ToughPigs

This past Sunday, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the New York Toy Fair, where all of the toy companies come out to show their wares. ToughPigs' own Martha and Andrea were with me as we used our finely-tuned Sixth Sense to spot anything with a Sesame or Muppet logo. And that Sixth Sense was invaluable, as there were hundreds upon hundreds of booths. We were lucky enough to see some great toys that are coming out in the next year, and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't share the news? A pretty crummy friend, that's what. Well, crummy ain't in my profile, so here's some fun things to whet your whistle.

Master Replicas/Corgi

It's times like these that I wish I had a business card with the ToughPigs logo. Because dropping the "I write for a Muppet fan website" shout-out is apparently good enough to get us inside Corgi's closed doors, but not good enough to take pictures or ask detailed questions. Thankfully someone out there was able to grab photos, so you can see what I'm talking about.

The Kermit, Animal, Gonzo, and Fozzie Master Replicas photo puppets were on display. It was the first time I'd seen the Animal, Gonzo and Fozzie ones up close. There's a lot of good to be said for Animal, though I'm still convinced that his facial hair is all wrong. But the ostridge feathers are very pretty, and they flow like he's alive when there's a breeze. Gonzo looks great, with the exception of his nose, which is not-so-arguably the most important feature to get right. I understand the problems that arise when using foam, but I would have much preferred if they caved in and built a nose out of hard plastic. Fozzie, as TP's own Martha put it, makes up for all of the ugly Fozzie merchandise we've ever had. He's beautiful and perfect. I can't think of anything bad to say about him. He's a little shorter than I pictured him, but it fits with the sizes of the other photo puppets. I can only hope that he's affordable, as I pretty much need to own one.


The other Muppet product in Corgi's hidden room was five small Electric Mayhem figurines. They were very pretty, but the design was just flawed enough to make a shopper second-guess. The person I spoke to didn't have any details, but she said that the figures will be sold on the higher-end. Meaning that if they aren't perfect, and they're a little more expensive, they'll probably sell approximately 3 of them. And they'll all be Animal, because everyone loves Animal. Eat drums.



Gund

The Gund showroom was also closed to the public, so we decided to be sneaky and see how much we could see before someone noticed us. Most of the toys were nothing new. Dolls and puppets and some Abby Cadabby stuff. What caught my eye was a beautiful Count von Count doll. He really looked just like the puppet, and I'll shell out some dough for it. Another new (to me, at least) item I saw was Twiddlebug finger puppets. It's an idea so natural, I'm upset with myself for not thinking of it first. At that point, someone realized that we weren't important and we were shown the door. Well, the joke's on you, Gund, because I'm promoting your products anyway! Ha HA!

MINDstyle/Dark Horse

MINDstyle and Dark Horse had two booths across from each other, so forgive me if I didn't bother to tell them apart. They had all of the City Critters out on display, which are very nice. Not quite as Muppety as I'd like, but they're fun little toys. There were three Dark Crystal statues on display, including a pretty statue of Jen and Kira with the Crystal Shard. But the highlights were the Fraggle Rock toys.


First off, there is an 8" Doozer. And he's beautiful. Though Doozers are so simple, I'd imagine they'd be hard to mess up (I'm sure that won't stop the toy companies from trying). They had just received the Doozer that morning, so they didn't have any details yet, but they said he will probably be on a slightly higher-end than an action figure. I'll do some research to try and find out more about it.


The other Fraggle surprise was the upcoming Fraggle Rock blind-boxed figures. They're maybe about 2 1/2" tall, slightly stylized, and very very pretty. Characters include: Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, Red, Traveling Matt, two Doozers on a Doozer construction, the Trash Heap's head, Pa Gorg's head, Sprocket's head (with bowl), and two generic Fraggles. I'm a little surprised that they included the two generic Fraggles above Junior or Ma Gorg, Cantus, Convincing John, or even some sort of variant (Boober dressed as the Old Gypsy Lady?). The other strange part is that each character is placed on top of an alphabet block. I'd think that these would be marketed toward an older crowd, so the "educational" value might be better left off. Plus, I have no idea what learning letters has to do with Fraggle Rock. But other than that, these figures are terrific, and I can't wait to own them. I'm not excited about the blind-boxes, but a Muppet fan's gotta do what a Muppet fan's gotta do. And that's spend a lot of money.

