RIP Gene Shalit (1926 - 2026)

Sad news as former Today Show, critic Gene Shalit died over the weekend.

Gene Shalit was one of American television's most recognizable personalities — instantly identifiable by his wild hair, handlebar mustache, vibrant bowties, and an endless appetite for wordplay. For nearly four decades, he served as the beloved film and arts critic on The Today Show, while also lending his voice to publications like TV Guide, The New York Times, and Cosmopolitan.

It's no surprise that the Muppets crossed paths with Shalit more than once over the years, both celebrating and lovingly poking fun at the iconic critic.

The connection goes back to April 3, 1974, when Ernie and Bert made a guest appearance on The Today Show. In classic Muppet fashion, Bert showed up dressed to look uncannily like Shalit himself. Three years later, Shalit hosted the PBS special Sesame Street at Night?

Shalit was spoofed in 1976's The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence as a film critic, performed by Jerry Nelson, who turns into a pig. 

In 1980, Shalit sat down with Jim Henson for an interview about a quirky piece of television history: a set of pipes that Henson, Frank Oz, Don Sahlin, and Jerry Juhl had painted backstage while waiting to perform on The Jack Paar Program. During the interview, Shalit quipped that the pipes deserved a place in a museum. In 2010, those very pipes were added to the public tour of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

The fun continued in 1983, when Muppet Magazine featured Shalit in its "Great Muppet Look-Alike Contest," pairing him with none other than the Swedish Chef.

On July 10, 1984. Gene interviewed Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog about their new feature film The Muppets Take Manhattan.

  

After Henson's untimely passing in 1990, Shalit interviewed Frank Oz. 

And in 1996, he made a deliciously unexpected contribution to In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy, submitting his very own "Movie Crumb Cake" recipe to the diva's cookbook.

Gene Shalit's relationship with the Muppets was as warm, witty, and wonderfully bizarre as the man himself.

Gene Shalit was 100 years old. 

RIP Paul Reubens (1952 - 2023)

Sad news as Paul Reubens, otherwise known as Pee-wee Herman, has died.

He was best known for creating the hit Saturday morning series Pee-wee's Playhouse that ran on CBS along side Muppet Babies from 1986-1990 and for the feature film's Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Big Top Peewee and Pee-wee's Big Holiday.

In 1985, he was paired with Robin for Muppet Magazine's "The Second Great Muppet Look-Alike Contest." The following year he received an "Honorary Muppet Award" in the magazine's 14 issue.

In 1987, Reubans appeared as Pee-Wee in cover story in the Winter issue. Below is his interview with Kermit.

Reubens filmed an insert for Sesame Street in 1987 as Pee-wee reciting his own version of the alphabet. He then appeared in the first celebrity version of "Put Down The Duckie." 

A decade later Reubens played Professor Spatz in Henson's Creature Shop film Buddy.

His iconic dance to "Tequila" in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure was even parodied by Kermit for a Muppet Magazine centerfold. 

Paul Reubens was 70.