User:MuppetArchives/Today on Muppet Wiki

October 2006

 * October 7 &#8226; Bombay, renamed Mumbai in 1995, is the most populous city in India and the nation's business and entertainment center. The site of "Bollywood" Hindu filmmaking, the city gained international attention with a number of high profile films in the 1990s and beyond. However, years earlier, Gonzo the Great expresses a desire to go to Bombay and become a movie star in The Muppet Movie. Fozzie Bear scoffs at the notion, but the success of such films as Monsoon Wedding has proven Gonzo's sagacity.


 * October 6 &#8226; Backstage: The acts are performed onstage at the Muppet Theater, but the real action is behind the scenes. That's where the performers make jokes, make trouble, and make Kermit's life difficult. The area is decorated with props and costumes, and there are dressing room doors used interchangeably for Miss Piggy's dressing room and the guest star's dressing room.


 * October 5 &#8226; Clive Cahuenga, the singing civil servant, appears in episode 316 of The Muppet Show, where he sings the Municipal Vermin Abatement Code to the music of Mozart. He sings each piece he performs twice, because he has to do everything in duplicates. Statler and Waldorf claim that Cahuenga is the second worst performer of all time -- the worst being Manny Kaye, the tuned clam player.


 * October 4 &#8226; Danny John-Jules is an actor, dancer, and singer who science-fiction and comedy fans know as "the Cat" on the British television series Red Dwarf. But did you know that he was one of the dancers in The Great Muppet Caper, who backed up Miss Piggy in the dance sequence for "The First Time It Happens"? We've got a picture to prove it...


 * October 3 &#8226; Rowlf the Dog: Ten months into working on the wiki, and there's still a lot left to do. We're so busy chasing around the tiny little details that we haven't necessarily gotten around to writing some of the big articles yet. We do get to it eventually, though, and Rowlf's page is an example of what we can do when we put our minds to it. It's a spectacular page; go check it out.


 * October 2 &#8226; Denny's is a restaurant chain, best known for its all-day breakfast menu. In an advertising campaign launched in 2002, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf appeared in several television and radio spots to promote the 25th anniversary of the Grand Slam breakfast. The spot with Kermit and Miss Piggy involved the latter openly salivating over the plate, which included bacon strips and sausage, and requesting three servings. Some journalists noted the apparent "conflict of interest", forcing Kermit and Piggy to make public statements on the matter. No, really.


 * October 1 &#8226; Royal Crown Cola: In 1966, Jim Henson made four TV commercials for RC Cola. Most of Henson's commercials used two opposing Muppet characters to talk about the product -- and in this case, the loony Nutty Bird irritated the cynical Sour Bird. There are pictures and transcripts on the page, plus a liberal use of the phrase "quick-fresh energy".

September 2006

 * September 30 &#8226; Froggy the Gremlin was an early amphibious star of radio and television. Created by Smilin' Ed McConnell in 1944, Froggy was a regular on Smilin' Ed's Buster Brown Gang, a popular children's series melding adventure serials, letters, Buster Brown shoe commercials, and conversations between McConnell and his imaginary friends. In his 2006 memoir Before You Leap, Kermit the Frog pays tribute to Froggy, as one of the "only on-screen amphibian stars." Kermit speculates that while Froggy was clearly a frog, he adopted "the Gremlin" moniker to "avoid being greenlisted."


 * September 29 &#8226; Talk 'n Play was an interactive toy first produced in 1984 by Child Guidance. The toy was an audio cassette player with four colored "Answer Buttons". When verbally prompted, pressing one of the Answer Buttons allowed the listener to hear one of four responses. Each Talk 'n Play cassette was paired with an illustrated book, with color-coding for each of the Answer Button prompts. At least three Sesame Street book-and-tape sets were released for the Talk 'n Play, including Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?, which was included with the Talk 'n Play unit.


 * September 28 &#8226; Fork in the Road is a roadside attraction in The Muppet Movie. During the song "Movin' Right Along," Kermit instructs Fozzie Bear to turn left at the fork in the road. To Kermit's surprise, there is an oversized kitchen utensil on the road to Hollywood, signaling a left turn.


