Happy Birthday, Bret Mckenzie!

Happy Birthday to "The Muppets" and "Muppets Most Wanted" music supervisor,
Bret Mckenzie!

Here he is with Kermit signing "Life's A Happy Song."

And giving Miss Piggy and Constantine what they want (Cockatoo In Malibu) from Muppets Most Wanted:

Two more "the muppets" bus tour buttons!

Two different buttons were given at ABC's "Mobile Muppet Theater" stop in Milwaukee, WI this weekend. 

Instead of focusing on one character, like the Fozzie and Kermit pins, these both feature group shots!

We hear there's a Miss Piggy button as well! We'll keep you posted when we get a photo. 
UPDATE: will now have a visual of the Piggy button:

There's only two stops left!
San Diego County Fair – Del Mar, CA
Thursday, July 2 – Sunday, July 5 (12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)
2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard
Del Mar, CA 92014

California State Fair – Sacramento, CA 
Friday, July 10-Saturday, July 11 (12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)
1600 Exposition Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95815

Thanks to Kenny Durkin for the group button images!

Throwback Thursday: 1980 Hallmark Summer Button!

Sunday marked the first day of summer and yesterday we showed you the first glimpse of the buttons being given away at the "Mobile Muppet Theater," so how about a Throwback Thursday that combines them!

This "Summer's My 2nd Favorite Thing!" button released in 1980 features Kermit and Miss Piggy. It was part of Hallmark's large line of Muppet products released between 1980 and 1982.

"the muppets" head to San Diego Comic-Con!

ABC announced the schedule for their San Diego Comic Con panels, including one for "the muppets."

According to Deadline:

ABC will be showing off their new series The Muppets on Saturday from 3-4 PM in Room 6A. (The) panel will include executive producers and co-writers Bill Prady and Bob Kushell, director Randall Einhorn and EP Bill Barretta who is also the voice of Pepe, Dr. Teeth and Rowlf. Other talented performers from the show will be in attendance. Damian Holbrook will be moderating.

Damian Holbrook

UPDATE:

Among some of ABC’s notable Comic-Con marketing during the confab, there will be The Muppets-branded pedicabs buzzing around the Gas Lamp district and The Muppets branded trolleys running outside of the convention center.

Stay tuned for more info. 

First look at "the muppets" bus tour promo items!

As ABC's "Mobile Muppet Theater" continues its journey, we now have our first glimpse of the goodies they're giving out!

Friends of mine we able to attend out the presentation's stop in Detroit and received these two buttons for checking out the pilot!

UPDATE: Here's a new (non flashed) photo of the Kermit button:

I've also heard about a button featuring Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal and Pepe, though we don't have a photo of it yet.
UPDATE: You can view them here.

These are remaining stops/dates on the tour:

Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI
Thursday, June 25 – Sunday, June 28 (1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.)
20 North Harbor Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202

San Diego County Fair – Del Mar, CA
Thursday, July 2 – Sunday, July 5 (12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)
2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard
Del Mar, CA 92014

California State Fair – Sacramento, CA 
Friday, July 10-Saturday, July 11 (12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.)
1600 Exposition Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95815

Thanks to Molly and Julies for the images!

Let us know what you spot when the "Mobile Muppet Theater hits your town!

RIP James Horner

Oscar winning composer James Horner has died. His vast list of film scores include, 

Aliens, An American Tail, 48 Hrs. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Cocoon, *batteries not included, Willow, Field of Dreams, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Glory, Another 48 Hrs., An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, The Rocketeer, Patriot Games, Hocus Pocus, Jumanji, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind, The Amazing Spider-Man, Avatar, and Titantic.

He also wrote music for the television shows Amazing Stories, Tales from the Crypt, and Fish Police as well as Michel Jackson's Captain EO and the Roger Rabbbit short Tummy Trouble.

He won Oscars for Titanic's dramatic score and it's original song “My Heart Will Go On," which was sung by Miss Piggy in Muppets Most Wanted.

Unfortunately this appears to be the only version online:

His talent will be greatly missed. 

TV Guide ranks"The Best Muppets of All Time!

In advance of The Muppets return to prime time, TV Guide ranked "The Best Muppets of All Time."

Find out who made the cut, and how high Lips placed on their list here. 

Happy First Day of Summer!

