Finding Muppets at Walt Disney World

Lisa Alexander - Hi folks! Lisa the Intern here. For those of you who don't know (which is probably all of you), I recently returned from a trip to Disney World. A word of advice for those of you who may be planning a trip soon: Don't try to do all four parks in three days. You will be rushed and stressed and will have to skip some potentially awesome rides and shows for the sake of getting to the next park. Also, it will severely limit your time for admiring and purchasing Muppet merchandise.

Yes, you read that right. Muppet merchandise is popping up all over all four parks--Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios--and it's selling.

First of all, you are probably familiar with the classic Mouse Ears--cute little hats you can buy to make it look like you have ears just like Mickey. And then there are the novelty Mouse Ears, with random things attached like a bridal veil so you can announce to the entire park that you just got married (or that you're a really cute little girl who asked Daddy really nicely). But the kind of Ears I saw most often actually being worn or carried around the parks? They were green and had Kermit eyes between the Mickey ears. Now, granted, my eye is naturally drawn to anything Muppet, and a bright green hat is much more noticeable than a black one, so it would probably be a little too bold of me to venture that the Kermit Ears (ain't that oxymoronic?) are the most popular Mouse Ears, but I would definitely say that they rank fairly high. I would also like to mention that there were an awful lot of people walking around the parks wearing Muppet t-shirts. It was very encouraging.

Now, like I said, there was Muppet merchandise for sale in every single park. I can't say exactly how much, because I didn't go in every single store. To be honest, the only Muppet merchandise I saw at Animal Kingdom was a Kermit pin, but that's still more than I was expecting--Animal Kingdom is not exactly the most character-centric park. Elsewhere, a small 3-D Kermit vinylmation pin was incredibly easy to find; I was practically tripping over it at Epcot. There was also a lovely set of three pens that looked like Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Animal, which I would have bought except that I never would have used them and simply don't have anywhere in my room to display Muppet pens. You could also buy the Kermit pen individually.

Of course, the real locus of all Muppet merchandise at Disney was the lovely gift shop you find upon exiting Muppet*Vision. And that, my friends, is where I have plenty of good news.

You may know that the waiting area for Muppet*Vision is filled with all sorts of fun props and decorations and random things that presumably belong to the Muppets. I would give you more details on the sorts of things you can find there, but I simply can't; the waiting area was so full that I could not explore. Yes, this very large area was PACKED with people eager to see the Muppets (or to enjoy some air conditioning, but an audience is an audience). This was QUITE a contrast to my trip to Disneyland two years ago, where my parents and I pretty much had the waiting area of Muppet*Vision all to ourselves and I wandered around taking a hundred pictures of everything.

Similarly, you may or may not know about the lovely Muppet fountain outside of Muppet*Vision. It's lovely in person, but I kept having to wait to take pictures of it because so many other families were posing with it.

"But what about the merchandise?" you are wondering. Well, Muppet fans, if you're heading to Disney, bring a very full wallet with you and leave plenty of room in your suitcase for souvenirs. I'm very particular about my Muppet merchandise, and I still managed to spend almost $90 of my parents' money. (What? It was my graduation present. And it was partly their fault. "What do you mean, you don't have a Fozzie plush? You NEED to have a Fozzie plush!")

Now, a lot of it is the same stuff we've been seeing for years--the same Kermit, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy plushes, although you have quite the selection in the size of those plushes. But there were new t-shirts and mugs, plus a bunch of the Muppet Comic Books, and other things that I'm forgetting because there was just SO MUCH there to love.

The vinylmation is harder to find. Like I said, this stuff is selling. The only Muppet vinylmation (other than the Kermit pin mentioned earlier) I could find was NOT at the Muppet*Vision gift shop, but at a gift shop attached to a presentation on animation. They seemed to have quite the selection, but it was of course all blind-boxed, and by that point I was being dragged out the door so we could get some lunch and move on to the next park. (Like I said, I do not advise doing four parks in three days.)

But the best indication about the Muppets at Disney World may have come from the lady working the register at the Muppet*Vision gift shop: "People are always so excited when they find this show ... It's amazing how many people still like the Muppets." She specifically mentioned the "older fans" and the little kids who weren't around for the hay-day of the Muppets, and yet somehow have still managed to fall in love with them.

The bottom line? I'd say the Muppets are "in."