 * September 27 &#8226; The Leprechaun Brothers is a singing group made up of the Swedish Chef, Beaker and Animal. None of them are particularly skilled with the English language, so they tend to mangle their songs. The trio appeared on The Muppet Show in episode 520, where they sang "Danny Boy." They also appeared as a mini-game in the Muppets Inside video game. The trio would "sing" a public domain song like "Camptown Races", and the player was challenged to guess the title of the song.


 * September 26 &#8226; Jerry Juhl Day is a day of silliness established by fans on the Tough Pigs message board to celebrate the life and work of Jerry Juhl. Juhl, the head writer for the Muppets and Fraggle Rock for nearly four decades, died on September 26th, 2005. Rather than mourn Juhl's death, we remember how much we love him by doing silly things. Reading Muppet Wiki is right up there on the list of silly things to do, so you're getting a good start on the day.


 * September 25 &#8226; J.P. Grosse is Scooter's uncle, the often-mentioned but rarely seen owner of the Muppet Theater. His name was invoked during the first season, but he wasn't actually seen in the flesh until episode 205. After a few second season appearances, he disappeared again from the canvas. In Of Muppets and Men, Jerry Juhl discussed the limitations of the character: "J. P. Grosse was a good concept so long as we didn't see him, but when we introduced him in person, he was just too harsh. You didn't want to have him around."


 * September 24th in History &#8226; Jim Henson is born (1936); Steve Whitmire is born (1959); 60 Minutes debuts on CBS (1968); The Love Boat debuts on ABC (1977); Dr. Seuss dies (1991); Kermit the Frog appears on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1994); Jeff Moss dies (1998); Elmo appears on Rove Live (2002); Jim Henson Statue dedication ceremony held at the University of Maryland (2003).


 * September 23 &#8226; A Green and Red Christmas is a brand new Muppet Christmas album coming out on October 17th! This is the first all-new Muppet recording since Kermit Unpigged in 1995, and it looks like a big one -- featuring Christmas songs by Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, the Electric Mayhem, Rowlf, Pepe, Rizzo and the Swedish Chef.


 * September 22 &#8226; George the Janitor is the crotchety custodian of the Muppet Theater. George debuted in a guest spot on a UK variety show, and then took a featured role in the 1974 pilot The Muppets Valentine Show. In the special, George grumbles as he cleans up after the Muppets, who are trying to define "love". George insists that he doesn't "go for that valentines and love stuff," but guest star Mia Farrow realizes that George does love something -- his mop. "Aw, that's crazy," George says. "I don't love this mop. It's a good mop... it's useful. It's... cute." In the end, George proudly proclaims his love for his mop.


 * September 21 &#8226; Rowlf Learns Karate: Feisty bulldogs had better watch their step -- Rowlf the Dog is learning karate! In this transcript of a 1964 sketch from The Jimmy Dean Show, Rowlf is breaking boards with his bare hands... or trying to, anyway.


 * September 20 &#8226; Tickle Me Elmo: Remember that Christmas where the world went crazy, and decided that a Tickle Me Elmo doll was the only possible gift? It seems like Rosie O'Donnell had a hand in sparking the fad in October 1996, when she gave away 200 dolls on her talk show, and Bryant Gumbel may also be involved. By late November, shoppers were literally fighting over dolls in toy stores, and paying hundreds of dollars to get their hands on one. It was a beautiful fad; we may never see its like again.


 * September 19 &#8226; Impersonations of Animals is one of those Muppet Wiki pages that has a job to do, and does it well. It's just what it sounds like, a list of all the examples we can come up with of characters pretending to be animals. This includes Muppets who are already animals, like Big Bird and Buster the Horse, pretending to be other animals. There's also Cookie Monster as a bunny, Grover as a peacock, and Doc Hopper dressed as a frog. You're welcome.


 * September 18 &#8226; The Muppet Show Shadow Theatre is a cardboard shadow puppet stage produced by UK toy company Palitoy in 1977. Four cardboard Muppets -- Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and Animal -- could be operated behind a white screen, with strings controlling the characters' arms. The art is based on the character designs from the first season of The Muppet Show. It looks really cool. Man, kids in 1977 had everything.


