Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Yip (eee!), Sesame Street is on TikTok!

Sesame Street added TikTok to their social media handles and two old friends help introduce it. 



Yip, you're seeing that correctly. The Yip Yip Martians officially launched Sesame TikTock content. 

You can see Sesame's post below including the clever caption:

Yip, you read that right. #SesameStreet is on TikTok! 🎉


@sesamestreet Yip, you read that right. #SesameStreet ♬ Yip Yip TikTok - sesamestreet

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Get Ready to Meet the Slumberkins!


Apple TV+ announced a vibrant fall slate for kids and families, featuring an array of fresh, original series, new on-screen imaginings of beloved properties, as well as returning fan-favorite and critically acclaimed series including a new series from the 
Jim Henson Company based on the popular kid's education brand, Slumberkins.


Slumberkins is a mixed-media puppet/2D animation program from the beloved children’s emotional learning brand empowering children to be caring, confident and resilient, and produced by The Jim Henson Company.

Embark on adventures with Bigfoot, Unicorn, Sloth, Yak and Fox as they explore a world of feelings in this Jim Henson Company mixed media puppet / 2D animation series that empowers the emotional wellness of children through supportive storytelling. Based on the leading children’s emotional learning brand Slumberkins, the series brings to life some of the beloved characters from the Slumberkins books as they explore new stories of friendship, confidence and connection to model healthy relationships. “Slumberkins” was created for television by Alex Rockwell (“Word Party,” “Pajanimals”). The Jim Henson Company’s Halle Stanford is executive producer along with Rockwell. Callie Christensen, MIT in Elementary Education and Special Education and Kelly Oriard, M.S. in Counseling and Marriage Therapy & School Counseling, creators of the Slumberkins education brand, are co-executive producers. Dr. Dan Siegel, executive director of the Mindsight Institute and clinical professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA, and author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, serves as an expert in understanding how attachment experiences affect behavior through the Apple TV+ changemaker initiative.


Explore a world of feelings November 4 when Slumberkins premiers on Apple TV+.

Monday, August 29, 2022

Preorder Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show!

As we told you earlier this month, Craig Shemin's long-awaited book about Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show will be rereleased September 24 and is now available to pre-order through Bear Manor Media. 

We also now have the official description:
Long before Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, college students Jim Henson and Jane Nebel created a long-running daily local Washington, D.C. television program called Sam and Friends, where Jim developed his unique approach to comedy and introduced the world to a puppet named Kermit.

In this book, President of The Jim Henson Legacy and author of The Muppets Character Encyclopedia, Craig Shemin, explores the story behind Sam and Friends and creates an episode guide from surviving scripts and recordings.

Includes a foreword by longtime Henson collaborator Frank Oz, several complete scripts and more than 150 rare photos from The Jim Henson Company Archives. 604 pages.

The Museum of the Moving Image will celebrate the book's release on September 24th with a Sam and Friends screening, a discussion about the book with the author and Museum Deputy Director Barbara Miller, the presentation of a newly unearthed Sam and Friends episode and a book signing.

Pre-order your copy now through Bear Manor Media, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon in both Hard cover and paperback!

Friday, August 26, 2022

Rare Muppet Clips Vol 3 #6!

We're back with another batch of rare Muppet performances.


Again, we do not own these clips, nor do we make any guarantees to how long they'll be available, so watch them while you can!

Miss Piggy at the Comedy Hall of Fame (early 90's):


Dinosaurs
' Baby Sinclair Slugs Michael Eisner:



Esskay Meats Commercials:
 

The Muppet Show Live Promo (2004):

  

"Octopus's Garden" on The Ed Sullivan Show (March 1, 1970):


Kermit and Miss Piggy on Today (2002):



We hope you enjoyed these rare Muppet performances. Join us next time as we present more rare Muppet clips! 

Thursday, August 25, 2022

D23 Fall Issue Muppet Mentions!

The fall issue of Disney Twenty-Thee, Disney's official fan magazine just came out, and while The Muppets aren't featured, they are mentioned a few times. 

Disney fan and Muppets Haunted Mansion guest Yvette Nicole Brown was asked who was her favorite Muppet to work.

Luckily her favorite Muppet and her favorite to work with are one an the same.. Gonzo!