Yesterday was the first day of Summer. Kermit posted a new video on how to celebrate in style!

Happy Birthday,Bill Barretta!

Today is Muppet performer extraordinaire, Bill Barretta's birthday!

One of Bill's best known character's is Pepe the King Prawn, but in addition performing, Bill's other credits include Muppet captain, producer and director. 

In 2002, Pepe was the spoke prawn for Long John Silvers seafood chain. Take a look at some of Pepe's spots, which Bill also directed:

In addition to Long John Silvers, Pepe was also featured in a 2011 commercial for Cravendale milk in the UK.

In 2014, the prawn was featured in a Toyota Highlander's "No Room For Boring" campaign. 

Pepe's a great spokes-prawn, just as Bill's a great spokes person for the Muppets! 

Elmo takes over The Tonight Show!

Took over may be a strong term, but last night Elmo replaced Steve Higgins as The Tonight Show announcer/ sidekick as well as appearing in a cooking segment to plug his new book "Let's Cook!"  

You can watch just his cooking segment or the full episode below:

Full Episode:

That's awful lot of work a 3 year year old monster up way past his bedtime!

Countdown to "the muppets" premiere!

We're counting down to the premiere of the muppets September 22nd on ABC!

Our good friend James Carroll made this fantastic countdown clock which you'' be able see anytime on the right hand side of the blog.

Keep and eye out, as you'll soon be seeing it on ToughPigs and The Muppet Mindset as well! 

The countdown to the muppets has begun!

Throwback Thursday: 1985 Hasbro Catalog!

It's been almost a month since our last Throwback Thursday, so today I though I'd show something the public rarely gets to see - a dealer catalog. 

Specifically the 1985 Hasbro Dealer Catalog. For those that don't know what a dealer catalog is, it's a manufacturer's catalog of items that haven't been mass produced yet. Sometimes the items are still in the prototype stage, so you get to see what an item may look like but after production, it may change. 

While the cover isn't very Muppety, like your moma always said, don't judge a dealer catalog by it's cover!

For inside there are two pages of Fraggle Rock items, including plush dolls of Red, Mokey, Wembley, and Gobo Fraggle, as well as fan favorites Flange and Wingnut Doozer!

As you can see the spread also features Fraggle and Doozer PVC.

The reason I brought up the fact that some items may be still in the prototype stage, is that while the Fraggel plush look fantastic the photo, the actual plush dolls that landed on store shelves looked more like this:

 

Not horrible, but definitely not as great looking as shown in the catalog. Mokey especially drew the short straw and her eye placement made her look like she was staring off in to space cross eyed.

To make the matters worse, the back of the box used pictures of the prototype figures. So costumers could clearly see the differences in quality from the pictures shown to what your actually buying. 

Thankfully the Doozer plush fared much better in the transition from prototype to stores.

The the catalog also featured The Muppet Babies, fresh off the screen from The Muppets Take Manhattan and their new hit animated TV show.

Most of these fared better then the Fraggles. 

Baby Kermit and Baby Piggy looked pretty much the same.

However, Baby Fozzie's eyes weren't as focused,

and Baby Rowlf went from being a very dark brown to a more medium to light brown, which I think was a major improvement. 

 Again, the prototypes were used on the back of the packaging:

Remember, next time you're at the store not everything makes a transition from concept/prototype to the store. 

Lea DeLaria & Conan Sing David Bowie's "Fame"

Orange is the New Black's Lea DeLaria stopped by Conan last night, talked Labyrinth and sang and acapella version David Bowie's "Fame."

I'm hoping the album has a jazz cover of a song or two from Labyrinth!

The Count's Hair-raising Hairstyle!

The Count's recent appearances on SNL and Late Night with Seth Meyers caused quite a stir. 

No, he didn't skip over 5 to get to 6 sooner, or blame 7 for having eight 9, but it seems he left his castle without properly coiffing his 'do first! 

We reached out to a few fellow fans for their take.

Jennifer likened the Count's messy bed head look to Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother.

While Carolyn thought, "Maybe the Count enjoys counting every hair that's out of place"

Since this blog is about merchandise, we decided to help the Count out. We scoured the beauty isles to find products the Count might like. 

