging platform for our audiences.” Over the last 46 years, Sesame Workshop has proven that they are a company that is not afraid to change with the times. Malik Ducard, Global Head of Family and Learning at YouTube, agrees: “For nearly half a century, Sesame Workshop has enriched the lives of children while embracing the evolving media landscape — whether it was TV in the 1970s or digital today.”

    Sesame StudiosEven in the midst of this modernizing and digitizing, however, Sesame Workshop has not wavered from its educational focus. Kay Wilson, Sesame Workshop Sr. VP of Creative Development, said, “Our goal is what it’s always been: to engage children with compelling, meaningful content…We want new content, new characters and new creative…We look at this as being a whole new crop of Creative talent. Kids who love Sesame Street are going to love Sesame Studios, and others will find that it is different and fresh.”

    What has been uploaded to the channel so far?
    As of this writing, only eight original videos have been uploaded. The viewer may wish to choose “Welcome to Sesame Studios” as a starting point. This video is a minute-and-a-half mash-up of what viewers can expect from the channel.

    Also of importance is the new Sesame Studios theme song, a tangible example of Sesame Workshop’s mix of progressive education and traditional Sesame methodology. The song, which was written and performed by Todrick Hall, includes modern references such as “clicking on videos,” while also containing lyrics that pay homage to the original Sesame Street theme (“sunny days” and “chase the clouds away”).

    Link to video: https://youtu.be/eEukgdHTLtI?list=PLkon_sSMyfKZo4dHa7J9Vh45hndU0nZPg

    Three videos feature our host, Marvie, and each reveals a little more of her personality and interests. There is also a lively animation about brushing your teeth, set to a catchy techno dance number (I thought that the disco ball inside the mouth was a nice touch).

    Of the original series, “The Totems” is the only series which has had videos uploaded thus far. The Totems are peg-shaped creatures. They remind me of Russian nesting dolls, except that they stack on top of one another (as seen in the “Totem Families” video). The upbeat, positive songs and very bright, vibrant background colors were highlights. Additionally, several animated details stood out: the fishbowl was egg-shaped, the dog is square and skinny instead of round or fat, and in one scene when a pet falls out of a tree, the leaves not only fly up off the tree but also off of the ground when the animal lands. Thus far, “The Totems” seems to be a series with a general theme of acceptance and loving and caring for one another.

    There are also two playlists on the site which feature content which weren’t produced by Sesame Studios. The dozen videos on the “Sesame Street Favorites” list range from classic animations to a “Number Baker film” to Stevie Wonder singing on the Street. The list is comprised of material from Sesame Street‘s first seasons such as “Ladybugs’ Picnic” and “King of 8”, as well as more contemporary videos like “OK Go – Three Primary Colors”.

    The “YouTube Favorites” list currently features 9 videos with content by KidPresident, StoryBots, HISHE Kids, BASHO & FRIENDS, FredBot, and others. (Content on this playlist was originally uploaded anywhere from 1 month to 5 years ago.) Wilson Stallings mentioned in an interview that Sesame Workshop’s creative team have been searching for people who have a fresh approach to children’s media but who have not yet found a platform on which to showcase their work. This “YouTube Favorites” playlist seems to bring her approach to mind.

    Overall impressions
    I think the Sesame Studios logo is visually very attention-grabbing, if not a little overwhelming at first encounter. I find the YouTube page to be very well organized (which is to be expected of something produced by Sesame Workshop). I think the nod to classic Sesame Street clips is a fitting way to remind viewers that Sesame Workshop is staying true to the educational roots of the TV show (plus, it keeps the two channels connected, considering that Sesame Street‘s YouTube page will contain a playlist of Sesame Studios’ videos). Perhaps the classic clips will also be a way for parents to better connect with the channel, as they are able to rediscover bits from the Sesame Street of their youth.

    At this point in time I find the “YouTube Favorites” playlist the most intriguing portion of the channel. Its exact purpose and potential currently seem somewhat unrealized. It will be interesting to see whether it will indeed develop into a gateway for Sesame Studios to discover collaborators, or whether it will just be a resource for more quality educational children’s videos.

  • Sesame Place Prepares for it’s 36th Season

    Sesame Place® opens for its 36th season on April 30th. The park has added new experiences to its already impressive lineup.

    The Magic of Art announcement on YouTube ©Sesame Place
    The Magic of Art announcement on YouTube ©Sesame Place

    The popular show Elmo Rocks took its final bows at the end of the last summer and is being replaced by a brand new show called The Magic of Art.

     

    The new show stars Sesame Place’s resident magical fairy, Abby Cadabby, alongside Cookie Monster, Elmo, Telly and Grover.  The stage show features music, audience participation and lots of fun.

    The show will be presented in the newly named Sesame Place Neighborhood Theater. The outdoor theater has been renamed a couple times in the past since opening as the Big Bird Theatre back in the 1980s. The new name is perfect since the theater is located at the end of the Sesame Street Neighborhood replica and the name should work for all future productions that are performed there.

    Magician Sam Sandler is America's only full-time Deaf illusionist. He will appear at Sesame Place on May 21-22.
    Magician Sam Sandler is America’s only full-time Deaf illusionist. He will appear at Sesame Place on May 21-22.

    Magic is also theme for Abby’s Magic Weekend May 21 & 22 which features special guests, Morley the Magician and Sam Sandler. Morley the Magician is a popular NJ based illusionist who teaches magic at his shop in Butler, NJ.

    Magician Sam Sandler is America’s only full-time Deaf illusionist. He has performed around the country and is known for his hysterical and impressive tricks.

    Both Sam Sandler and Morley the Magician will be performing on stage at the Sesame Place Neighborhood Theater as well as performing street magic during the day throughout the park on May 21st and 22nd.

    Abby’s Magical Magician Ball is a dining experience that is taking place at 12pm and 5pm on May 21st and 22nd. This character meal will feature magic performances and costumed characters.

    Sesame Place will host a passholder preview night on Friday April 29th from 3:30pm to 8pm. The preview night will give guests the first look at the giant inflatable Sesame Street Neighborhood that will greet all guests as they enter the park this year during the regular season.

    ELMO SING’S “HOT HOT HOT”.
    The inflatable birthday cake from the 2015 season is being replaced by a similarly sized inflatable Sesame Street Neighborhood.

    Sesame Place has used inflatables at the entrance of the park in the past. At Halloween time a giant Count Von Count stands near the entrance to the park and for the 2015 season a giant birthday cake was there as the park celebrated it’s 30th birthday.

     

    Sesame Place is hosting several special concerts and shows this season including Disney Jr.’s Choo-Choo Soul, The Imagination Movers and KIDZ BOP LIVE.

    About the author: Guy Hutchinson is an avid theme park fan and the co-author of the book “Sesame Place” which chronicles the history of the park in text and photos. You can purchase your copy of “Sesame Place” at www.SesamePlaceBook.com

     

  • The History of Costumed Characters at Sesame Place Part 3: 1992-1996

    This is part three in a multiple part series. Make sure and read Part 1 and Part 2.

    Count
    1992 Sesame Place park brochure.

    1992 heralded the debut of The Count and Elmo at Sesame Place. The Count was the one featured most prominently in the park brochure. “Old friends (and new) are waiting to meet you! The Count and Elmo join the Sesame Street family at Sesame Place! Youngsters can meet them as well as some of their other favorite pals… Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Grover, Prairie Dawn and The Honkers in the popular Sesame Neighborhood area.”

    The long running Big Bird and Company Musical Review stage show was modified to include Elmo and The Count as part of the show. The Honkers did appear in the show for the rest of the year, but when 1993 rolled around The Honkers were phased out. They would make sporadic appearances and appeared on print media, but the large amount of characters being added to the roster made them less and less prominent until the costumes eventually wore out.

    1993 marked a massive expansion of the park with a giant new section called Twiddlebug Land. Designed after the sketch about the creatures that lived under Ernie’s windowsill this section of the park features larger than life versions of very small things to give the illusion that the guests have all been shrunken down to Twiddlebug size.

    The new land featured a giant record player, bathrooms shaped like shoe boxes and milk cartoons and a giant water slide topped with a rubber duckie the size of a Volkswagen.

    Cheryl Henson (right) and Laurent Linn (left) and an oversized Twiddlebug (center) at the opening of Twiddlebug Land in 1993. ©The Jim Henson Company
    Cheryl Henson (right) and Laurent Linn (left) and Tessie Twiddlebug (center) at the opening of Twiddlebug Land in 1993. ©The Jim Henson Company

    The new land also debuted two walk around Twiddlebugs. A rotund blue Twiddlebug and the taller leaner pink Twiddlebug. According to the Muppet Wiki they are named Thomas and Tessie Twiddlebug and are the parents of the Twiddlebug children.

    These Twiddlebug costumed characters were phased out around 2000, but the Twiddlebug Land remains a popular section of the park. There are topiaries and signage with the characters throughout the area. For the Very Furry Christmas event a special train ride goes through the Twiddlebug Land and featuring dozens of cutouts of Twiddlebugs in their gingerbread factory.

    In the queue there is a monitor with animated Twiddlebugs who will speak directly to the kids in line and interact with them.

    In 1994 the roster of characters continued to grow. Oscar the Grouch was added to the park. Originally Oscar was added as a puppet. The puppeteer would be inside of an over-sized garbage can and people would meet and greet with him as well as see him in the parade. In 2012 a full walkaround Oscar started appearing in the park. he wears his trash can almost like a skirt and will often crouch down into it for pictures.

    Telly Monster also made his park debut at the time. The giant pink Muppet appears in many shows and meet and greets to this day.

    Rosita with wings (left) and without wings (right.)
    Rosita with wings (left) and without wings (right.)

    Finally, 1994 brought Rosita to the park. The popular Spanish speaking Muppet had debuted on Sesame Street just a few years prior. Her television character originally had wings and so did her Sesame Place character. Rosita was envisioned as somewhat of a fruit bat. The idea was later dropped and the puppet and walkaround characters were redesigned.

    Jumping ahead two years, 1996 brought Zoe to Sesame Place. Zoe debuted wearing lots of jewelry but no clothes. Today she sports her ballerina tutu at Sesame Place.

    Sesame Place had several unique characters debut over the next several years. Stay tuned!

    The Count holds a copy of Sesame Place. Purchase your copy at sesameplacebook.com
    Purchase your copy of Sesame Place at sesameplacebook.com
  • Sesame History: Farewell to Mr. Hooper

    Will Lee Mr. Hooper Bert ErnieIn continuation of my series on Sesame Street helping children understand important moments in life from divorce to incarceration, perhaps the most challenging topic was presented on Thanksgiving in 1983, when the show addressed the concept of death. On December 7, 1982, actor Will Lee, best known for his role as Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street passed away from a heart attack at the age of 74. Lee was one of four original human cast members on the show, alongside Matt Robinson (the original Gordon), Loretta Long (Susan) and Bob McGrath (Bob). Mr. Hooper had become a staple of the show, originally described by Children’s Television Workshop advisor Gerald S. Lesser as “slightly mean and abrasive but with a poorly hidden nice streak.” Over time he became a much more mellow storekeeper who developed a friendship with Big Bird, who often visited to buy a birdseed milkshake, and who had trouble saying his friend’s name (often referring to him as “Mr. Looper”).

    With the passing of Will Lee, producers were left with the problem of broadcasting Mr. Hooper’s departure. The show’s executive producer Dulcy Singer believed that, “if we left it unsaid, kids would notice.” Producers considered having the character move away, with Carroll Spinney being quoted as saying, “We thought perhaps he could just retire, move to Florida or something, but then the producers thought that the best thing to do would be to actually deal with death.” After research and discussion, it was agreed upon that the best way to deal with Mr. Hooper’s departure would be to have the character pass away as well, and to create an episode to teach young children about death being a natural part of life, and how it’s OK to feel sad when a loved one dies.

    Big Bird Mr. HooperThe landmark Sesame Street episode dealing with Mr. Hooper’s death aired on Thanksgiving in 1983, during the show’s 15th season. Norman Stiles, the show’s head writer, consulted with numerous child psychologists to create a script designed to help explain losing a loved one to children. The script avoided “sugar-coating” the topic, choosing not to use words children might not understand like “passed away” and instead using a direct and honest approach. Mr. Hooper’s cause of death was not discussed, nor was the process of growing old. The producers instead directed the message as, “Mr. Hooper died, he won’t be coming back, and we are all going to miss him.” Flashbacks were also rejected as it was believed kids would be confused by seeing Mr. Hooper still on their screen again. It was also important for producers that Mr. Hooper not be said to have died in a hospital, for fear it would make children afraid to go to the hospital, despite the fact that was in fact where Will Lee passed away.

    Big Bird was once again utilized as representative of the majority of the childlike audience, reacting to the news of death. The other adult characters explained to Big Bird that he would still be cared for even if Mr. Hooper won’t be around to do so. The landmark segment began as Big Bird passed out hand-drawn pictures of all of the adult characters he’d made (drawn in reality by Bird’s performer Carroll Spinney) and he’s curious when he can’t find Mr. Hooper, to give him his drawing. Big Bird thinks Mr. Hooper has just gone away on vacation and will return later, unable to comprehend the concept of death initially, despite having been already told Mr. Hooper died. Big Bird grows troubled even as the adults tell him everything will be okay and he’ll be taken care of, saying, “It won’t be the same,” until Bob reassures Big Bird. He says, “You’re right, Big Bird. It’ll never be the same without him. But you know something? We can all be very happy that we had a chance to be with him and to know him and to love him a lot, when he was here.” The episode also explains that David will fill in at Hooper’s Store, and the episode ends on a touching moment as Big Bird hangs the drawing of Mr. Hooper he made by his nest.

    Will Lee Mr. HooperThe episode’s airing on Thanksgiving was no mistake, according to actress Loretta Long, who noted during an interview on The Tavis Smiley Show, “We were very careful to do it over the Thanksgiving holiday, where there would be a lot of adults in the house to help the children.” Filming the episode was emotional for the cast and crew, all who had grown close to Will Lee during his 14 years on the show. Norman Stiles also adapted the episode into a book, “I’ll Miss You, Mr. Hooper.” Hooper’s Store has continued to serve as a landmark location on Sesame Street, with ownership changing through the years to its present owner and operator, Alan. Mr. Hooper’s death came up two other times after the episode, once in a Season 16 episode in which Big Bird and Maria reminisce about Mr. Hooper, and again in Season 28 when famous bird art collector Leo Birdelli wants to buy Big Bird’s drawing of Mr. Hooper, in exchange for birdseed. In that episode, Big Bird goes on to explain the meaning of the picture. The Daytime Emmys would go on to recognize the episode as one of the 10 most influential moments in daytime television. In a 2006 interview, Carroll Spinney recognized it as a proud achievement for Sesame Street, “The best episode we ever did was Mr. Hooper’s death. Those were real tears. Will was the sweetest man.”

  • How Sesame Helps Children With Incarcerated Parents

    Sesame Workshop Incarcerated ParentRecently, I’ve written how Sesame Street both brilliantly and, in my opinion, beautifully helped children understand the topics of divorce and pregnancy. This week, I want to talk about an even more sensitive topic that I’m sure many people are unaware Sesame Street has touched upon. In 2013, Sesame Workshop created an educational resource video to help kids understand and deal with having a parent in jail. Naturally this is an extremely touchy topic for Sesame Street to address, and it affects a very specific population of children, but for that percentage of families it’s a topic that’s very important to discuss and help kids understand. Sesame Workshop worked closely with an expert panel including members from Rutgers University. The program and resources are available on the Sesame Workshop website as well as in correctional facilities. Other organizations that specialize in early childhood education, mental health, counseling, parenting programs and foster care programs also make the material available.

    According to Sesame Workshop, 1 in 28 children in the United States have a parent in state or federal prison. These 2.7 million children share similar experiences and Sesame created resources to help both the children and their parents. Their first effort took place in 1977 with a documentary called Sesame Street Goes to Prison.” The film was the answer to prisons having inadequate waiting areas for children visiting incarcerated parents. The documentary shows a prison program where inmates voluntarily provide entertainment for the visiting children of their fellow inmates, using the educational foundations of the show as the basis for their own show. Although the name of the film includes Sesame Street, the film does not include any characters from the show. It emphasizes helping children form closer bonds with their families, despite being in a rough situation. This documentary won several awards including the American Film Festival Blue Ribbon and the IFPA Cindy Award.

    Sesame Street AlexIn 2013, Sesame Workshop produced a new video, as part of their “Little Children, Big Challenges” initiative. The video is called “Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration” and it features Sesame Street characters Abby Cadabby and Rosita, along with two new characters: a Muppet named Alex (performed by Matt Vogel) and a new human friend named Sofia (performed by Jasmine Romero, who originally auditioned for Sesame Street in 2012 to become a new Hispanic cast member). Murray Monster also makes special appearances conducting interviews with kids about the word “incarceration” and asking how they feel about having imprisoned parents. The video features Alex, whose father is in prison, as he and Sofia help Abby and Rosita learn how they cope with having an incarcerated parent.

    What really impressed me about this initiative is how much information Sesame Street makes available to parents. There’s a great pamphlet that can be downloaded from Sesame Workshop helping parents understand that children need a sense of security when it comes to big changes in their life, like knowing who will pick them up from school and where they’ll go and what they’ll do. It goes on to explain how important honesty is, and that trying to cover it up by saying that “Mommy is going on vacation” or “Daddy is at school” will leave the child with too many questions about why the parent doesn’t return. It’s also important for children to understand what will only be talked about at home or with family, and what they can talk about with friends at school. Involving the incarcerated parent in the child’s life shows the child that they will always be cared for.

