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[[Image:Smiletime.jpg|frame|Alice Dinnean-Vernon, puppet Angel and Drew Massey.]]
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[[Image:Smiletime.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Alice Dinnean]], puppet Angel and [[Drew Massey]].]]
[[Image:SmileTime2.jpg|frame|Massey performs Angel in a green suit to be digitally removed in post-production.]]
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[[Image:SmileTime2.jpg|thumb|300px|Massey performs Angel in a green suit to be digitally removed in post-production.]]
 
{{otheruses|Angels}}
 
{{otheruses|Angels}}
'''''Angel''''' is a television series which was spun off from ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', running from 1999 until 2004. The fifth season episode "Smile Time", originally broadcast on February 18, 2004 on the WB Network, features a plot in which the title character is turned into a [[Live-Hand Muppet|live-hand puppet]] and battles the forces of evil in felt form.
+
'''''Angel''''' is a television series which was spun off from ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', running from 1999 until 2004. The fifth season episode "Smile Time", originally broadcast on February 18, 2004 on the WB Network, features a plot in which the title character is turned into a [[Live-hand Muppet|live-hand puppet]] and battles the forces of evil in felt form.
   
 
{{quote|Ben [Edlund] wrote a script that was spot-on great for puppets. Obviously, he had watched Muppet gags and ''Sesame Street''.<br><small>— Drew Massey interview, ''Angel'' Season Five DVD</small>}}
Series creator Joss Whedon, son of Muppet writer [[Tom Whedon]], came up with the idea which he initially intended to write and direct. The episode was conceived of specifically as "an evil ''[[Sesame Street]]'' show" with an emphasis on the Angel puppet particularly Muppet-like (i.e. the ability to [[Ernie and Bert Sketches: Apartment#statueofbert|remove his own nose]]).<ref>[http://www.mikejozic.com/buffyweek6.html Interview with ''Angel'' producer David Fury]</ref> Whedon developed the script with Ben Edlund (creator of ''[[The Tick]]'') to include a group of [[Demons and Devils|demons]] (disguised as puppets) who plot to drain the life energy out of children (not unlike the relationship between [[Skeksis]] and [[Podlings]]) by possessing the stars of a children's television puppet series.
 
   
 
Series creator [[Joss Whedon]], son of Muppet writer [[Tom Whedon]], came up with the idea which he initially intended to write and direct. The episode was conceived of specifically as "an evil ''[[Sesame Street]]'' show" with an emphasis on the Angel puppet particularly Muppet-like (i.e. the ability to [[Ernie and Bert Sketches: Apartment#statueofbert|remove his own nose]]).<ref>[http://www.mikejozic.com/buffyweek6.html Interview with ''Angel'' producer David Fury]</ref> Whedon developed the script with Ben Edlund (creator of ''[[The Tick]]'') to include a group of [[Demons and Devils|demons]] (disguised as puppets) who plot to drain the life energy out of children (not unlike the relationship between [[Skeksis]] and [[Podlings]]) by possessing the stars of a children's television puppet series.
{{quote|The inspiration initially is Joss had a lot of Muppets in his past. And just came in one time and said 'I think Angel turns into a Muppet.' Of course, I was really behind that.<br>— Ben Edlund in an interview on the ''Angel'' Season Five DVD}}
 
   
 
{{quote|The inspiration initially is Joss had a lot of Muppets in his past. And just came in one time and said 'I think Angel turns into a Muppet.' Of course, I was really behind that.<br><small>— Ben Edlund interview, ''Angel'' Season Five DVD</small>}}
Several [[The Jim Henson Company|Henson]] veterans were involved in the episode, including [[Alice Dinnean-Vernon]] (as Angel's hands), [[Leslie Carrara]], [[Victor Yerrid]] (as Polo), [[Julianne Buescher]] (as Flora), [[Tim Blaney]], and [[Drew Massey]], who designed and supervised the construction of the puppet characters, and performed the puppet Angel.<ref name="yearbook">"The Puppet Summit" by Matt Partney, ''Angel Yearbook 2004'' published by Titan Magazines</ref>
 
   
 
Several [[The Jim Henson Company|Henson]] veterans were involved in the episode, including [[Alice Dinnean]] (as Angel's hands), [[Leslie Carrara-Rudolph]], [[Victor Yerrid]] (as Polo), [[Julianne Buescher]] (as Flora), [[Tim Blaney]] (as Groofus), [[Brad Abrell]], [[Donna Kimball]], and [[Drew Massey]], who designed and supervised the construction of the puppet characters, and performed the puppet Angel.<ref name="yearbook">"The Puppet Summit" by Matt Partney, ''Angel Yearbook 2004'' published by Titan Magazines</ref> [[Scott Johnson]] also served as the puppet coordinator.
{{quote|Ben wrote a script that was spot-on great for puppets. Obviously, he had watched Muppet gags and ''Sesame Street''.<br>— Drew Massey in an interview on the ''Angel'' Season Five DVD}}
 