Below she explains why:

There were also some subtle Muppet mentions and allusions including using "It's Not Easy Being Green" as the headline for an article about She-Hulk: Attorney at Law:


The Muppets (2015) guests Keegan-Michael Key was mentioned as part of the cast of the Disney's upcoming live action remake of Pinocchio. See if you can spot the typo,



Unfortunately, that was all the Muppet stuff in this issue of Disney Twenty -three, but I'm sure we'll be seeing more with The Muppet Christmas Carol's 30th anniversary and Muppets Mayhem on the horizon. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

‘The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo' Gets Israeli adaptation!

Just as HBO Max pulled The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo from its service, Sesame Workshop announced fans in Israel will be getting their own "star studded" version.


Israel is now the first country to produce a local version of The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo utilizing their own local Muppets and celebrities. 

Moishe Oofnik, Oscar the Grouch’s Israeli cousin from the long-running Israeli Sesame Street adaptation Rechov Sumsum, will recur as Elmo’s sidekick instead of the Cookie Minster in the US version. 

Olympic gold medalist Linoy Ashram

Among the guests are celebrity chef Israel Aharoni, actors Amir Shurush and Guri Alfi, Olympic gold medalist Linoy Ashram, and Singer/ songwriter Kobi Oz.

The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo joins Rehov Sumsum and Shalom Sesame in Israel's long line of Sesame co-productions. 

Singer/ songwriter Kobi Oz


Israel's 14-episodeThe Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo adaptation is set to premiere in October.

More info at Times of Israel

Friday, August 19, 2022

Elmo Says....BOOO! As HBO Max Removes About 200 ‘Sesame Street’ Episodes!

Just yesterday it was announced that HBO Max removed the HBO Max Originals Esme & RoyThe Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, and an unspecified “select group of Sesame Street specials. Now we Variety is reporting that the streamer has removed something even scarier...about 200 classic Sesame Street episodes!


I wish I could say you had until the end of the month to see them, but the worst part of the decision to remove these titles is that there wasn't any warning for fans to view them before they were pulled.

As of today, HBO Max listed 456 total episodes of Sesame Street, with a selection from Seasons 1, 5 and 7 and the full lineup from the most recent Seasons 39-52. 

Of those, only 29 are from the earliest seasons. Previously, the streaming service offered about 650 total Sesame Street episodes, including episodes from Seasons 2-4, Season 6 and those from every season between 8 and 35.


Per Variety: 

HBO and Sesame Workshop first struck an agreement in 2015, providing a new revenue stream for “Sesame Street,” while granting HBO rights to run new episodes of the landmark series first before they appeared on its longtime home, PBS.
Their current agreement keeps new Sesame Street seasons first-run on HBO Max through 2025.

Still available for now on HBO Max, in addition to remaining episodes of the Sesame Street series, are the 10-episode Sesame Street Mecha Builders, seven seasons of My Sesame Street Friends and The Magical Wand Chase special.

We're not sure what this means for the future of Warner Bros. Discovery's relationship with Sesame Workshop, or their commitment to renewing their contract to fund the series. 

Thrifting Adventures with Cinema Sickness!

Our adventures in thrifting with Cinema Sickness continue as I hunt for Muppet stuff while making terrible puns along the way. 

Thrifting Goodwill (Swarthmore, PA):

 

 Thrifting Goodwill (Chadds Ford, PA):

 


 Thrifting Liberty Ministries Thrift (Sanatoga, PA):

 

 Thrifting Re-Uzit Shop (New Holland, PA):

 

Thrifting Reuzit Shoppe (Morgantown, PA):

 

 Bonus: Thrifting Stoudt’s Antique Mall (Adamstown, PA):

 

 Bonus: Exploring Galaxy Burger And Beyond (Springfield, PA):

 

Be sure to check out more thrilling thrifting adventures on our Youtube Channel.

Thursday, August 18, 2022

HBO Max to Remove Some Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop Titles!

According to VarietyHBO Max will remove 36 titles from its service as early as this week including a few Sesame Workshop titles.


The list includes the Sesame Workshop HBO Max Originals Esme & Roy, The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo and an unspecified “select group of Sesame Street specials.

