RIP Alan Arkin (1934 - 2023)

Sad news as Oscar Award Winning actor and frequent Muppet guest Alan Arkin has died. 

Arkin got his start on Broadway and went on to appear in over 100 movies and films, including The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968), which earned him his second Oscar nomination; Catch-22 (1970); Edward Scissorhands (1990), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), and Little Miss Sunshine for which an Oscar for best supporting actor.

Arkin was nominated for six Emmy Awards and appeared on many TV shows including Carol Burnett & Company, St. Elsewhere, Will & Grace, and BoJack Horseman.

Muppet fans will recognize him as guest starring on the fourth season of The Muppet Show and as the Muppet Studios tour guide in 2011 The Muppets. 

 

Alan Arkin was 89

Muppet Stuff - Farpoint "It's a Toy Show" 2023!

Join me as I check out Farpoint's It's a Toy Store's "It's A Toy Show" 2023.

We'll also show off some of the amazing items found not only inside their store, but their toy museum as well. You'll even see what I picked up from from the show.

Be sure to check out more videos on our Youtube Channel.

Muppets Mayhem Easter Eggs: Tracks 6!

The Muppets Mayhem is filled with many hidden and not so hidden Easter eggs for fans to discover. 

There are so many in fact that we're going track by track (episode by episode) to help you spot them.

Track 6: “Fortunate Son”

The opening sequence with the band playing on the side of the road was originally how the series opened before being changed to the elRay in reshoots.

Police Officer Axl works for the Paradise City Police Department. "Paradise City" is the name of a Guns & Roses song. Axl Rose is the band's front man.

 

 

Tina Teeth wears different dental related accessories throughout the years including teeth, toothpaste, and toothbrushes earrings and at CavityCon wears gold teeth earings, a gold tooth necklace, and a tooth pin. 

The music store where Floyd works is called "Jerry’s Music, established in 1934. This is a nod to former Muppet performer Jerry Nelson who was Floyd's original performer and was born in 1934. 

Dr. Teeth hails from New Orleans, which is nod to the character's real-life inspiration, musician Dr. John. Who was also known for his outlandish outfits.

As Dr. Teeth and Floyd drive off in the Molar Mobile two store signs are seen.

 

Azealia's, referring to Rapper Iggy Azalea

And Garfunkel's Art Gallery, referencing Art Garfunkel. 

Nora is seen eating Croonchy Stars, which was a real cereal released by Post in 1988 starring the Swedish Chef.

Nora has a tattoo that says “One Love.” This references Bob Marley’s beloved song, but it is also the name of a song written by Paul Williams who wrote the songs for The Muppet Movie, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa.

While gazing at the Aurora Borealis Floyd and Dr. Teeth start to form the lyrics to "Can you Picture That?"

Baby Animal joins the band when he begins using cans of beets as drums. This is a refence to the band's introduction in The Muppet Movie, when Dr. Teeth tells Animal "No, No Beat Drums" instead of eating them. Here these are literal "Beet Drums."

When we see the band remodel the bus, Lips appears his maroon tuxedo from The Muppet Show.

Gerald Teeth brushes a pair of dentures called Eugene. This is the 4th character named after Bill Barretta's brother, which he pointed out:

For some reason Floyd and Young Floyds are listed as two separate characters, but there isn't a credit for young Dr. Teeth. 

Cameos:

Cedric Yarbrough as Police Officer Axl. Yarbrough played Vic on creator Adam F. Goldberg's series The Goldbergs.

New Character Info:

We learn Dr. Teeth’s first name is Gerald.

Dr. Teeth's parents are Dentist Tina Teeth and Dental assistant Gerald Teeth Sr. 

The Electric Mayhem Bus used to be Gerald Sr. and Tina's Molar Mobile.

Dr. Teeth's gold tooth is actually his great-grand daddy's solid gold floss case.

Did you skip a track? Check out the Easter Eggs in Tracks 1, 2-3,& 4-5. 

The Muppets Mayhem is now streaming only on Disney+.

Super 7 Sesame Street ReAction Figures!

Since launching their Sesame Street line of clothing and big figures in April, Super 7 today announced their upcoming Sesame Street ReAction figure line.  

The first wave will consist of Bert, Ernie, Count Von Count, and the Yip Yip Martians. 

"Generations of kids and adults alike have learned from and bonded over the iconic characters of Sesame Street and the lessons in letters, numbers, and life that they’ve shared! Super7 is proud to introduce our first wave of Sesame Street ReAction Figures with Ernie, Bert, Count von Count, and the Yip Yip Martians! These articulated, 3.75” scale Sesame Street ReAction Figures will transport you down Nostalgia Highway to the Sesame Street exit where you, your children, or even your grandchildren were learning the basic building blocks necessary to get ready for school and early childhood!"

You can get a better look at the figures and packaging below:

Ernie:

Playful and always curious, sometimes Ernie’s enthusiasm can be a bit much for his friend and roommate Bert! This articulated, 3.75” scale Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Ernie features him looking just how you remember, with a horizontal stripe shirt and blue jeans, and comes with Rubber Duckie accessory. The Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Ernie will instantly take you back to a time when you or your children were learning the basics, every time you look at it in your collection!

Bert:

He may be relatively serious and reserved, but that doesn’t mean that Bert doesn’t enjoy fun hobbies like bottle cap collecting and studying pigeons! This articulated, 3.75” scale Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Bert features him looking just how you remember, with his vertical stripe sweater and brown pants, and comes with a pigeon accessory. The Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Bert will instantly take you back to a time when you or your children were learning the basics, every time you look at it in your collection!