 
{{quote|I was puppet peopled, yes. My dad ran ''[[The Electric Company]]''... the show from &#91;[[Sesame Workshop|Children's Television Workshop]]&#93; back when they were doing ''[[Sesame Street]]''. He actually worked on ''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'' before that. So a lot of our family friends were Muppet people. We were part of a whole Muppety circle. You know, it was always a big thing in my life when I was a kid, because I thought Muppets were cool. Now, I'm not talking about the ones that had [[The Muppet Show|their own show]], I'm talking the ''Sesame Street'' ones. I was one of the people that felt that [[Kermit the Frog|Kermit]] was a sell-out when he started his own show. I was never really into it. [[Fozzie Bear]] is just a wannabe [[Grover]]. I always thought there should have been war between the East Coast and West Coast Muppets. That's just me. I always liked puppets. They make me laugh, but they were a serious part of what I remember from my youth, so I just have a little obsession. Not so much an obsession. It's not like I'm collecting dolls or anything. Does my son have a Grover? Yes he does. Because Grover is the finest of all of them.<br>— Joss Whedon<ref name="yearbook" />}}
 
   
 
When asked if the "vamped" Angel was meant to have been a nod to ''Sesame Street''’s [[Count von Count|The Count]], Whedon replied:
 
When asked if the "vamped" Angel was meant to have been a nod to ''Sesame Street''’s [[Count von Count|The Count]], Whedon replied:
{{quote|No, Angel's a vampire and I said one of the things he must do when he is a puppet is morph. He must have our traditional ''"Angel morphs to vamp"'' face. I don't think the Count is going to be ripping people's heads off. He's a little more into, I think... Count-ing.<br>— Joss Whedon<ref name="yearbook" />}}
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{{quote|No, Angel's a vampire and I said one of the things he must do when he is a puppet is morph. He must have our traditional ''"Angel morphs to vamp"'' face. I don't think the Count is going to be ripping people's heads off. He's a little more into, I think... Count-ing.<br><small>— Joss Whedon<ref name="yearbook" /></small>}}
   
 
==Shadow Puppets==
 
==Shadow Puppets==
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* Lorne: ''[referring to [[w:c:buffy:Ratio Hornblower|Ratio Hornblower]]]'' "[[Sweetums]] there isn't coming into the room. I wonder why." (pg 46)
 
* Lorne: ''[referring to [[w:c:buffy:Ratio Hornblower|Ratio Hornblower]]]'' "[[Sweetums]] there isn't coming into the room. I wonder why." (pg 46)
   
* Lorne: ''[a green character, having just been turned into a puppet]'' "I feel as though I should be [[The Rainbow Connection|on a lily pad with a banjo]]. Is that weird?" (pg 48)
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* Lorne: ''[a green character, having just been turned into a puppet]'' "I feel as though I should be [[Rainbow Connection|on a lily pad with a banjo]]. Is that weird?" (pg 48)
   
 
* Lorne: "We should have destroyed that egg that transmogrified us. It woulda de-Muppetized us like ''that''." (pg 58)
 
* Lorne: "We should have destroyed that egg that transmogrified us. It woulda de-Muppetized us like ''that''." (pg 58)
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* Spike: "This isn't Angel! I'm facing off against [[Tickle Me Elmo|Tickle Me Angelus]]!" (pg 74)
 
* Spike: "This isn't Angel! I'm facing off against [[Tickle Me Elmo|Tickle Me Angelus]]!" (pg 74)
   
* During the climatic battle (pictured), Spike's one-liner is interupted by a sampling of "[[The Muppet Show Theme]]." (pg 78)
+
* During the climatic battle (pictured), Spike's one-liner is interrupted by a sampling of "[[The Muppet Show Theme]]." (pg 78)
   
 
* The original title of the third comic in the mini-series was to have been "The [[Elmo]] Factor" (referencing the ''Buffy'' episode "[[w:c:buffy:The Yoko Factor|The Yoko Factor]]"), but had to be dropped for copyright reasons.
 
* The original title of the third comic in the mini-series was to have been "The [[Elmo]] Factor" (referencing the ''Buffy'' episode "[[w:c:buffy:The Yoko Factor|The Yoko Factor]]"), but had to be dropped for copyright reasons.
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:Cordy: Not the Muppet, you dumb ass.
 
:Cordy: Not the Muppet, you dumb ass.
   