 * September 17 &#8226; Before You Leap is Kermit the Frog's new book -- part autobiography, part self-help inspiration. In the first part, "A Frog's Life", Kermit tells the story of the Muppets from his point of view -- growing up in the swamp, moving to Washington, D.C. to star in Sam and Friends, and then moving on to Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. In the second part of the book, "Lessons for Your Life", Kermit puts his amphibian spin on the current self-improvement fads, including "Moving Your Own Cheese" and "Fridays with Fozzie".


 * September 16 &#8226; M.A.M.M.A. -- which stands for ""Music and Mood Management Apparatus" -- is a music machine that Dudley Moore brings to the Muppet Theater in episode 407 of The Muppet Show. Moore plans to use the machine as his automated back-up band, replacing the Electric Mayhem. M.A.M.M.A. also provides unwelcome assistance for a "Pigs in Space" sketch, Gonzo's bomb defusing act, and a private conversation in Miss Piggy's dressing room.


 * September 15 &#8226; The Librarian is a MirrorMask character whose torso is a massive pile of books, topped with a few shapes which form his head. Dressed in a scholar's robes, the Librarian explains to Helena the backstory of the Kingdoms of Light and Darkness. He obligingly lets her keep the Really Useful Book. The Librarian is voiced by Stephen Fry, who also supplied the voice of the Guide in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.


 * September 14 &#8226; Bernie is a talent agent for many characters in Muppet TV shows and movies, including Miss Piggy, Lola Falana and Boober Fraggle. Bernie is never seen; characters communicate with him in one-way phone conversations. Dom DeLuise played a character named Bernie the Agent in The Muppet Movie. It's unclear whether there's any relationship between the two characters -- or, for that matter, whether any of the Bernies are the same Bernie. Maybe every agent is named Bernie.


 * September 13 &#8226; Germany: The Muppets have lots of connections to Germany -- there's Sesamstrasse, and Die Fraggles, and Die Muppet Show, not to mention EM.TV. But the reason why you should go and look at the Germany page is that we now have a picture of Baby Gonzo standing in front of the Berlin Wall.


 * September 12 &#8226; Pigs in Space: The intrepid crew of the Swinetrek have been through a lot over the years. They've been invaded by Dearth Nadir, the Swedish Chef and Chopped Liver from the galaxy Zabar. They've landed on Koozebane, traveled with Luke Skywalker, and participated in a dance marathon. You can read about all of their adventures on the Pigs in Space page, and see pictures from each sketch.


 * September 11 &#8226; Big Noise from Winnetka: You know that number in the Jaye P. Morgan episode of The Muppet Show where Floyd plays the bass, and Nigel whistles a really catchy song? That song is called "Big Noise from Winnetka". You're welcome.


 * September 10 &#8226; Mr. Tinkles is a pampered Persian cat who takes the principal villain role in Cats and Dogs. Mr. Tinkles takes up residence in the home of wealthy industrialist Mr. Mason, and plots to use Mason's company to orchestrate his plans for world domination, including the destruction of an experimental cure for allergic reactions to dogs.


 * September 9 &#8226; 14 Sesame Street is where the hapless Mr. Johnson lives, just up the street from Hooper's Store and the rest of the familiar Sesame Street buildings. Johnson lives alone, and is usually left in peace -- except when Grover shows up with a singing telegram.


 * September 8 &#8226; Enid Cafritz is a portrait artist whose work is included in the Smithsonian Institute's American Artist Portrait Gallery collection. In 1965, Cafritz appeared in Jim Henson's short film, Time Piece. In keeping with her real-world occupation, Cafritz's character paints the Mona Lisa in Time Piece.


 * September 7 &#8226; Fraggle Rock: Complete Second Season: The new DVD set is out now! It includes every episode from Fraggle Rock's second season, plus interviews with the cast and production crew, a tribute to Jerry Juhl, and a replica of Jim Henson's original pitch book for the show.