The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com

News Update: September 16, 2010

NEWS UPDATE: September 16, 2010

\Cat Cora, Angelo, and Fozzie Bear appeared on CBS's The Early Show yesterday morning to promote The Muppet Kitchen with Cat Cora. On the show they made some hamburgers or something, but the real fun was watching Fozzie and Angelo completely run over the interviewer in true Muppet fashion. A truly hilarious appearance and I don't think I've seen Fozzie in better form in a long time!

Everyone's favorite super monster, Super Grover, posted a new video to Grover's Facebook page where he offers tips about what makes a super hero super. The video is completely charming and showcases Grover's cute and super sides. Season 41 of Sesame Street starts September 27th!

A rumor is floating around one of the Disney Parks forums that a Muppet Meet-n-Greet attraction may be in the works for Disney's Hollywood Studios. According to said rumor, the attraction will feature an actual, puppet-version of Kermit the Frog for fans and visitors to the Disney theme park to interact with. No word yet on how this will be accomplished voice-wise, but if they can have a human-sized Mickey Mouse talking to guests with his real voice, I don't think we should put anything past the Disney Imagineers.

And, finally, Dave Goelz and a "special guest" will be coming to the St. Louis County Library near St. Louis, Missouri on October 1st! Dave will be hosting Muppet History 101 as part of the Muppets, Music and Magic: Jim Henson's Legacy series put on by The Jim Henson Legacy. The event starts at 7:00 PM (doors open at 6:00) and goes until 9:00 PM. The event includes Muppet material you won't see anywhere else including early TV appearances, commercials, and much more. A question and answer session with Dave wraps up the evening. It's sure to be an amazing night and Ryan Dosier (yours truly) is going to be there! Let us know if you'll be there too or be sure to say hello when you see me!











The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

New Muppet Star Wars Action Figures Coming Soon

This past weekend in Orlando, Florida the annual Star Wars convention, now in its fifth year, Star Wars Celebration V, was held. Even George Lucas returned from Tattooine (that's where he lives, right?) to attend. Disney Parks, having the Star Tours attraction in Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios and in Disneyland Park, featured a panel for Celebration V to highlight all of the new Star Wars-related Disney merchandise and upcoming things. This included an exclusive first look at brand new Muppets dressed as Star Wars characters action figures. (Note: Not to be confused with the Muppet Star Wars PVC figures released a few years ago.)

The first (of hopefully more than one) series of figures includes...

Kermit as Luke Skywalker (with Lightsaber) and Miss Piggy as Princess Leia (with blaster)

 Link Hogthrob as Han Solo (with blaster) and Fozzie Bear as Chewbacca (with blaster)

 Sam the Eagle as Obi-Wan Kenobi (with Lightsaber) and Gonzo as Darth Vader (with Lightsaber and chicken-Stormtrooper)

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew as R2-D2 and Beaker as C-3PO

There's no official word yet on when these figures will be released in the Disney Parks, but as soon as the information surfaces, the Muppet Mindset will report it!

May the Force be with you!











The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier

News Update: July 9, 2010

NEWS UPDATE: July 9, 2010

It was announced this morning that the Sesame Workshop special, "When Families Grieve" was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. The special that starred Katie Couric and Elmo, which showed families some coping mechanisms for dealing with the loss of a loved one, was nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Children's Program. Its only competition is Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, so there is a good chance that Sesame Workshop will be bringing home yet another shiny statue to put on the mantle.

If you're planning to attend the San Diego Comic Con this year, be sure to stop by Archaia Comics' booth. According to Comic Book Resources, Archaia will be hosting five panels at this year's convention, one of which, on Sunday, July 25th, is dedicated to their work with The Jim Henson Company. The panel is scheduled to discuss the Fraggle Rock comic series, what's next for Archaia's partnership with Henson, and upcoming work with the worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Guests on the panel include some of the Fraggle Rock Comic Book team (including editor Tim Beedle) and Brian Froud, who worked with Jim Henson to develop The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. So if you're in the San Diego area and plan to attend Comic Con 2010, be sure to stop by Archaia's presentation!

Renowned Disney sculptor and artist Jim Shore is taking on The Muppets! The artist has sculpted stone resin figures of Animal, Statler and Waldorf, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, and Kermit, on sale now. The figures cost $40  each ($50 for Statler and Waldorf), plus shipping, and seem to be great quality and look pretty darn good too.

A new set of Vinylmation Disney pins is now available at the Disney Parks. The set includes Vinylmation pins of Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Statler, Waldorf, Bunsen, and Beaker, and a mystery pin that can be either Bean Bunny, Sweetums, Rowlf, Rizzo, or The Swedish Chef. These pins are not only a lot cheaper than buying the Vinylmation figures, but they're also a lot easier to find.