* In the aforementioned "Smile Time" episode, a line of dialogue by Charles Gunn was cut regarding potential legal action against the law firm where Angel and his crew work if they were to shut down the demon-possessed puppet show: "Think about the headlines: ‘Big Bad Wolfram and Hart Drops Iron Heel On ''[[Fraggle Rock]]''’." <ref>''Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel'' by Lars Pearson and Christa Dickson, 2006</ref> In the comic book adaptation of this episode published in 2009, this line was added back to the story.
+
* In the aforementioned "Smile Time" episode, a line of dialogue by Charles Gunn was cut regarding potential legal action against the law firm where Angel and his crew work if they were to shut down the demon-possessed puppet show: "Think about the headlines: ‘Big Bad Wolfram and Hart Drops Iron Heel On ''[[Fraggle Rock]]''’."<ref>''Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel'' by Lars Pearson and Christa Dickson, 2006</ref> In the comic book adaptation of this episode published in 2009, this line was added back to the story.
   
 
* In their book ''Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel'', Lars Pearson and Christa Dickson observe that the main character appears not unlike the host of ''Masterpiece Theatre'' in the Season 4 episode "Release." "All he needs is [[Cookie Monster]], and he's ready to co-host ''[[Monsterpiece Theatre]]''."
 
* In their book ''Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel'', Lars Pearson and Christa Dickson observe that the main character appears not unlike the host of ''Masterpiece Theatre'' in the Season 4 episode "Release." "All he needs is [[Cookie Monster]], and he's ready to co-host ''[[Monsterpiece Theatre]]''."
   
 
==Connections==
 
==Connections==
*[[Mark Ginther]] played the head demon in "The Prodigal" and Lasovic in "The Ring"
+
*[[Jason Carter]] played the Repo Man in "Double or Nothing" (2002)
  +
*[[Sarah Michelle Gellar]] played Buffy Summers in "I Will Remember You" (1999) and "Sanctuary" (2000)
  +
*[[Mark Ginther]] played the head demon in "The Prodigal" and Lasovic in "The Ring" (both 2000)
 
*[[Rena Owen]] played Dinza in "Ground State" (2002)
 
*[[Rena Owen]] played Dinza in "Ground State" (2002)
  +
*[[Steve Schirripa]] played a henchman in "Sense and Sensitivity" (1999)
   
 
==Sources==
 
==Sources==
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* [[w:c:buffy|Buffyverse Wiki]]
 
* [[w:c:buffy|Buffyverse Wiki]]
   
 
__NOTOC__
  +
  +
__NOWYSIWYG__
 
[[Category:TV Mentions]]
 
[[Category:TV Mentions]]
 
[[Category:Comics Mentions]]
 
[[Category:Comics Mentions]]
__NOTOC__
 

Revision as of 01:26, 6 November 2019

Smiletime

Alice Dinnean, puppet Angel and Drew Massey.

SmileTime2

Massey performs Angel in a green suit to be digitally removed in post-production.

for other uses, see Angels

Angel is a television series which was spun off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, running from 1999 until 2004. The fifth season episode "Smile Time", originally broadcast on February 18, 2004 on the WB Network, features a plot in which the title character is turned into a live-hand puppet and battles the forces of evil in felt form.

Ben [Edlund] wrote a script that was spot-on great for puppets. Obviously, he had watched Muppet gags and Sesame Street.
— Drew Massey interview, Angel Season Five DVD

Series creator Joss Whedon, son of Muppet writer Tom Whedon, came up with the idea which he initially intended to write and direct. The episode was conceived of specifically as "an evil Sesame Street show" with an emphasis on the Angel puppet particularly Muppet-like (i.e. the ability to remove his own nose).[1] Whedon developed the script with Ben Edlund (creator of The Tick) to include a group of demons (disguised as puppets) who plot to drain the life energy out of children (not unlike the relationship between Skeksis and Podlings) by possessing the stars of a children's television puppet series.

The inspiration initially is Joss had a lot of Muppets in his past. And just came in one time and said 'I think Angel turns into a Muppet.' Of course, I was really behind that.
— Ben Edlund interview, Angel Season Five DVD

Several Henson veterans were involved in the episode, including Alice Dinnean (as Angel's hands), Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Victor Yerrid (as Polo), Julianne Buescher (as Flora), Tim Blaney (as Groofus), Brad Abrell, Donna Kimball, and Drew Massey, who designed and supervised the construction of the puppet characters, and performed the puppet Angel.[2] Scott Johnson also served as the puppet coordinator.

When asked if the "vamped" Angel was meant to have been a nod to Sesame Street’s The Count, Whedon replied:

No, Angel's a vampire and I said one of the things he must do when he is a puppet is morph. He must have our traditional "Angel morphs to vamp" face. I don't think the Count is going to be ripping people's heads off. He's a little more into, I think... Count-ing.
— Joss Whedon[2]

Shadow Puppets

ShadowPuppets1

Trots' Kermit eye.

