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Changes: The Muppet Whatnot Workshop

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[[Image:WhatnotWorkshop.png|thumb|300px]]
  
[[Image:WhatnotWorkshop.png|thumb|300px]]
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[[File:MuppetsAtWhatnotWorkshop-111308.jpg|thumb|300px|Kermit, [[Pepe the King Prawn|Pepe]], and [[Gonzo]] making an appearance at the store on November 13, 2008.]]
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'''The Muppet Whatnot Workshop''' is an outlet at FAO Schwarz which allows customers to design their own Muppet [[Whatnot]] from a series of bodies, hairstyles, eyes, noses, and costumes. The online store at FAO.com went live on October 22, [[2008]], while the in-store Muppet Whatnot Workshop opened at FAO Schwarz in [[New York City]] on October 27, 2008, well ahead of the original scheduled date of November 13.
  
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[[Image:Brooke3.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Brooke Shields]] visiting the Workshop in 2008.]]
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[[Image:WhatnotWorkshop-D23-Announcement.jpg|thumb|300px|New parts announced at D23 in 2009]]
   
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The website features a video explanation of Whatnots narrated by [[Kermit the Frog]] and [[Miss Piggy]]. Customers are able to choose from three body types, 12 eyes, 12 noses, 13 hairstyles, and 14 costumes (including [[The Statue of Liberty]] and a baseball uniform resembling that of the New York Yankees). Muppet Whatnots can be designed either online or in-store, or through a kit which can be purchased from the FAO Schwarz catalog or website.
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'''The Muppet Whatnot Workshop''' was an outlet of [[FAO Schwarz]] which allowed customers to design their own Muppet [[Whatnots|Whatnot]] from a series of bodies, hairstyles, eyes, noses, and costumes. The online store at FAO.com opened on October 22, 2008, and the in-store Muppet Whatnot Workshop opened in the FAO Schwarz flagship store in [[New York City]] a week later, remaining a fixture until the store's closure on July 15, 2015.
   
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The FAO website featured a video explanation of Whatnots narrated by [[Kermit the Frog]] and [[Miss Piggy]]. At the time of opening, customers were able to choose from three body types, 12 eyes, 12 noses, 13 hairstyles, and 14 costumes (including [[The Statue of Liberty]] and a baseball uniform resembling that of the [[New York Yankees]]). Muppet Whatnots could be designed either online or in-store, or through a kit which could be purchased from the FAO Schwarz catalog or website.
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The in-store experience features a video guide to creating your Whatnot hosted by [[Dr. Bunsen Honeydew]] and [[Beaker]] displayed on flat-panel TVs around the boutique. Customers are able to choose from the same body parts and accessories as the online retailer The in-store area is decorated with Muppet pictures and fixtures - including lights that resemble a pair of Whatnot eyes and a nose.
  
   
  ⚫
The in-store experience featured a video guide to creating your Whatnot hosted by [[Dr. Bunsen Honeydew]] and [[Beaker]] displayed on flat-panel TVs around the boutique. Customers were able to choose from the same body parts and accessories as the online retailer. The in-store area was decorated with Muppet pictures and fixtures - including lights that resembled a pair of Whatnot eyes and a nose.
⚫
<gallery perrow="3">
  
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Image:FAO2.png
  
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In May 2009, toy retailer Toys "R" Us, Inc., the largest chain in the United States, acquired FAO Schwarz. Toys "R" Us announced plans to continue operating FAO Schwarz's retail stores in New York and Las Vegas under the same name, along with their websites. After the acquisition, The Muppet Whatnot Workshop online experience and the online store was put offline, while a new e-store was developed. The in-store experience remained available throughout the online store's hiatus.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121024222601/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aijAoDFBRLQE Bloomberg: "Toys "R" Us Acquires FAO Schwarz, Fifth Avenue Store."] May 28, 2009</ref>
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Image:FAO1.png
  
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Image:Fao2.jpg|Kermit explains the Whatnot Workshop to Miss Piggy on FAO.com.
  
