Showing posts with label Jim Henson's Fantastic World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Henson's Fantastic World. Show all posts

Jim Henson's Fantastic World Takes Manhattan

We mentioned awhile ago that the extremely popular touring exhibit, Jim Henson's Fantastic World, was making its way to the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. The exhibition opens in all its fuzzy glory on July 16th and closes on January 16, 2012, so Muppet fans have plenty of time to visit the exhibit and its numerous special programs. What special programs, you ask? Well, the answer is simple, thanks to the handy calendar of events provided by the Museum online yesterday. Let's take a look, shall we?
To view a complete calendar of all screenings, workshops, and events be sure to check out the Museum's website for the special events coinciding with Jim Henson's Fantastic World.

If you're in the New York area, be sure to check out some of these special events and the absolutely amazing exhibit that is Jim Henson's Fantastic World! A chance to meet Fran Brill, Noel MacNeal, Austin Pendleton, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Craig Shemin, and the one and only Jane Henson is presented for you... take advantage of it if you can! I promise it's worth it!







The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com
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News Update: April 21, 2011


NEWS UPDATE: April 21, 2011

Our good friends over at Mighty Fine T-Shirts have alerted us to some fun new Muppet and Sesame Street t-shirts available in their store. There are three odd but cool Sesame Street Zombie t-shirts. Designed by Evan Cheng, these shirts are exclusive to Mighty Fine and include Big Bird, Elmo, and Oscar zombies declaring "B is for Brains," Bert and Ernie zombies who are frenemies of the human race, and, finally, The Count simply shouting "Blah!". These shirts are odd, indeed, there's no denying that... but they are officially licensed Sesame shirts and relatively cute, so think what you will! Mighty Fine also has a great selection of Muppet shirts and other Sesame Street shirts as well. Check out their whole stock!

Our friends working on the upcoming essay collection From Fraggle Rock to Farscape have asked us to pass along the information that deadline for entries for inclusion in the upcoming book is fast-approaching. If you would like to submit an article for the collection, simply write an essay having to do with anything from Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Dog City, and basically anything Henson-related that isn't Muppets or Sesame Street and submit your article or your idea to jennifer.garlen@gmail.com. The publishers are really hoping to develop a book that covers the wide breadth of Jim Henson's work--so have at it, Muppet fans!

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, which is now the distributor of Sesame Street DVDs, has released a press release on WBShop.com for a new DVD set they're calling "Sesame Street: The Best of Sesame Street Spoofs" and is scheduled for release on July 5. The spoofs will come in two volumes, so presumably this will be quite the collection of Sesame's greatest parodies. Here is the official DVD synopsis from Warner Bros.:

From the beginning, Sesame Street has always been known for entertaining both children and adults with spoofs on popular culture that happen to teach something too! Now the best of these segments have been culled together in a special 2 disc set for Sesame Street fans featuring classic content on disc 1 and more recent spoofs on disc 2. On Sesame Street, "Grey's Anatomy" becomes "A's Anatomy", "Mad Men" is really about teaching emotions, and "The Closer" is about "open" and "close". Fans will be nostalgic over old school classics "Hill Street Two's", "Born To Add" and "Miami Mice". This special collection will be treasured by adult fans of the series but can be enjoyed by the entire family.

After that super cool news of an awesome release from Sesame Workshop, check out this lame release from Disney: the 2012 calendar from The Muppets which is essentially a reprint of the Muppet parody calendars from 1999. Yes, only the hippest parodies for the Muppets now... Men in Black, Driving Miss Daisy... what more do you need?

While we're still on the subject of merchandise, the Vinylmation Muppets Series 2 figures are finally available to order on DisneyStore.com. The figures can be ordered individually in blind-boxes or you can order a box of blind-box figures that comes with 24 and is guaranteed to include ever figure, including the chaser (Waldo C. Graphic). Or, you can just be like me and order all 12 on eBay... (That's my collection in the picture.) (Anyone selling/giving away a Kermit figure?) 

Everyone's favorite touring exhibit from The Jim Henson Legacy, Jim Henson's Fantastic World, is finally coming to New York City! Starting in July, the exhibit will find its home for the remainder of the year in Astoria, Queens where Jim Henson's work will be featured on display. For more information on the exhibit finding its place in New York, check out this article from The New York Times.

Friend of the blog and amazing creator, Lance Cardinal, was featured on Discovery Channel Canada with his incredible custom Muppet Theater playset. The video can be seen online for a limited time only, so be sure to check it out as we watch our friend Lance hit the big time! 







The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
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Jane Henson's Fantastic World

Ryan Dosier - This past Thursday, February 24th, I had the incredible opportunity to visit Peoria, Illinois. Now, normally, this would be an exceptionally unincredible thing (especially at the end of February on a day when ten inches of snow is predicted), but on February 24th, the one and only Jane Henson, wife of Jim Henson (duh), was making a special appearance at the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences. The Lakeview Museum is currently playing host to the wonderful touring exhibit, Jim Henson's Fantastic World (and will be until May 1st, 2011).