A spokesperson for HBO Max attributed the decision to the pending merge of the platform with Discovery+, which is also owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

“As we work toward bringing our content catalogs together under one platform, we will be making changes to the content offering available on both HBO Max and discovery+,” HBO Max’s statement reads. “That will include the removal of some content from both platforms.”

It is currently unclear whether they will be made available on DVD or rental services, or if their removal will result in them becoming completely inaccessible. 

The Muppet Christmas Carol Live in Concert!

After a run in the UK, The Muppet Christmas Carol live in concert is coming to the US. 


The first stop is Philadelphia, where the entire score will be performed live by the Philadelphia Orchestra led by conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos (no relation to the words most dangerous frog). 

Fans can expect to see the full length theatrical version with "When Love Is Gone" lovingly restored. 


The official description is below:

Experience Charles Dickens’s classic holiday tale as only the Muppets can tell it. Through the magic of Jim Henson Productions, Kermit and the gang help Ebenezer Scrooge, played by actor Michael Caine, find redemption and his Christmas spirit one fateful Christmas Eve. The Orchestra plays the memorable score in this delightful story filled with laughter and song.


The performance is scheduled for two nights only:

Saturday, Dec 17, 2022, 7:00 PM and 
Sunday, Dec 18, 2022, 2:00 PM

Tickets are available now from the Philadelphia Orchestra

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Kermit Honors Paul Williams at Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction!

Prolific songwriter Paul Williams was recently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and none other then Kermit the Frog helped honor the frequent Muppet collaborator. 



Williams received the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award.

Kermit, in a pre-taped video homage, said of the famously height-challenged Williams, “He has a very special relationship with Muppets — he understands Muppets, true, because he’s only a little taller than us.”

Kermit's intro was followed by Ingrid Michaelson performing “Rainbow Connection"  and a pair of songs sung by Williams collaborator Gustavo Santaolalla.



Video of the event hasn't been posted online, but according to Variety
Williams delivered a deeply impassioned yet often hilarious acceptance speech, showing his famous sense of humor by saying, “Songwriters can be shy about pitching their songs, but publishers are shameless. I’ve heard my songs pitched during shivas and when brides were walking down the aisle.”

But the climax of this brilliant songwriter’s emotional speech came at the end, when he recalled the time he briefly met the man for whom his award was named, over 50 years ago. Williams had attained some success at the time but was in awe of Mercer and intimated, so the meeting amounted to just a few words and a wave. Williams, a longstanding and active recovery advocate, spoke of how his retelling of the incident became more and more exaggerated and flattering toward himself over the years. But he made amends by saying to Mercer, who died in 1976, “I wanted so much to be loved by you that I lied about it."

More info about about Paul Williams in the 
Songwriters Hall of Fame can be found here

Monday, August 15, 2022

Muppet Mayhem Comes to The D23 Expo!

The Muppets are coming to the D23 Expo!


Disney recently announce the schedule for their upcoming D23 Expo and there's not one, but two Muppet - centric panels. 


First, D23 will celebrate 30 Years of The Muppet Christmas Carol


Magic in the Air: 30 Years of The Muppet Christmas Carol 
Saturday, September 10, 2022
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm PT on the 
Premiere Stage


Below is the official description:

Yuletide comes early this year as we celebrate 30 years of the ultimate Holiday classic The Muppet Christmas Carol with filmmakers, The Muppets, and a few surprises!


This will be followed by the first look at The Muppets Mayhem!


“Meet The Muppets: The Muppets Mayhem Conversation”
 Saturday, September 10, 2022
4:50 PM PT on The Disney Bundle Pavilion Stage

The panel will be hosted by Tahj Mowry, who also stars in The Muppets Mayhem.

He is set to play Gary “Moog” Moogowski, who is described as a diehard fan of The Electric Mayhem. He follows them from place to place, knows his way around an audio board, and potentially hopes that he will have a leading man role in Nora’s (Lilly Singh) life. Nora is the one who is leading the band as they put together their first album ever.


The D23 Expo will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center September 9-11, 2022.

Friday, August 12, 2022

Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show Coming Sept 24th!

According to the recent Jim Henson Legacy newsletter, Craig Shemin's long awaited book Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show will be rereleased next month.


Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show, published by Bear Manor Media, is an in-depth exploration of Jim's groundbreaking local television show which ran on WRC in Washington, D.C. between 1955 and 1961.

