"Muppets, Alive! A Toy Story..."

Every once in a while you see something that truly melts your heart, and after the events of this week, we could all use something like that.

Fortunately, we received just the thing from fellow Muppet fan, Philip D'Amour.

Philip sent this message along with a link to a video he made for his daughter:

First, I love you blog! I'm a lifelong muppet fan (finally made it on to the Muppet Studios lot this year!) and have now made my 2 year old daughter a huge fan. I bought her ALL of the classic 70's Fisher Price Dolls and Puppet. The other day, I decided to make a little video with a couple of her puppets as a fun surprise for her. She loved it. Hope you enjoy it too, and maybe share on this site!

After we saw the video we were happy to share it with all of you.
Here's a brief description of his short film "Muppets, Alive! A Toy Story..." aka Muppet toys come to life.

My daughter loves The Muppets... One day, we told her that we left some security cameras running while she was at daycare. We then showed her this video.
She loved it, but was very upset someone else was eating her crackers..

Wasn't that fantastic?

Philip shot the entire thing on his iPhone 6 Plus and was the sole cameraman, puppeteer (though his wife helped with Rowlf on a few shots), and editor.

We shared it with a few people who might know a thing or two about working with puppets for their reaction, first. 

"Cute!" - Timothy Clarke (Dark Crystal sculptor/designer)

"So elaborate! Cool house and vintage toy puppets!. Nice! And I want that turntable!"- Peter Linz (Muppet performer)

It's great to see such a creative use of Muppet merchandise. We can't thank Philip enough for sharing this with us. We hope you all loved it as much as we did.

If you have something you'd like to share please send us a message through the contact link on the website or through our facebook page.


“Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life, enjoy it.”
- Jim Henson

Muppets Courtyard (2016-2017) & Muppet Star Wars Rumor!

As many fans speculated, Disney is minimizing The Muppets already diminishing presence in the parks. 

It was announced today via the official Disney Park blog that Muppets Courtyard is being rebranded as Grand Avenue.

Muppets Courtyard, along with a portion of the former Streets of America, is being re-imagined by Walt Disney Imagineering to become a new area called Grand Avenue. Inspired by the revitalization and the vibrant culture of present-day downtown Los Angeles, Grand Avenue is where vintage office buildings and warehouses are being converted to exciting new uses. Guests will soon see facades for “merchants” appearing in this area for a music shop, loft apartments, a tailor and more, with each window on the street featuring charming displays.

The current Muppets Courtyard will become Grand Park, an urban square off Grand Avenue surrounded by shops and restaurants like PizzeRizzo and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano. Guests can already see changes in the area, with the Muppets theater being renamed “Grand Arts Theatre” and boasting a brand-new marquee.

As it was only last April that Disney renamed the area "Muppets Courtyard", this has to be one of the fastest about faces Disney has done.

The folks at Disney know how this sounds, and are always great at putting good spin on bad news (maybe our president should hire them as his new communication director), so they end the post with...

But, not to worry – Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang continue to star in their hilarious and irreverent “Muppet*Vision 3D” show.

Very reassuring indeed.

This week also brought a rumor that Disney might be adding a live Muppet Star Wars themed show, similar to Great Moments In History (But Just The American Parts), to the adjacent area leading to Star Wars Land.

The Muppets as que filler while people wait to get to a totally different part of the park. Sound like the people at Disney Parks have great faith in franchise. Sigh.

Details Emerge About The Muppets Hollywood Bowl Show!

The Hollywood Bowl released a press release today detailing what exactly to expect when The Muppets Take the Bowl!

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and The Muppets today revealed the first details about The Muppets’ first-ever full-length live show. The Muppets Take the Bowl is more than just a concert…more than just a performance…more than just a play on an iconic movie title…it’s The Muppets as never seen before – live and in-person (ok, more like in-frog, in-bear, in-pig…etc.), with full orchestra, on stage at the iconic Hollywood Bowl.

Fans will join Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo, Sam Eagle, Pepé the King Prawn, beloved hecklers Statler and Waldorf, and some Muppets who have not been seen since their appearances on The Muppet Show over 35 years ago, along with conductor Thomas Wilkins, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and special celebrity guests, for this once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable event!