Toy Vault

The good people at Toy Vault were nice enough to let me take pictures, so I'll let them speak for themselves. And in case my photo skillz aren't good enough for you, here you'll see a pillow with the Dark Crystal logo, a plush Fizzgig (with giant, scary opening mouth), plush of Rygel from Farscape, Labyrinth Door Knocker plush (I can only assume the other one will be produced as well), and a Talking Ludo plush (unfortunately, the demo didn't have the voice chip yet, but he's adorable anyway).



Deal Makers

This is a Dutch company that makes Sesamstraat wooden toys like scooters, toy trains, toy cars, and the like. Their American counterpart will soon be selling these toys (with the Sesame Street logo, I'd wager), and I happen to think they're cutie patootie. I especially like the cars, which wobble as they roll. They've got a vintage look to them, and I'm a sucker for toys that don't even try to be "realistic". Just a wooden ball with Ernie's face painted on it, that's all I need. Also pictured are some Sesamstraat bicycle bells. Not yo-yo's, as I originally assumed.




Putumayo Kids

The last booth we visited was Putumayo Kids, which specializes in international CDs and DVDs. They had a video playing of their new release, called "Sesame Street Playground," which is a compilation of songs and skits from all of the different Sesame Street productions from around the world (subtitled for the mono-lingualled like myself). The video looked like a lot of fun, and it's always interesting to see Elmo trouncing about in some foreign nation. The DVD will come packaged with a CD, so get ready for some new-to-us material from Sesame Workshop! The art in the image is the final album art without the text added yet.


Unfortunately, we were not able to get access to the Fisher Price room where they were unveiling the new Elmo Live doll. But you can see some video of the unbelievable living Elmo here.

So, I hope you enjoyed this quick review of Toy Fair, and I hope you feel like you were there too. If you do, you owe me $8 for the cab. C'mon man, we said we were splitting it! Don't be that guy.

Click here to get all excited over toys that won't hit the shelves for another 8 months on the ToughPigs forum!

Labels: DVD, Fraggle Rock, Master Replicas, merchandise, review, Sesame Street

There's been a lot going on in the news over the last few weeks, and unfortunately our news writers are all on strike. So here's a brief catch-up on the highlights:

The Muppet Show: Season 3 has been announced for a May 20, 2008 release. All 24 episodes are there, and they'll hopefully be edit-free. Fozzie's extreme closeup made the cover, and the special features include the new documentary, "The Making of the Muppets" and the old documentary, "Muppets on Puppets."

Fraggle Rock: Season 4, also known as Seasons 4 and 5 (HBO split the final production season into two broadcast seasons) will be out on DVD this fall. Not much more information than that has been added, but we're all that much closer to owning all documented footage of Fraggle spelunking.

And most recently, the Jim Henson Company has announced that they will be making the entire series of Fraggle Rock and Farscape available on iTunes. Episodes will cost $1.99 each, and the first seasons of each are already online.

So there you have it, lots of old Muppety stuff to watch and to watch out for.

Take a peek at the ToughPigs forum to discuss the above newsbits!

Labels: DVD, Fraggle Rock, jim henson company, the muppet show

O, what chaos hath New York Times writer Virginia Heffernan wrought?

If you own the Sesame Street Old School DVDs (volume 1 was released last year, volume 2 earlier this month), you've seen that they include a brief disclaimer: “These early Sesame Street episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.” That's it... just a brief note delivered by a cartoon character before the first episode on each set. Last week Heffernan wrote a clever, light-hearted article about this in the New York Times Magazine, asking with tongue-in-cheek indignation what could possibly be so wrong with the episodes that brought up a generation.

Since then, the internet has taken notice of the article, and if there's one thing internet people are great at, it's overreacting. Entertainment websites and the blog world are now abuzz with former Sesame viewers in their late 20s through early 40s expressing the shock, dismay and outrage caused by their misinterpretation of the Sesame Workshop's cautionary notice. People, basically, are freaking out. Fox News even ran an incredulous, uninformed piece about it.