Written by Jim Henson Legacy President Craig Shemin, the book was created with the cooperation of The Jim Henson Company and Disney, includes more than 150 rare images from the Jim Henson Company Archives, five complete scripts, and has a foreword by Frank Oz.

The Museum of the Moving Image will celebrate the release on September 24th (Jim Henson's Birthday) with a Sam and Friends screening, a discussion about the book with the author and Museum Deputy Director Barbara Miller, the presentation of a newly unearthed Sam and Friends episode and a book signing.

Muppet Stuff - Unboxing Lego Muppet Minifigures!

 Join me as I hunt for and unbox Lego's Muppet Minifigures!



Look for more videos on our Youtube Channel.

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Coming Soon: Muppets Doorables!

The Muppets are joining the Disney Doorables line of collectibles from Just Play.


It’s time to play the music and light the lights, because behind every stage door a surprise is in store with the Disney Doorables Muppets Collection Peek. This Muppet-sational collection features 8 beloved favorites, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam the Eagle, Rowlf, Gonzo, Animal, and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. Some collectors may even find the rare surprise bonus figure! 


Each character stands approximately 1.5 inches tall, features stylized detailing, sparkly glitter eyes, and is intricately styled in a pose inspired by classic moments. 

Enjoy the ultimate unboxing experience with a fresh packaging design featuring peel and reveal secrets. Ideal for collecting and trading, fans of all ages can recreate the magical world of Disney with all the Disney Doorables collectible kids’ toy figures & playsets.

Each set Includes:
  • 8 Disney Doorables Muppet figurines in a theater-themed blind box.

  • Raise the curtain because behind every stage door a surprise is in store with the Disney Doorables Muppets Collection Peek.

  • Each Disney figurine stands approximately 1.5 inches tall and features signature Doorables stylized detailing and sparkly glitter eyes.

  • Characters are wonderful for imaginative storytelling, display, or trading with friends. Encouraging storytelling and interactive can increase a child’s self-awareness, language and creativity skills.

  • This exciting collector pack contains 8 different figurines from Disney’s Muppets including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam the Eagle, Rowlf, Gonzo, Animal, and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.

  • Some sets include a rare surprise bonus figure.
It's great to see Rowlf and Sam the Eagle included. Leave your comments below, and on our social media pages, on who you think the chaser figure will be. My guess is Beaker since this would be the first time Bunsen was released without him. 

UPDATE: 

After a little digging I found this image all but confirming that the chaser will indeed be Beaker. 

While the sets are not available yet, they are starting to appear on Walmart's website.  

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Behind The Scenes Muppet Movie Poster Images!

Recently some behind the scenes photos of the Muppets posing for the The Muppet Movie posters were listed on ebay. 



Each slide went for a good chunk of change, but you don't have to be the winning bidder to enjoy them. 

Most Muppet fans should find these images instantly recognizable as they were the basis for Drew Struzan's iconic poster art. The images show the Muppets on stands set in what looks to be the Henson offices. 

I particularly liked how Fozzie's tie has been wired so it appears to be blowing in the wind!


The images also show close ups of the characters and angles not used in the final image. 






There was even a slide of the Studebaker for reference as well. Notice how both versions of the Studebaker, both a painted and unpainted version are parked next to each other. 


And who could forget floating above all the Muppets in the Studedebaker was Kermit and Miss Piggy spoofing Gone With The Wind. 


The images above were used to create the classic poster for The Muppet Movie that was "More Entertaining Than Humanly Possible!"


But that wasn't the only poster Drew Struzan designed for The Muppet Movie.  There was also this one with Kermit and Miss Piggy in a row boat. 


Below you can see Jim Henson and Frank Oz performing Kermit and Miss Piggy for the refence photo.


Coincidently Struzan has been posting images of his original painting for the posters on social media

Below is his original painting for this version of the poster.  


And here's a close up of the final image of Kermit and Miss Piggy.



I hope more behind the scenes refence photos like this pop up. It's always great to see how these classic Muppet posters were created. 

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Breaking News: Shout! Factory Inks Worldwide Distribution Deal With Henson Company!

According to DeadlineShout! Factory has made a worldwide distribution deal with The Jim Henson Company.