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During the online relaunch planning phase, [[Lylle Breier]] announced updates to the Muppet Whatnot Workshop at [[D23 Expo|D23]] in September 2009. These included new parts such as beards, mustaches, as well as monster eyes, noses, teeth, and fur. Further, an expansion of the workshop to new sites in the Disney parks was also planned.
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  +
In late October 2009, an updated version of the store was put back online, but featured less options to choose from (3 sets of eyes, 3 noses, 3 hairstyles, and 6 costumes were retired). By 2010, the Whatnot outfits alone could be purchased through the FAO website.
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To coincide with the promotion for ''[[The Muppets (2011)|The Muppets]]'', [[The Muppet Whatnot Workshop Kits]] were sold at [[Toys R Us]] stores in late 2011. Materials differ slightly, to allow interchanging facial features with Velcro.
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  +
In the summer of 2013, two new body designs (purple and yellow) were added to the line, as well as two color variations of already existing outfits (Broadway show girl, cheerleader with hair bow). Three outfits were replaced with new color variations (Hawaiian shirt with lei, bowling shirt, mod dress with head scarf). In late 2013 an afro wig, a multi-color wig and a handful of new outfits were added, namely a police officer uniform, a firefighter uniform, a chef coat and hat, and a pink Whatnot hoodie.
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By January 2015, the monster accessories (fur, eyes, etc.) were retired. The green and yellow tall body types were also discontinued at this point, and replaced with a smaller yellow type that resembled the existing blue and purple puppets.<ref>[http://muppet-stuff.blogspot.com/2015/01/no-more-monsters-at-muppet-whatnot.html Muppet Stuff: "No More Monsters at Muppet Whatnot Workshop!"] January 29, 2015</ref> With the closure of FAO Schwarz's flagship store on July 15, operations of the Muppet Whatnot Workshop, both online and in-store, ceased entirely.
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==FAO Schwarz flagship store, New York==
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<gallery widths="200" orientation="square" spacing="small">
 
Image:Fao3.jpg
  
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Image:Muppet wall.jpg
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Image:kermit at fao schwartz.jpg|Kermit makes an appearance at the Workshop
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Image:PUPPETS!.JPG
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My Pre-Birthday weekend 2008 049.jpg|A Muppet Whatnot puppet designed by user MelissaY1
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</gallery>
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==Catalog==
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<gallery widths="200" orientation="landscape" spacing="small">
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Image:FAO2.png|FAO Schwarz catalog 2008 cover
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Image:FAO1.png|FAO Schwarz catalog 2008
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Image:WhatnotMuppets-2009-FAO-ChristmasCatalogue.jpg|FAO Schwarz catalog 2009
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</gallery>
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==Videos==
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<gallery>
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File:What's a Whatnot? - Muppet News Flash
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File:What's a Whatnot? - Frog on the Street
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File:What's a Whatnot? - Muppet Labs
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File:What's a Whatnot? - Why Not a Whatnot?
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File:What's a Whatnot? - No One is Bigger than Miss Piggy
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File:What's a Whatnot? - Prawn on the Street
 
</gallery>
  
</gallery>
   
 
==See also==
  
==See also==
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* [[Muppet Workshop Puppet Kits]]
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* [[The Muppet Whatnot Workshop Kits]]
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* [[Muppet Workshop Puppet 'n Parts]]
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==Sources==
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<references />
   
 
==External links==
  
==External links==
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* "[http://www.toughpigs.com/a-whatnot-photo-tour/ A Whatnot Photo Tour]" - A description of the New York store on Tough Pigs
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* [http://www.fao.com/catalog/boutique.jsp?parentCategoryId=98&categoryId=793 FAO Schwarz online store]
  
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* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/45858042@N00/3286150287/in/set-72157613984207504/ A photo set showing details of one of the puppets]
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* [http://www.fao.com/catalog/catalog_shop.jsp?categoryId=252 FAO Schwarz catalogue]
  
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* [http://www.stitchkingdom.com/exclusive/muppetwhatnot Creating a Whatnot at FAO Schwarz in New York City]
  
   
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__NOWYSIWYG__
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muppet Whatnot Workshop, The}}
 
[[Category:Stores]]
  
[[Category:Stores]]
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[[Category:Online Content]]
  
 
[[Category:Personalized Merchandise]]
  
[[Category:Personalized Merchandise]]
 
[[Category:Muppet Workshop Merchandise]]
  
[[Category:Muppet Workshop Merchandise]]
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[[Category:Puppet Toys]]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Muppet Whatnot Workshop, The}}
  

Revision as of 00:10, 23 September 2018

WhatnotWorkshop
MuppetsAtWhatnotWorkshop-111308

Kermit, Pepe, and Gonzo making an appearance at the store on November 13, 2008.