How do we, as Sesame Street fans who know better, talk some sense into these people? Well, picture the following scenario. BINKY and BUNKY are your coworkers, or your fellow partygoers, or on a bus with you, and they're former Sesame viewers who have just heard the story. As our scene begins, they're chatting just before you happen to come along...

BINKY: Hey, you know that show Sesame Street?

BUNKY: Yeah! I loved watching Sesame Street back in the 1970s when I was a kid!

BINKY: Me too! I also enjoyed watching that television show in the 1970s. So, I just read on some random blog somewhere that the old Sesame Street is on DVD now, but it comes with a warning that you should never let your kids see it because it's inappropriate!

BUNKY: No!

BINKY: Yes!

BUNKY: No!

BINKY: Yes!

BUNKY: NO!

BINKY: YES! They said it's because Cookie Monster used to hold a pipe sometimes!

BUNKY: Is that all? That's nothing! We saw Cookie Monster with a pipe and we turned out just fine!

BINKY: I know! If you ask me, everyone on Sesame Street could smoke a pipe, and it wouldn't be that big a deal.

BUNKY: Yeah, it's not like the kids at home are going to start smoking right there in front of the TV!

BINKY: They also said it was politically incorrect that Ernie and Bert's apartment was dirty!

BUNKY: I have no idea what that means or why it would be a reason not to let little kids watch, but I'll take your word for it because you read it in some random blog! And I'm indignant!

BINKY: You're telling me! Oh, and the same thing I read said that if the show started today, they wouldn't be allowed to have Oscar the Grouch!

BUNKY: A world without Oscar?! O, horror of all horrors! How dare they say such a thing?!

BINKY: I know! Why, I can remember watching Sesame Street while sitting on the floor with my favorite teddy bear. My grandmother gave me that teddy bear! Are they trying to say that my grandmother is inappropriate for today's children?!!

BUNKY: Those scoundrels! Sesame Street is way too politically correct now!

BINKY: It's all Elmo's fault, somehow.

BUNKY: You're right, of course! Ever since they let him come in and take over the show, and start starring in and writing and directing every episode, the show has been ruined!

BINKY: Yes! Elmo destroyed everything! And then they changed Cookie Monster's name to "Raw Organic Asparagus Monster!"

BUNKY: Oh, yeah. I heard about that from my cousin Melvin, who read it on the internet... so it must be true!

BINKY: What's next? I bet they'll turn the Count into a pink, fuzzy kitten because vampires are too scary!

BUNKY: I bet they will! Outrage!

BINKY: And then they'll get rid of Big Bird, just because he runs around naked all the time!

BUNKY: Today's children are growing up so deprived because their television experience is not exactly identical to ours! This is a subject worthy of getting furious over!

BINKY: Grr!

BUNKY: My entire childhood has just been invalidated! Grr!

(At this point, YOU, the Rational,Grown-Up Sesame Fan, enter the scene.)

YOU: Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear...

BINKY: Who are you?

YOU: I'm a rational grown-up Sesame Street fan.

BUNKY: You don't say.

YOU: Sure I do.

BUNKY: Far out.

YOU: So, it sounds like you've got your Christmas lights in a tangle, so to speak, over the disclaimer on the Old School DVDs. Tell me, have you actually seen these DVDs?

BINKY: Well, no. But I watched the show when I was a kid, and I --

YOU: And you turned out just fine, I know. I can tell just by looking at you. But did you know that Sesame Workshop, the producer of Sesame Street, constantly does research and testing to determine how to make the best possible show that will simultaneously educate and entertain children?

BUNKY: Um...

YOU: Well, they do. Now, do you think a toddler in the year 2007 is exactly the same as a toddler in the year 1974?

BUNKY: I guess not.

YOU: So isn't it possible that the type of show that can most effectively teach a child while also holding his or her interest in the year 2007 is different from the type of show that accomplished the same feat in 1974?

BUNKY: Huh. I guess so. But my friend sent me a link to a blog by some guy who saw a report about it on Fox News, and he said --

YOU: It may be true that seeing Cookie Monster as Alistair Cookie holding a pipe didn't persuade you to become a smoker. It may also be true that you didn't suffer lead poisoning from playing on playground equipment containing lead paint. Does that mean you want your children to play with lead paint?

BINKY: Gosh, Mr. or Ms. YOU. I never thought about it that way.