Overflowing with original music, classic Muppet songs, dancing, a singing-diva pig, fan-favorite sketches and parodies, boomerang fish and heaven knows what else, The Muppets Take the Bowl invites audiences of all ages to join the entire Muppet cast in a sensational, inspirational, celebrational journey from extremely humble beginnings to extraordinary Hollywood stardom.

Highlights of the show include the fabulous Miss Piggy in a show-stopping musical performance; Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, with legendary drummer Animal rocking the Bowl; debuts of all-new original chapters of Pigs in Space, Veterinarian’s Hospital and Muppet Labs; and many more extraordinary surprises, including a spectacular fireworks finale, kicked-off by Crazy Harry.“This will be moi’s greatest performance ever, and I guarantee that all of you who are there at the Hollywood Bowl will rave and brag about it for the rest of your lives. And those who are not there, will have to lie about being there.

So, don’t lie, be there and experience moi in person,” said Miss Piggy.
The curtain will rise for their first show on Friday, September 8, at 8:00 p.m., followed by encore performances on Saturday, September 9, at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 10, at 7:30 p.m.

That sounds absolutely incredible!

 

These two were probably a given:

• Miss Piggy in a show-stopping musical performance 
• Because of course. 
• Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem 
• Their live appearance last year at Outside Lands was the spark for this

"All-new original chapters of":

• Pigs in Space
• Veterinarian’s Hospital 
• Muppet Labs
• If the recent youtube Pigs in Space shorts are any indication, these are going to be something special. 

• Characters "who have not been seen since their appearances on The Muppet Show" ?
• WoW! Let the fan speculation begin as to whether we'll see George The Janitor, Angus McGonagle or thew return of some other fan favorite!

All concluded by fireworks kicked-off by Crazy Harry!

This truly sounds like a show fans won't want to miss. The Muppets Take The Bowl, September 8, 9, and 10 at the Hollywood Bowl in California.

Get your tickets now at Hollywood Bowl.

Statler & Waldorf Promote Hollywood Bowl show!

As I'm sure you're aware, The Muppets are coming to The Hollywood Bowl in September.

To promote the event, Statler and Waldorf appear in a new video all while trying to get out of going themselves!

Don’t miss The Muppets Take The Bowl, September 8, 9, and 10 at the Hollywood Bowl in California. Get your tickets now at Hollywood Bowl.

Grab A Fraggle (Down Under)!

Wow,  that title sounds dirtier than I intended.

Anyway, at Toy Fair this year we noticed Toy Factory, an arcade claw machine company, had Dinosaur Train and Fraggle Rock plush.

Thanks to our friends at The Muppet Collection Page appears a store/arcade in Australia bought some and has them ready to get clawed to freedom. 

No sightings in the US yet, but wholesaler FunExpress has them for sale on their website.

Here's a better look at the whole collection:

Is it just me, or does Jr. Gorg look more like Samson from Germany's Samstrasse?

 

Oh well. Hopefully, we'll start seeing these pop up in claw machine here in the states soon.

If you work at a fair, carnival, or have claw machine purchasing power, step right up and head over to Fun Express' website and get a whole gaggle of Fraggles! 

RIP Victor Pemberton - UK Fraggle Rock writer (1931-2017)

Though his name may not be the most familiar, Victor Pemberton left a very diverse and lasting impact on the world.

As a British author and television writer, Pemberton not only wrote the framing segments for the UK version of Fraggle Rock, he came up with having the UK counterpart to Doc be
The Captain.

He also took over production duties from Duncan Kenworthy on the second and third seasons on the show. 

Before Fraggle Rock, Pemberton worked on Doctor Who as story editor on "The Tomb of the Cybermen" and writer of "Fury of the Deep" where he conceived of Doctor Who's iconic sonic screwdriver.

He also appeared in the 1967 episode "The Moonbase."

In 2007, he was interviewed about his time on Fraggle Rock, working with Jim Henson, the Captain's casting changes, and working on a international co-production without the internet. He was 85.

The Muppets LOVE to Pose With Models!

As you may recall, back in May paparazi discovered the Muppets posing with Kendell Jenner and a few models on the streets of New York. 

The photos are for fashion designer Miu Miu‘s Fall/Winter collection for this month's issue of the UK magazine LOVE.

Today, Disney/Style posted the photos ahead of the issue release!

While we wait to see where you can get your hands on the issue, you can follow the trendy looks with the hashtag #TheMuppetsWearMiuMiu