 * September 6 &#8226; Peasants: The populace of King Rupert the Second's kingdom in The Frog Prince go along with the flow most of the time. At Featherstone's direction, they provide polite chuckles, friendly applause, and gasps of amazement. But if you get them riled, they start waving Frankenstein rakes. So it's basically just like America.


 * September 5 &#8226; Cantus Cove is part of the California coast line, located on the Pacific coast near Caspar, CA. The coastal landform was named by Jerry and Susan Juhl for Cantus the Minstrel, the inspirational traveling musician of Fraggle Rock, as a tribute to Jim Henson.


 * September 4 &#8226; Sesame Street: Old School, Volume 1: Planned for release on October 24, Old School is a three-disc DVD set collecting episodes and skits from the first five years of Sesame Street. The set will include one episode from each of the first five seasons, featuring guest appearances by James Earl Jones, Johnny Cash and Jackie Robinson, plus the songs "Rubber Duckie" and "C Is For Cookie". Also planned for October 24: Muppet Wiki contributors happily adding dozens of new articles, based on information we find on the DVDs.


 * September 3 &#8226; Scintillating Jeweled Scuttling Crabs live on Vogsphere, the Vogon homeworld. The crabs have golden jewels all over their shells, and they seem friendly and intelligent. Unfortunately, everybody who comes into contact with a crab crushes it with something heavy. It's a hard life being a crab.


 * September 2 &#8226; The Labyrinth video game: In 1986, Nintendo produced a video game based on Labyrinth which was available only in Japan. Sample dialogue: "I'm David Bowe! Well I wear spandex! Um... Rescue your baby brat uhh brother!" (Sic. Sic as a dog.)


 * September 1 &#8226; A baby: Let's face it, when Elmo asks a baby, the baby usually doesn't have much to say. Still, it's nice that they get consulted.

August 2006

 * August 31 &#8226; Bert's Goldfish: You think Elmo is the only Sesame Street character who owns a goldfish? Think again. Bert has a whole tank full of goldfish, including Lyle, Talbot and Melissa.


 * August 30 &#8226; The Koozebanian Phoob is a blue creature from the planet Koozebane, interviewed by Kermit in episode 205 of The Muppet Show. The Phoob is a very rare creature, because they're so tasty. Luckily, they've hit upon a survival strategy -- they evolve quickly to blend in with their surroundings. Very quickly.


 * August 29 &#8226; Wally Boag is an actor and comedian who's been honored as a "Disney Legend" for his long tenure performing in the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland. Boag portrayed the Traveling Salesman/Pecos Bill, a role he reprised when guest starring in episode 520 of The Muppet Show.


 * August 28 &#8226; Cookie Monster Angels: Three angels appear above Cookie Monster's head in Don't Eat the Pictures to remind him not to destroy the artwork in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This, as any regular Muppet Wiki reader should know, is an example of psychomachia. There may be a test later.


 * August 27 &#8226; Fozzie Bear, Star Helper: You think Fozzie had a hard time in the swimming book? In this one, his younger brother messes up the living room, and then Fozzie gets punished for it. The Muppet Kids Books were all about punishing Fozzie. Poor little guy.


 * August 26 &#8226; Fozzie's Last Lap: Fozzie used to be an innocent, happy child, floating in the swimming pool and daydreaming. Then two inconsiderate swim jocks come into his life... and they change everything.


 * August 25 &#8226; Hare Krishna is an Indian mantra, used in meditation, which spawned a movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Devotees of Hare Krishna became known for their shaven heads, robes, and ubiquitous presence at airports. In The Muppet Movie, Hare Krishna becomes a running gag, used as a stock answer whenever a character refers to being lost.


 * August 24 &#8226; Jacques Roach is a cockroach with a French accent who's appeared in a number of different roles. He was created for The Jim Henson Hour, as a spoof of the French underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau. In that sketch, Jacques piloted a submarine with a crew of rats and sheep. He returned to the show in later episodes as a French chef, competing with the Swedish Chef. The same puppet was used in The Animal Show as Yves St. La Roach, and he also appeared as a pirate in Muppet Treasure Island. It just goes to show what a French cockroach can do when he puts his mind to it.


