Bill Barretta and Frank Oz Team Up For "Judge Boing Boing"!

Bill Barretta and Frank Oz have joined forces to slam the gavel on Judge Boing Boing. 

The new series of shorts will debut tomorrow April 1, 2026. Note the date on the docket. 

We're not sure if it's one elaborate April Fools joke, or will actually be a recurring series but it's great to see Bill and Frank team up. 

Check out the teaser trailer below:

 

You can subscribe to the Judge Boing Boing YouTube channel here. 

Muppets at D23!

If you followed our social media accounts over the weekend you know there were a few Muppet happenings at the D23 convention. 

There were two Muppet specific panels, "The Making of Muppet Clue", hosted by Nina West, where the weapons for the game were officially reveled. 

They cover a wide array of Muppet productions including a Pigs in Space zapper and a skillet of signing food from The Muppet Show, Marley & Marley's chains from The Muppet Christmas Carol, Kermit's sword from Muppet Treasure Island, Gonzo's Plumbing Artise Statue from The Muppet Movie, and a floating candelabra from Muppets Haunted Mansion. 

and who the Muppets are playing in the game. Miss Piggy as Miss Scarlett, Kermit as Mr. Green, Gonzo as Professor Plumb, The Swedish Chef as Chef White, Sam the Eagle as Solicitor Peacock, Fozzie Bear as Colonel Mustard, Uncle Deadly as the victim, and
Animal as a “wild card."

The Muppet Studio's Dani Iglesias also announced that The Muppets 70th anniversary campaign starts August 23 and will runs for 70 weeks using the hashtag #themuppets70. 

The social media campaign will spotlight one Muppet character each week, including some relatively obscure ones, and encourage fans to say what they love about the characters.

Moderated by Yvette Nicole Brown, the seconds Muppet panel, "The Muppets 70: A Glamorous Miss Piggy Retrospective" showcased our favorite diva.

It featured Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline and Muppets Producer Dani Inglesias, the event showcased various archival props, costumes, and puppets relating to Miss Piggy including her pageant sash from The Muppet Movie, her bicycle from The Great Muppet Caper, her Benjamina costume from Muppet Treasure Island, her engagement ring from Constantine in Muppets Most Wanted, and her Kermit Halloween costume from Muppets Haunted Mansion. 

In was also revealed that the original Foo Foo puppet from The Muppet Show was also recently donated to the archives as well. 

Miss Piggy herself appeared during the show via a pre-recorded video about not having been named a Disney Legend and complained that some nobody with a name as absurd as “Frank Oz” would.

We got a special message from a guest who could not be there #TheMuppets @TheMuppets #D23Expo @DisneyD23 pic.twitter.com/q2DbO10f5n

— Tee/ThatsITLA (@ThatsITLA) August 9, 2024

The voice of The Little Mermaid's Ariel Jodi Benson, closed the program with a performance of The Muppet Movie's "Never Before, Never Again."

Over on the convention floor, Disney Archives hosted "A Great Big Beautiful Car Show" which featured The Electric Mayhem's van from Muppet Mayhem, Beuregard's Taxi From The Great Muppet Caper, and Le Maximum from Muppets Most Wanted.

The door was open to show the how the bottomless vehicle accommodates the puppeteers.

There was also a selection of exclusive merchandise designed by The Muppet Studio's Dani Inglesias with shirts, postcards, tote bags, prints, and magnets celebrating The Muppet Movie's 45th anniversary, 

coffee mugs with the Muppets in the classic Muppet Show arches, 

and limited edition, double sided, enamel standees with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Scooter, and Sam Eagle in The Muppet Show arches that reveal the view from the back on the other side. 

The convention concluded with the Disney Legends ceremony in which Frank Oz was officially named a "Disney Legend."

You can watch Frank's speech below and the entire Disney Legends ceremony on Disney+.

As we wrap up our look at this year's D23 Convention we leave you with end of Frank's Disney Legend speech. 

“Many of you people here look at me as a success, and I guess I am, but I used to have very low self-esteem as a kid, a teenager and into adulthood. I hid myself. I was frightened to be who I was. It has taken me a long time to allow myself to be who I am. And I don’t want you all to wait until you are 80 years old. I want to give you a jump start. Don’t hide who you are.”

         

          - Frank Oz

Special thanks to Scott Joy for many of the images and info.

Watch Frank Oz Become a Disney Legend!

Yesterday Frank Oz officially became a Disney Legend at the D23 convention. 

In case you need a reminder as to why Oz delvers to be a Disney Legend, here is his D23 Legends bio:

Frank Oz 

Creator. Director. Producer. Performer. Writer. Actor. Icon. Superlatives all that describe the one and only Frank Oz.

As a respected director, Frank has helmed more than a dozen films—including co-directing The Dark Crystal (1982) with Jim Henson, The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), Touchstone Pictures’ What About Bob? (1991), In & Out (1997), Bowfinger(1999), The Score (2001), Death at a Funeral (2007), Muppet Guys Talking (2017), and others, as well as the 2021 Hulu presentation of the long-running Off-Broadway hit he also directed, Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself.