    I think Sesame Workshop does an amazing job helping both parents and children with this sensitive topic. They don’t try to justify an incarcerated parent’s actions, but instead they explain what incarceration means and the feelings a young child may have after a parent has gone away to jail. In addition, it helps parents understand the importance of communication, and why saying nothing to the child is more hurtful than helpful. This is another perfect example of why I personally applaud Sesame Workshop for tackling important and sometimes sensitive topics to help both children and parents develop good communication skills and good learning experiences.

  • Here’s How Sesame Helps Families Going Through A Divorce

    When I heard the news that Sesame Street was launching a new initiative to raise awareness of autism, I was one of many people who were extremely happy to hear this. It’s exciting that Sesame Street is once again taking a big step in tackling a sensitive subject in both an educational and entertaining way. It also got me thinking about how Sesame Street has always been on top of things, in terms of tackling topics of interest that are important in today’s world. Topics such as divorce, military families, emergency situations and even death have all been featured on Sesame Street.

    I wanted to discuss a few of these topics, and how Sesame Street handled them so well. For the next few weeks, I’m going to highlight a different topic for each post and give an overall analysis of how Sesame Street tackled each subject, and the educational and entertainment challenges of presenting these topics. I have to give credit to where credit is due to my #1 source for all material, The Muppet Wiki. It’s a fantastic website, and I wouldn’t have been able to find so much information if it weren’t for them.

    Divorce

    Kermit and BirdThis 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.

    In the sketch, Kermit the Frog interviews a small bird in a park, who sings about how her parents live in separate trees, however despite this, they still love her no matter who she is with. The little bird was performed by Fran Brill (Zoe, Prairie Dawn), her father by Jerry Nelson (The Count, Herry Monster), her mother by Camille Bonora (The Count’s girlfriend Countess von Backwards and Meryl Sheep), and her grandmother by Pam Arciero (Oscar the Grouch’s girlfriend Grundgetta). What’s interesting about the song is that it tackles the subject in a very simple way by having the little bird sing how she feels, without using the word “divorce.” A new version of the song was released 23 years later (however I’ll go into that a little bit later).

    Snuffy Family3 years later in 1992, Sesame Workshop attempted to tackle the issue of divorce in an episode known as “Snuffy’s Parents Get a Divorce.” The project was first announced in 1989 by Sesame writer and director Jon Stone, who at the time was also working on tackling the issue of drugs and peer pressure. However, cast and crew members expressed mixed feelings about the topic, even before a script was finished. In 1990, executive producer Dulcy Singer shut down the project, wanting the show to focus more on targeting financially disadvantaged families, and believing “divorce is a middle-class thing.” Instead, she preferred a story illustrating a single-parent family, with a child born out of wedlock with an absent father.

    The “divorce” concept was not completely finished, though, as the idea came up again the following year when new statistics revealed that 40 percent of all children in the United States – not just the middle class – would soon live in divorced households. The writers and performers found divorce to be a heavy subject to approach. They had to find a way to reach small children who were affected by it, something they didn’t have to touch much before. The crew had to find the right approach to address the issue, the first question being whether to use the Muppet characters or the human cast to highlight the subject. Using Muppet characters would make the topic less frightening and easier for kids to have somebody to identify it, however using adult characters would make it more real and possibly easier to relate to. Eventually, it came down to realizing that the human married characters, such as Maria and Luis or Gordon and Susan, couldn’t be used as the audience was possibly too attached to the characters and may not understand the issue.

    It was decided to use an established Muppet character as the child in the issue, whose parents were getting divorced. Snuffy was chosen as the childlike character. Norman Stiles, who previously wrote the episode that focused on the death of Mr. Hooper, was chosen to rewrite a new version of the story. The script was heavily scrutinized by the advisory board and developmental psychologists, who wanted the script to more heavily emphasize that not all arguments mean divorce.

    The script was revised, and the episode was taped and screened in front of a test audience of 60 children. Noel MacNeal, best known as the titular character on Bear in the Big Blue House, as well as being a frequent Henson performer, had performed Mommy Snuffleupagus before on the show. However for this special, he instead performed Daddy Snuffleupagus, which was actually the Snuffy puppet with a different voice. Lynn Hippen was the voice of Mommy Snuffleupagus, as the studio wanted a more feminine-sounding voice for the character. Singer still had her doubts about Sesame Street tackling the issue, even after many revisions to the script, believing that a topic like death was universal and divorce was personal, something people can react to differently.

    The story at one point featured Daddy Snuffleupagus arriving for a weekend visit and Snuffy’s sister Alice trying to bring him inside, but he reminds her that he doesn’t live there anymore. Children from the test audience couldn’t understand where Snuffy’s parents lived, especially the father, many believing he ran away from home. In another scene, as she overhears her parents arguing in the next cave, Alice pounds and kicks her teddy bear out of frustration, something kids misunderstood as Alice being violent and her parents planning to move away. After the negative test results, the project was abandoned, although there were several talks of trying to tackle the concept again.

    Abby Gordon Little Children Big ChallengesMore 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.

    I think what’s special about Sesame Street covering divorce is how they didn’t simply go with their first approach. They took time, did research, did tests and made sure they got it right. I also applaud Sesame Workshop for approaching the topic in different ways, first through a song and later through a story, with one of its most popular characters recalling how she went through the process. And while Snuffy was seen as he went through the change, Abby had already been through the process and had time to adjust to it. Abby also doesn’t hide her feelings from the experience, instead sharing how angry and sad she is because she loves her parents. It reached its appropriate audience, making downloadable content for parents who needed a tool to help their children understand the subject, not trying to force feed the subject to the regular television viewing audience, who may or may not being going through the same situation as Abby. In handling divorce, I think Sesame Street got it right and I think this is a fantastic tool and program to help families.

  • Build Your Own Cookie Monster Cup at Sesame Place

    20150913_151424There is a unique, new way to enjoy a cold beverage at the Sesame Place.

    The Sesame Street theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania has added a station where you can create your own ‘Cup That Cares.’

    The ‘Cup That Cares’ helps kids learn to reuse materials and reduce their carbon footprint.
    Plus, Sesame Place will donate $1 from each ‘Cup That Cares’ purchase to ‘Sesame Place Cares’ which “supports initiatives committed to conservation, education and community service.”

    What this mean is that you are saving the planet by making a crazy Cookie Monster cup. 20150913_151448

    The cup is sorta like a Mr. Potato Head. You pick out a Cookie Monster head, two arms, a body and a pair of feet. Then you accessorize him and put a straw in his back to enjoy an ice cold cola.

    The cup costs $19.95, which as far as theme park pricing goes is not too bad. Then you can get 99 cent refills for the whole year, which is great as long as you remember to bring Cookie Monster back with you for each visit.

    Even if your child just ends up reusing Cookie Monster at home (or let’s be honest, YOU reuse Cookie Monster at work) it’s a nice cup and is better for the planet than single use plastic or paper cups.

    The materials seem sturdy and it’s fun to assemble and dissemble Cookie Monster. Cookie’s round belly is the section of the cup that holds the drink and it’s emblazoned on the back, with the Sesame Place logo. Cookie Monster also has a variety of funny hats, funny shoes and several neat accessories that he can hold.

    The cookie jar accessory is the same design as Cookie Monster’s parade float and Halloween costume at Sesame Place.

    Sesame Place is part of the Sea World family of parks, and the ‘Cup That Cares’ originated at Sea World Orlando a few years back with some penguin characters. The Cookie Monster cup is more detailed and is hopefully the first in a line of build-able Sesame Street character cups.

     

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  • The History of Costumed Characters at Sesame Place Part 2: 1987-1991

    This is part two in a multiple part series. Make sure and read Part 1.

    A red and pink Honker on stage with Big Bird (LEFT) and three Honkers in the 1993 park map (RIGHT)
    Purple Honker and Pink Honker on stage with Big Bird (LEFT) and three Honkers in the 1993 park map (RIGHT)


    When the 1986 season came to a close Sesame Place had a small variety of walk around characters. Bert & Ernie, and Big Bird had arrived and would stick around forever. Green Honker and Pink Honker also had showed up at the park, and stayed at the park until 1992.

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    A youngster greets Cookie Monster at during a Christmas event in 2012

     

    For the 1987 season Sesame Place brought in Cookie Monster. The early Cookie Monster walk around character appeared to have darker fur than the current costume, but otherwise looked very similar. Cookie Monster had an animatronic likeness at the park early on and had his own ‘play element’ at the park, a climbing attraction called Cookie Mountain.

    Prior to the opening of Sesame Place, costumed Sesame Street characters had appeared on traveling ice shows, Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice, and shortly after Sesame Place opened they began appearing in the traveling stage show Sesame Street Live, which still tours today. This meant that the work deciphering the full bodied character had often been done prior to the inclusion of the character at the Langhorne, Pennsylvania park.

    This is a bigger deal that it sounds. After all, before this no one knew what Cookie Monster’s feet looked like.

    1988 Sesame Place decided to add another monster, this time lovable furry Grover. The 1988 season also introduced Prairie Dawn. It was a very big year at Sesame Place. The park had really started expanding and had added Sesame Neighborhood, a giant outdoor main street. It is a wonderful replica of Sesame Street, right down to Oscar’s trashcan and Big Bird’s mailbox.

    Grover had existed as a Muppet prior to the debut of Sesame Street. Like many Muppets he started with a different name and voice and eventually they found the character we know and love. By season two of Sesame Street he was the lovable character we are all familiar with on television and when he was introduced at Sesame Place he was one of the most popular (and merchandised) characters on Sesame Street.

    Grover and Prairie both debuted in 1988.
    Grover and Prairie both debuted in 1988.

    Prairie Dawn debuted on television in 1971 and started appearing in Sesame Street Live productions in 1981. Her addition at Sesame Place was a very welcome one, as she was the first undeniably female character at the park. Prairie’s role on the Sesame Street television show has diminished over the past decade or so, but she remains an integral part of the line up of characters at Sesame Place. Prairie is known on Sesame Street for her talents at putting on shows, and it isn’t any different at Sesame Place. Right now, if you see the Sesame Place ‘Neighborhood Birthday Party Parade’ you will not only see Prairie, but you will hear her in between songs saying things like “places everyone!” and “cue the next number” which tends to bring a small bit of nostalgia back to many of the moms and dads as they remember her elaborate pageants where Herry Monster would play the sun and Cookie Monster would play a cloud.

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    1988 ad announcing Grover and Prairie Dawn

    In 1994 she had her own stage show at Sesame Place, The Perils of Miss Prairie.

    1989 brought Sesame Place a third Honker, Purple Honker. Since the Honkers had the same head and body, this was just a matter of trying out a new color.

    Purple Honker appeared alongside his Honker friends for meet and greets as well as the performances of the Big Bird and Company stage show which would feature 2 Honkers.

    As 1991 came to a close, Sesame Place had 9 characters at the park. Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, Grover, Prairie Dawn, Cookie Monster, Purple Honker, Pink Honker and Green Honker all called Langhorne home, but there are more to come. Count on it.

     

    Thanks to Jenn Martin, Greg Hartley, Jeff Davis, and Donna Viola Beck for providing information for this article.

     

     

     

  • The History of Costumed Characters at Sesame Place Part 1: 1980-1986

    This is part one in a multiple part series.

    Oscar the GrouchSesame Place opened in Langhorne, Pennsylvania in 1980. At the time there were no costumed characters in the park. I have heard several reasons for this, and perhaps all of them are true. Or it’s a combination of some of them.

    I have heard that there was contractual language specifying that the television puppeteers had to provide the voices in the park, there was a desire to have the characters be able to move their mouths, and there were questions revolving around if only puppets should be used at the parks.

    Regardless, before the costumed characters made their debut at the park, there were “Automated Muppets.” Animatronic versions of Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch appeared in the park starting in the 1981 season. These characters were voiced by Frank Oz and Caroll Spinney, respectively.

    Oscar was located in his trash can, which was situated inside of a cart that was covered in fabulous junk, including an old tire. The cart looked similar to a theme park beverage cart and could be set up in multiple locations.

    Cookie Monster was also inside of a cart which was usually situated in The Food Factory restaurant. He appeared inside of a cookie jar.

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    These characters would talk, sing, laugh, and tell jokes. Micheal Firth, creative vice president of Henson, said in 1982 that these were “a perfect reproduction of each character.”

    Bert, Ernie, Honker, and DingerThe first batch of costumed characters debuted the following year and included Ernie, Bert and Green Honker and Pink Honker.

    These characters would perform in a show entitled “The Bert and Ernie Show.” A special stage was built for them in front of Mr. Hooper’s Emporium and the show lasted at that location for two years.

    An aside: these character costumes were equipped with controls to move their mouths and lip sync. Sesame Place had characters with movable mouths from the very first day they added character interaction! It has taken a few decades for the Disney parks to add that to the stage shows they run. There is something great about having a character move his or her mouth, rather than pantomime a show.

    In 1986, the next character was added to Sesame Place. It was the most obvious choice: Big Bird. The cast of “The Bert and Ernie Show” now joined him in The Big Bird Theater for a show called “Big Bird & Company.”

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    The Big Bird of Sesame Place operates differently than the one on television. As most Sesame Street fans know, Caroll Spinney holds the 5 lbs Big Bird head up with his hand and looks at a small monitor inside the costume. The Big Bird costume at Sesame Place has a solid cone neck and the performer can see through eye holes in Big Bird’s tie.

    Now the park needed some monsters. But we’ll get to them next time.

  • Sesame Workshop and HBO Partnership

    Recent Sesame Workshop and HBO Deal Benefits Everyone

    Sesame Street HBO Partnership

    On August 13, Sesame Workshop announced a five-year partnership with HBO. Under this deal, new episodes of Sesame Street will first air on HBO’s family of channels and online services. The shows will then be provided to PBS nine months later. Following a format that Sesame began experimenting with in 2014, the new episodes will be 30 minutes in length rather than one hour. The shorter version shows drew more viewers and held them longer than the hour-long episodes.

    There has been a fair amount of negative reaction to the joint venture with HBO. Some see it as counter to Sesame Street’s goal of providing educational content to all children. Critics say this plan teaches low-income children they are inferior to those whose families can afford premium services like HBO. Some believe this is akin to providing low-income children secondhand goods.

    Sesame Street does not produce content that is going to be less effective or expire after nine months. It is also not like a serial drama where viewers are anxiously awaiting the next program to see how a storyline develops. Toddlers do not generally gather around the water cooler at preschool and discuss the latest happenings of Big Bird and Elmo. The only way a child is prone to know he or she is watching an episode that aired on HBO nine months ago is if someone tells him or her…and even then the child is not likely to care.

    The ideal scenario would be for PBS and Sesame Workshop to continue without a public-private venture with HBO. However, this partnership appears to be a win-win situation. With the popularity of streaming video services, there has been a sharp decline in DVD sales. This was a revenue source Sesame Workshop heavily depended on in the past.

    Around 10% of Sesame Street’s production costs were covered by PBS. Product licensing and merchandising fees were covering most of the remainder of production costs, but Sesame Workshop still operated at a loss of $11 million in 2014. Without an arrangement of this nature, it is doubtful the show could continue very much longer. The deal means funding is no longer a problem, and PBS now gets the programs at no charge. Additionally, there will be twice as many episodes produced per season.

    Based on HBO’s history with original programming, it is unlikely they will make any attempt to interfere with the content of the show. Furthermore, because HBO is a premium channel there will be no influence from advertisers or encouragement for product placement. Many find Sesame Street an odd fit for HBO, but don’t forget Jim Henson was a trailblazer: Fraggle Rock was the very first original series to air on HBO in 1983.

    One aspect of this deal that has largely gone unnoticed is that there will be a new Sesame Street Muppets spinoff series as well as another new original educational series for children. These new series will also be made available to PBS. While details of these programs are not yet available, it seems safe to say there will be lots of new entertaining and educational programming to look forward to from Sesame Workshop for many years to come.

  • Sesame Place’s 35th Birthday Ceremony and Celebration

    SESAME PLACE CAKE CREATED BY NICHOLE’S CUSTOM CAKES
    SESAME PLACE CAKE CREATED BY NICHOLE’S CUSTOM CAKES

    Yesterday was the 35th birthday of Sesame Place. At Sesame Place they never call it an “anniversary.” It makes sense, when we think of anniversaries we think of adult things like commemorating the anniversary of a wedding or a historic event from the past. Kids don’t always know much about anniversaries, but everyone knows about birthdays!

    Sesame Place has been celebrating this milestone throughout the season and recently held a cake decorating contest at the park. Yesterday the winning cake, created by Nichole’s Custom Cakes, was on display for all to see.

    At 10:15am, Sesame Place President Bob Caruso took the stage to kick off the ceremony. Mr. Caruso has worked at the park since 1980 and talked about the monumental changes the park has made. Caruso gestured to the costumed characters who were meeting with children in areas near the stage and pointed out “when we opened we were missing a few people. We were missing the characters.” He said, “But as time went on we added the character shows, we added water attractions, we added Vapor Trail the rollercoaster, we added the Spooktacular (Sesame Place’s month long Halloween event) and most recently we added A Very Furry Christmas.”