 * August 23 &#8226; Lucy the Elephant is a trained pachyderm performer who appeared in Muppet Treasure Island, bearing Benjamina Gunn in an ornate carriage for Miss Piggy's grand entrance. Shooting had to be carefully choreographed so the elephant wouldn't lean over or go backwards. The trainer personally led Lucy, while surrounded by a parade of puppeteers on both ends. However, the scene was framed to suggest that Lucy was marching entirely on her own.


 * August 22 &#8226; Zsa Zsa Porkmustard is one of the finalists in the Miss Galaxy Pageant, representing the planet Koozebane. Instead of singing a song, she excretes ammonia while setting fire to her nose. Oddly enough, she loses.


 * August 21 &#8226; Hasbro Sesame Street Weebles: If you're in your thirties and somebody asks you what Weebles do, then obviously you answer, "Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down." If you're not in your thirties, then you probably have no idea what Weebles are. It's a magical secret that only people in their thirties know.


 * August 20 &#8226; Sesame Street Online Stories: Sesameworkshop.org has a number of "online interactive storybooks" that kids can click through and enjoy. The title art for "Cold In My S'nose" is pretty amazing. So is the title "Cookies Can't Laugh".


 * August 19 &#8226; Peter Alexander präsentiert Spezialitäten was a popular German variety show, hosted by Austrian entertainer Peter Alexander. In 1975, Alexander visited the set of Sesame Street for a Christmas special that featured Ernie in liederhosen. In 1977, Alexander visited the set of The Muppet Show, and tried to cook with the Swedish Chef.


 * August 18 &#8226; Skenfrith is the ultimate conformist, a magical creature who changes his appearance based on what other people think he is. Red thinks that he has pigtails and likes to swim. The Gorgs think that he's a horrible monster with two heads -- or is that three heads?


 * August 17 &#8226; The Wizard travels around Fraggle Rock, performing dubious magical feats and trying to escape from the Poison Cackler that's chasing him. But his wanderings may be over when he finds a gullible Fraggle to trade places with...


 * August 16 &#8226; Monopoly: The classic board game takes players on a tour of Atlantic City, which is circular, apparently. But why go to Ventnor Avenue when you can visit Miss Piggy's Dressing Room or Oscar's Trash Can? USAopoly has produced variations of the game based on the Muppet Show and Sesame Street, with Muppetized locations, cards and money.


 * August 15 &#8226; Mrs. Goose: In today's new episode of Sesame Street, Abby Cadabby goes to her first day at Storybook Community School. Baby Bear had a nervous day there last year when he joined the school -- but kindly Mrs. Goose (played by Shirley Jones) is on hand to make her new students feel welcome.


 * August 14 &#8226; Season 37 starts this week! The new season of Sesame Street begins with the introduction of a new fairy character, Abby Cadabby, and focuses on getting kids ready for school. In other Season 37 news, Gina is going to adopt a baby in episodes that will air in November, during National Adoption Month.


 * August 13 &#8226; The Flip Wilson Show: In his book The Wisdom of Big Bird, performer Caroll Spinney describes making an entrance on The Flip Wilson Show and accidentally falling on his Bird butt. We've got pictures.


 * August 12 &#8226; E!'s 101 Incredible Celebrity Slimdowns: This five-episode miniseries, which aired on the E! network in March to no real acclaim, ranked Miss Piggy at #41 -- just below Kelly Ripa, but well above Jessica Simpson and Bill Clinton. Which proves precisely nothing.


 * August 11 &#8226; The Love Boat: Did you ever wonder how many celebrity guests on The Love Boat also worked with the Muppets? No? Well, lots of Muppet Show guest stars took a ride on the Pacific Princess, including Pearl Bailey and Avery Schreiber. Belinda Montgomery from Hey Cinderella was in two episodes, and Dinosaurs voice artists Jessica Walter and Sherman Hemsley appeared too. If you look hard enough, everything connects back to the Muppets, and we're all about looking hard enough.


 * August 10 &#8226; Abby Cadabby: The new season of Sesame Street begins airing next week, and a new character is moving to the Street. Abby, performed by veteran Muppeteer Leslie Carrara, is a fairy-in-training whose powers so far only extend to turning things into pumpkins. She'll be attending Storybook Community School with Baby Bear, so maybe she'll learn some more spells as the season goes on...