Brooke3

Brooke Shields visiting the Workshop in 2008.

WhatnotWorkshop-D23-Announcement

New parts announced at D23 in 2009

The Muppet Whatnot Workshop was an outlet of FAO Schwarz which allowed customers to design their own Muppet Whatnot from a series of bodies, hairstyles, eyes, noses, and costumes. The online store at FAO.com opened on October 22, 2008, and the in-store Muppet Whatnot Workshop opened in the FAO Schwarz flagship store in New York City a week later, remaining a fixture until the store's closure on July 15, 2015.

The FAO website featured a video explanation of Whatnots narrated by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. At the time of opening, customers were able to choose from three body types, 12 eyes, 12 noses, 13 hairstyles, and 14 costumes (including The Statue of Liberty and a baseball uniform resembling that of the New York Yankees). Muppet Whatnots could be designed either online or in-store, or through a kit which could be purchased from the FAO Schwarz catalog or website.

The in-store experience featured a video guide to creating your Whatnot hosted by Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker displayed on flat-panel TVs around the boutique. Customers were able to choose from the same body parts and accessories as the online retailer. The in-store area was decorated with Muppet pictures and fixtures - including lights that resembled a pair of Whatnot eyes and a nose.

In May 2009, toy retailer Toys "R" Us, Inc., the largest chain in the United States, acquired FAO Schwarz. Toys "R" Us announced plans to continue operating FAO Schwarz's retail stores in New York and Las Vegas under the same name, along with their websites. After the acquisition, The Muppet Whatnot Workshop online experience and the online store was put offline, while a new e-store was developed. The in-store experience remained available throughout the online store's hiatus.[1]

During the online relaunch planning phase, Lylle Breier announced updates to the Muppet Whatnot Workshop at D23 in September 2009. These included new parts such as beards, mustaches, as well as monster eyes, noses, teeth, and fur. Further, an expansion of the workshop to new sites in the Disney parks was also planned.

In late October 2009, an updated version of the store was put back online, but featured less options to choose from (3 sets of eyes, 3 noses, 3 hairstyles, and 6 costumes were retired). By 2010, the Whatnot outfits alone could be purchased through the FAO website.

To coincide with the promotion for The Muppets, The Muppet Whatnot Workshop Kits were sold at Toys R Us stores in late 2011. Materials differ slightly, to allow interchanging facial features with Velcro.

In the summer of 2013, two new body designs (purple and yellow) were added to the line, as well as two color variations of already existing outfits (Broadway show girl, cheerleader with hair bow). Three outfits were replaced with new color variations (Hawaiian shirt with lei, bowling shirt, mod dress with head scarf). In late 2013 an afro wig, a multi-color wig and a handful of new outfits were added, namely a police officer uniform, a firefighter uniform, a chef coat and hat, and a pink Whatnot hoodie.

By January 2015, the monster accessories (fur, eyes, etc.) were retired. The green and yellow tall body types were also discontinued at this point, and replaced with a smaller yellow type that resembled the existing blue and purple puppets.[2] With the closure of FAO Schwarz's flagship store on July 15, operations of the Muppet Whatnot Workshop, both online and in-store, ceased entirely.

FAO Schwarz flagship store, New York

Catalog

Videos

See also

Sources

  1. ↑ Bloomberg: "Toys "R" Us Acquires FAO Schwarz, Fifth Avenue Store." May 28, 2009
  2. ↑ Muppet Stuff: "No More Monsters at Muppet Whatnot Workshop!" January 29, 2015

External links

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