Count Van Count:

Whenever Count von Count is around the forecast calls for a 100% chance of number counting, with a high likelihood of thunder and lightning! This articulated, 3.75” scale Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Count von Count features him with his signature dark suit and monocle, as well as a green cape accessory. The Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Count von Count will instantly take you back to a time when you or your children were learning the basics, every time you look at it in your collection!

Yip Yip Martians:

“Yip, yip, yip, yip...uh-huh, uh-huh”. When these Martians visit Sesame Street they often try to interact with inanimate objects that they incorrectly identify, with hilarious results! These 3.75” scale Sesame Street ReAction Figures of the Yip Yip Martians feature the pink and blue extraterrestrials with articulated mouths and includes a peg stand that allows them to appear to float when displayed. The Sesame Street ReAction Figure of the Yip Yip Martians will instantly take you back to a time when you or your children were learning the basics, every time you look at it in your collection!

Set of 4:

Each has a suggested retail price of $19.99.

These are expected to ship by the end of year/early 2024 and you can preorder them at the links above as well as all of Super 7's Sesame Street collection. 

Adam Savage Learns How Fraggle Rock's Doozers Are Built and Performed!

Adam Savage went to the Henson company, learned Adam how the Muppets come to life, got a lesson on the Henson Digital Puppetry System, learned how full bodies characters work, and he's back to see how some of the smallest Henson characters come to life.

The original Fraggle Rock premiered in 1983, and it was Jim Henson's intention that the Doozers, one of the series' hallmark (and tiny) characters, be puppeteered in much the same way as a normal hand puppet.

Jim Henson's Creature Shop creative supervisor Peter Brooke and animatronics supervisor John Criswell walk Adam through the evolution of these characters' mechanics and electronics since those early days, and even let Adam operate a Doozer himself!

Adam not only learned about how Fraggle Rock's Doozers are built, he spoke directly with Architect and Cotterpin Doozer about how they approach their performances on the series! (Well, veteran puppeteers John Tartaglia and Donna Kimball HELPED, but still.)

You can see more Adam Savage’s Tested on his Youtube channel. 

Electric Mayhem Releases Spotify Exclusive Single!

The Electric Mayhem released a new Spotify exclusive single. 

The song is an acoustic version of the The Muppets Mayhem theme song "Rock On,"

You can listen the single above with a Spotify account. 

Below you see the band take over Spotify's studio to record the song with cameos by Bobby Moynihan, Ricco, and more. 

Muppets Mayhem Easter Eggs: Tracks 4 & 5!

The Muppets Mayhem is filled with many hidden and not so hidden Easter eggs for fans to discover. 

There are so many in fact that we're going track by track (episode by episode) to help you spot them.

Track 4: “The Times They Are A-Changin’’

At the beginning of the episode the van drives by a Pizza Twins location. This references Kermit and Fozzie dressing up as Pizza Twins in The Great Muppet Caper.

The band watches a The Muppet Show clip of "Rockin' Robin" from the Jean-Pierre Rampel episode.

When the ban changes outfits, they change into their polka clothing from The Muppets Take Manhattan. 

When the band meets Cheech and Chong, they ask Zoot for a dime. Zoot makes the dime levitate in the air towards them and Tommy Chong says ‘Thanks Dave’. This not only references Zoot performer Dave Goelz, but also a one of their classic recurring bits

Zoot says "This a narrative of very heavy duty proportions." A line Dr. Teeth said in The Muppet Movie.

   

The time on the VCR is 4:20. Another marijuana refence.

The tapes in the band’s collections show their past events, including a 1980 episode of The Muppet Show with Paul Simon, the 1990 television film The Muppets at Walt Disney World, The Outside Lands Festival, as well as the band’s performance at the 90th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The inside doors of Moog's van are a treasure trove of stickers and concert posters of the band. 

Cameos:

Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong as Cheech & Chong -  their movie / pop culture characters.

Kesha as herself.

Ziggy Marley as himself. He also recorded the end title theme “Love Power” for Muppet
Treasure Island.

Deadmua5 as himself.

Desiigner as himself. 

Karomo Brown as himself.

New Character Info:

It's revealed Janice has a long lost sister. 

Track 5: “Break on Through”

The episode opens with band head banging to Metallica's "Master of Puppets."

When the band eats the expired marshmallows, the hallucination scene is the only time we've seen Lips’ eyes open - except dilated during the "Happiness Hotel" number in The Great Muppet Caper. 

During Lips’ hallucination scene, the Swinetrek from the “Pigs in Space," appears.

According to Peter Linz, a deleted scene included Moog's voice coming from the Jabberwocky used in the Brooke Shields episode of The Muppet Show.

Floyd’s hallucination scene is an homage to The Lion King with Weird Al Yankovic playing the part of Mufassa.

The desert scene is a callback to the desert scene in The Muppet Movie.

UPDATE: Producer Jeff Yorkes clarified that "the campfire was not an intended tribute to The Muppet Movie. The episode as a whole was a tribute to movies like The Doors and Wayne's World 2 (which itself was a parody of The Doors).

The animated segment was produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the studio behind Adult Swim's stop motion comedy Robot Chicken. 

In 2005, during Robot Chicken first season, the show produced a parody of VH1's Behind The Music featuring The Electric Mayhem. 

Cameos:

"Weird Al" Yankovic as himself.

New Character Info:

Dr. Teeth has a had a long on again off again relationship with Penny Waxman. 

Did you skip a track? Check out the Easter Eggs in Track 1, Tracks 2-3. 

The Muppets Mayhem is now streaming only on Disney+.