YOU: Anyway, here's the important part: The disclaimer doesn't say, "Do not under any circumstances let kids see this stuff because it's bad for them." It just says it "may not suit the needs of today's pre-school children." Now, if you had watched these DVDs, you'd know that the first episode includes a slow-moving, seven-minute segment on milking cows with droning, repetitious narration. Does that sound like the kind of thing today's kids would sit still for?

BINKY: Um... yes?

YOU: Really?

BINKY: No.

YOU: No. There's also a film sequence about unsupervised children playing in a construction site. We could debate whether or not watching that is damaging to kids, but can you blame Sesame Workshop for covering themselves by putting a disclaimer in front of something like that?

BUNKY: Hey, I milked a cow once!

YOU: By the way, since I have your attention, when you complain about today's Sesame Street... have it you seen it lately?

BINKY: Is this a trick question?

YOU: If you were to watch it, you would see that Cookie Monster is still gorging on cookies. Just about every day, in fact, when he and Prairie Dawn do the Letter of the Day segment.

BUNKY: Is Prairie Dawn the same one as Betty Lou?

YOU: Besides, Cookie Monster has been eating healthy foods in addition to cookies for decades. In Old School volume 2, there's a sketch from the mid-70s in which he gets excited about eating lettuce leaves.

BINKY: Get outta town!

YOU: I will not. The Count is still around too, and so are all your other favorite characters.

BINKY: Like Sam the Robot?!

YOU: ...almost all your other favorite characters.

BINKY: So what you're saying is, we shouldn't get all worked up over a few words at the beginning of one disc of a three-disc DVD set whose only purpose is to point out that there's a difference between the 1970s and the 2000s?

YOU: Right.

BINKY: And that just because the stuff we have fond memories of might not be the same stuff that's the best way for today's kids to have fun learning doesn't mean our fond memories are any less valid?

YOU: Right.

BUNKY: And that the counting cartoon with the pinball machine and the "onetwothree FOUR FIVE sixseveneight NINE TEN eleven twelve" song is awesome?

YOU: Well, I hadn't said that, but yes, that's correct.

BINKY: Oh, wise Rational Grown-up Sesame Fan, you've certainly helped me to see things differently.

BUNKY: I'll say! I'm going to stop complaining about Sesame Street DVDs and concern myself with something far more important... like complaining about who won this year's Dancing with the Stars!

YOU: That's the spirit...

BINKY: What's more, I think we should run out and buy many, many copies of the Sesame Street Old School DVDs and distribute them to all our friends so everyone can see that this really isn't a big deal.

YOU: Now you're talkin'!

BINKY: And we should take this Rational Grown-up Sesame Fan out for ice cream, right now!

YOU: Sounds good to me. On the way over I'll explain why it's not necessary for you to hate and fear Elmo.

BUNKY: I can't wait!

CURTAIN.

So there you go. Make these points, and I guarantee your discussions will turn out just like this one, every time. Good luck, and try not to get an ice cream headache.

Click here to discuss this article on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: controversy, DVD, old school, Sesame Street

Thanksgiving is almost here! Do you know what I'm thankful for? Well yeah, okay, I'm thankful for underwear, but do you know what else? I'm thankful for the Fraggle Rock Complete Third Season DVD set. I realize it came out way back in September, but I'm still thankful for it. I am so full of thanks that I slosh when I walk, and I'm going to tell you about it:

I'm Thankful for Episodes I've Never Seen Before. With each new complete season release I grow closer, ever closer, to having seen all 96 episodes. I'll be sad when there are no more left for me to discover, because there are no other good television shows available on DVD. But until then, it's fun to see episodes that are new-to-me, and this season has some real doozies (Not to mention some real Doozers.)

In "The Beanbarrow, the Burden and the Bright Bouquet," Red's life is threatened by voracious foliage and she responds by singing a lullaby to a potted plant. In "Playing Till It Hurts," we meet Rock Hockey Hannah, probably the only Fraggle ever to wear earrings. Who knew they even HAD ears? "Scared Silly" is one of the weaker episodes of the season, but it is notable for affording a rare opportunity to see Boober acting like a total jerkwad. And "Bored Silly" is a great episode that's really representative of the Fraggle/Gorg relationship... I'd put it on a list of episodes to show a Fraggle neophyte.