Got2b Glossy Anti-Frizz Shine Serum:

Condition 3-in-1 Mousse Extra Hold:

Rave 4X Mega Non Aerosol Hairspray Scented:

Kenra Curl Defining Cream #5:

Unite 7Seconds Condition Leave in Detangler:

L.A. Looks Nutra Curl Moisturizing Gel, Mega Hold 8:

Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 BB Creme 10 in 1 Beauty Balm for Hair:

Aussie Miraculously Smooth 12 Hour Anti-Humidity Hair Spray:

 Kenra Styling Gel Firm Hold Styling Fixative #17:

Silk18 Natural Conditioner By Maple Holistics:

 TRESemme 24 Hour Body Finishing Spray:

Kenra Volume Spray Super Hold Finishing Spray #25:

Twisted Sista 30 Second Curl Spray:

That's 13! 13 wonderful hair products the Count could use to properly fix his coif! Ah-hah-ha!

Center for Puppetry Arts Steve Whitmire's Memorabilia Auction Final Batch!

This is it! The final batch of Steve Whitmire's memorabilia is now up for auction and it's a doozy!

This batch includes items from The Jim Henson Company, Dinosaurs, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppets From Space, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, as well as many other Muppet products.

Jim Henson Productions™ Set (shown above)

Jim Henson Productions baseball hat, autographed by Steve Whitmire

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ book, "No Strings Attached"

”The Art of the Muppets” book 

Jim Henson Pictures™ paperweight

2 ”Muppets Make Puppets” craft books

Vintage Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ T-shirt (X-Large)

Vintage "The Witches" polo (Large)

65th anniversary Animal pin

RARE vintage “MuppetZine”

Vintage “The Muppets Take Manhattan” book (1984)

Plush Kermit the Frog 

Amphibia Gift Set

RARE and original collectors exclusively sold at Bloomingdales (1995)

Amphibia gift box set, mint condition autographed by Steve Whitmire

Amphibia T-shirt, large

1.7oz cologne

One Frog Gift Set

“One Frog Can Make a Difference” book, autographed by Steve Whitmire 

“One Frog Can Make a Difference” T-shirt (Large) 

Happy Meal® Toys 



Blockbuster plush Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo, mint condition The Muppets collectible tin:

Kermit at Work

RARE hard-hat from The Jim Henson Company™ Studios reopening, autographed by Steve Whitmire and Brian Henson

”Hop To It” Kermit the Frog T-shirt (Large)

Collectible Kermit the Frog logo bandana

Kermit The Frog coffee mug

Kermit The Frog plush keychain

The Muppets bandages

The Rat Pack

Plush Rizzo the Rat, autographed by Steve Whitmire

RARE vintage The Muppets playing cards

”Kermit Un-Pigged” CD

Rizzo the Rat T-shirt (Large)

”Muppet Manners” book

6 pk. collectors cards includes Kermit the Frog and Rizzo the Rat

25th Anniversary of The Muppet Show Set

25th anniversary of The Muppet Show baseball hat, autographed by Steve Whitmire

25th anniversary of The Muppet Show T-shirt (X-Large)

25th anniversary of The Muppet Show watch

25th anniversary of The Muppet Show pin

25th anniversary of The Muppet Show collectors box

3 pc. set of plush The Muppet Show Bookmarks featuring Beaker, Animal, and The Swedish Chef

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy figurines

8 pc. set of vintage wall decor stars

Vintage The Muppets sticker set

Kermit’s Beach Bag

Kermit the Frog plastic beach tote, autographed by Steve Whitmire

Kermit the Frog beach mat

”Muppet Beach Party” CD

Vintage tie-dyed Kermit the Frog T-shirt (Large)

Kermit the Frog T-shirt (X-Large)

”Animal's Wipeout” 7” vinyl (1993)

Kermit the Frog curly straw

2 vintage Happy Meal® watches from The Great Muppet Caperand The Muppet Movie

Blue Kermit the Frog bandanna

Muppet Beach Party PR packet
Vintage ”The Whale Tale” book (1981) 

The Muppet Christmas Carol Collector's Set

The Muppet Christmas Carol fleece (X-Large)

The Muppet Christmas Carol T-shirt (Large)

The Muppet Christmas Carol movie poster

The Muppet Christmas Carol DVD

Kermit holiday gift tag from Jim Henson Productions™

Kermit the Frog holiday ornament

Kermit the Frog stamp 8x10 print, autographed by
Steve Whitmire 

A Greener World

”Go Green” sports jacket, autographed by Steve Whitmire (Large)