The multi-year distribution deal provides Shout! Factory and its streaming service Shout! Factory TV with all worldwide rights — across broadcast, streaming, on-demand, home entertainment, and non-theatrical arenas — to Henson’s Emmy-winning fantasy anthology The Storyteller and subsequent miniseries The Storyteller: Greek Myths, Jim Henson’s World of Puppetry, The Jim Henson Hour specials Monster Maker, Lighthouse Island, Living with Dinosaurs, and Dog City (But NOT the Muppet Television or bridging segments). 


Farscape will make its global AVOD premier along with its follow-up miniseries Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars

Also mentioned were little known Henson series The Ghost of Faffner Hall, The Fearing Mind, Mopatop’s Shop, and Brats of the Lost Nebula.



From the Deadline article:
In collaboration with The Jim Henson Company, Shout! Factory will support each one of these projects with a long-term growth strategy that entails streaming media initiatives, content syndication (digital, EST, VOD and broadcast), and packaged media (Blu-ray/DVD). In prepping its aggressive rollout of the fan-favorite series Farscape on streaming, broadcast, transactional platforms and packaged media, Shout! Factory will leverage extensive access to archived content from The Jim Henson Company. Further news as to The Jim Henson Company’s initiatives with Shout! Factory and Shout! Factory TV will be forthcoming.

“FAST Channels are the wave of the future in terms of getting your content front and center for both devoted fans and new audiences,” said The Jim Henson Company’s Vice President of Global Distribution, Kerry Novick. “Shout! Factory is one of the best in this business, and audiences will enjoy watching beloved Henson productions, like The Storyteller, as well as discovering new favorites through this partnership. We’re especially excited for the global fans of Farscape to once again explore the uncharted territories with John Crichton and the crew of Moya in its long overdue premiere on AVOD.”


“The entire team at Shout is enthusiastic to be working with The Jim Henson Company on Farscape and other popular series,” added Shout’s Senior Vice President of Programming & New Business Development, Jeffrey Peisch. “The Jim Henson Company has produced some of the most acclaimed television programs of the last several decades; we are humbled and energized to be given the opportunity to make Henson programming available to the widest possible audience.”


Recognized as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation, The Jim Henson Company has remained a leader in family entertainment for over 60 years. Henson’s most recent television credits include Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Harriet the Spy and Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, all for Apple TV+, as well as Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time for Discovery+, Earth to Ned for Disney+, and the Emmy-winning Netflix Original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. The company is currently in production on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix, as well as the feature The Portable Door, with Sam Neill, Christoph Waltz, Miranda Otto, Jessica De Gouw and more.

Shout! Factory, LLC is a multi-platform media company devoted to film and TV distribution, development and production. Founded by Richard Foos, Bob Emmer, and CEO Garson Foos in 2003, Shout! owns and manages a large portfolio of films, contemporary and classic TV series, animation and documentaries. The company’s creative acquisition mandate has established it as a leading independent distributor, with partners and properties including Gkids, Sesame Street, Laika Studios, The Carol Burnett Show, The Johnny Carson Show, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, ALF, ITV Studios and Major League Baseball Productions, to name a few. Shout! Factory Kids focuses on live-action and animated kids and family properties as well as anime, with the company releasing films and television shows in other genres under the imprints Scream Factory and Shout Select. Shout! develops, acquires and distributes new films via Shout! Studios, and owns and operates libraries including Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in partnership with creator Joel Hodgson) and the Roger Corman New Horizons Pictures Library, all while operating Shout! Factory TV.

Muppets Mayhem Wraps Season 1!

Muppets Mayhem has wrapped filming!



That's right, the upcoming series starring Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem has officially wrapped filming its first season.

Co-Creator Adam F. Goldberg posted the image below with the following statement.


That’s a wrap on season 1 of Muppets Mayhem!!! Disney, please don’t be mad at me for posting this photo! We truly had the most wonderful cast and crew who worked so hard to bring the world a show filled with laughs and joy. Can’t wait for everyone to see it. #Mayhead4Life

 

 Muppets Mayhem was billed as a limited series, but it appears that there may be room for even more Mayhem!

Hopefully we'll find out soon when we can expect Muppets Mayhem to premiere on Disney+.