June 15, 2003
Muppet Book Club
"The Case of the Missing Mother"
Book : Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3
Already We Have Issues
Chris
Smigliano:
I find it hard to believe that Animal would have any memory of a mother. I've always had the impression that he was totally feral, abandoned shortly after birth.
And Piggy having any kind fondness toward her mother? Oz's backstory said they didn't get along. I'm also amazed they played her sympathetic in this one; normally she would have said "WHO CARES?"
But, of course, with Muppet history filled with so many contradictions, who's to say what's gospel and what isn't?
Hey, even with the Gospel, who's to say what's gospel and what isn't?
Jogchem Jalink:
I think this story has the same sorta problems as Muppets From Space: too strong a character role for one of the crazier characters.
The story itself is a bit too short, too: The Muppets lose Animal. They find him almost immediately. They find his mother almost immediately. No clues, no hard time searching. Gonzo finds out he's an alien. He comes to Piggy's show. Singer catches him, and... oh, that's the other story.
One of the main lessons I was taught as a dialogue writer was: "Picture your characters actually saying the words." I don't think some of the characters are actually saying their own words here, especially when they're talking to Kermit.
For instance, Fozzie would either call him "Kermit" or "Sir" (when he's nervous), but never "Kermit, sir." And what's up with Floyd calling him "boss"? Isn't that Scooter's line? Piggy is fine with me, but too sweet... and Animal kinda killed it with his "Moth-ther." Come on, this is a Frank Oz character! What happened to "MOM-MY! MOM-MY!"
Isha
Matos:
I love the way that Animal screams "KILL!"
I think in today's children's books that would have been censored out.
Jim M:
Why do all the parents of the Muppets always look so old? I've always thought they end up looking more like grandparents. I just think that's a bit odd.
Wallace in Rehab
Danny Horn:
The thing I really like about this book is the art. I miss the days of painted Muppet Show books. I think the picture on page 25 is really striking, with Animal reaching out of the van window. I also love the picture of everybody's feet. Miss Piggy lifting up her muddy shoe in alarm is very effective.
Something that I like about Muppet books is they get to do some things that would be too expensive or difficult to do on the show, like go driving around town or show all the characters' feet. You just don't see a shot like that on TV, and it makes the characters look three-dimensional and real.
Something that's weird about the art, which I also like in kind of a perverse way, is how the depiction of Miss Piggy is amazingly behind the times. Piggy stopped wearing that plain lavender dress around 1978, when she became a superstar and got her own wardrobe designer.
This book was published in 1983, by which point she'd appeared in The Great Muppet Caper, Miss Piggy's Guide to Life, three popular calendars... At that point, the world was full of photos of Miss Piggy in thousands of different outfits and hairstyles, and with an updated face design. So why did William Cleaver choose to paint the 1978 model Piggy? It's a mystery.
Scott
Hanson:
Hey, I hadn't picked up on that, but now that you mention it, yeah. How freaky. It's like Cleaver stopped watching The Muppet Show in the middle of the second season, and based his Piggy on that.
I also love the page with all their feet, but I think my favorite shot is of Floyd on page 13 resting by the foot of the tree. I can just see Zoot on the other side of it, taking a nap with his hands folded, his legs outstretched in front of him, and his hat pulled down over his eyes. In fact, I think Floyd is my favorite drawn character in this book. Just something about the colors and shading used, and seeing him full body like that.
Michal:
I remember reading this book when I was little and hating that picture of all the shoes. I found it much more boring than the pictures with facial expressions. Although now that I'm all growed up and can experience the full artistic effect... Yeah, it's pretty cool to see Happy Muppet Feet on occasion.
All in all, I think the illustrations were my favorite part of the book. Mostly I thought the dialogue and characters were over-simplified, although I loved those few Fozzie and Floyd lines that were right on target.
Did anyone else wonder why a LaVerne might name her kid "Animal"? I'd have thought that they'd move backward through the taxonomy, and maybe name Animal's mother Vertebrate.
Scott Hanson:
I'm thinking Animal is just a nickname. Actually, it's funny to think that LaVerne would be so simple as to name her kid Animal, but the conspiracy theorist in me is looking for deeper meaning to such things. I postulate that Animal has a real name that's only been revealed on the lost back pages of some book/record set or illustrated panel somewhere waiting to be discovered by some freak like one of us.
It should be something like Irving or Wallace.
Ryan Roe:
I have this book. I remember my mom doing some of the voices when she read it aloud to my siblings.
The Oscar the Grouch cameo always delighted me, and it's always weird to see Janice's feet.
John Hamilton:
"The Case of the Missing Mother" made me realize that, when it comes to family, we should never take people for granted. Animal didn't realize how much his moth-ther meant to him until he was spending time in a rather spartan Muppet rehab facility -- one chair, one soft drink, chained to the wall. By then it was too late, as LaVerne, prone to denial and running away from her own family's problems, had flown the coop.
Oh wait, he just lost her address? Never mind. I guess the lesson is to not lose addresses.
As for LaVerne's parenting skills: I think LaVerne, being a bohemian artist herself, gave Animal lots of room to grow as a child, and never made him feel tied to the home or her apron strings.
This gave Animal, nee Irving or Wallace, the freedom to be the creative musician he is today in 1983. However, progressive parenting can also have its downside, as Animal frequently felt abandoned, lost, and completely alone in the world. It's not a big surprise he turned to whatever landed him in Muppet Rehab.
Animal's mother is a tad precious, don't you think? The bows? Come on.
But I do appreciate the economy of the illustrations. Who knew Central Park had a fire station, bowling alley and train tracks, all in the same grassy area?
Book : Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3
Muppet Book Club: "Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree"