RIP Dabney Coleman (1932 - 2024)

Sad news as veteran character actor Dabney Coleman has died.

Coleman began his career in the film The Towering Inferno, and guest / recurring roles on That Girl, Bonanza, The Mod Squad, and The Mary Tyler More Show. 

He is best known as the boss Franklin Hart in the film 9 to 5 co-starring Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda. He played similar roles in films such as Tootsie, Dragnet, Modern Problems, and The Beverly Hillbillies. 

Coleman starred on the acclaimed but short-lived sitcom Buffalo Bill as an egotistic talk show host. He also appeared in War Games and on HBO's Boardwalk Empire. 

Of course Coleman is known to Muppet fans for playing Martin Price /Murry Plotski in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

ExtraTV broke the news, where you can read more about Coleman's life.

Dabney Coleman was 92.

"Sesame Street" ReAction Figures Wave 2!

Super 7 revealed wave 2 of their Sesame Street ReAction figure line and it once again includes two fan favorite classic characters. 

As you can see, in addition to iconic mainstays Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster, this wave also includes Guy Smiley and Lefty the Salesmen.

Are you ready to make another trip to Sesame Street? Super7 has a whole new wave of Sesame Street ReAction Figures featuring classic characters and colorful residents that make the neighborhood such a fun and interesting place to be! Cookie Monster, Lefty the Salesman, Oscar the Grouch, and Guy Smiley are here in 3.75” scale, ready to bring a piece of your childhood out of your TV memories and into the third dimension!

Oscar The Grouch

He may seem to be a real grouch, but deep down, Oscar the Grouch has a heart of gold! This 3.75” scale Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Oscar the Grouch features him in the trash can he calls home - outfitted with a slide mechanism feature that allows him to be posed up or down in his trash can - and includes an accessory of his pet worm, Slimey. At the intersection of memory lane and Sesame Street you’ll find this Oscar the Grouch ReAction Figure!

Guy Smiley

If there’s a TV show that needs hosting, Guy Smiley is the boisterous man for the job! This articulated 3.75” scale Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Guy Smiley depicts "America's favorite game show host" with his iconic well-coiffed hair and prime-time ready fancy suit, and comes with a loaf of bread accessory. At the intersection of memory lane and Sesame Street you’ll find this Guy Smiley ReAction Figure!

Cookie Monster

Wherever there’s cookies in the neighborhood, there’s bound to be Cookie Monsters! This articulated 3.75” scale Sesame Street ReAction Figure of Cookie Monster features the neighborhood’s resident baked dessert expert just as you remember him, and comes with a pair of cookie accessories. At the intersection of memory lane and Sesame Street you’ll find this Cookie Monster ReAction Figure!

Lefty The Salesman

Wave 2 of Super 7's Sesame Street" ReAction Figures are available individually at the links above and all together at Super 7. 

Master Pieces 'Sesame Street' Puzzles, Games, and More!

As we saw last year at Toy Fair, Master Pieces has a license for Sesame Street puzzles, games, and activity sets. 

This Sesame Street - Big Bird's Block Party 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle caught our eye at the show with it's use of classic character photos. 

Master Pieces offers many "Sesame" offerings including dominoes, card games, craft activities, and many other puzzles, which are aimed at younger audiences. 

You can them all at Master Pieces and the link above.

Thanks to Frederic Flontus for the heads up.

Henson Making 'Grendel' with Jeff Bridges and Dave Bautista!

The Jim Henson Company announced they're making Grendel, a live action feature film focusing on the legendary monster at the heart of the epic poem Beowulf.

The cast included Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart, The Big Lebowski) in the titular role, Dave Bautista as Beowulf (Dune: Part Two, Guardians of the Galaxy series), Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe and six-time Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad,” Trumbo) as King Hrothgar, Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Sam Elliott (A Star is Born, Tombstone) as The Dragon, Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho, Eileen) as Queen Wealhtheow, and Aidan Turner (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) as Unferth. Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning composer, producer and songwriter, T Bone Burnett (composer, O Brother, Where Art Thou, Walk The Line) will also star as The Shaper and provide original songs for the film. Robert D. Krzykowski (“The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot”) will direct from a screenplay he adapted from John Gardner’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name.

The acclaimed Jim Henson’s Creature Shop (Five Nights at Freddy’s, Where the Wild Things Are, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) will handle the practical creature work and design.

Grendel is produced by Brian Henson (The Muppet Christmas Carol, Farscape) and Vince Raisa (The Happytime Murders, Disney+’s “Earth to Ned”) for the Jim Henson Company (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Pinocchio, The Portable Door), Robert D. Krzykowski and Jay Glazer (Body Language, Get Luke Lowe), who together acquired the rights to the novel in 2020, Dennis Berardi (Monster Hunter, Frankenstein), and Jon D. Wagner (Bone Tomahawk, Haunt).

Executive producers are Jeff Bridges, John Sayles (Lone Star, Eight Men Out), Tamara Birkemoe, and Joe Jenckes of Ashland Hill Media Finance. Palisades Park Pictures are launching worldwide sales at the upcoming Marché du Film, with CAA and UTA Independent Film Group co-repping rights for North America. Ashland Hill Media Finance is financing.

“Grendel represents everything I love about the movies. John Gardner’s mad masterpiece cleverly tackles what it is to be human through the wild-eyed lens of a monster,” said Krzykowski. “It’s an honor to work with such a remarkable group of storytellers, all of whom seek to bring something wonderful and unexpected to audiences now.”

“We are delighted to be introducing this elevated, high-concept story to our distributors around the world,” added Tamara Birkemoe, CEO Palisades Park Pictures. “With this brilliant cast, Bob’s vivid vision and the extraordinary creative track record of our friends at The Jim Henson Company, we cannot wait to see Grendel come to life.”

Brian Henson, producer and Chair of the Board of The Jim Henson Company says, “The Jim Henson Company is internationally known for our world creation and character creation. And we are most inspired when a character has a richly authentic personality, and can be sophisticated, thought-provoking, and believable. Grendel is the ultimate character, and will be brought to life using our Creature Shop’s cutting-edge practical techniques in combination with Dennis Berardi’s amazing digital effects.”

Shooting will begin later this year in Europe.

Muppet Stuff - The Muppets Take Mahoning! 2023

Last May, I was thrilled to be a part of a magical Muppet double feature event - "The Muppets Take the Mahoning!" at the Mahoning Drive-in and now you can experience it too!

Tickets and Info for this year's event, May 17th and 18th, are available at The Mahoning Drive-In Theater.

May the 4th be With You!

 Happy Star Wars Day!

Sam Eagle wasn't in The Muppet Show's Star Wars episode, and neither was Bobo. Which makes them the perfect pair to celebrate this May the Fourth!

May the 4th be with you!

Adam Savage Learns the Infamous "Henson Stitch" and 3D Printed Doozers!"

Adam Savage posted a few new videos at Jim Henson's Creature Shop. This time he's there to learn the "Henson Stitch" and see how 3D printing changed the way Doozers are made. 

Adam Savage Learns the Infamous "Henson Stitch!" (In Support of @PuppetNerd) 

Adam Savage LOVES puppets, and he's used many of the skills he's learned from puppet making into his costume builds over the years. So when the Jim Henson Company invited Adam down to the Creature Shop to learn the legendary "Henson stitch" from fabrication supervisor Scott Johnson, he jumped at the chance. But even more so, the Henson Company and Tested wanted to come together to bring attention to a mutual fan and friend named Adam Kreutinger, aka @PuppetNerd, an elementary school art teacher/puppet maker/puppeteer who's battling brain cancer right now. You can support Adam too by subscribing to his channel (it rocks!), watching and liking his videos, buying his book (https://amzn.to/49yRqPs) or merch (https://puppetnerd.com/merch/) or contributing to his GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/aid-for-ad.... We hope Adam's work brings you as much joy and expertise as it has us!

   

Help fund Adam Kreutinger’s Cancer Journey:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/aid-for-adam-and-his-family 

3D Printing ... DOOZERS?

If you're a fan of Fraggle Rock (and who ISN'T?), then you're familiar with Doozers. When they first debuted in the '80s, each foam latex Doozer had to be sculpted, molded and flocked -- quite a task when you need hundreds and hundreds. Robert Bennett, character designer and fabricator at the Jim Henson Company, explains to Adam how computers and 3D printers have changed EVERYTHING when it comes to these beloved characters.

 

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

The Muppets Celebrate Disney's Hollywood Studios 35th Anniversary!

Disney's Hollywood Studios (formally known as Disney MGM Studios) celebrated its 35th anniversary today.

Miss Piggy and Kermit hosted the anniversary celebration held at the Theater of the Stars and were joined by Vice President Jackie Swisher, the Disney Ambassadors, opening day cast members, and a host of Disney characters.

The Stage 1 Company Store, located next to Muppet Vision 3D, was open to guests for the first time in years with limited-edition 35th-anniversary apparel, collectibles, and pins designed to commemorate the anniversary.

You can watch the presentation below:

Thanks to WDW Magic for the info.