    REP. FERRY (LEFT) AND SESAME PLACE PRESIDENT BOB CARUSO HOLD THE OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF DAVIS
    REP. FERRY (LEFT) AND SESAME PLACE PRESIDENT BOB CARUSO HOLD THE OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION.
    PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF DAVIS

    Caruso then introduced Frank Ferry, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and mentioned that Frank was a team member in his youth.

    Rep. Ferry pointed out the logo on his white polo shirt and joked that “it’s not often that in my official capacity that I get to wear an Oscar the Grouch shirt.” He explained that the shirt was from when he worked in 1996, during the opening of Slimey’s Chutes, and after 20 years he was happy that it “still fits.”

    Rep.  Ferry read the official proclamation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (which did use the word “anniversary”.) The proclamation acknowledged the rather humble beginning the park had and talked of its expansion over the years as well as Sesame Place’s contributions “to the enrichment and enjoyment of countless citizens.”

    Bob Caruso then introduced some of his “favorite furry friends” which brought upon loud applause and cheers from the crowd.

    Park performer PJ Schweizer took the stage with Cookie Monster, Elmo, Zoe, and Abby Cadabby. The group did a set of musical numbers starting with “Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street.”

    On a day where morning temperatures were already in the high 90s, it only seemed fitting that the second song was Elmo’s rendition of the summertime favorite “Hot Hot Hot” as the other characters danced along.

    ELMO SING’S “HOT HOT HOT”.
    ELMO SING’S “HOT HOT HOT”.

    The musical numbers concluded with everyone singing “Happy Birthday” and then streamers shot over the crowd.

    The sunny morning eventually gave way to sporadic (but heavy) rainfall, which thankfully was down to a light drizzle during the Neighborhood Birthday Party Parade.

    In the back of the park Snuffy’s Slides, a tall pair of tube slides, celebrated its 35th birthday. Unbeknownst to most of the guests is the only “play element” from opening day to stick around for all of the past 35 years.

    SNUFFY’S SLIDES, THE LAST REMAINING OPENING DAY ATTRACTION.
    SNUFFY’S SLIDES, THE LAST REMAINING OPENING DAY ATTRACTION.

     

    Everyone that walked through the gates for the morning celebration was given a paper party hat and party blower and everyone left the celebration with a smile on their face. Sesame Place’s 35th Birthday Party was certainly one to remember.

    About the author: Guy Hutchinson is an avid theme park fan and the co-author of the book “Sesame Place” which chronicles the history of the park in text and photos. You can purchase your copy of “Sesame Place” at www.SesamePlaceBook.com

  • A Brief History of the Water Fun at Sesame Place

    Sesame Place manages to balance character entertainment, amusement park rides, and water attractions.

    This has been the case since opening day in 1980 when they had some water attractions that combined athletics and water.

    Sesame Place Kids Splashing
    Kids splashing at Sesame Place.

    Herry’s Hand Over Water was a creatively designed jungle gym. Kids hung on to the rope bars and rings trying to make their way across; or they’d splash down. Bert’s Balance Beams was a series of beams that criss-crossed a net and jets of rising water. The Amazing Mumford’s Water Maze was a series of cargo net tunnels and splashing water… and yes, it was amazing.

    In the mid 1980s more water attractions began to pop up. Splash attractions like The Count’s Fount and Little Bird’s Bird Bath opened along with quite a few water slides. For adventurous bigger kids there was Runaway Rapids, Zoom Flume and Big Slipper, whereas the younger set found thrills on Rubber Duckie Rapids.

    In 1990 they took water fun to another level. Big Bird’s Rambling River was built on land that had been parking spots. This 1,000 foot lazy river added almost a 1/3 more physical space to the park. A few years later they named that side of the park Sesame Island and added The Good Ship Sesame icon entrance as well as the very complicated (and adorable) splash zone, Ernie’s Waterworks.

    Sesame Place Greg Brady News ClippingPerhaps the pinnacle of Sesame Place’s water fun opened in 1995. Sky Splash takes riders down six stories on the way to a giant pool of water. The ride is topped by an 8 foot high Rubber Duckie that you can see from nearby roadways. The opening of Sky Splash was a gala event. In the preceding weeks Sesame Place put out a call to find twins, triplets and quadruplets to celebrate Sky Splash. The opening was also attended by the cast of the CTW show “Ghostwriter” and the very first ride was taken by Barry Willams, known to television fans as Greg Brady.

    Sesame Place usually names attractions after different Sesame Street Muppets and in 1996 it was Slimey’s turn to have an attraction. Slimey’s Chutes is a double side inner tube slide giving a child a chance to slide with mom or dad.

    In 2009 Sesame Place took a colossal step forward in providing splash fun as Count’s Fount, Little Bird’s Bird Bath and Little Bird’s Rapids all bid farewells in exchange for the massive new The Count’s Splash Castle. This attraction boasts over 90 play elements with the centerpiece being a 1,000 gallon bucket that tips over frequently splashing all below.

    Today the park features no less than nine water attractions ensuring a fun time for anyone with a bathing suit.

  • Show #288: MuppetCast Mailbag Monday

    Listener questions drive the content of this new MuppetCast production. Four questions guide the content for this episode. Send your questions for the show to me@muppetcast.com.

    Will there ever be a new Fraggle Rock movie or TV show?

    What will the new Muppets attractions in WDW be like?

    Any new Muppet books coming in the near future?

    And a quick review of a few Sesame Street DVDs.

    Thanks For Listening!

    As always, you can email me@muppetcast.com with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

    Have a great week!

    Steve

  • Review of “Keep Christmas with You” DVD

    Keep Christmas with You DVD CoverEarlier this week, PBS aired Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Santino Fontana & the Sesame Street Muppets. This hour-long special was taken from a series of concerts performed at the 21,000 seat Conference Center in Salt Lake City last year. I had intended to write a review of that airing. Due to a technical glitch, I will instead be writing a review of the DVD release of this event titled Keep Christmas with You. Many of the performances outlined were included in the PBS airing, but the DVD includes over 30 minutes of additional material.

    Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I generally enjoy concerts of all types of Christmas music. However, I have rarely watched Christmas concerts by the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir. That will probably change in future years because of how thoroughly I enjoyed this performance. The concert begins with a wonderful production of “Sing a Christmas Carol” from Scrooge performed by the 360-member choir accompanied by a fantastic 102-member orchestra under the direction of Mack Wilberg. The music and stage decoration are amazing. I can’t imagine how spectacular is must have been to attend this event in person.

    Mormon Tabernacle Choir DancersNext up is an original composition called “Merry, Merry Christmas.” As if the performance weren’t already dazzling enough, the stage is now filled with dancers (very brightly dressed as if they had leapt out of the pages of one of the Oz books). Big Bird arrives at the end singing “Merry Christmas” not realizing that the concert has already started. He is then joined on stage by Ernie, Bert, Grover, Abby Cadabby, Rosita, Cookie Monster and Elmo. They are all terrified and embarrassed that they are late. Big Bird declares the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Special to be his second favorite show on PBS. Conductor Mack Wilberg welcomes them to the show. The Muppets are overwhelmed with how Christmassy everything is with singing, dancing and colorful costumes. Maestro Wilberg informs them that this is only part of Christmas and that Christmas is much, much more than everything happening on the stage. Everyone wants to help. Abby and Rosita want to sing with the choir, Bert and Ernie will help backstage, Grover will direct, and Cookie Monster decides he will help after he finds Christmas cookies. Elmo states that if Christmas is really more than all of this, he will take his video camera and look for “more.” Big Bird doesn’t know what he will do, but says he will think of something.

    Santino Fontana Balloon EntranceThis begins a series of interstitials by the Muppets with the first one featuring Grover in the control room. Ernie and Bert are backstage having some fun mispronouncing the star’s name. Santino Fontana (the voice of Prince Hans in Disney’s Frozen) then makes his appearance in another Wizard of Oz-esque moment by dropping down from the ceiling in a hot-air balloon while singing “Candy Man” followed by “Pocketful of Miracles.” He then solemnly performs “Some Children See Him.”

    Grover, Cookie Monster, and Elmo make an appearance as Elmo searches for the “more” that Christmas is about. Elmo reports from Temple Square that the first “more” he found is millions of tiny lights: “The more lights, the more it feels like Christmas.”

    The orchestra and choir are then featured in “A Classical Christmas” comprised of “Marche Miniature” from Suite for Orchestra in D Minor, op.43, “Hear, King of Angels” from Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, and “Cum Sancto Spiritu” from Petite messe solennelle.

    Big Bird Conducting ChoirAt this point, Conductor Mack Wilberg heads backstage where he meets Big Bird. Big Bird has decided that he can be part of the concert by conducting. Big Bird borrows the wand and begins to head to the stage. When asked if he needs any tips, Big Bird says he will “wing it.” This begins a Sesame Street medley as Big Bird conducts the “Sesame Street Theme.”

    Elmo gives his next report from the stage where he is still looking for “more” of what makes Christmas more than any other day. He is joined by Cookie Monster as Santino Fontana sings “People in Your Neighborhood” (featuring a clarinetist, a dancer, and a choir) under the direction of maestro Ryan Murphy.

    Grover announces Ernie’s surprise is next. Ernie lures Bert onto stage. Bert is embarrassed to sing as his voice “sounds nasal at best.” Santino encourages Bert to sing from the heart as they begin “Sing” and are joined on stage by Big Bird, Elmo, Rosita and Abby.

    Santino Fontana then sings a medley of Christmas songs featuring excerpts from “Let It Snow! Let it Snow! Let It Snow!,” “White Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Blue Christmas,” and “Winter Wonderland.”

    Count Performs Twelve Days of ChristmasWe return to Grover and Cookie Monster in the control room. Cookie is still desperate for cookies, but Grover announces it is now time to hear the “biggie big pipe organ.” We are treated to a stellar performance by organist Richard Elliott playing an arrangement of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” narrated by Count Von Count. The Count provided some wonderful commentary and even performed on his own pipe organ at Day 11. Of course, it was all capped off by thunder and lightning.

    There is another interstitial with Ernie, Bert and Elmo and the “more” pipes of Christmas. Onstage now are Abby, Rosita and Katie from the choir. In their banter, they manage to drop a reference to the new “Smarter, Stronger, Kinder” Sesame Street tagline followed by a performance of the Sesame Street classic “Keep Christmas with You.”

    Cookie Monster and ElmoCookie Monster is still on his quest for cookies. Santino explains there is more to Christmas than cookies. They are joined on stage by Elmo, Big Bird, and Abby as they perform “Everyone Who Likes Christmas Say, ‘I Do!’” in an attempt to give Cookie Monster more Christmas spirit and show him that Christmas can be fun without cookies. He is then presented with a plate of Christmas cookies. Cookie Monster learns that Christmas is about friends, family and sharing…so he shares the cookies with everyone.

    This is followed by a performance of “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” by the orchestra and choir. Santino Fontana provides a reading of the Christmas story from Luke 2 accompanied by the orchestra.

    Matt Vogel and Leslie Carrara-RudolphSantino and the orchestra then perform “Angels from the Realms of Glory” followed by a finale of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” All the Muppet performers take the stage for a final bow with the characters they are performing (apparently Peter Linz is performing Big Bird at this moment as Matt Vogel takes the stage with Count). Grover finally gets a moment to sing during a reprise of “Keep Christmas with You.”

    Overall, the performance is a great mix of new and classic holiday music. It is pure Christmas magic and should delight even the Scroogiest among us. The orchestra, choir, dancers, Santino Fontana and the Muppets are all in top form. This special should be part of your annual Muppet Christmas viewings.

    The DVD also contains several bonus features including an interview with Santino Fontana and some promotional videos with Count Von Count. The bonus that will most delight Muppet fans is a 23-minute behind the scenes featurette with the Muppet performers: Matt Vogel, Peter Linz, John Kennedy, William Barkhurst, Carmen Osbahr, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Eric Jacobson, David Rudman, and Ryan Dillon. The DVD is available from Amazon or the PBS Shop.

  • Show #224 – September 23, 2012

    I’m very happy to welcome listener Millie Tirk to the show to talk about her relationship to Sesame Street. No, she’s not a puppeteer, nor have you ever probably met her. But you’ll meet her this week on the show, and by the end you’ll be so glad you did.

    Thank you so much for downloading and listening this and every week! It means the world to me that you’re here. For any questions or comments concerning the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else, email me@muppetcast.com. Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter, and tell your friends about the show too!

    Have a great week!

    -Steve

  • Show #149 – February 14, 2010

    Best of The MuppetCast this week, featuring two great Sesame Street stars: Emilio Delgado and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph! (more…)

  • Show #145 – January 17, 2010

    WARNING: THIS WEEK’S EPISODE IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN. I know this is a rare occurrence, but there are parts of this week’s show that aren’t family friendly. This week I’m out of town, so in place of the usual stuff I’ve included different pieces from Avenue Q, the award-winning musical that in many ways parodies and pays tribute to Sesame Street. In fact, many of the puppeteers from the original cast actually performed on the Street! How cool is that!! But the material in the show and its music could be considered vulgar and offensive to some, so I want to warn you here in the show notes, as well as in the podcast itself. As long as you’re okay with that, enjoy! (more…)

  • Show #140 – December 13, 2009

    We continue the Christmas 2009 series with a review of the Sesame Street special “Elmo Saves Christmas“. Along with the review, two special guests stop by: Michael Davis, author of “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street”, and Hervon McNeil of a capella group 14 Karat Soul!

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

    You can follow Michael Davis and see where he’s appearing around the US at his official website.

    See and hear 14 Karat Soul – a group with a long history with Sesame Street and other children’s shows – at their official website!

    James Wojtal wanted everyone to know about Puppetworks and their participation in the Macy’s Herald Square Annual Puppet Show, titled “Miracle on 34th St.” It’s based on the film of the same name. Find the official Puppetworks website here.

    The Swedish Chef as Santa Claus! Bork, bork, bork…I mean Ho, Ho, Ho!

    The Muppets Studio released a new YouTube video recently, featuring the singing trio of the Swedish Chef, Beaker, and Animal as they sing the Christmas classic, Carol of the Bells. Nice work!

    The Jim Henson Company also posted several new YouTube videos, all taken from “Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter”, now playing at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT. Click here for tickets!

    During this episode we played a game where the winner received an autographed first-edition hardcover copy of “Street Gang”, courtesy of Michael Davis. Listener Colbynfriends was the winner, so congratulations! Listen for even more ways to win signed books (and audiobooks) in the coming weeks!

    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. 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

  • Show #137 – November 22, 2009

    To cap our three-part Sesame Street 40th anniversary celebration, I happily bring you a new interview with longtime human cast member Emilio Delgado – better known to many as Luis. Emilio has been a part of the Sesame cast since 1971, which I believe makes Luis the longest continuous role for a Latino actor! We talk about the show’s past, present, and future, Emilio’s personal contributions to children’s cultural education on the Street, and much, much more. (more…)

  • Show #136 – November 15, 2009

    This week brings the second installment of our Sesame Street 40th anniversary celebration. While Part 1 featured numerous skits and songs from the first 10 seasons, Part 2 attempts to tell some of the stories both on and off-camera, and features more in-depth audio from certain moments in Sesame Street’s rich history. (more…)

  • Show #135 – November 8, 2009

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! This week we present Part 1 of a multi-part tribute celebrating 40 years of Sesame Street. In this episode we relive some fan-favorite (and even some very obscure) moments from the first ten seasons. Listed here is the “playlist” for this very special tribute. (more…)

  • Show #128 – September 20, 2009

    It’s another sunny day here on The MuppetCast! First we’ll catch up with the recent Sesame Street special “Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times.” Make sure to check out the official website complimenting the TV piece for additional information and recources. Then we hook up with Eric, Cathy, and Dan from Mouse Guest Weekly to discuss all things Muppet that came out of the recent D23 Expo. There’s a long list of announcements to discuss and debate, and we had a great time doing it. (more…)

  • Show #127 – September 13, 2009

    My guest this week is puppeteer Paul McGinnis! Paul has worked on some high-profile puppet projects like Between The Lions, It’s A Big Big World, Crank Yankers…and there’s that other kid’s show that he’s been on once or twice. No seriously, Paul has also had an awesome career working on Sesame Street, with dozens of Sesame (and some other Muppet) projects under his belt. He’s wrapping up his work on the fantastic arena show Walking With Dinosaurs in a few weeks and going off to shoot the second season of Big Big World. He’s an incredibly talented puppeteer and I know you’ll enjoy our interview. (more…)

  • Show #124 – August 23, 2009

    Magenta is beautiful! This week we celebrate one of the unsung heroes of Sesame Street, Roosevent Franklin. Thanks to listener BigBirdFan for helping with the music for this episode. I think it came together nicely! In this week’s feature segment we talk about Roosevelt’s history – and how much of it ties into Sesame actor Matt Robinson – and we celebrate the time Roosevelt spent on the show. (more…)

  • Show #112 – May 31, 2009

    This week I welcome Muppeteer Caroll Spinney as my special guest to talk about his life on and off Sesame Street. Spinney has performed both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the show for 40 years, the entire run of the show. Naturally that gives us plenty to talk about, and I know you’re going to enjoy our conversation. (more…)

  • Show #108 – May 3, 2009

    The summer 2009 travel season is fast approaching! Joining me to help you find Sesame Street characters and attractions is Ann Kearns, Vice President of Licensing at Sesame Workshop. Ann has several options for families, including Sesame Place, Busch Gardens, Sea World, and Beaches Jamaica! (more…)

  • Show #104 – April 5, 2009

    As part of an ongoing effort to promote not only Sesame Street the TV show, but also Sesame Workshop and its many special projects, I’m delighted to welcome Sonia Manzano (official website) on to The MuppetCast this week. Ms Manzano has been playing the part of Maria on Sesame Street for 37 years now, and in this special interview we talk about her life both on and off the Street. (more…)

  • Show #99 – March 1, 2009

    We head back to New Jersey this week for “Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration and Discovery with the Legendary Cast.” This was a special event hosted by author Michael Davis and William Paterson University, and featured eight people who played a vital role in the show’s initial and enduring success. (more…)

  • Show #95 – February 1, 2009

    Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? This week that route takes us through New Jersey, via William Paterson University. This past Friday, January 30 marked a rare gathering of Sesame folk for a panel talk moderated by author Michael Davis, titled “Sesame Street at 40: A Night of Celebration and Discovery with the Legendary Cast”. And legendary they were: Caroll Spinney (Big Bird and Oscar), Frank Oz (Bert, Cookie Monster, Grover), Kevin Clash (Elmo), Fran Brill (Prarie Dawn, Zoe), Marty Robinson (Telly, Snuffy), Bob McGrath, Sonia Manzano, and writer Tony Geiss. Anyone who was there will tell you it was a night to remember. (more…)

  • Show #90 – December 28, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! Thanks to listener Kyle W. (and a certain big guy up North in a red suit), we have one final dose of post-Christmas cheer this week. I had this LP when I was a toddler, and every year I have to listen to it in its entirety, or it’s just not Christmas. I’m happy to present the out-of-print album, “Merry Christmas from Sesame Street“, from 1975. (more…)

  • Show #88 – December 14, 2008

    This is a Special Edition episode of The MuppetCast, featuring the 1978 special “Christmas Eve on Sesame Street“.