Jane Henson was hanging out in Peoria to present "Look Both Ways," her special presentation that highlights some of Jim Henson's earliest great work, including his early Sesame Street counting shorts, Sam & Friends clips (including "Visual Thinking," "Punsmoke," and Kermit's Interview with Huntley and Brinkley), vintage talk show appearances, and concluding with the entire Timepiece.

Mrs. Henson was a delight throughout. She was charming and funny and sweet during the presentation and screening and even after she was great sport to adoring fans coming up to her after the presentation--including myself. I was lucky enough to get a picture with Mrs. Henson and talk to her for a few minutes thanks to president and chief executive of The Jim Henson Legacy, Arthur Novell, who was also present at the screening and was kind enough to introduce me and Lisa the Intern to Mrs. Henson after the screening.

Oh, right, I forgot to mention, Lisa the Intern was there too! The drive was significantly shorter for her... but I couldn't pass up this opportunity to not only meet Jane Henson, but also meet Lisa the Intern in person for the first time. For those of you who don't know your Muppet Mindset history... Lisa the Intern and I have been online friends and collaborators for nearly six years now, and this past Thursday evening was the first time we had ever met in person. What an event, huh?

Anyhow... if you haven't yet gotten the chance to see Jim Henson's Fantastic World and you live within close proximity to Peoria, Illinois, I can't recommend you going to see this exhibit highly enough. I had not seen the exhibit since it toured in Orlando a few years ago, and I had forgotten how incredible it truly is. There are real Muppets (Kermit, Rowlf, Bert, Ernie, Mahna Mahna, Snowths, King Goshposh, Featherstone, Sir Linit, Wilkins and Wontkins, Gobo Fraggle, Cantus the Minstrel), original Jim Henson sketches, props, photos, and so many other wonderful treasures. It's a glorious celebration of Jim Henson's career and there's no better place for a Muppet fan to visit if you can possibly make the trip.










The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
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News Update: February 18, 2011


NEWS UPDATE: February 18, 2011

As we reported earlier this week, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Telly appeared on Bravo's Top Chef on Wednesday night to judge a cookie making contest. (With no tongues? No way.) The whole episode has yet to surface online--which is fine, because the Sesame Street monsters only appeared in he first half of the show--but there is a great behind-the-scenes segment on Hulu, which you can see below!



Speaking of Elmo, our good friends on the team of Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey and Muppet Mindset correspondent Chase Beecher have informed us that the film will be screening at another film festival! This time at the SXSW (South By Southwest) Festival in Austin, Texas. No word yet on if Elmo or Kevin Clash will be in attendance, but you can find all the information about screening times and locations at SXSW's website and BeingElmo.com.

More exciting news from the world of Sesame comes in the form of a brand new Sesame Street video game, via our friends at ToughPigs.com, being produced for XBox 360 and compatible with its Kinect accessory. The game is tentatively titled "Once Upon a Monster" and features Elmo and Cookie Monster in a Where the Wild Things Are like world. The Kinect allows you to play games using your whole body, so the game is designed to improve youngster's motor skills and reaction times. The game will be available this fall and we'll keep you posted as new information surfaces!

Last Sunday, a group of fantastic Jim Henson Company puppets appeared on the Grammys with Cee Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow performing Cee Lo's hit "(Forget) You." In case you missed our coverage of it on Valentine's Day, here's another look at the wonderful appearance!



While we're on the subject of The Jim Henson Company, exciting news has surfaced about their partnering with Guillermo Del Toro in producing a new film based on the Pinocchio story. Apparently the Henson Company is designing puppets for the film. Once again, our good friends at ToughPigs have the scoop and some exclusive, awesome looking images for us to ogle.

You didn't think we'd be done with The Jim Henson Company that quickly, did you? Good. Because Jim Henson's Fantastic World opened this past Saturday in Peoria, Illinois and will run through May 21st. And, apparently, Jane Henson will be appearing in person on February 24th! Check out all the information about the exhibit at this local newspaper's website. Also... let us know if you'll be going to see Jane Henson on the 24th, because we think our own Ryan Dosier will be there!


In our grand tradition in mentioning ToughPigs far too many times in our News Updates, we've got another ToughPigs link in the form of their fantastic coverage of ToyFair 2011. They've got tons of pictures of upcoming Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock merchandise and a video of Elmo and Cookie Monster in person at ToyFair! How cool is that? Also... before you freak out, there isn't any new Muppet merchandise presented, and we're fairly certain that this is because Disney is holding off on a big marketing push for the Muppets until ComicCon in the summer where they can showcase merchandise closer to the film's release date. But we don't really know anything for sure, so please don't quote us on that, because, really, we know nothing and we just like to talk.