 * August 9 &#8226; Muppet TV: Vive le France! French network TF1 struck a deal with the Walt Disney Company in 2005 to produce a new French version of The Muppet Show, using the actual puppets. A pilot was produced, and the series is expected to air this fall.


 * August 8 &#8226; Charlie McCarthy may be fictional, but who isn't? That didn't stop him from having a long and distinguished career, along with his partner Edgar Bergen. The pair appeared with some of the biggest stars of their day, including Frank Sinatra, Mickey Mouse, and, of course, Miss Piggy.


 * August 7 &#8226; The Poky Little Puppy is an enduring children's book character owned by Western Publishing, and one of the characters most closely associated with the Little Golden Books line. In 1997, Western introduced the Puppy to some other famous characters...


 * August 6 &#8226; Los Fraguel: In America, we know the Fraggles as Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red -- but in Spain, that's Gobo, Dudo, Mussy, Bombo and Rosy. The popularity of the Spanish-dubbed version led to translations of the Fraggle Rock comic book, an alternative rock band and a Madrid bar -- and in 2005, the first season of Los Fraguel was released on DVD.


 * August 5 &#8226; Atari Sesame Street games: In Big Bird's Egg Catch, you help Big Bird win the county fair egg contest by collecting eggs that fall directly from the nether regions of chickens, down into a basket that Big Bird is carrying on his head. Well, it was 1983, so maybe that sort of thing made sense back then. PS: Sesame Street is set in New York City, so it's a little unclear where that "county fair" is being held.


 * August 4 &#8226; Elmo's Mom: We first saw Elmo's dad in the Sesame Beginnings videos released in the spring, but we've never seen Elmo's mom before now. We finally get a glimpse of her, live and in person, in the Talk, Listen, Connect video.


 * August 3 &#8226; The Muppets 2007 Calendar just came out in stores. The calendar includes photos of the characters, mixed with circus-style illustrated posters. Sweetums makes his calendar debut.


 * August 2: Spend a night in The House of Seven Colors
 * August 1: Happy birthday, Dom DeLuise

July 2006

 * July 31: Everything you need to know about the Earth
 * July 30: Travel to London with Big Boy
 * July 29: Hold still: Photo Puppet
 * July 28: I now pronounce you frog and pig: Dr. Cyril Jenkins
 * July 27: The true story of Mr. Snuffleupagus
 * July 26: I Want to Be President... Don't we all?
 * July 25: Sesame Street takes a trip to Hawaii
 * July 24: Hens across the ocean: Caponata
 * July 23: How lucky is Elmo? He's got two Fairy Godpersons
 * July 22: I Am Chicken, hear me squawk
 * July 21: Live on stage: Puppet Up!
 * July 20: Boldly going where no fish has gone before: Wanda Cousteau
 * July 19: Frazzle's pet human, Pickles
 * July 18: The two options: Communism and Capitalism
 * July 17: What's your sign? It's Disco Frog!
 * July 16: Chow down on Doozer sticks
 * July 15: Before Muppet*Vision 3D, there were the Muppet View-Master reels
 * July 14: The latest handhelds: Street Surfin' and The Count's Number Bowling
 * July 13: Mano. Ah, Mano.
 * July 12: Go back to the sea with Ted
 * July 11: Taste the difference a Muppet Lunchbox makes
 * July 10: Taste the difference quality makes: Esskay Meats
 * July 9: Fraggles from Denmark: Fragglerne
 * July 8: Playing the hits: Sesame Street Singles
 * July 7: Momma said there'd be days like this: The Disaster on Wheels
 * July 6: Brought to you by the Muppetopolitan Opera Company: Pigoletto
 * July 5: Another odd find: Susan from Sesame Street with the Bubble Gum Singers
 * July 4: Happy 4th of July! I Love Liberty
 * July 3: Time to celebrate the United States of America
 * July 2: Spend a dull day with Professor Hastings
 * July 1: Me versatile: Cookie Monster's Alternate Identities

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