I'm Thankful for Episodes I Know and Love. I was a kid and fan of Fraggle Rock during its original run, but I didn't have HBO. Heck, my hometown didn't even have cable yet. I had four channels to choose from, and if the picture got fuzzy, I had to climb up on the roof and adjust the antenna. And I was four years old! So I relied on tapes of Fraggle Rock recorded by my awesome, big-city-dwelling, HBO-having aunt.

A number of those episodes are present here: There's "Wembley and the Mean Genie," with an outstanding performance by Richard Hunt as a genie who's nowhere near as sexy or eager to please as Barbara Eden, although it should be noted that you can't see his belly button either, but it's not so much because of censors as it is because he's a puppet. There's "Boober and the Glob" -- the first Fraggle episode I ever saw, back before I even knew that Fraggles were Muppets -- in which Boober, who can't tell a joke to save his life, has to tell a joke to save someone else's life. "The Secret Society of Poobahs" is here too, with a terrific and occasionally side-splitting Jerry Juhl-penned script about Mokey's attempts to join the ranks of a secret society.

I'm Thankful for the Ever-expanding Universe. By this time all the characters were well-established, so the writers started exploring the world beyond the day-to-day lives of the five principals. There's an all-Gorg episode ("The Battle of Leaking Roof"), as well as two episodes with scenes that take place outside the confines of the Gorg's estate. "The Cavern of Dreams" and "Gunge the Great and Glorious" teach us about Doozer history and politics, and in "Born to Wander," we find out how Uncle Traveling Matt first became an explorer. We even get to see him without his moustache! (Spoiler: He looks weird.)

I'm Thankful for the Presentation of the DVD. We should all bake up some delicious brownies and send them to HIT Entertainment. For the third time now, they've given us a lovely package, suitable for viewing. The episodes all look and sound fine to me, although some of the colors occasionally seem too bright or too dull, but that might just be my TV. (I'll post a review of my TV here next week.)

And talk about extras! Okay, I will. After season one's replica of Jim Henson's brainstorming notebook and season two's copy of the Fraggle Rock pitch book, I was wondering what artifact might remain for inclusion here... a photo of Jerry Juhl's typewriter? A copy of Kathy Mullen's dry cleaning receipts? Well, those aren't here, but instead we get pages and pages of designer Michael Frith's sketches and concept drawings for "The Origin of the Rock." It's fascinating, it comes in a nifty-looking fake pouch, and it's all accompanied by Frith's commentary. Say, did you know that an early incarnation of the Trash Heap was originally conceived as a Sesame Street character? Neither did I -- until now! Just make sure you don't read these in front of an industrial fan, because they're just loose pages, easily susceptible to blowing away.

Oh, and did I mention the featurettes? I hope the producers of the Muppet Show season sets are paying attention, because this is the way to make fans happy. We'd be doing cartwheels and backflips to get this level of quality in our Muppet Show extras.

The 30-minute "Season 3 overview" would have been good enough, with new interview footage of the show's writers talking about how various episodes came to be. For example, "Believe It or Not" came about because writer Jocelyn Stevenson wanted to do an episode about the fact that we all create our own reality, and what you believe things is to be is the way you end up perceiving them. (Is this heavy stuff for a kids' show, or what?) And then you have your "How the heck did they do that?" technical shorts, and your new interviews, including one with Gerry Parkes, the actor who played Doc, and who seems like a wonderfully sweet old man.

As is perhaps obvious, I'm an enormous geek, and I devour any kind of behind-the-scenes footage, so the one featurette that comes as the biggest delightful surprise is "Scared Silly - Art Imitating Life," which is basically footage of the Fraggle folks sitting around talking about how much fun they used to have scaring the heck out of each other on the set. Really, watching the entire "bonus disc" feels like sitting in on a reunion of the cast and crew of the show as they reminisce about what a great few years the show was, and I don't know about you, but I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

Having Said That... I'm trying to find something to complain about, but I gotta say, it's difficult. Actually, there is one thing that bugs me. So, there's a postcard from Uncle Traveling Matt in almost every episode of the series, right? Which means they had to come up with 90-something things for him to misunderstand. Apparently season three was when they started running out of good ideas. Rollercoasters and trains are funny, but lightswitches? Not as funny. One episode's postcard features Matt encountering a mirror and mistaking his reflection for an ugly creature who wants to steal his food. Come on. Matt's stupid, but doesn't it stretch credibility to suggest that he has no clue what he looks like?

