Adorkable Rachel Throwback "She Drive Me Crazy"

Today our friend Rachel does a throwback review of the Muppets 1994 music video "She Drive Me Crazy."

Throwback Thursday: Barbara Bush Sesame Street's First First Lady!

Former First Lady Barbara Bush passed away this week. 

Barabera Bush was the first First Lady to appear on Sesame Street way back in season 21. The First Lady came to the street and read Peter's Chair to Big Bird, The Count, and a group kids.

She later appeared in the celebrity "Sing" montage in the Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music special.

You can check out her appearance below: 

Bush also contributed a "Bologna for a Cocktail Buffet" recipe for the 1996 cookbook, In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy and appeared in a introduction with her husband, former President George H. W. Bush to the anti-drug television special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.

Barabera Bush was 92. 

Throwback Thursday: 2017 Christmas Presents!

It's almost May, the snow has melted, the winter jackets are going back into storage, and the short sleeves are coming out. What a perfect time to showcase what a few Muppet fans got for Christmas, right?

Let's throwback to Christmas morning 2017 when....

Adrienne H. Lee received a set of Muppet glasses:

Connor received the 2018 Muppet calendar, Muppet-Vision 3D bank, a 2007 Staler plush , a Gonzo plush from 2003, a Disney World Animal shirt, The Muppet Christmas Carol Hallmark ornament, a Miss Piggy plush tsum tsum, the Muppets meet the classics phantom of the opera book, a 1992 Muppet kids book, Kermit LuLaRoe leggings (which his parents are calling pajama bottoms), and a Muppet eyes shirt. Phew!

If that wasn't enough, Connor gave his mother Sally this Precious Moments Kermit figurine.

Here they are together in their Muppet shirts!

Joseph Debly received this Kermit and miss piggy garland, a wall sticker, poster and balloon. 

 

He also received the I Am Jim Henson book, The Muppet Show board game, Jim Henson and the Muppets stamps, the Kermit's Costume Caper storybook, and a Fozzie plush.

Christy Walk received a few Muppet and Sesame Street items. Not only did she get a Sesame Street blanket, pillowcase, and pajama pants...

She also got a Big Bird plush, and DVD's of Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and Monster Hits.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Christopher O'Connor who got a 1982 Henson Company Christmas card signed by Jim Henson!

According to Chris, it was originally sent to Danny Kaye.

What a great variety of gifts! We'll see you next April* for a look at next year's Christmas presents.

* hopefully sooner

Throwback Thursday: Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog on Wogan!

Some video recently surfaced of Jim Henson with Kermit the Frog on BBC talk show Wogan from December 6th 1985.

Enjoy!

Throwback Thursday: "Cookie Monster" IBM ad!

While Big Bird and Oscar appear in a new IBM ad, this isn't the first time someone from Sesame Street shilled for the tech giant. 

Before he was resident of the Street, heck before the street was even built, or before he had even gotten a proper name, the puppet that became Cookie Monster appeared in a 1967 IBM training film. 

"Cookie" performed a slightly altered version of the skit again that same year on the Ed Sullivan Show:

The same skit was later remade for The Muppet Show with Luncheon Counter Monster replacing Cookie Monster. 

Throwback Thursday Celebrates The Muppet Christmas Carol's 25th Anniversary!

The Muppet Christmas Carol premiered 25 years ago this week. To celebrate this milestone we scoured the internet, as well as our own our archives, to look at some of the many products and stories related to the movie.

Before the internet, we found out about upcoming movies in these things called newspapers and magazines!

Magazine ad

Cinefantastique

But, much like today, we saw our first real glimpse of the movie in the trailer:

A few weeks before the film was released, Jim Henson Records released the soundtrack,

Which included the songs "Room in Your Heart" and Chairman of the Board" that were scrapped early in the production process. Though they were never filmed, the producers liked the songs enough to include them for the fans. 

The Hal Leonard company released the sheet music so you could play the tunes at home.

In addition to the soundtrack a storybook, tape set, and book based on the film of were released as well:

The Muppets appeared on an Ed Sullivan Show Christmas Special to promote the film:

Newspapers ran ads touting critic's praises:

Here's the original review from The Philadelphia Inquirer:

The Disney Channel aired a short behind the scenes special:

Both Taco Bell and Hardee's offered Kids meal toys:

There were TV commercials advertising the film of course:

Golden books released a "big coloring book":

A commemorative magazine was also released:

The following year, The Muppet Christmas Carol was first released for home viewing on VHS and laserdisc. 

Where it received even more critical praise and advertisement.

Video stores (remember those) had window clings touting the film's home video release:

Large Window Cling

Small Window Cling

As well as special deals with Pepperidge Farms:

Pepperidge Farm Window Cling

Magazines and Sunday circulares ran ads and reviews for the video:

TV Guide

Philadelphia Inquirer

With all this promotion, The Muppet Christmas Carol VHS was second most bought tape of year, while the laserdisc was the 10th most bought disc.

Entertainment Weekly

Both the VHS and the laserdisc included the song "When Love is Gone" which was omitted from the original theatrical release. 

The song was was again omitted from the recent Blu-ray and DVD editions.

The fact that the just the theatrical cut is included is even more mind boggling when you consider that the behind the scenes special included on the disc features a look at the recording of the song!

The face you make when you realize you're watching the theatrical version

Since it's release, film has remained a holiday classic. In 2003, Palisades Toys released figures of the characters from the movie in both Muppet Show red boxes and blue packaging, 

and this year's Hallmark Muppet ornament celebrates features Kermit and Robin as from the film:

We'll end our our Muppet Christmas Carol 25thh anniversary celebration with some bloopers and a look at a signed poster for the film:

Happy 25th anniversary Muppet Christmas Carol!