But, hands down the most exciting news of the week, in my humble opinion, is the thrilling announcement that The Muppets will be preceded in theaters by a brand new Toy Story short film! The Muppets and Pixar have always had a great respect and homage paying thing with each other--in fact, Disney even put The Muppets script through the Pixar brain trust--so this is pretty much the perfect partnership. I've hardly met any Muppet fans that aren't also Toy Story fans... so this is basically the best possible situation! I for one am extremely excited for this hugely awesome pairing. Kudos, Mouse House! Gotta love that synergy.

And, finally, I have to be unprofessional for a minute and make a shout out to Sean, my best friend in the world, who said he'd actually get around to checking out my website if I made a shout out to him in a post (I know how it sounds, but he really is a good friend). So... there it is and I've probably completely lost my credibility as a professional blogger (what professional--I don't get paid) by doing this... but hey, I've got to get him to see it somehow. Oh, and so I don't get in trouble... I'll also shout out to Peter, Hannjoo, Tiffany, Sam, and Mickey too.










The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
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Jim Henson's Fantastic World Blows Away the Windy City

Today we have a very, very exciting article from new contributor Danny Beckwith. Danny visited the Jim Henson's Fantastic World exhibit last Thursday in Chicago, Illinois for its members-only preview night. He visited with The Jim Henson Legacy's Karen Falk and Arthur Novell, along with Muppet legend, now president of The Jim Henson Legacy, Bonnie Erickson. There's nothing more for me to say that Danny didn't already, so enjoy this look at an exclusive event!


Jim Henson's Fantastic World: Chicago
Member's Night Preview Event

Danny Beckwith - 5:30pm-9:00pm Members Night Preview, 7:00pm-8:00pm Lecture

I arrived at 5:24pm and a long line had already formed running the length of the main hall. At 5:30pm the line started moving and people began to experience Jim Henson’s Fantastic World.

The West Auditorium is where the lecture took place at 7:00pm. I arrived with a friend around 6:15 and the seats were virtually empty, and by 6:30 the room was filled. I had secured seats, however, right amongst the reserved seating for The Jim Henson Legacy members.

Besides the sound of the audience making small talk, songs from The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, and More! CD could be heard. Above the stage on a large screen was projected a menu from a DVD created for the lecture that contained six video clips. The stage was still empty, but the seats around me were filling up. By 6:45 the auditorium was filled with Museum members and members of The Jim Henson Legacy, including Executive Director Arthur Novell. Seated nearby was also Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Director of Temporary Exhibits, Anna Rashford.

At 7:05, Anne Rashford took to the podium to make an introductory speech. During her time at the podium, she mentioned how Jim Henson was an “inventive genius,” likening his work to a scientist, which I was very pleased to hear. She also introduced The Jim Henson Legacy members, Arthur Novell, Karen Falk, and, special guest, President of The Jim Henson Legacy, Bonnie Erickson!

A representative of the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition spoke next. She spoke of the joy of working with the Jim Henson Legacy and Karen Falk, and introduced Karen as the next speaker. She came on the stage and acknowledged the Legacy members again and also Bill Grisham, whose wife was in the audience that night. Bill Grisham had worked with Jim Henson in the 1960’s. Karen Falk then explained how the lecture would consist of an overview of Jim’s work, using the six clips on the DVD. She started with Jim’s early career–mainly Sam and Friends and Wilkin’s Coffee commercials.
CLIPS -
  • Sam and Friends: Harry the Hipster is in front of a weather map. He explains that he is the new weatherman for the station. Kermit enters the scene and says that the station already has a weatherman. Harry informs Kermit that he’s not giving the weather, he’s selling it. Kermit tells him that you can’t sell the weather. Harry shows Kermit the crates of weather he has for sale: sunshine, thunderstorm, fog, snowstorm, rain, monsoon season, and tempest (in a teapot). Each weather crate, as it opens, has hilarious results for Kermit.
  • Wilkins Coffee: Karen Falk explained that this was the second audience in 55-60 years who got to see these commercials
    • Construction Worker – Wontkins falls off a building structure
    • Club – Wilkins hits Wontkins with a club
    • Falling Safe – Wontkins is hit by a falling safe
    • Biplane – Wilkins flies a plane upside and Wontkins falls out
Karen then explained the 1960’s of Jim’s career and how he had gained a national audience and a larger team: Jerry Juhl, Don Sahlin, Frank Oz, and Jane Henson. This was also the time that commercials like Purina Dog Chow with Rowlf, Chicago based Wilson’s Meat, and the La Choy Dragon were shown.