Plush Kermit the Frog

RARE collectors tribute Kermit the Frog peace ceramic plate

Dive In logo T-shirt (X-Large)

”For Every Child, a Better World” book (1993)

”Before You Leap” PR packet

Nicole Miller™ World Tour Bag

Nicole Miller silk travel duffel bag

Nicole Miller silk jacket (Medium)

Kermit the Frog Chicagoland Speedway T-shirt (X-Large)

Kermit the Frog Georgia T-shirt (X-Large)

Vintage Kermit the Frog Canada T-shirt (Small)

”I Survived The Earthquake” shirt (Large)

”Kermit The Frog on Tour” Texas ladies’ long sleeve shirt, autographed by Steve Whitmire

Vintage “No Pigs Allowed” wall poster

40th Anniversary Variety Magazine featuring The Muppets

Vintage The Muppets silk scarf

Muppets from Space Collector's Set

RARE plush Gonzo in space suit

3pc. vintage Muppets from Space jelly jar set

Muppets from Space hat, autographed by Steve Whitmire

”The Making of Muppets in Space” book

RARE original Hensonville News Observer movie prop

“Gonzo's Book of Out-of-This-World Puzzles”

Happy Meal® toy Muppets from Space Kermit the Frog keychain, mint condition

Muppets from Space “Steve Whitmire” holiday ornament 

Kermit Americana

Kermit the Frog American flag T-shirt (Large)

Kermit the Frog collectors coffee mug, autographed by Steve Whitmire

Go Green!!

"Go Green" Michigan State University T-shirt (Large)

Kermit the Frog sweatshirt (Large)

"Go Green" Michigan State University baseball hat, autographed by Steve Whitmire

Plush Muppet University Kermit the Frog 

Sweet Dreams Pack

Sing & Snore Ernie, autographed by Steve Whitmire (1996)

Sing & Snore Ernie sleep sweatshirt (X-Large)

Ladies’ Ernie sleep socks

Sesame Street “Dreamytime Songs” CD

Ernie electronic sound book

Pocket Ernie doll 

Halloween Ernie
Ernie child’s Halloween costume,mint condition, autographed by Steve Whitmire

Halloween Kermit the Frog plush

Muppet Monsters Adventure
Playstation® game

 Fraggle Rock® Bedtime Story Set
2 Vintage 4T Fraggle Rock girl’s night gowns, mint condition”The Radish Day Jubilee” book (1983)
”Red and The Pumpkins” book (1984)
”Marooned in Fraggle Rock” book (1984)
”They Call Me Boober Fraggle” book (1984)

”Wembley Fraggle Gets the Story” book (1984)

I Love Sprocket
Plush Sprocket dog

Sprocket vintage T-shirt (Small), autographed by Steve Whitmire
(marks on shirt)

Fraggle Rock sticker

Wembley Fraggle plush keychain 

Dinosaurs Toy Collector's Set

Baby Sinclair figurine, mint condition

Charlene Sinclair figurine, mint condition

Robbie Sinclair figurine, mint condition

Earl Sinclair figurine, mint condition

Fran Sinclair figurine, mint condition

B.P. Richfield figurine, mint condition

”Next Big Thing” T-shirt (X-Large)

Dinosaurs PR postcard

Dinosaurs photo, autographed by Steve Whitmire

Original The Muppet Movie Collector's Set 

The Muppet Movie (1979) hat as seen tossed by Steve Whitmire, 

signed with special story written inside the brim.

Original The Muppet Movie T-shirt (Small), mint condition

The Muppet Movie soundtrack CD

6 pc. vintage figurine set

Press photo (reproduction) signed by Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog (1980)

The Muppet Movie collectors book 

Original The Great Muppet CaperEvening Gowns

Two original, vintage, and one of a kind dresses as seen during the fashion show portion of the The Great Muppet Caper movie worn by the character Marla. One is a black evening dress with tulle scarf. The other is a pewter colored satin princess style gown. Since these were costumes, they have no sizing but is running around a 4-6 or small. The dresses were purchased during a sample sale after filming in 1981 by Melissa Whitmire.

”The Great Muppet Caper” story book, autographed by Steve Whitmire

Be sure to check out all the great stuff here.

This wave ends Friday, June 19 at 3PM EST so act quick!