    Next week is another special episode, as I’ll be featuring “A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa“. That airs on NBC this Wednesday, December 17, at 8PM EST. Along with listening in on much of it, you’ll hear from writers Scott Ganz, Andrew Samson, and Hugh Fink. There may be a fourth special guest, but that isn’t confirmed at this point. Stay tuned! (more…)

  • Show #87 – December 7, 2008

    This week on The MuppetCast, author Michael Davis returns to talk more about his new book “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street”. Michael and I talk in-depth about many of the people who left their indellible mark on the show, and many personal favorite moments over the years. Remember, you can contact Michael and obtain a signed bookplate for your copy of Street Gang at StreetGangTheBook.com. (more…)

  • Show #48 – March 9, 2008

    At no point in this podcast will we be stooping to any cheap 3D tricks. Well okay, maybe just one or two.

    Back from a refreshing vacation at Walt Disney World, we’ve got a great show in store for you this week. I’m happy to welcome Kevin Clash on to the podcast, and we had a wonderful time talking about some past and current projects. (more…)

  • Show #17 – August 5, 2007

    Is everything all right in here?

    Yes nanny…

    Last show before Muppets, Music & Magic in Huntington, Long Island, and here we go! (more…)

  • Show #14 – July 15, 2007

    It’s 11:15, so I’m posting on time this week. No complaints! Hehe…welcome back to the MuppetCast for show #14.

    So, is Live365 going to shut down (more…)

  • Show #13 – July 8, 2007

    Welcome to show #13! Is it any coincidence that this show took longer than any other show to complete and post? Unlucky, wouldn’t you say?

    Thanks to Jonathan Dichter for this week’s show intro. (more…)

  • All The Muppet Christmas Stuff You Can Handle in 2017

    Muppet Christmas Carol Movie Poster“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…”

    The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to spend it than with all your favorite Muppet movies, TV specials, records, and more? There’s so much to enjoy! I don’t know about you, but every year I try to watch “everything”, and every year it seems like I miss something. Once January comes around, and the decorations go away, I remember, Omigosh! I totally forgot to watch [insert name of thing here].

    So in an effort to combat my own forgetfulness – and maybe yours too – let’s put together a list of everything you should watch/listen to this holiday season from the Muppets. And just so we’re clear: this isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list of everything ever produced by Jim Henson & company for the holiday season. There’s a different website for that. It’s called The Muppet Wiki, and it’s amazing.

    But just for us, let’s see what needs to be seen (and heard) this year.

    Muppet Christmas Movies

    There aren’t many Muppet feature-length Christmas movies, and even fewer which were released in theaters. Two of these are made-for-TV movies, but they still get counted here.

    • The Muppet Christmas Carol
    • It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
    • Letters to Santa

    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.

    Watch it now on: HBO, Google Video, iTunes, and Amazon Video, or purchase the discs on Amazon.

    You Can Skip: Letters to Santa is the most recent Muppet Christmas “movie”, and as much as I want to love it, I don’t. What’s interesting is that the music for both Muppet Christmas Carol and Letters to Santa were written by the same person, Paul Williams, yet one set of songs connects with me so deeply, and another almost completely misses the mark.

    Muppet TV Specials

    This is where things start to get a little tricky. These are productions that aired on TV (not screened in theaters), have a shorter running time than a feature-length film, and are not counted as a regular episode of any Muppet TV series.

    • Muppet Family Christmas
    • Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
    • Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas
    • A Special Sesame Street Christmas
    • Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas
    • John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together
    • The Christmas Toy
    • The Great Santa Claus Switch
    • Elmo’s Christmas Countdown
    • Elmo Saves Christmas
    • Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree

    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.

    Muppet Family Christmas is arguably the most Muppet-y thing ever created, let alone the Muppet-iest Christmas production. It includes nearly the entire cast of characters from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and even Fraggle Rock, all singing Christmas carols in one huge living room. Need I say more?

    You absolutely must watch Christmas Eve on Sesame Street if you grew up watching Sesame in the 70’s and 80’s. It’s a wonderful walk down memory lane, and attempts to solve one of the great Santa Claus mysteries with Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie, Oscar, Mr. Hooper, and even Kermit the Frog.

    Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas is a touching take on the classic Gift of the Magi story, told with woodland creatures created by Henson solely for this production. The music was written by Paul Williams (see a trend?). After just one viewing this will become part of your yearly Christmas rotation.

    Watch Muppet Family Christmas now on: YouTube
    Watch Christmas Eve on Sesame Street now on: YouTube, Google Video, iTunes, and Amazon Video, or purchase the discs on Amazon.
    Watch Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas now on: Amazon Video and iTunes, or purchase the discs on Amazon.

    You Can Skip: Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree is a half-hour special starring a singing Robert Downy Jr, based on a children’s book of the same name. And it’s just…weird.

    Muppet TV Episodes

    Moving right along, these are Christmas/Holiday productions that appear as part of a Muppet series. Some of these are difficult to find, or at least aren’t streaming online anymore, unfortunately. But your efforts in searching them out will be greatly rewarded!

    • Fraggle Rock: The Bells of Fraggle Rock (Season 3, Episode 1)
    • Furchester Hotel: A Furchester Christmas (Season 2, Episode 16)
    • Bear in the Big Blue House: A Berry Bear Christmas (Season 3, Episodes 25 & 26)
    • Dinosaurs: Refrigerator Day (Season 2, Episode 5)
    • The Muppets: Single All the Way (Season 1, Episode 10)

    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.

    Watch The Bells of Fraggle Rock now on: HBO and Google Video, or purchase the discs on Amazon (The Complete Season 3 DVD Set) or purchase the complete series.

    You Can Skip: Single All the Way. Honestly, I haven’t seen Berry Bear Christmas or Furchester Christmas to rate them, but most of The Muppets’ ABC series wasn’t incredibly “Muppetational”, so this gets the bottom spot. And incidentally, you need to watch the Refrigerator Day episode of Dinosaurs…Hilarious!

    Honorable Mention: Watch the Refrigerator Day episode of Dinosaurs now on Amazon Video and Google Video, or by purchasing the discs on Amazon.

    Muppet Christmas Albums/CDs

    Music has been an essential ingredient in nearly everything the Muppets have ever done, so naturally there are some great Christmas collections out there. Too many, in fact, to list here (psssst, that’s what The Muppet Wiki is for). Here are several highlights, some albums that make into my must-listen list every year.

    • The Muppet Christmas Carol (Soundtrack)
    • Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (Soundtrack)
    • John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together
    • Merry Christmas from Sesame Street
    • A Green and Red Christmas
    • Letters to Santa (Soundtrack)
    • Keep Christmas With You (Featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
    • Bob! From Sesame Street: Christmas Sing Along
    • Elmo Saves Christmas: Holiday Favorites

    You Must Listen To: Almost all of them.

    John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together is just about the most heartwarming Muppet Christmas collection you’ll ever hear. It includes “The 12 Days of Christmas” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, both of which usually make it onto radio holiday playlists.

    Merry Christmas from Sesame Street will feed the nostalgic kid in you. Must like Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (which also has an excellent soundtrack), you’ll love hearing your Sesame pals sing the Christmas hits as only they can.

    A Green and Red Christmas isn’t necessarily at the top of every Muppet fan’s list, but it’s a Grammy Award-winning album and features much of the modern-day Muppet cast of performers voicing the characters. Fans of all ages can appreciate the humor and music in this collection.

    Listen to John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Music, and Amazon Music, or purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes.
    Listen to Merry Christmas from Sesame Street on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Music, and Amazon Music, or purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes.
    Listen to A Green and Red Christmas on Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Music, or purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes.
    Honorable Mention: Listen to The Muppet Christmas Carol Soundtrack on Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Music, or purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes.

    You Can Skip: Elmo Saves Christmas. Seriously…you need more Elmo in your life?

    You can see from this somewhat long yet incomplete list, the Muppets have made a lot of holiday mirth over the years. To many fans, the Muppets shine brightest at Christmastime.

    MuppetCast Podcast Christmas Episodes

    Show #292: Stupid Turkey (12/19/2016) Muppet Christmas specials galore!
    Show #234: December 24, 2012 (12/24/2012) Christmas special show, featuring The Bells of Fraggle Rock
    Show #185: December 5, 2010 (12/6/2010) Special guest, Sesame artist Louis Henry Mitchell
    Show #140: December 13, 2009 (12/14/2009) Special guests, Michael Davis & Hervon McNeil
    Show #89: December 21, 2008 (12/22/2008) Special guest, Paul Williams
    Show #34: December 2, 2007 (12/2/2007) Special guest, Muppet performer Dave Goelz

    Subscribe to The MuppetCast podcast in iTunes and hear hundreds of hours of Muppetational goodness!

    What are your favorite Muppet holiday productions? Did you see your favorites on this list? If not, what was left out? Let’s keep the discussion going in the comments.

    Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Weeba Weeba!

  • My Muppet Shirt Obsession

    Muppet Shirt CollageLet’s get this out of the way – I own over 170 t-shirts related to the creations of Jim Henson and the Jim Henson Company. The vast majority feature The Muppet Show family of characters, but they run the gamut from Sesame Street to Fraggle Rock to Labyrinth to The Dark Crystal to even a Dinosaurs and a Bear in the Big Blue House shirt for good measure. Nearly all of them are unique designs except for a couple I own in different colors. I also have three different versions of artist Jamie Carroll’s fantastic “Muppetational Mosaic” design.

    I have been sharing my collection and the story behind it on social media for some time. Steve Swanson suggested I post a blog about it on the MuppetCast website. As a lifelong Muppet fan, my collection started innocently enough with a bunch of shirts I purchased over the years from local retailers or while on vacation at a Disney park.

    In March 2013, just a couple of months before my 40th birthday, I was diagnosed with lymphoma. It was also around this time I first started listening to The MuppetCast. I found the podcast to be entertaining, enlightening, inspirational, and a heckuva lot of fun. This was also during a period when the podcast was on an extended hiatus. However, there was an archive of well over 200 shows to explore! It was an escape from the frightening things that were going on in my life. (Fortunately, Steve decided to return to the podcast in 2015, and I was happy to contribute/assist with MuppetCast.com when the revamped website launched later in the year.)

    The type of lymphoma I had was considered low-grade, and I was required to have a daily radiation treatment for twenty days. I wore a Kermit the Frog shirt to my first treatment. It prompted such positive vibes and comments that I decided to wear Muppet shirts to all of my treatments. I had (and continue to have) a wonderful support system, but taking the Muppets with me everyday was another means to stay optimistic. Choosing which shirt to wear also gave me a fun thing to look forward to each morning. Everything went smoothly and we celebrated completion of my treatments by taking my niece to Heather Henson’s The Muppet Movie sing-along at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.

    Muppet shirts had kind of become my thing by this point, so I continued adding to my collection. I had a recurrence of lymphoma the following year. I once again wore Muppet t-shirts while taking treatments. I had accumulated so many shirts by this point that I was able to wear Muppet shirts daily from my first radiation appointment until the follow-up appointment with my hematologist several weeks after the treatments had ended. This was a total of 51 shirts! At that point I had 45 The Muppet Show character shirts, 3 Fraggle Rock shirts, 2 Sesame Street shirts, and 1 Labyrinth shirt.

    I have been doing well the past two years, and my prognosis is good. Nonetheless, the t-shirt collection continues to grow. I obtained my 100th shirt in July 2015 as a prize during the MuppetCast’s Great Muppet Haiku Contest. As of this writing, I am at 175 shirts, plus seven more honorable mentions that don’t fit into a Muppet t-shirt category. Those are a Muppet Christmas sweatshirt, Project Puppet’s Puppet Builder’s Cheat Shirt, two shirts featuring Figment from the “Journey into Imagination with Figment” attraction at Epcot (Figment is voiced by Muppet performer Dave Goelz), one with Mister Rogers holding King Friday XIII, an Oscar the Grouch Christmas sweatshirt, and a Yoda t-shirt. It’s getting harder to find a shirt I don’t own or haven’t seen before, but friends and family frequently inform me about new shirts they find. More than one person has told me I need to have enough to wear a different shirt every day for a year. I don’t know about that. Where would I store them? On the other hand, I am nearly halfway there…

    Below are photos of my collection:

    [envira-gallery id=”3640″]

  • Show #287: The Muppets on Broadway!

    Lots to cover in this episode! Some incredible things are happening this summer in Muppets, and we talk about all of it this week!

    First of all, congratulations to the Jim Henson Company as they open Puppet Up Uncensored at the Venetian in Las Vegas! Call (702) 414-9000 for tickets, or visit Venetian.com/Puppet-Up.

    Bob McGrath recently announced that he, along with the rest of the original human cast members of Sesame Street, have been let go from the show (special thanks to Guy Hutchinson for the audio). The entire MuppetCast audience thanks Bob and the entire cast for decades of memories, and countless lessons we and our children have learned from them. The Street will never, ever be the same.

    Despite its cancellation from ABC, The Muppets has earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Production Design for a Half Hour or Less Narrative Program. Congrats to the Muppets team!

    Get ready for PizzeRizzo, coming soon to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Pizza Planet will soon be replaced by the new Muppet-themed eatery. Exciting Disney Park news!

    Brian Henson will produce Wee Free Men, a feature film adaptation of author Terry Pratchett’s first book in the Discworld series. No casting or release date news to report, but Pratchett fans will definitely be looking forward to this.

    The Jim Henson Company will host an evening raising funds for the Center for Puppetry Arts and celebrating the career of longtime puppeteer and MuppetCast guest Dave Goelz! Stay tuned for ticket information.

    Sesame Workshop is getting involved with the IRC to make a difference for preschool children and their parents in refugee camps around the world.

    Thanks to Darrin Granter (name spelled correctly) for these pics, accompanying his story on the show about meeting Caroll and Debra Spinney!

    Thanks also to Renee Angely for sending links to John Denver’s last song, “Yellowstone (Coming Home).”

    This is the documentary the song was written for:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIWf4pvWS0c

    The music from this episode came from the YouTube channel showing video from the recent event “54 Below Celebrates the Muppets.” Click to watch some of Broadway’s best sing the most Muppetational songs ever!

    Thanks For Listening!

    As always, you can email me@muppetcast.com with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

    Have a great week!

    Steve

  • 54 Below Celebrates The Muppets

    54 Celebrates the MuppetsOn 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.

    Some Muppet fans even came from out of the country just to get a glimpse of the Muppet fan community and hear their favorite tunes sung by the best of Broadway. Stars from stage and screen joined together to sing Muppet favorites, everything from movies to television to even a few surprising choices.

    Griffin Newman (HBO’s Vinyl, Amazon’s The Tick) hosted the tribute show, wearing his best Kermit the Frog-themed green t-shirt and hat as well as Scooter-styled glasses. Newman kept the show on track, serving as both the Kermit-like emcee and the Scooter-ish stage manager, introducing the various performers and keeping things at a quick, but well-organized pace. The tribute show was produced and directed by Philip Romano.

    maxresdefaultThe 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 54 BelowRick 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.”

    Among the highlights of the evening: Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin) performed two songs from The Muppet Movie: “I’m Going to Go Back There Someday” and “I Hope That Something Better Comes Along”, the latter alongside his Aladdin co-star Brian Gonzales.

    tn-500_dsc_0036Olivier 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.