CLIPS -
  • The La Choy Dragon: Karen introduced this clip as a presentation on the La Choy Dragon made by Jim that was a joke of sorts. The clip started with a meeting comprised of Jim Henson and the La Choy Company. Jim says, “The idea of a real fire-breathing dragon intrigued me.” The rest of the presentation shows the process of Jim, Jerry, Don, and Bill Grisham creating the La Choy Dragon. Don keeps making bigger and bigger explosions throughout the clip, eventually leading to everyone escaping out a window. The building then catches on fire, then the roof, and then the whole building is in flames and destroyed. The audience loved it!
  • The Ed Sullivan Show: "Mahna Mahna"
Karen then explained how Jim had tried experimenting with film. She mentioned Timepiece and how Jim experimented in animation, as demonstrated by two clips.

CLIPS -
  • Bufferin: A commercial for headache medicine that showed how a man was remembering a wonderful day with his family, then realized that that day was almost ruined with a headache. It showcased Jim’s fascination with visual thinking.
  • NBC News – "The Ordeal of the American City;" The opening of an NBC news program
The second half of the lecture started with a brief discussion of the 1960’s and how Jim was thinking about how to focus his career. That’s when a call from Jon Stone would change everything. Sesame Street was about to be born. This was a time when Jim produced a whole slew of short films for the famous street, including ventures into the mediums of stop-motion, traditional animation, and computer animation.

CLIPS -
  • "Henson King of Eight"
  • "Dance Myself to Sleep"
The next step in Jim’s career from Sesame Street was the variety show, mainly The Muppet Show. Karen talked about how Lord Lew Grade would produce, as long as the show was filmed in London. Karen explained how The Muppet Show was instrumental to Jim’s success. It was seen by 235 million people a week in over 120 countries; an international success. This impact is what influenced Fraggle Rock in the 1980s. Jim wanted to make a show that promoted world peace, it’s now 20 years later, and as Karen Falk observed, that we will be “hopefully having world peace soon.

CLIPS -
  • The Muppet Show: Pearl Bailey Episode - The final production number, a hilarious mash-up of musical numbers because Kermit couldn’t get the rights to Camelot
  • Fraggle Rock: "Let Me Be Your Song;" introduction of Cantus the Minstrel
After the last clip, Karen introduces Bonnie Erickson. Bonnie takes the stage to thunderous applause. Bonnie was such a great speaker. She discussed how the opening in Chicago is very special: Miss Piggy makes here premiere! A glamorous premiere, too, in her wedding dress.

She recalls how Piggy came about when a call for a “sexy female character” caused a change in a sketch on Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Piggy began as a “shy and naïve” young pig named Miss Piggy Lee, but that name did not stay. But the shy and naïve disappeared during the karate chop eureka moment on The Muppet Show. Bonnie explained how Kermit is Miss Piggy’s rock, a calming influence for the pig. And of course, how could you talk about Miss Piggy without mentioning her perfume, books, and fan clubs right around the time The Great Muppet Caper premiered. Bonnie also mentioned the marriage at the end of The Muppet Takes Manhattan; are Kermit and Miss Piggy married? We know what Piggy would say!

CLIPS -
  • “Return to Beneath the Planet of the Pigs”: Piggy’s big debut
  • Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: Piggy is the girl singer to perform with Herb
  • The Muppet Show: Season 1; Miss Piggy as a chorus girl
  • The Muppet Show: Ruth Buzzi Episode; the karate chop eureka moment
  • The Muppet Show: Elton John Episode; Piggy sings “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with Elton John
  • The Great Muppet Caper: “The First Time It Happens”; Piggy the movie star
  • The Muppets Take Manhattan: "Manhattan Melodies" marriage
Bonnie had a great sense of humor as displayed by her closing comment to the clips, “Kermit’s contract states he is at the beginning of the exhibit.” Bonnie also alluded to Miss Piggy coming back to Chicago in November to shoot a movie! Hmmm... does that mean the Muppets will be in the Windy City?!

I hung around after the lecture to talk to both Bonnie and Karen. Bonnie was the sweetest person and we had a wonderful conversation. Karen as well was great to talk to and meet. She even signed my Jim Henson’s Designs & Doodles book! Both ladies spoke amazingly well and gave avid fans and casual fans something to appreciate over the course of the presentation.

Afterward, I visited the exhibit and was ecstatic. I had already seen the exhibit in Orlando, Florida, but the addition of Miss Piggy, the wedding cake topper, and a “Manhattan Melodies” playbill.

Bonnie Erickson and Danny

Special thanks to Danny for the fantastic look into the preview event!

If you are in or near the Chicago area, be sure to visit the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry between now and January 23rd, 2011. Tickets cost just $5 for adults and seniors and $2 for children (ages 3-11)--if you're close, how can you pass it up? You're truly depriving yourself of an amazing, one of a kind experience if you pass up on this exhibit.

Our very own Lisa the Intern visited opening day of the exhibit and we'll have her article coming very soon to a blog near you (as in... this blog, that is currently near you)!









The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier
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