A four-time Emmy® winner, Frank is the recipient of The Art Director’s Guild Contribution to Cinematic Imagery Award, The Comedy Awards’ Creative Achievement Award, The Saturn Lifetime Achievement Award, two George Foster Peabody Awards, three Gold Records, two Platinum Records, and a host of other accolades and honors.

He originated and performed the characters of Grover, Bert, and Cookie Monster for Sesame Street, along with Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Sam Eagle, and Animal for The Muppet Show, performing in hundreds of television shows and specials with The Muppets—including the memorable Muppet*Vision 3D for Disney Parks.

Frank also originated and performed the character of Yoda for George Lucas’ Star Wars galaxy, first in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and followed by Return of the Jedi (1983), The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), Revenge of the Sith (2005), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

He’s also acted in several live-action movies, from The Blues Brothers (1980) to Knives Out (2019), and has voiced characters in Disney and Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. (2001), Inside Out (2015), and Inside Out 2 (2024).

You can watch Frank's induction below:

Other inductees this year include Angela Bassett, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Frank Oz
Kelly Ripa, John Williams, and more.

You can watch the entire Disney Legends ceremony on Disney+.

The Muppets Take Manhattan Coming to 4K!

According to a press release issued by Sony, The Muppets Take Manhattan is coming to 4K this fall. 

The Muppets Take Manhattan debuts on 4K Ultra HD October 24th, 2023 and will include a new feature commentary with director Frank Oz.

It also appears Sony is using the original posted art instead of the art used for the last few home media releases.

Bellow is the press release:

Broadway bound, the Muppets take Manhattan by storm in this magical musical about breaking into show business! Fresh out of college, Kermit, Fozzie and the entire cast of Kermit’s musical “Manhattan Melodies” head for the Big Apple with plans to turn their small play into a big hit! All they need now is someone to produce their show! But when no one in town will even meet with them, it’s up to Kermit to believe hard enough for all of his friends that the show WILL go on! Family entertainment has never been more fun than this comedy marking Frank Oz’s solo directorial debut.

DISC DETAILS & BONUS MATERIALS

• 4K ULTRA HD DISCFeature remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision, plus all-new Dolby Atmos immersive audio  

• 4K picture and Atmos sound mix approved by director Frank Oz 

• Also includes English 5.1 + mono 

• Special Feature: NEW: Feature Commentary with Director Frank Oz

BLU-RAY DISC

• Feature presented in High Definition 

• 5.1 audio 

• Special Features: Interview with Jim Henson 

• Muppetisms: Miss Piggy™ & Kermit the Frog™, Pepe™ and Fozzie Bear™

CAST AND CREW

Directed By: Frank Oz
Produced By: David Lazer
Executive Producer: Jim Henson
Story By: Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses
Screenplay By: Frank Oz and Tom Patchett & Jay Tarses
Starring the Muppet Performers: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson
Cameo Guest Stars: Art Carney, James Coco, Dabney Coleman, Gregory Hines, Linda Lavin, Joan Rivers

SPECS

Runtime: Approx. 94 minutes 

Rating: G

4K Ultra HD Feature Picture: 4K Ultra HD: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 1.85:1

4K Ultra HD Feature Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English Mono

The Muppets Take Manhattan 4K Ultra HD will be released October 24th. 

No pre-order links are available yet. 

Thanks to Rick Weaver for the heads up.

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! 

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. 

Trifecta of Birthday Wishes!

Today is a monumental day for Muppet Performer birthdays. Not one, not two, but three of our favorite doll wigglers share the same birthday. 

First up we have Ryan Dillon, who has been the guy underneath Elmo (an other various Sesame Street residence) for almost a decade.

Dillon has been so successful at taking over Elmo, that he now headlines his own, Not Too Late talk show. 

Below is Ryan performing Elmo live during a performance of 2019's Jazz at Lincoln Center Presents: A Swingin' Sesame Street Celebration.

Next is Allan Trautman who has worked under, around, and behind many Muppet and Henson puppets since joining the Muppets on Muppet *Vision 3D. 

He's known as one of the best "face" man in the business operating the face / mouth on many larger creature shop characters like Fran Sinclair (as well as many other Dinosaurs) and Earth to Ned's alien talk show host Ned. He also performs General Skelly on Nickelodeon's The Barbarian and the Troll. 

Click here to read a What's On Disney Plus interview with Allan and below he talks about what  it takes to bring a character to life:

Last, but certainly not least is one of Jim Henson's earliest collaborators, the guy who made Cookie Monster, Bert, Grover, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, and Sam Eagle household names - Frank Oz.

Below Frank talks about his characters 

Fozzie's first appearance on The Muppet Show where Frank initially used a much deeper voice. When the pilot was reworked, they played off the voice as Fozzie's John Wayne impersonation. 

Of course Frank brought more than just the Muppets to life, he was also instrumental in bring Star Wars' Yoda to life as well a being an accomplished director who most recently brought us Muppet Guys Talking and In and of Itself. 

Below Oz talk about Muppet Guys Talking and Jim Henson's legacy. 

Happy Birthday to Ryan Dillon, Allan Trautman, and Frank Oz!