    Mara Wilson, best known for her work as a child in the films Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, was joined on-stage by her friend Craig Fogel in a very special performance of the Sesame Street favorite “I Don’t Want to Live On the Moon.” Prior to singing, Wilson discussed the children’s show’s impact on reaching inner-city kids to look at Sesame Street like it was home to them. She also talked about how the show taught kids about different languages and cultures, including Spanish and even sign-language. As she sang, Fogel used sign language to add a special touch to the already beautiful song. Max Crumm (Grease, Disaster!) performed a newer Muppet song as he sang “I’ll Get You What You Want.” Comedians Joe Rumrill and Tim Platt featured a fun comedy routine in which Platt acted as a repairman who stayed by to watch the show, despite the fact he has never heard of the Muppets. In an ironic twist, Platt brought out his son, a puppet he held over his head who had also never heard of the Muppets, although he did have a chiropractor named Dave Goelz.

    hqdefaultGrace 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.

    The night was truly a celebration of the Muppets and Jim Henson, with people of all different ages and backgrounds coming together to laugh, sing and reminisce about their love and appreciation for the Muppets. The event was sold out and so popular that 54 Below has extended its run by adding another show on Sunday, August 28 at 9:30pm. If you’re in the NYC area, don’t miss this opportunity to meet other fans just like you and celebrate the magic, music and mayhem of Jim Henson and the Muppets. It was most definitely a sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational evening!

    54-below-august

  • Show #283: Big Bird’s Best Friend

    The MuppetCast celebrates Mother’s Day with Johnny Fiama, Johnny’s Mama, and Sal…but more importantly, with Muppet fan Nick Bertch and his mother Christina! Nick comes on the show to talk about his good friend Caroll Spinney (whom you may have heard of). Caroll is the longtime performer of Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and is the subject of the recent documentary I Am Big Bird.

    Nick’s Muppet fan story made local news when Caroll invited him to the Sesame Street set – not once, but twice – and Chad & Dave of Copper Pot Pictures even filmed a IABB featurette involving Nick, titled “Big Bird’s Best Friend.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=197NvNLLj5A

    Thanks For Listening!

    As always, you can email me@muppetcast.com with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

    Have a great week!

    Steve

  • Book Review: “Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx”

    Becoming MariaSonia Manzano retired from a 44-year career on Sesame Street as an actress and writer this summer. Fans were sad to see her go, but bid her a fond adieu, with warm thanks for everything she gave to us, both behind the camera and in front. In August 2015, Scholastic Press published her memoir, Becoming Maria, which I recently read, and highly recommend to grownups who grew up with Maria.

    Readers hoping for a behind-the-scenes account of her career on Sesame Street will be disappointed, but to expect so little of Manzano’s book would shortsighted. Manzano recounts in gripping detail the chaos and despair of growing up in abject poverty. The book is set in the Bronx, amidst a culture in which there is little hope for a life beyond getting married, getting pregnant (not always in that order), and continuing the cycle of poverty you inherited through no fault of your own. Couple that with the unpredictability of addiction and routine domestic violence, and before long the reader is surprised to find they are as desensitized as the children and family members themselves at what many of us would consider an unlivable reality.

    Sonia Manzano GodspellManzano discovers her abilities slowly throughout her childhood, as the oppression of everyday life makes self-realization almost impossible. She didn’t even have a fully-formed an interest in performing until her teenage years, and then through a slim opportunity earned her way into the performing arts high school which would give her confidence as an actress. It’s gratifying and illuminating to hear her tell her own story, as she earns a part in a new musical, Godspell, and returns “home” from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, to perform in New York. Her dismay comes through her words (and her voice, if you get the audiobook), as she tries to share her success with her family, who can’t understand her new life. After all, what does “achievement” look like if you can’t imagine it?

    The book ends, as it should, as Manzano’s Sesame Street career begins. It allows for a feeling of familiarity toward Manzano that isn’t possibly if we only know her through Sesame Street. It would be too confining. “Maria” is a fictional character with whom we connect because of what comes through the camera. Manzano’s real life journey – then and now – contains meaning far beyond.

  • One Fan’s First Muppet Christmas

    When I first decided to write a Christmas blog about a Muppet Christmas special, for a long time I couldn’t decide which one to write about. There are so many great movies and specials, and a few I still haven’t had a chance to see. When I watch Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas, I find myself always smiling hearing Jerry Nelson’s rendition of “When the River Meets the Sea.” I love watching The Muppet Christmas Carol both with the audio commentary, and just watching the film itself. I remember the first Muppet Christmas special I saw TV as an official Muppet fan was It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and, even if it has a few less-than-great moments, it’ll always be special for me, because it was one of the first movies that drew me into the world of the Muppets. When Letters to Santa premiered, I remember I was in Orlando, Florida visiting Walt Disney World. In our hotel room, my entire family gathered around to watch it, and I remember saying to myself, “The Muppets are back,” because it had the humor, heart, and wit that I loved about the Muppets (including the new recastings with Bill Barretta, Matt Vogel and David Rudman).

    Elmo Saves Christmas Maya AngelouThere are so many Muppet Christmas moments I could highlight, but I finally decided that I wanted to focus on my earliest Muppet Christmas memory: the 1996 TV special Elmo Saves Christmas. Maya Angelou narrates the special, telling the story of how Elmo saved Christmas (after his Christmas wish had gone bad) to Zoe, Baby Bear, Telly Monster and a group of children. Elmo wished it could be Christmas every day. After rescuing Santa Claus (played by Charles Durning, also known as Doc Hopper in the original Muppet Movie), who was stuck in his chimney, Elmo is given a magic snow globe that will grant him three wishes. After first wishing for a glass of water, Elmo wishes it could be Christmas every day. With the help of a young reindeer named Lightning (performed by Joey Mazzarino), Elmo sees a Christmas future in which businesses are closed, gifts and trees sell nonstop, and the elves no longer get vacations and so they mess up Christmas gifts from being overworked. The Easter Bunny (played by Broadway star Harvey Fierstein) becomes the Christmas Bunny, Christmas carolers lose their voices and Big Bird can’t see his best friend Snuffy, who is visiting his grandmother in Cincinnati for Christmas. With one wish left, Elmo realizes that Christmas every day isn’t as great as it might sound.

    Elmo sees that, although Christmas can’t occur every day, it’s possible to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in our hearts all year long. The special concludes with a finale of the song “Keep Christmas with You (All Though the Year),” originally featured in the 1975 album “Merry Christmas from Sesame Street” and the 1978 special Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. The special went on to win two Daytime Emmy Awards and features appearances from both Muppet and human cast members of Sesame Street, everyone from Oscar the Grouch to Bob to Mr. Handford and even Kermit the Frog, giving his traditional Sesame Street News Report.

    Every Day Can't Be ChristmasI have such fond memories of watching this special as a kid. I was a huge Elmo fan growing up, owning everything from Elmo slippers to Elmo pacifiers. I wrote in my first blog post, I even named my plush Elmo toy “Elmo Harff,” and put bow ties on him for holidays, and brought him to church with me on Sundays. I remember finding Harvey Fierstein as the Easter Bunny so odd but intriguing, and now as a young adult knowing of his work on Broadway in Hairspray, I can’t help but laugh and enjoy that performance. I also have more of an appreciation for the casting of Doc Hopper as Santa Claus. I loved this special so much I would have my Mom get me a kids sketch book so I could create the story in my own book form, drawing my own pictures of the characters and retelling the story on the pages.

    Elmo Saves Christmas was my earliest Muppet Christmas memory, and it’s definitely one I plan to share when I have a family of my own someday. It’s a special I recommend you revisit on DVD and cherish with your own families this holiday season. I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and remember to “keep Christmas with you all through the year” by keeping the Christmas feeling of warmth, love, family and goodwill with you every day.

  • Muppets Through The Years: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

    1-2-3 Sesame Street FloatThis 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: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Dating back to 1924, the parade has a rich history of balloons, floats, marching bands, Rockettes and musical performances from chart-topping artists and Tony winning Broadway musicals. Included in its history are years of Muppet appearances from balloons to parade floats.

    Kermit Macy's Balloon 1977Jim Henson’s history with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1974 when a Sesame Street float made its debut in the annual parade. On November 11, 1974, Jim Henson’s characters made their first appearance at the parade with Sesame Street well into its 5th season. Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and the rest of the cast decorated a float that resembled the familiar architecture of Sesame Street, including the notable street sign at the front of it and a smaller recreation of Hooper’s Store and the famous 123 Sesame Street stoop. Big Bird was perched in his giant nest on the roof of the float, while characters such as Cookie Monster and The Count stuck their heads out of the windows. Human cast members including Mr. Hooper, Gordon and Bob stood on the front of the float. The Sesame Street float became the parade’s official representation of the work of Jim Henson with appearances in 1975 and 1976. In 1977, along with the return of the Sesame Street float, a balloon featuring a Muppet character was finally introduced with the debut of the first Kermit the Frog balloon. Standing at 63 feet tall and 24 feet wide, requiring 5,220 cubic feet of helium and four hours to reach its full size, the balloon arrived at the annual parade. The float and balloon returned in 1978 and, in that same year, a special titled “Hip Hip Parade” aired about the Macy’s parade, hosted by Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, in which the duo discussed the parade and poked fun at the television event.

    In 1979, the Kermit the Frog balloon returned alongside both a new Sesame Street float and the appearance of the Electric Mayhem bus as a float to promote The Muppet Movie. Miss Piggy appeared in the parade riding Hollywood-style in a Rolls Royce, while the Electric Mayhem bus featured in the movie followed behind with various Muppets appearing in the windows. With the main Muppet performers inside of the bus, new performers were brought on to perform in the new Sesame Street float, including Kevin Clash, who of course later became such popular characters as Selma Worm and Baby Fats Domino. He also created and performed a certain Furry Red Monster with his own line of “Tickle Me” dolls. With the Children’s Television Workshop celebrating its 10th anniversary of the show, the new Sesame Street float, a much taller, two-story structure with Big Bird once again perched at the top of the building and human cast members standing at the front of the float with kids. A sign was carried in front of the float, “Macy’s wishes Sesame Street a Happy 10th Year”.

    Macy's Muppet Cab 1981The 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.

    Big Bird Macy's BalloonFor 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.

    Kermit Macy's Balloon2002 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.

    Abby Cadabby Macy's BalloonIn 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.

    Then in 2013, the Sesame Street float became the only representation of Jim Henson. Although that year, the Sesame Street characters we joined alongside Jimmy Fallon and the Roots from the popular late night show “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”. Based on a popular YouTube video in which Jimmy Fallon, The Roots and the Sesame Street Muppets sang the “Sesame Street Theme” while performing with classroom musical instruments, the float featured Fallon and The Roots playing toy instruments alongside the popular children’s characters to the song “Somebody Come and Play”. 2014 saw the float return and 2015 it has been announced that Questlove, drummer for The Roots, will appear on the float with the Sesame Street characters.

    Kermit I Believe Macy's SongAs 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!

  • Show #271 – Talkin’ Turkey with Kirk Thatcher

    An amazing, in-depth conversation with Kirk Thatcher, director of Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow, a new Thanksgiving-themed TV movie premiering on Lifetime this weekend. Kirk is a longtime writer, conceptual designer, and director for many Muppet projects, and he was a hoot to talk with!

    Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Don’t miss Sesame Street’s appearance in the 2015 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

    Thanks For Listening!

    As always, you can email me@muppetcast.com with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

    Have a great week, and Happy Thanksgiving!

    Steve

  • Show #270 – November 15, 2015

    This special-edition episode features the opening ceremonies from “Worlds of Puppetry,” located at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. Guest speakers at the event include: Vince Anthony, Executive Director, Center for Puppetry Arts; Nancy Staub, Founder of the Museum Collection; Kasim Reed, Mayor of Atlanta; and Cheryl Henson, President of the Henson Foundation and daughter of Jim Henson.

    Worlds Of Puppetry

    The Center for Puppetry has labored for nearly a decade to create a permanent home to display Jim Henson’s creations in a way that pays homage to Jim, and just as important, inspires creativity in museum guests of all ages. They have more than accomplished that goal. The Center will now contain the largest collection in the world of Henson artifacts. Puppets, materials, sketches, archival footage, and more make up a multi-media sensory experience that walks guests through Jim’s various puppet projects, including Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Muppet Show, and so much more. It’s the “more” that makes the whole thing even more special; unexpected delights await Jim’s fans around every turn.

    “Worlds of Puppetry” also contains a monumental collection of puppets of all styles and sizes from cultures worldwide, spanning the centuries of recorded history. From ancient “puppets” unearthed in archaeological digs dated ca 1400, to interactive stop-motion claymation exhibits, nowhere is there a more comprehensive collection of the history of puppetry in the world. And it’s ready for public viewing as of today.

    Show Links

    The Center for Puppetry Arts
    The Jim Henson Legacy
    The Jim Henson Foundation
    Puppeteers of America
    UNIMA (the international association of puppeteers)

    Thanks For Listening!

    As always, you can email me@muppetcast.com with any comments or questions about the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else. Tweet me @muppetcast, and check out The MuppetCast Facebook page. And make sure to subscribe to The MuppetCast in iTunes!

    Have a great week!

    Steve

  • JG’s Muppet Videos for 10/16

    Hello everyone JG “TheMuppetMan” here and it’s Friday again so it’s time for my Muppet videos for the week of 10/16! First up is my review of the latest episode of “the muppets” Pig Out

    Second up is my review of the Sesame Street Halloween compilation; Elmo Says BOO!

  • What If Frank Oz Hadn’t Retired From Performing?

    Frank OzThis 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?

    frankozWhy 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.”

    Following Jim Henson’s death, Oz continued to take a smaller role in Muppet projects, often having his characters in supporting roles and sometimes even cameos, such as Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy playing supporting characters in A Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island (the latter of which he didn’t puppeteer much of, instead having Kevin Clash perform characters to pre-recorded dialogue by Oz). Through the 90s, Frank Oz’s participation with the Muppets became selective, voicing the characters for a few musical albums and having his characters featured in a much smaller capacity in Muppets Tonight and Muppet Classic Theater. When Muppets from Space went into production, Oz was again not available for filming to perform his characters and continued providing pre-recorded dialogue while the physical characters were performed by others. Most notably Peter Linz performed Miss Piggy, later going on to star as Walter in the 2011 Muppets film. In the late 90s and early 2000’s, Frank’s busy schedule led him to choose new performers for his Sesame Street characters, with Eric Jacobson taking on Bert and Grover in 1997 and 1998 and David Rudman becoming the new Cookie Monster performer in 2001, although Oz performed the characters for The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. Knowing what his directorial schedule was like, he didn’t feel it was right to make his Sesame Street characters disappear for a few months due to his unavailability, choosing Eric and David because he felt they respected his characters. By the early 2000’s, he had retired from the Muppets, handing Eric Jacobson responsibility of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Animal in time for It’s A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and later as Sam Eagle as well in The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz.

    Frank Oz And Miss PiggyWill 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.

    What If Frank Oz Stayed? I don’t want to focus much on this topic because it’s only speculation, but I do think the Muppets wouldn’t have fallen so fast into the category of Children’s Entertainment with Frank still there. I can’t picture projects like Studio DC going into production. However, just as with Steve taking over Kermit from Jim, I can’t imagine what a Frank Oz-Miss Piggy would have been like performing “Something So Right.” Eric Jacobson brought so much heart to the character in the last two films, and his chemistry with Steve Whitmire’s Kermit is stellar. While Steve and Frank had wonderful chemistry as the characters in Muppet Treasure Island, especially in the “Love Led Us Here” sequence, I can’t imagine where the characters would be today. Would Miss Piggy be toned down a little? Would Fozzie be telling the same kinds of jokes? I don’t know and, again, I don’t want to predict.

    EricJacobsonGroverBertWhile 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.

    I know I planned on making these a series of articles, however I think I’m going to take a little break and maybe return to these “What If” scenarios down the road. Please continue sharing your thoughts and opinions on Facebook and Twitter. Let’s get some Muppet conversations going.

  • An Introduction To Jordan Harff

    Jordan HarffHi-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.

    I remember, even as a little kid, having puppets around the house. Watching my dad practice funny voices and characters was the norm. Later in life I realized how much I can relate to Jim Henson’s children now. My mom has often shared about how I, even as young as 2 years old, would empty out my large toy box, climb inside and turn it into a puppet stage, holding up stuffed toys and simple hand puppets and putting on a performance like my dad would do to minister to children. Around the age of 4 or 5, my dad allowed me and my sister to have two of his puppets: an orange skinned man with bright neon yellow hair and a red nose became Howey for me and my sister’s puppet was Lucy, a female puppet with human skin color and the same bright neon yellow hair on her head. At such a young age, having a puppet like that in my hand was like possessing a Green Lantern ring or Dorothy’s ruby slippers. It was the greatest gift I could ever ask for and it was the tool I needed to become a real puppeteer.

    From a young age, I was immediately drawn to Sesame Street. As much as I loved my sister and she was, and still is, my best friend, my mom still tells me to do this day that my best friend as a little kid was Elmo. I used to carry an Elmo stuffed toy with me everywhere and made him apart of the family by calling him “Elmo Harff”. If we went to church, I’d insist my mom put one of my ties on Elmo Harff, and she always supported me with any of my seemingly wacky ideas. As important as trips to Disney World and Disneyland were, visiting Sesame Place every summer when I was young was always a requirement as my love for Sesame Street just exploded once I visited that park. I can remember when Sesame Street had a promotion in which small little stuffed toys could be found in cereal boxes and for months my parents and grandparents bought only that brand and as many varieties as they could to ensure my sister and I could collect as many of those characters as possible. A trip to Costco or Wal-Mart was never complete unless we came home with a new Sesame Street video. I even remember having rare videos such as Basil Hears a Noise in which Elmo was the only familiar character and had a very small role in the video. Both my home and my Grandparents’ home were filled with Sesame Street videos and toys and my family always supported my love for the show and its characters.