ShadowPuppets2

Spike "gets things started."

The episode spawned a sequel of sorts for a comic book mini-series written by Brian Lynch (who had sold a script entitled The Next Muppet Movie to The Jim Henson Company in 1999). As a self-confessed Muppet fan ("I know every Muppet episode by heart"[3]), Lynch littered Spike: Shadow Puppets with a plethora of in-jokes to the Muppets and Sesame Street.

  • Marco: [responding to a comment that he looks like a character from the "Smile Time" episode] "Dammit, that was Polo! I'm his roommate Marco! We're as different as night and day. Polo loved pigeons. I dig rubber duckies. Polo had a paperclip collection... I'm all about eating cookies in bed. Also, he was a wuss. And I'm hardcore." (pg 22)
  • Spike: "All the same to you, Lambchop... I think we'll stay. Take in the sights. Eat some sushi. Play some Nintendo. Send you back to whatever children's television workshop in Hell spawned you." (pg 24)
  • A horse puppet character appears briefly (pictured), with an intended in-joke embedded in his design. Lynch states, "I made a note in the script for Franco [Urru] to draw Trots' eyes with the same circle/line thing as Kermit the Frog" as a "subtle little shout-out to the only franchise I love as much as Angel." (pg 27)
  • Lorne: [upon entering a room full of puppet ninjas] "Happy Birthday, godless Muppets!" (pg 42)
  • Lorne: [a green character, having just been turned into a puppet] "I feel as though I should be on a lily pad with a banjo. Is that weird?" (pg 48)
  • Lorne: "We should have destroyed that egg that transmogrified us. It woulda de-Muppetized us like that." (pg 58)
  • Lorne: "Seriously. We double-back, crack open that hell-egg, save the children, bring down Bert and Ernie, yes, yes..." (pg 60)
  • Jin Hansu, the creator of rival character Dicky Duck, is cited by Lynch in his commentary as his nod to Jim Henson. (pg 66)
  • During the climatic battle (pictured), Spike's one-liner is interrupted by a sampling of "The Muppet Show Theme." (pg 78)
  • The original title of the third comic in the mini-series was to have been "The Elmo Factor" (referencing the Buffy episode "The Yoko Factor"), but had to be dropped for copyright reasons.

In his commentary for the collected graphic novel, Lynch includes a dedication to his parents, thanking them for introducing him to Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, and buying him all the Muppet related books, tapes and records that inspired him to write stories for and draw pictures of the Muppets (which led to his first big script sale, of the aforementioned Next Muppet Movie). The comic book collection closes with a note stating "Spike: Shadow Puppets has been brought to you by the letters IDW and with a generous contribution from readers like you," a reference to Sesame Street’s PBS sign-off.

Muppet Mentions

AlistairAngel

Pearson and Dickson's 'Alistair Angel' observation.

  • In "The House Always Wins," Lorne sings "Bein' Green" in Las Vegas. The song made it to commercial release on the Angel soundtrack.
  • From "Disharmony" (Cordelia has just had a vision of danger and informs her colleagues of the trouble)...
Cordy: They're taking... people and -- whoa, big bird.
Gunn: Big Bird?
Cordy: Not the Muppet, you dumb ass.
  • In the aforementioned "Smile Time" episode, a line of dialogue by Charles Gunn was cut regarding potential legal action against the law firm where Angel and his crew work if they were to shut down the demon-possessed puppet show: "Think about the headlines: ‘Big Bad Wolfram and Hart Drops Iron Heel On Fraggle Rock’."[4] In the comic book adaptation of this episode published in 2009, this line was added back to the story.
  • In their book Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel, Lars Pearson and Christa Dickson observe that the main character appears not unlike the host of Masterpiece Theatre in the Season 4 episode "Release." "All he needs is Cookie Monster, and he's ready to co-host Monsterpiece Theatre."

Connections

  • Jason Carter played the Repo Man in "Double or Nothing" (2002)
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy Summers in "I Will Remember You" (1999) and "Sanctuary" (2000)
  • Mark Ginther played the head demon in "The Prodigal" and Lasovic in "The Ring" (both 2000)
  • Rena Owen played Dinza in "Ground State" (2002)
  • Steve Schirripa played a henchman in "Sense and Sensitivity" (1999)

Sources

  1. Interview with Angel producer David Fury
  2. 2.0 2.1 "The Puppet Summit" by Matt Partney, Angel Yearbook 2004 published by Titan Magazines
  3. Comic Book Resources interview by Arune Singh, 3/18/07
  4. Redeemed: The Unauthorized Guide to Angel by Lars Pearson and Christa Dickson, 2006

External links