So, Yeah. I'm thankful for the show, and I'm thankful for HIT, and I'm thankful for these DVDs. They may not taste as good as the mashed potatoes with gravy I'm planning eat on Thanksgiving, but on the other hand, they don't make a big mess when you put them in the DVD player.

Click here to discuss Fraggle Rock: Complete Third Season on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: DVD, Fraggle Rock, review

Ah, Sesame Street. My earliest Muppet memories are of watching you while I sit in my diapers, eating Cheerios by hand, visions of sugarplums in my head. And with the new Old School DVD sets, I can revert back to my child-like ways, if only through the magic of television.

Through Old School, we get to see all of our favorite characters. Like Bert and Ernie. And Mr. Snuffleupagus. And Herry Monster, and Grover Monster, and Oscar-who-is-not-a-Monster. Even Headline Howie is in there somewhere. And let’s not forget everyone’s most favorite character, the folder icon.

Wait, what?

Well, faith and begorah, there’s a folder icon on this DVD set! This must be some sort of terrible, terrible mistake made by some designer in the bowels of the Sesame Workshop design department. But when, I ask, when has Sesame Workshop ever made a mistake before? Identifying it as a mistake must have been some sort of terrible, terrible mistake.

There must be an explanation for this!

Perhaps the fine folks at Sesame Workshop have caught wind of the critically acclaimed Niche Muppet project here at ToughPigs.com and decided to create a brand new character to cater toward kids who love Apple computers. Yes, that must be it. That’s Mac, the Apple Folder, who beguiles kids by Photoshopping their faces onto different shapes, and criticizes Bert for being a PC user.

But why would a new character be on a vintage DVD set? No, this explanation is no good. Maybe the folder is the letter of the day! Yes of course, the letter of the day! Maybe PBS has upped the order of annual Sesame Street episodes to 27, and to fill the extra slot, the letter of the day is replaced by a folder. A folder that can contain any letter imaginable. For example, the letter O for “Oops.” Or the letter M for “My bad.” Or the letter W for “Why is this folder here?”

OK, so maybe the letter-of-the-day concept is too complex for a two-year-old. Hey, it looks like the folder might be attached to that mailbox. Perhaps that’s the new icon for the United States Postal Service. Or maybe Sherlock Hemlock lives in that little mailbox and he put it up there so people know that the world’s greatest detective lives inside.

Maybe Rodeo Rosie is behind that icon, and the Sesame Workshop executives want us to forget she ever existed, so they blocked her with a folder.

Or maybe you can see a puppeteer’s arm under there, and when someone asked the designer to Photoshop over it, he misunderstood and entered the Photoshop folder into the image.

Or maybe that’s where they’re storing Old School: Volume 3, safely hidden away in a 2-dimensional image.

Or maybe that’s one of Cookie Monster’s hiding places for his cookies. You know he’s got to have them stored all over Sesame Street, just in case the urge hits.

Or maybe the folder is Mr. Snuffleupagus’ imaginary friend. Notice how Snuffy is staring at it while nobody else can see it?

Or maybe it’s just a mistake. And Sesame Street has taught us, everyone makes them.

Click here to overanalyze tiny flubs on the ToughPigs forum!

Labels: DVD, old school, Sesame Street

The new DVD Sesame Street Old School: Volume 2 was released last Tuesday, November 6. Do you have it yet? Well, you should, because it's groovy.

The set picks up where Volume 1 left off, covering 1974 to 1979, so if you were a kid watching the show during those years you'll be bathed in warm, soothing nostalgia. If you weren't born yet during those years, you'll get to see what the show looked like when Susan had an Afro. And if you were the president of the United States during those years, you're either Jimmy Carter or the late Gerald Ford, in which case you probably didn't have much time to watch children's television, so here's your chance to catch up.