    Once I grew out of the Sesame Street phase, there was a gap of time where I needed to find my “new obsession”. I remember being aware of who Kermit the Frog is but how I caught onto the Muppets and fell in love with them is really a blur to me. All I remember is walking into a Toys R Us one day with my family and getting to pick something out for graduation and finding two action figures I just immediately latched on to: the Palisade Toys figures of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. Then I was able to find a copy of The Best of the Muppet Show DVD series with episodes featuring Elton John, Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly and I was able to see these “toys in action”. Through that time, my grandparents and parents would purchase more Muppet figures on Amazon and Toys R Us for every holiday and “rewards for good grades”. Instead of choosing another Scooby-Doo or SpongeBob video at Blockbuster, I now found myself picking up copies of The Muppet Movie, eventually owning my own copies of Muppet Treasure Island and The Muppets Take Manhattan. As time has gone on I’ve introduced myself to Fraggle Rock and, even as a young adult, find myself watching Sesame Street videos along as well as documentaries and older TV specials about Jim Henson and the Muppets.

    Now, I know it’s not the most liked or appreciated project the Muppets have worked on, but The Muppets Wizard of Oz will forever hold a special place in my heart. Being a teenager into characters that were sometimes looked upon as “old school”, that TV movie was the first big Muppet project I was personally able to watch unfold. I remember reading Muppet Central articles when the film was first announced and being confused as to why Rowlf the Dog wasn’t Toto or why Queen Latifah’s Aunt Em was owning a karaoke diner. While back then I fell in love with the movie, and it reintroduced me to the Wizard of Oz franchise, I can now see why it doesn’t get much love from the Muppet fan community. But it’ll always be a special part of my story getting involved in the Muppet community.

    Why do we love the Muppets? It’s something I began thinking about before writing this post and it really got me asking myself what the Muppets mean to me. The first time I visited Muppet Vision 3D as a fan was the first time I was able to decide who my favorite Muppets are: Kermit the Frog, Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat. I think almost every Muppet fan feels obligated to list Kermit as their favorite, but for me he’s more than just the ringleader. Kermit doesn’t give up, and even when he does, he always holds on to one glimmer of hope. Even in the 2011 movie The Muppets, while he has distanced himself from his friends over the years, he’s still holding on to hope that they’ll one day be together, even displaying his friends in giant picture frames around his home. Kermit’s purpose in life is to bring joy and laughter to people. As Kermit has said several times over the years, his dream is to make people happy and make the world a little brighter, mirroring something Jim Henson has often been quoted saying. As far as my love for Gonzo and Rizzo, I’ve always preferred seeing them together than apart. For me, while the Muppets have always represented strong friendships like Kermit and Fozzie, Bert and Ernie and Elmo and Zoe, these two represent polar opposites who attract because they sincerely care for one another.

    Whenever I think of my first trip to Muppet Vision 3D, Rizzo’s appearance as Mickey Mouse is always what I remember being the reason why I fell in love with these characters. And it doesn’t help that Rizzo comes from New York with that accent of his and so do I! For me, I love the Muppets because they represent so many things: friendship, loyalty, humor, music, courage and truth. They stick together through thick and thin and, despite their friendships being tested numerous times, they are always there for one another. Their humor is contagious and, even when they get wacky, they still respect one another as performers and true artists in their crafts. Deep down, I even think Miss Piggy respects her fellow Muppets, despite finding many of them to be weirdos and pests. Deep down I think she knows she needs them just as much as they need her. I went through a tough time in my life a few years ago and just being able to watch the movies and The Muppet Show and think about their friendship, it helped me get through it, knowing even if I felt lonely, I never was. I think we all saw a bit of ourselves in the character of Gary in the 2011 Muppets film. We all wished we could live in a world with the Muppets, maybe even have a chance to live with one as a best friend. And being that I come from a background in musical theater, I of course appreciate their love for music and performance.

    Enough about me. It’s time for you to think about this for yourself. Why do we love the Muppets? Why do we latch on to some characters over others? With the new TV show only a few days away, the Muppets are truly back on a global spotlight and we as loyal Muppet fans aren’t now seen as the “weirdos” who are obsessed with characters from an old TV show. We each have a story for how we were introduced to the world of the Muppets and we each have the opportunity now to share these stories with our family and friends. I know on September 22, I’ll be sitting in front of my TV screen with my family around me, having supported my love and appreciation for these characters since day one. We love these characters and we’ve been dreaming of new movies and TV shows for years now, wanting these characters to get the respect and representation they deserve. And I hope you’ll all be doing the same because that one line in “Rainbow Connection” could very well be referencing all of us: “The lovers, the dreamers and me”.

  • Here’s Why This Is Jim Henson’s Best Birthday Week Ever

    Jim HensonIt’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.

    James Maury Henson was born on Thursday, September 24, 1936. His birthday is always cause for celebration, and even more so because it coincides with Steve Whitmire’s birthday (the successor to Kermit the Frog). Every year Muppet fans make the obligatory remark about how odd that is, and watch The Muppet Movie, or whatever their favorite Muppet productions are. It’s always fun, as we celebrate the man behind the Muppets.

    This year Jim would turn 79. It’s been 60 years now since Sam and Friends first appeared on Washington, DC television sets. 46 years since Sesame Street began. 39 years since The Muppet Show first aired. 6 years since The Muppet Show Season 3 DVD was released (6 long years, Disney!!).

    This year feels a little different than past years, for Jim’s b-day. Three fun and interesting things seem to be happening all within a very short time of each other. It started on September 12, when Frank Oz appeared on NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, to play games and have a few laughs, and even talk about his life working with his best friend Jim Henson. They even asked him to do some voices, and he gave a very pleasant and firm “No,” as expected.

    Then, PBS aired a special episode of In Their Own Words, spotlighting Jim Henson. Jim’s words were prominently featured, as were some of his greatest friends, colleagues, and admirers. People like Frank Oz, Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, and Heather Henson, Michael Eisner, Neil Patrick Harris, and even Willard Scott. Henson biographer Brian Jay Jones contributed greatly to the storytelling, thanks to the outstanding research he did in his book.

    And finally, the cake topper of cake toppers, a birthday present that’s more for we the fans than for Jim himself (although I’m sure he’s smiling down at all of us), his cherished creations, Kermit and friends, return to the medium that fascinated him from the time he was a teenager. The Muppets premieres on ABC in an all-new weekly primetime slot for a full season of mayhem, comedy, music (hopefully), and unforgettable moments. The Muppets will continue, because we want them to, just like Jim said, in his own words.

  • Show #260 – August 23, 2015

    Miss PiggyWhat 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. Get your tickets here. (more…)

  • Show #258 – August 9, 2015

    Sesame Place Neighborhood Birthday Party Parade Logo
    Sesame Place’s Neighborhood Birthday Party Parade Logo

    Sesame Place, the Sesame Street themed park in Langhorne, PA, is celebrating its 35th anniversary this summer. But they don’t like to use the word “anniversary.” Instead, they call it their birthday celebration! (Kids understand a birthday a lot easier than an anniversary.) This is one incredible theme park, themed perfectly to the TV show, and in perfect recognition to the Sesame Street of both yesterday and today. (more…)

  • Show #256 – July 12, 2015

    Jim Henson and PhilosophyTim Dale and Joseph Foy join me this week to discuss their new book “Jim Henson and Philosophy: Imagination and the Magic of Mayhem.” We dive deep into discussions of all of Jim Henson’s properties, including the Muppets, Labyrinth, Sesame Street, and everything else. They wrote such a great book, they already want to do a second one, and we all had such a great time, that I can’t wait to have them on again! (more…)

  • Show #255 – July 5, 2015

    The Muppet Newsflash Podcast (which is sort a running joke between JD Hansel and I) makes an admirable effort this week. Meaning, JD and I make Muppet podcast magic once again as we bring everyone up to date on what’s happening in the Muppet world. Lots of news, some great Frank Oz clips, and even more links to check out! (more…)

  • Show #254 – June 28, 2015

    Joe RaposoThe 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 “Jim Henson and the Music of Joe Raposo” and is just fantastic. Mr. Raposo’s son Nick also joins presenter Craig Shemin to speak about his father. For more information on MoMI and the Henson screening events, visit their website (more…)

  • Show #253 – June 14, 2015

    After a brief pause in production due to a zapped computer, The MuppetCast is back in action! This week we name the winner of the final leg of the Great Muppet Haiku Contest of 2015. That, and a lot of Muppet news makes this a packed episode that I think you’ll really love! (more…)

  • Show #237 – February 17, 2013

    We delve into the musical catalog of Joe Raposo this week (okay we actually only scratch the surface, given the vast body of work Raposo generated), with the help of listener and MuppetCast newsman Jon Soble.

    Muppet Trivia this week is about the great Frank Oz, whose father Michael was, in fact, the Telephone Pole.

    In Muppetology we discuss the Jim Henson Company Archives, which in either New York or L.A., would make for a fun afternoon of digging around, wouldn’t it!

    Sesame Street’s own Abby Cadabby and Dr. Jeanette Betancourt talked with HuffPost Live this week about divorce and its effects on children. Sesame Workshop has an online toolkit, “Little Children, Big Challenges: Divorce“, which offers assistance to both parents and children.

    Sesame Street is, by the time of this posting, over 1 billion overall views on YouTube! Congratulations!

    Here’s the link to the official Amazon listing for the upcoming Fraggle Rock book “Down at Fraggle Rock: Treasures from the Jim Henson Archives“. The book is due out in September 2013.

    Thanks for downloading and listening this and every week! It means the world to me that you’re here. For any questions or comments concerning the Muppets, The MuppetCast, or anything else, email me@muppetcast.com. Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter, and tell your friends about the show too!

    Have a great week!

    -Steve

  • Show #234 – December 24, 2012

    Merry Christmas from The MuppetCast! To top off the holiday season we celebrate with a few special annual favorites I’ve held back until this final show. Some of my favorites and, evidently, yours too! Including The Bells of Fraggle Rock, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, and the very emotionally touching Dinosaurs episode “Refrigerator Day.” (more…)

  • Show #230 – November 18, 2012

    Imagine you actually get to meet the Muppets in Walt Disney World. Where would you go? What rides would you have to catch? Where would you eat? We answer these important questions, and more, on this week’s episode. (more…)

  • Show #226 – October 14, 2012

    Good golly, it’s great to see you back for another great MuppetCast episode! This week it’s all about the letter G, as @HeadshotHeather joins me for a Muppet List segment devoted to Muppets whose names begin with G. Good times abound! (more…)

  • Show #201 – April 24, 2011

    This show falls under the category of “amazing opportunities”. Recently, Sesame Workshop, The USO, singer Nick Jonas, and Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden were all in Columbus to present the official launch of a new USO/Sesame Street Live touring show. The show will be performed almost exclusively for military families stationed overseas. The show is geared mostly to the children in these families, who can sometimes find it stressful to constantly be moving around as a parent is transferred from one base to another. Having to constantly change to new environments – and leave old friends behind – can be extremely difficult for children. This new show introduces a brand new Sesame Street character whose background is identical to these children, and along with her Sesame Street pals, this new character expresses feelings that many children in military families share.

    Many, many thanks to Sesame Workshop and the USO for the work they do for children, for our military, and for military families everywhere. (more…)

  • Show #191 – January 20, 2011

    Muppet fans were saddened to hear of the passing of longtime Sesame Street writer and composer Tony Geiss earlier this week. We pay tribute to Mr. Geiss’s extensive work by replaying many of our favorite songs and skits, as well as hearing from the man himself.

    Later in the show, listener Chase Beecher gives an exciting review of his viewings (yes, plural!) of the new documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey“. Chase was present for the film’s world premiere at the Sundance film festival, and then saw it again later in the week. He also got to talk with numerous folks who worked on the film, and we have a great time discussing it all. Video footage of him at Sundance WITH ELMO here! (more…)

  • Show #189 – January 16, 2011

    This week I’m delighted to invite film director Constance Marks onto the show, as we discuss her recent film “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey“. This new documentary, soon to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, chronicles the life and career of Kevin Clash, Creative Director of Sesame Workshop and performer of the little red monster, Elmo. (more…)

  • Show #185 – December 5, 2010

    This week I welcome Sesame Workshop’s own Associate Design Director of Special Projects, Louis Henry Mitchell, back to the show as we answer your questions! Louis will be back soon, so if you have questions you’ve always wanted to ask someone who’s “in the know” at Sesame Street, this is your opportunity. Send your questions to me@muppetcast.com.

    Ryan Dosier also stops by from The Muppet Mindset and we catch up on the Muppet news. Ryan will join me in person next weekend for the Midwest Muppet Vault here in Columbus, OH! (more…)

  • Show #184 – November 28, 2010

    Time to kick off the holiday season here on The MuppetCast! This week we replay the Muppet spots from this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (including the all-new Sesame Street song), and then bring in the season with lots and lots of Muppet Christmas music. (more…)

  • Show #180 – October 24, 2010

    This episode offers up a little Muppet Halloween History, as my special guest is Muppet writer and historian Craig Shemin. Mr. Shemin is also the Vice President of the Jim Henson Legacy. The Legacy was created by family and friends in response to the extraordinary interest in the life and work of Jim Henson, and they are dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Jim Henson’s contributions to the worlds of puppetry, television, motion pictures, special effects and media technology. (more…)

  • Show #175 – September 19, 2010

    I’m happy to welcome Sesame Workshop Associate Design Director of Special Projects Louis Mitchell to the show this week. Louis is a leading artistic talent for the Workshop, and I think after hearing this, you’ll join me in saying that I already look forward to his return to the show. He’s done some incredible things during his tenure at the workshop, and we look forward to even more in the years ahead. (more…)

  • Show #174 – September 12, 2010

    Ryan Dozier, owner of The Muppet Mindset, joins me this week to talk about the Mindset’s first anniversary. We reminisce over a very successful first year, his contributors and all the work they produce, and where the Muppet fan community is going in the future. Congratulations again to the Muppet Mindset! (more…)

  • Show #166 – June 13, 2010

    It’s a Muppet Trivia Showdown! I face off against the lads from ToughPigs.com in a no-holds-barred uber-fan matchup to see once and for all who holds the most useless Muppet facts in their head! Monsters and explosions abound! (more…)

  • Show #164 – May 30, 2010

    I’m joined by listener Sara Allen this week as we discuss a topic we’ve probably overlooked until now: Sesame Street animation! Sara is a big fan of animation as an art form, and is quite knowledgeable on the subject! Check out her blog, the Ink and Pixel Club. (more…)

  • Show #159 – April 25, 2010

    Topics of discussion this week include Sesame Street’s recent primetime special “When Families Grieve“. We also check in with Nicholas Lemon and see what Lemon Productions has been up to recently! (more…)

  • Show #156 – April 4, 2010

    We’ve reached the Championship Round of the Muppet Madness Tournament! Ryan, Joe, and I give the rundown from last week’s matches, as well as our thoughts on this week’s five-way fight for the win. Make sure to stop in and chat with us on Ustream on Wednesday night, and in the ToughPigs chatroom on Thursday night. Chat begins at 9pm Eastern both nights. (more…)

  • Show #150 – February 21, 2010

    I’m very happy to welcome Patrick Bristow to the podcast this week to discuss his involvement in the Jim Henson Company‘s Puppet Up! Uncensored, and their new show Stuffed and Unstrung. Patrick is the host and director of both of these puppet improv productions, and continues to work closely with Brian Henson on these projects. (more…)

  • Show #143 – January 3, 2010

    Welcome to the first show of 2010! To celebrate the new year we’ll look at a great Muppet TV special that aired in January of 1896, “The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years“. Sesame Street was less than 20 years old way back then, if you can believe it!

    The MuppetCast Street Gang Giveaway Contest is now underway! Send an email to streetgangcontest@muppetcast.com to enter. Winners will be announced on shows 144 and 145. (more…)

  • Show #141 – December 20, 2009

    I had a good portion of this episode planned out well in advance of recording, but as things tend to happen around Christmas, something better came along. So I’m proud to welcome musician Matt Suroweic (official website) back on to the show to discuss the re-release of his tribute to the music of Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas, and to jointly announce a new charity album he and I are undertaking in 2010!

    The real topper to this week’s show is the debut of young Muppet fan Juliannah Wilson as she presents the first-ever Muppet Storytime segment. She provides our feature segment this week, gracing us with her reading of “Baby Kermit’s Christmas“.

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

    The special introduction to this week’s show will hopefully be heard all around the Disney podosphere this Christmas. It’s a combined reading done by some of us of the well-known editorial piece “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus”. I’d like to thank EVERYONE who helped bring this idea to a reality in the span of a few short days. The voices heard on the recording are:

    Juliannah Wilson as Virginia
    Paul Barrie – A Window to the Magic
    Bryan Ripper & Jonathan Dichter – All About the Mouse
    Gary Chambers – The Mouse Lounge
    Clinton Alvord – Comedy4Cast
    Tom Corless – WDW News Today
    James Songster – WDW Cast Member
    Scott & Tracey Morris – Disney, Indiana
    Tairy Rich – Disney Tidbits
    Steve Swanson – The MuppetCast

    Thanks to Michael Stork for his Kermit impression and the Hawaiian Christmas tune!

    The MuppetCast remembers actress Alaina Reed Hall, who passed away a few days ago at age 63. Ms. Hall played the part of Olivia on Sesame Street from 1976 to 1988, and many of us grew up knowing her as a familiar face on the Street. We celebrate her life this week.

    CBS News recently featured the Muppet Whatnot Workshop at FAO Schwarz on The Early Show, Saturday Edition. The hosts made their own whatnots!

    If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, you owe it to yourself to get the new “The Muppets Animal Drummer” app from the iTunes Store. For just $1.99 you can match skill with Animal, and even create your own original beats that Animal plays back to you!

    Make sure to pick up the iPhone and iPod Touch-ready Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody (iTunes link) video for only $1.49. Normally I don’t buy the YouTube-released vids in iTunes, but I think you’ll agree that this is highly worth it.

    The Muppets will appear on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on January 3 on ABC. Set your DVRs to see the Muppets pitch in and help a St. Paul, MN family save their home.

    Sesame Workshop is set to begin making digital books starting in 2010. Check out their official eBook website!

    Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter will not return to Goodspeed Opera House next holiday season. Instead, it may go out on tour, or find a different home in the Northeast US. Plans are still being made.

    Carl Huster got the unique opportunity to work with Jim Henson very early in Jim’s career. If you’ve heard of the Southern Colnel Muppet character, Carl was working with Jim on the Southern Bread ad campaign, for which the Colnel was invented. Some great video on this site with rare Henson ad footage!

    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. 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

  • Show #133 – October 25, 2009

    Lots to talk about this week so let’s get right to it! Ryan Roe and Joe Hennes from ToughPigs.com join me to discuss the latest Muppet news, and with Halloween just around the corner we celebrate with some Muppet monsters!

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

    In Muppetology we relive some fun moments with Beautiful Day Monster, one of the original monsters created by Jim Henson. It’s interesting to note, in the three sketches included in the segment (complete list here), Beautiful Day Monster is performed by three different Muppeteers (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Richard Hunt). (more…)

  • Show #130 – October 4, 2009

    It’s that time of year again! The MuppetCast is coming to you “live” from the Mid-Ohio Comic Con in Columbus, OH. I’m here helping at the Bell, Book & Comic table (Life should be more Fun!) and having a great time. I met a lot of interesting people over the weekend – artists, writers, etc – and you’ll hear from some of them on the show. (more…)

  • Show #126 – September 9, 2009

    Quite the lineup for this week’s show. Counting 1, 2, 3…4! Four special guests, ah, ah, ah! They include Peter Bell from Bell, Book & Comic (celebrating their 6th anniversary this weekend!), KermiClown aka David S. from Florida, Ryan and Joe from ToughPigs.com, and author Michael Davis with some great news regarding his book “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street“. (more…)

  • Show #125 – August 30, 2009

    Excelsior! The MuppetCast is all about superheroes, comics, and the like this week, as I welcome the crew from The Amazing Comicast in a new Profile of a Podcaster segment. I thought this would make a perfect addition to the recent shows we’ve done about Comic Con and with Muppet Show Comic Book cartoonist Roger Langridge, and we had a great time talking Muppets, Star Wars, and of course, comic books. (more…)

  • Show #122 – August 9, 2009

    In recognition of the annual Puppets Up! festival in Almonte, ON this weekend I’m happy to welcome on puppeteer and festival attendee Ben Durocher (and a special friend) to talk with me from one of the most coveted performance spaces in the whole festival – the balcony. You’ll understand why once you hear our interview. (more…)

  • Show #121 – August 2, 2009

    I’m very happy to bring on Roger Langridge for his second MuppetCast appearance! Roger is the cartoonist behind the wonderful new Muppet Show comic books currently flying off store shelves, and he joins me this week to talk about his recent experiences at Comic Con 2009.

    Special thanks to Frank The Horse (maybe steer the little ones away) for that hilarious intro. I loved it! If YOU, dear listener, know any puppet characters who would like to give a special intro for The MuppetCast, let me extend the invitation to call them in or record and send it like Frank! (more…)

  • Show #119 – July 19, 2009

    Call it an unofficial MuppetCast Road Trip, call it Peanut Butter Oreo day, whatever you call it, it’s a brand-new episode of The MuppetCast! This week we go to Orlando, FL, as Muppeteer Leslie Cararra-Rudolph presents her stage workshop “Wake Up Your Weird”, a one-hour one-woman ride through Leslie’s creative mind. It’s a great time, so grab some candy and enjoy! (more…)

  • Show #117 – July 5, 2009

    We celebrate July 4th weekend (in the US) with an updated MuppetCast Salute to America! With some fantastic Muppet news, listener feedback, and some hilarious behind-the-scenes Sesame Street footage, hopefully you’ll enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. (more…)

  • Show #116 – June 28, 2009

    We continue our series focusing on The Jim Henson Hour this week, with the eighth episode, called “Musicians“. This episode also contains a new Storyteller segment, The True Bride, which I hope you’ll enjoy too. (more…)

  • Show #115 – June 21, 2009

    Getting back to a “normal” show this week. But really, when it comes to the Muppets, is anything normal?

    Happy birthday to Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath! Bob plays, well, “Bob” on Sesame Street, and has done so for the entire run of the show. Bob’s birthday was June 13, and this week we Celebrate Bob’s Birthday in a special way! (more…)

  • Show #114 – June 14, 2009

    This is a Best of The MuppetCast, featuring two favorite moments. First is Lylle Breier, General Manager of Disney’s Muppets Studio. Second is Kevin Clash, Co-Executive Producer of Sesame Street and performer of Elmo, among other characters. This episode was produced while I was away on a recent trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando. Enjoy! (more…)

  • Show #111 – May 24, 2009

    This week I’m joined by Matt Blum from the GeekDad blog to talk about being a dad, a “geek”, and a Muppet fan. Matt also joins me for a new Muppet List talking about “Muppet Tech”, or the technological advances pioneered by the Jim Henson company over the years. (more…)

  • Show #110 – May 17, 2009

    We remember Jim Henson this week with some fantastic music requests and your email. Thanks everyone for sharing all these wonderful Muppet memories, they serve as a heartfelt tribute to the man and his work.

    Also joining me in this episode is Jeff Cornett, co-director of the Puppeteers of America‘s 2009 National Festival. We talk about PoA, it’s various Muppet connections, and the exciting events contained in this July’s festival. You’ll be booking your travel plans by the end of the interview! (more…)

  • Show #109 – May 10, 2009

    To celebrate Mother’s Day this week, we revisit an interview from last year with Muppeteer Richard Hunt‘s mother, Jane Hunt. Jane is a real treat, a good friend of the show, and she shares some unique observations and special memories of motherhood and grandmotherhood from years gone by. Of course, a few “Richard stories” are thrown in as well. (more…)

  • Show #107 – April 26, 2009

    This week our old friends James & Joe from “Bunnies In Peril” are in town, so we take a rare opportunity to sit and talk with them. In our discussion we talk about magic and magicians appearing within the Muppet universe, as well as general mayhem and hilarity. You can hear their earlier appearances in episodes 22 and 55. (more…)

  • Show #105 – April 12, 2009

    We made it! Two years in the making, we celebrate this 2nd anniversary by doing what we do best: bringing the best Muppet content on the web to the fans! The podcast’s finest moments tend to come when special guests appear and talk about their life working with Jim Henson and the Muppets, so that’s just what we’re going to do this week. (more…)

  • Show #103 – March 29, 2009

    Joining me this week to talk about Coming Home: Military Families Cope With Change is Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, VP of Outreach and Educational Practices at Sesame Workshop. Dr. Betancourt joined us last year to talk about the “Talk, Listen, Connect” initiative, and in this episode she and I talk about this new half-hour special airing on PBS Wednesday, April 1 at 8pm Eastern (check local listings). (more…)

  • Show #102 – March 22, 2009

    More from the fan-beloved series The Jim Henson Hour this week, as we experience the seventh episode “Health and Fitness“. Naturally, everyone gets sick and injured. This episode also contained the beautiful piece The Song of the Cloud Forest. (more…)

  • Show #98 – February 22, 2009

    This week we head back to Orlando for more action from the opening weekend of Jim Henson’s Fantastic World. As part of the festivities, Jane Henson gave a special talk called “Look Both Ways” featuring some early Muppet work from shows like Sam and Friends. I’ll bring you all the details. (more…)

  • Show #97 – February 15, 2008

    Fresh from a 6 day trip to WDW, this episode serves up the Muppets in a couple different ways. First, we begin by going on-location to the Orange Co. History Center for the Grand Opening ceremonies for “Jim Henson’s Fantastic World” as it begins its stint in Orlando. Second, it’s just after Valentine’s Day so keep an ear out for those lovey-dovey Muppet moments (none of which I believe don’t end in disaster). Finally, back by popular demand, Ashley makes a return to talk about her experience auditioning to be a Disney performer! (more…)

  • Show #94 – January 25, 2009

    My special guest in this episode is Matt Ficner, creator of the Creepy Puppet Project. We’ll hear Matt talk about his life as a writer, director, puppet builder, and performer, and some of the wonderful projects and people he’s had the opportunity to work with. Also listener Wayne Cordova makes a special appearance to bring back the Muppet List for 2009! Listen and laugh as we discuss some favorite moments with the two old guys in the balcony, Statler & Waldorf. (more…)

  • Show #93 – January 18, 2008

    This week brings us episode 6 of the Jim Henson Hour, titled “Monster Maker.” Along with Muppet trivia and news, we’ll be focusing on a story that was very attractive to Jim: a famous creature maker, somewhat of a loner, takes a talented youngster under his wing and teaches him the skills of his craft, and advises him not to make the same mistakes he’s made in life. (more…)

  • Show #92 – January 11, 2009

    This week brings us back to the Jim Henson Hour, to continue the series we started back in 2008. Fans have really enjoyed revisiting this short-lived series since it’s never been released to home video, and this time we tackle the episode “The Ratings Game“. (more…)

  • Show #91 – January 4, 2009

    Welcome to the first episode of The MuppetCast for 2009! We’re starting off the new year with a bang…or maybe a thud…possibly a whirring noise. Whatever it is, it’ll still be a great show! (more…)

  • Show #85 – November 23, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! This week brings more than a few special guests, including the General Manager of Disney’s Muppets Studio, Lylle Breier. Lots to talk about, so let’s get on with the show!

    Make sure to check out the Top 10 finalists in the Project Puppet 2008 Space Odyssey Contest! Vote Now at PuppetContest.com. Voting will be open through December 7, 2008. (more…)

  • Show #84 – November 16, 2008

    Hello, and welcome to The MuppetCast! This week we take a look at the new Sesame Street initiative “Let’s Get Ready”, the Muppets’ invasion of the TODAY show, and the Fraggle Rock Complete Series DVD box set. Lots of stuff to get to, so let’s go! (more…)

  • Show #83 – November 9, 2008

    Hi-ho, and welcome to The MuppetCast! This week features a great new Muppet List with Bert & Ernie (thanks to Kyle Wilkinson), and a new exclusive interview with Muppet writer Jim Lewis. We’ll talk with Jim about his new books “Jim Henson’s Doodle Dreams“, and the much-anticipated “It’s Hard Out Here For A Shrimp“. (more…)

  • Show #82 – November 2, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! Special thanks to Ryan “Prawnie” D. for his awesome Muppet intro to the episode!

    In this episode, I take my first look at the new Fisher Price Elmo Live doll, available now online and in many retail toy departments. Elmo takes a big leap forward, technologically speaking, and along with hearing Elmo Live you can actually see him for yourself. Watch MuppetCast Facebook Video #1 for an up-close and personal look at him! (more…)

  • Show #79 – October 12, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! This is the only fan-created podcast on the web dedicated to the work of Jim Henson and the Muppets. Special thanks to actor Jason Mewes for doing the show intro!

    This week we celebrate someone very special in the life of the Muppets: one of the greatest singer/songwriters, John Denver. He passed away 11 years ago today, on October 12, 1997. The Muppet Wiki lists no less than 6 separate occasions where John appears with the Muppets, and in this episode we talk about and listen in on all of them. Sing along if you know the words! (more…)

  • Show #78 – October 5, 2008

    Hey everybody, come on down to The MuppetCast! This week we hear from Putumayo Kids, as we learn more about the International Sesame Street project “Sesame Playground“. Also, continuing the short series on the Center for Puppetry Arts, I’ve got a full trip report from Brian Henson’s talk about puppetry in the Jim Henson Company! (more…)

  • Show #77 – September 28, 2008

    Welcome to this week’s edition of The MuppetCast! I’m away from the studio this weekend (visiting Atlanta once again), but in my absence I’m proud to feature a conversation with Heather Henson from the Center for Puppetry Arts. We discuss Heather’s history with the Center, as well as her company Ibex, and what she’s generally up to these days. (more…)

  • Show #76 – September 21, 2008

    Hello and welcome to The MuppetCast! I’m your host Steve Swanson, and in this episode I’ll bring you to Atlanta, GA to visit the Center for Puppetry Arts. The Center just recently celebrated their 30th anniversary, and I was able to capture some very special moments to bring back to the show.

    This week will feature the celebration’s opening moments with Executive Director Vince Anthony. Following Mr. Anthony is Cheryl Henson, one of Jim Henson’s daughters, and she talks a bit about the anniversary as well as the new exhibit “Jim Henson: Wonders From His Workshop“. Next we hear Cheryl again, this time from a Saturday morning tour through the exhibit (given for Center members only), and she talks about some of the finer details of the pieces on display, and what was involved in putting this amazing collection together for the public.

    The music for this week’s Muppet Montage segment is provided by David Stephens, along with Lucky Yates. The audio was recorded Sunday afternoon of the anniversary weekend. Specifically, this audio is from David’s “warming up” an audience of over 350 people anxious to watch and sing along with The Muppet Movie, hosted by Heather Henson!

    As you’ll hear, this was a very special celebration, and it’s an exciting time for the Center! So much sound and video was captured (and many, many wonderful people helped to make that possible) that this episode serves as Part 1 of a multi-part series talking about the Center for Puppetry Arts, and the many people who contribute to its ongoing success.

    Coming next week: A big announcement for all MuppetCast listeners who are planning to visit the Center, or are interested in helping the Center reach its membership goals!

    This week in Muppet History: Birthdays of Muppeteers Kevin Clash and Steve Whitmire, and of Muppet creator Jim Henson! Also, read on the Muppet Wiki about the Fantastic Miss Piggy Show.

    Sesame Workshop, working with the Department of Homeland Security, has developed an important new initiative called “Let’s Get Ready!“. This new program is designed to help families with children of any age come up with a plan of action in case of an emergency. If your family hasn’t talked about situations like this before, now is the time. Visit the Dept. of Homeland Security website, the Sesame Workshop “Let’s Get Ready” website in English, and the “Let’s Get Ready!” website in Spanish.

    Oscar the Grouch is the new spokes-Muppet for Canada’s Waste Reduction Week. The furry green sourpuss stars in two commercials (so far) complaining that he’ll have less trash! Both videos are featured at the Muppet News Flash.

    Lisa Henson talked recently with MonstersAndCritics.com in an interview about the new Unstable Fables release “Tortoise vs. Hare”.

    Matt Blum has a review of the Jim Henson Company’s “Sid the Sceience Kid” that differs somewhat from my personal opinion, but we both think it’s a great new children’s show. You need to read it here and draw your own conclusions.

    LAist.com recently got to do what so many of us would like to do, they visited the Jim Henson Company lot on La Brea for a private screening of “Tortoise vs. Hare”. Not only that, but they then got to talk with executive producer Lisa Henson and director Howard E. Baker! Lucky ducks. Quack.

    Are you a fan of Jim Henson’s classic Christmas special “The Christmas Toy“? Be honest, do you even remember it? Well regardless, make plans now to buy it when HIT releases a special new DVD version of it on November 4. Go vote and watch a Christmas special!

    Continuing to explore the possibilities of digital puppetry, the Jim Henson Company recently announced two new 3D children’s series: “Dinosaur Train” and “The Skrumps”!

    Last week on The MuppetCast, Joe H. from ToughPigs.com talked about how he personally got to hang out on the set of the new Muppet Christmas special “Letters to Santa”. The Muppet News Flash now brings us more details about that production.

    Jim Henson’s “Pajanimals” will soon be on the PBS Kids Sprout channel. Check out a preview on the News Flash.

    The Disney Channel tween-geared special Studio DC: Almost live is about to air its second installment. Look for it on October 5! The Muppets will appear along with many of the Disney Channel’s stable of stars.

    Listener Doug H. is setting up his own fan-site for “Sid the Science Kid”. Check it out here.

    What is the “key” to a happy life? Why, the Muppets of course! Or the Disney characters, or Sesame Street, or Garfield…hey, take your pick. Howard Keys has been making character keys for a while now, so look for their products at a hardware store near you.

    New Muppet look-alike sightings here: Jack Nicholson and Baby Dinosaur, and Christian Bale (Batman) and Kermit the Frog (comments language NSFW).

    For the older crowd, here’s a new Muppet parody: Groverfield.

    Brent Levy recently started a new website that I’m really enjoying. It’s a daily Disney trivia blog: Mouseketrivia!

    Joe V sent a link to a 42-tape Muppet tape library, containing things like the complete Muppet Meeting film collection! A paltry $2,500…what a bargain!

    If you’d like, you can nominate The MuppetCast in the 2008 Podcast Awards! Suggested categories include Best Produced, People’s Choice, and Entertainment.

    Thanks again to everyone who supports The MuppetCast in our continuing efforts to celebrate the life and work of Jim Henson. Friends of the show include the Center for Puppetry Arts, The Jim Henson Legacy, Muppet News Flash, ToughPigs, Muppet Central, and YOU! Thanks for continuing to listen and supporting the show.

    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 chat with Muppet fans all over the world.

    Have a great week!

    -Steve

  • Show #75 – September 14, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! Even though I’m not here in the studio, there’s still a great episode on tap for this week! I’m joined by a very special guest, Vince Anthony. Vince is the Executive Director of the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta which, coincidentally, is where I am this weekend! Vince talks about the exciting events taking place during the Center’s 30th anniversary celebration. This particular weekend is for members of the Center only (which still includes a large number of people), and then the Center is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday every week. Make sure to stop by if you’re in the area, and see their amazing new exhibit “Jim Henson: Wonders from his Workshop”. (more…)

  • Show #73 – August 31, 2008

    Welcome to another edition of The MuppetCast! On this week’s show, puppeteer Terry Angus talks about his experiences performing with Jim Henson and the Muppets. Listener BJ also joins me for a segment as we talk about obscure and overlooked Muppet characters. This, along with all the Muppet news and trivia you’ve come to know and love makes this a can’t miss episode! (more…)

  • Show #72 – August 24, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! This episode features Lou Mongello in a new Profile of a Podcaster segment. I’m also happy to welcome back both David Quesal and Ryan & Joe from Tough Pigs, all good friends of the show. Along with a new Muppet List all about Muppet Musicians with David, the Tough Pigs crew and I discuss the recent Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series announcement from HIT Entertainment. (more…)

  • Show #71 – August 17, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! I’m your host Steve Swanson, and this episode is jam packed. Seriously, I had to sit on the suitcase just to get it closed!

    Included in this episode is some audio taken from the upcoming Road Trip DVD, in which you’ll hear Jane Hunt (mother of Muppeteer Richard Hunt) and I sitting and talking in her kitchen. If you’ve just joined us, I recently took a trip to New Jersey to visit Jane, who’s become a good friend, at her home. The house she lives in is the same one all of her children, including Richard, grew up in, so naturally there’s a lot of wonderful history there. (more…)

  • Show #68 – July 27, 2008

    Welcome to The MuppetCast! I’m your host Steve Swanson, and this week’s show is jam-packed with so much content that I had to push back the upcoming special edition episode devoted to The Muppets Take Manhattan (which was the winner in the listener poll). This episode is really bursting at the seams with Muppet news, history, listener feedback, a brand new segment, and a feature segment containing some great rare Muppet audio. And on top of all of this, I’m happy to announce the winner of the Make Something Cool contest!

    The featured audio this week comes to us courtesy of MuppetDanny. Since The Muppets Take Manhattan did win the poll, and since we had to delay its special episode, together we present something of a warm-up for the real thing. This rare audio comes from a 1984 book-and-record production of the Muppet gang presenting an abbreviated story of the film. (more…)

  • Show #67 – July 20, 2008

    It’s The MuppetCast! This week we look at a fan favorite as we continue our look at the short-lived series from 1989, The Jim Henson Hour. The episode we’re concentrating on this time is titled Dog City. Inspired by C. M. Coolidge’s series of paintings, Dogs Playing Poker, if you weren’t aware of Dog City before now, you’ll be howling to see it by the end of the show! (more…)

  • Show #66 – July 13, 2008

    Measuring the Marigolds, it’s The MuppetCast! Brought to you by our friends at Bell, Book & Comic, this week I’m very happy to present a listener interview with Christy B from Tennessee. Christy just returned from a trip to Walt Disney World, and she has plenty to tell us, not only of her trip in general, but all about Muppet merchandise in the parks. She’ll tell you where it is, how to find it, and how to trade for it. Lots of great information.

    Voting for The MuppetCast’s “Make Something Cool” contest runs from July 14 – 21. Look for the Contest Page on MuppetCast.com. Thanks to everyone who participated and submitted entries, they’re all wonderful. Vote for your favorite! (more…)

  • Show #65 – July 6, 2008

    It’s The MuppetCast, yaaay! Sam Eagle said I should be more dignified this week, but what the hey. We present our Salute to the 50 States, in a uniquely Muppet-y fashion, for your listening enjoyment this week.

    Check out The MuppetCast Flickr Page for the latest photo additions!

    The MuppetCast is sponsored by our friends at Bell, Book and Comic. Life should be more fun!

    Here’s the link to Kermit Love’s obituary from the New York Times.

    If you’re a fan of the TV show Scrubs, you’ll hopefully enjoy seeing a few Sesame Street residents on the show in the upcoming new season.

    Kids might enjoy playing with the Sesame computer games First Steps, and Learn, Play, and Grow.

    Sesame Workshop’s mission is working all around the world, even in places like Albania and Serbia.

    Yip-Yip-Yip…I love those little alien guys!

    Fran Brill appeared recently at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Read all about it at Access Atlanta.

    What are the most important lessons we can teach our 2 to 4 year old kids? In conjunction with Sesame Street, here’s a few hints.

    Here it is…the new Muppet Independence Day video!

    Check out the Muppet News Flash for all the latest and greatest Muppet current events!

    Many people were saddened by the recent passing of George Carlin. A lot of people may not realize it, but Mr. Carlin actually played a prominent role in children’s television, as Mr. Conductor. He appeared in Shining Time Station and Thomas the Tank Engine.

    Ever wonder who actually makes the Muppet puppets? It’s a company called Puppet Heap, here’s a link to their official website.

    If you’re a fan of the Colbert Report, you absolutely must check out the No Fact Zone, a fan-run website dedicated to the show. I heard about this blog on another podcast and immediately started reading it. Great stuff!

    Terry Fator is a fantastic talent. His puppetry (and more significantly, his ventroluquism) skills earned him a win on America’s Got Talent, and he’s now a top-billed act everywhere he goes. Read more about him here.

    Heather Henson was recently at the Center for Puppetry Arts presenting her Handmade Puppet Dreams. Among the videos in the screening was Trixie and the Tree Trunks. A very unique and funny production, check it out!

    Ever wondered how the Muppets work? Read all about it here!

    Ah, the 80’s. The music. The memories. The hair. Wear it over at 80s Tees.

    Does anybody know anything about the Sesame Street 10th Anniversary special? A listener is trying to locate a copy, but is having a hard time. All I could find was some information on the anniversary album, but no videos.

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

    Have a great week!

    -Steve

  • Show #63 – June 22, 2008

    Special thanks to Cory Edwards, director of the new Fraggle Rock movie, for leaving the voicemail that kicks off this week’s episode of The MuppetCast!

    It’s time for some more rare Muppet audio! Thanks a listener submission, we have footage of Jim Henson on the Mike Douglas Show; one appearance in 1976 and one in 1977. At that point in history, Kermit the frog was already 20 years old! (more…)

  • Show #62 – June 15, 2008

    June 15 is Father’s Day, so this week we salute fathers on The MuppetCast! With the help of several dads sharing their thoughts, and some father-related Muppet audio, I hope this will be a fitting tribute.

    Thanks to Kristin Shea for her recent donation to The MuppetCast. All donations go directly back into helping The MuppetCast.

    Every Thursday night, the phone lines go live! Call the voicemail line Thursdays between 6pm and 11pm and we’ll talk. You can also use Skype to contact the voice line. My username is: stephenjlizard. (more…)

  • Show #61 – June 8, 2008

    Our series focused on the Jim Henson Hour continues this week, as we look and listen to episode 3, “Monster Telethon“. Sounds like a good album title, doesn’t it?

    The deadline for contest submissions for the “Make Something Cool Contest” is June 15. I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with! (more…)

  • Show #60 – June 1, 2008

    Coming to you from Swanson Studios, it’s The MuppetCast, episode #60!

    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. (more…)

  • Show #59 – May 25, 2008

    This week’s episode of The MuppetCast is dedicated to all of our brave men & women serving in the US Armed Forces at home and abroad, and to the memory of all those who have fallen while serving our country and preserving our freedom.

    Our focus this week is the outreach program created by Sesame Workshop entitled Talk, Listen, Connect. Along with hearing Muppet audio from the video series, I also talk with Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Vice President of Outreach and Educational Practices for Sesame Workshop. (more…)

  • Show #57 – May 11, 2008

    We celebrate Mother’s Day this week with a very special guest. Jane Hunt, mother of Muppeteer Richard Hunt, has returned to talk again with me as we discuss motherhood. We also look at some of the Mother-related Muppet books that have been published through the years. All this and more, on The MuppetCast! (more…)

  • Show #56 – May 4, 2008

    Hi-ho, and welcome back to The MuppetCast! This week we begin a new series, discussing the TV series The Jim Henson Hour. Plus the Muppet news, history, listener feedback, the montage, and a new addition to the MuppetCast Unplugged collection! (more…)

  • Show #55 – April 27, 2008

    It’s Bunny Week on The MuppetCast! This episode features a look at the classic “Tale of the Bunny Picnic“, as well as a new interview with two fan favorites: James and Joe, of Bunnies in Peril (and WDW) fame. (more…)

  • Show #53 – April 13, 2008

    This is the first MuppetCast episode of our second year on the web. We’re celebrating by looking back at a classic Sesame Street movie, Follow That Bird, and by chatting with Sesame Street Muppeteer Fran Brill! (more…)

  • Show #52 – April 6, 2008

    It’s the one-year anniversary of The MuppetCast! Thanks for making it happen and listening in this week.

    Lots of listener voicemails and emails this week.

    Jim Henson’s Fantastic World, the traveling exhibition put together by the Jim Henson Legacy and Simthsonian SITES, is now open for viewing at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum. Just a few articles talking about what you’ll find at the exhibit can be found at 2-The Advocate, Tiger Weekly, and the LSU Reville. (more…)

  • Show #50 – March 23, 2008

    Can you believe it? This week marks 50 episodes of The MuppetCast, which puts us only two weeks away from our one-year birthday. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast and continuing to make it all possible.

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

    There’s a lot going on in the life of the Muppets this week!

    Sesame Tree in Northern Ireland continues their preparation for their upcoming debut in early April. The press release can be found here.

    Matt T. has some info about the Star Wars Muppet figures, which are on the way. See pictures here, here, and here.

    Kevin W. sent links to two YouTube videos starring Kermit the Frog and Muley the Mule! See them here and here.

    Here’s a great link from Roger L. for some uncommon Sesame Street T-shirts.

    George G. from October Toys sent in links to 3 outstanding Palisades sales! See them here, here, and here.

    Sadly, Anthony Minghella passed away this week. Jack Read wrote an amazing and beautiful tribute for the show. Here are some links to news stories about Minghella:
    Ain’t It Cool News (Not Kid Friendly)
    A Scene from Truly, Madly, Deeply
    Breitbart
    Variety
    The Huffington Post
    Film.com

    More news about the new Muppet movie:
    Magical Mountain.net
    MTV Movies Blog
    Netcot.com

    Marcel Moran has a great opinion piece concerning Cookie Monster on TheCrimson.com.

    Read more about the newest Sesame Street character, Leela.

    John Tartaglia better not tell a lie! He was recently cast as Pinocchio in the new musical, Shrek. More info about the Seattle opening is found at The Seattle Times, and at 5th Avenue.org.

    This episode features a review of the newly released Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby. I hope you enjoy it!

    I also finally get to take some time and talk in more detail about my recent trip to Walt Disney World! My wife Ashley helps me describe some experiences that many guests might not be familiar with. Lotsa fun!

    Questions/Comments can be sent via email to me@muppetcast.com. Or even better, call the voice line at 614-364-4270 and have your voicemail played on the show! Of course, you can always find me over at the Muppet Central Forums as well, where their mission is to unite all Muppet fans worldwide.

    Have a great week!

    -Steve

  • Show #49 – March 16, 2008

    Hi-ho everyone, and welcome again to The MuppetCast! This week we find some great little nuggets of joy in Muppet History, we find a great reason to celebrate in Muppet News, and…well there’s even other stuff too! (more…)

  • Show #46 – February 24, 2008

    Hola everyone! This week on The MuppetCast, my special guests are Ryan Roe and Joe Hennes. That’s right, it’s Tough Pigs week!

    Before we get into that, though, I won’t be here in Ohio next weekend. I’ll be spending my birthday in WDW, but fear not, there’ll still be a show. Actually, listen for some rare and exclusive stuff next week! (more…)

  • Show #42 – January 27, 2008

    We found one more version of the Bananas song! Yes!

    Less than five months to wait until The Muppet Show, Season 3. Can you believe it? Lots of other good stuff going on, too. Check out the Muppet News Flash for more details. Also be sure to read the latest on Tough Pigs for Muppet-y goodness. (more…)

  • Show #40 – January 13, 2008

    This week is Beatles week on The MuppetCast. The Muppets have covered many Beatle songs over the years, and this week we take a listen to some great songs, some of them very rare!

    In the news, the Muppets, Music & Magic touring exhibition, presented by the Jim Henson Legacy, made a recent stop in Cleveland, OH. There are two news stories covering the event (read the first article and the second article), both of which talk about the special guest appearance by Bonnie Erickson. (more…)

  • Show #36 – December 15, 2007

    This episode of The MuppetCast is devoted to “It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie”. It’s rare that a Muppet movie is not a musical, but this is one of them. That said, there’s still plenty of music and Christmas Muppet material to enjoy!

    Speaking of Muppet Christmas music, last year’s “A Green and Red Christmas” album has been nominated for a Grammy! Make sure you have this album for the holidays if you don’t already. If you do already have it, buy it for someone else this year! (more…)

  • Show #33 – November 25, 2007

    This is a combination Thanksgiving and Holiday Season Kickoff episode of the MuppetCast. We’ll listen to parts of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as some great Christmas-y Muppet-y goodness. (more…)

  • Show #26 – October 7, 2007

    I don’t know how I made it this far and haven’t used this intro yet!

    Seems to be a good week for bunnies anyway.

    This week marks 6 months of the MuppetCast. Can you believe it? Me neither, but here we are. Thank you! To celebrate, I’ve re-designed the website at http://www.muppetcast.com, and added a new poll. What song would you say is the quintessential Muppet song? Make sure and vote as many times as you want! (more…)

  • Show #10 – June 17, 2007

    Show #10! We made it to double digits! Hehe…thanks for hitting up the website and/or downloading the show. Remember, the Muppet Impression contest will end on June 24! So if you want to enter the contest, now is the time. Now is the best time! (more…)

  • Show #8 – June 3, 2007

    We start this week’s show with an awesome clip from one of the newest Puppet Up! skits found on TBS On Demand. This week’s show is brought to you by the number 5, the letter L, and BellBookAndComic.com, where you can find all the comics, games, and collectibles you need! Why? Because life should be more fun!
    (more…)

  • Events

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    Date City Venue
    06/26/2015- 06/27/2015 Anaheim, CA City National Grove of Anaheim
    07/10/2015- 07/19/2015 Honolulu, HI Blaisdell Center
    07/24/2015- 07/26/2015 Maui, HI Castle Theater
    09/19/2015- 09/21/2015 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
    09/25/2015- 09/27/2015 Fort Lauderdale, FL Broward Center for the Performing Arts
    10/02/2015- 10/04/2015 Greenville, SC Bon Secours Wellness Arena

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    Date City Venue
    09/04/2015- 09/05/2015 La Crosse, WI La Crosse Center
    09/11/2015- 09/13/2015 Brooklyn, NY Kings Theatre
    09/22/2015- Morristown, NJ Mayo Performing Arts Center
    09/25/2015- 09/27/2015 Brookville, NY Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
    10/02/2015- 10/04/2015 Norfolk,VA Ted Constant Convocation Center
    10/09/2015- 10/11/2015 White Plains, NY Westchester County Center
    10/17/2015- 10/18/2015 Toronto, ON Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
    11/20/2015- 11/22/2015 Rochester, NY RBTL’s Auditorium Theatre

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  • Show #173 – September 5, 2010

    The MuppetCast returns from summer break with an all-new season of sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational podcasting! We hit the ground running this week with listener JD Hansel, talking about the wonderfully warm and talented pianist Rowlf the Dog. (more…)

  • Show #158 – April 18, 2010

    Listener David Quesal joins me from Cincinnati, OH this week as we talk about his Muppet fandom, and what propelled him through his youth to finally auditioning for touring puppet companies. If you’re thinking of puppetry as a career, don’t miss our interview! (more…)

  • Show #153 – March 14, 2010

    The biggest announcment coming from this week’s show is the kickoff of the 2010 Muppet Madness Tournament! Go over to the official tournament website (muppetcast.com/tournament) and vote daily for your favorite Muppet characters! (more…)

  • Show #106 – April 19, 2009

    This week we welcome Shane Roberts, host of the Communicore Online Podcast. Shane is not only a Disney fan of many years (as the title indicates), but a big Henson fan as well. We spend some time talking not only about Communicore Online and podcasting in general, but also about some truly scary Henson moments in an all-new Muppet List segment. (more…)

  • Show #34 – December 2, 2007

    Welcome to this Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas special episode of The MuppetCast! We’ll take a good look at Emmet Otter this week, and even talk to some people who have some special connections to this great Christmas special.

    Remember that you still have one week to enter the MuppetCast Christmas Contest! See the website for details. The cutoff date for contest submissions is December 8. (more…)