There are a lot of great Muppet sketches here... By this time, the familiar characters were established, and Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson and Richard Hunt were really at the top of their game. In these three discs we get stuff like Cookie Monster exasperating a librarian, Grover and Biff inventing the wheel, and Kermit helping Don Music write his latest hit song "Yankee Doodle." Oh, and I know this one's not Muppets, but there's also Maria smashing pies in the faces of Bob, Luis and David.

A few years ago, I would have thought it very unlikely that we'd ever see a Sesame Street DVD release aimed at the grown-up nostalgia market, but between the two Old School releases we now we have a total of ten full episodes from the early years available. I don't know about you, but I'm already looking forward to Volume 3.

Click here to talk about Old School Volume 2 on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: DVD, old school, Sesame Street

Don't be so glum, chum! Today's the big day! You know, the day. From the calendar. The calendar with the days in it.

Today is the day when the third season of Fraggle Rock is released onto DVD. So go to your local Best Boy, Circular City, or Virginia Mega Store and pick it up before a Gorg catches you.

Where else can you see a Philo and Gunge-centric episode? Or Fraggle fraternity hazing? Or another Philo and Gunge-centric episode? How about some of your favorite characters, like Uncle Gobo, Begoony, and the triumphant return of Wander McMooch!

So get out there and buy some DVDs, or else you may end up like the Fraggles below. It's not a threat, just an insistent reminder.

Click here to do the Trash Heap's bidding and discuss this article on the ToughPigs forum!

Labels: DVD, Fraggle Rock

The second season of The Muppet Show has now officially been out on the market for about two weeks. And if you're a decent sort of Muppet fan, you'll have already watched it several times, nitpicked it to death, and cried over all of the scenes with Miss Mousey.

But if you haven't watched the second season yet, you are in luck. I have gone through the trouble of picking out the very best scenes from every episode and prepared them in an easy-to-read format for your enjoyment.

So without further ado-doo-do-do-doo, here are 24 spectacular scenes and riveting reasons to watch The Muppet Show: Season Two.

Episode 1 - Don Knotts

The many faces of Don Knotts!

Episode 2 - Zero Mostel

There is nothing in the world more satisfying than Zero Mostel trying to murder Sam the Eagle with a hammer. Except maybe when he points his gun at Sam, then points it into his own mouth when Sam turns around, while Sam hardly flinches.

Episode 3 - Milton Berle

MAKEUP!

Episode 4 - Rich Little

It's comforting to know that world-famous impersonator Rich Little crashes and burns when he attempts to do the voices of Fozzie, Kermit and Piggy.

It's more comforting to know that Mark Hamill can do a better job at it.

Episode 5 - Judy Collins

Judy Collins' strung-out performance. Note her muffled bewilderment at Crazy Harry's explosion and the sincerity with which she sings a ballad in front of three incredibly creepy clowns.

Episode 6 - Nancy Walker

The biting honesty when Nancy Walker admits to Fozzie that the show is a flop, right after picking up his spirits with a jaunty song. It's like I'm watching an episode of "Rhoda"!

Episode 7 - Edgar Bergen

Charlie McCarthy does nothing but insult the Muppets in any way he can muster, only to be asked to join their motley clan. And how does he thank them? More insults! Thanks, you wooden jackass.

Episode 8 - Steve Martin

Richard Hunt's laugh. Go ahead, try not to think about it. You can't.

Episode 9 - Madeline Kahn

Because Madeline Kahn was once the sexiest, most talented women in entertainment.

Episode 10 - George Burns

Didn't want to dooo ittt...

Episode 11 - Dom DeLuise

Because where else will you find a sci-fi Dom DeLuise playing whack-a-mole with Merdlidops? Other than that one episode of "Studio 60", I mean.

Episode 12 - Bernadette Peters

Because all you really need is for Gloat, Miss Mousey, and Droop to believe in you.

Episode 13 - Rudolph Nureyev

Because Sam the Eagle spends a half hour convincing the Muppets to wear tuxedos, only to feel insulted when Rudolph Nureyev wears one.

Episode 14 - Elton John

Two words: shag carpet.

Episode 15 - Lou Rawls

Because no other show has a blurry Lou Rawls as a guest star.

Episode 16 - Cleo Laine

Because you can pinpoint the exact moment when Cleo Laine's career ended. Here's a two-word hint: Bruce Schwartz.

*EDITED to say that according to ToughPigs contributor David, despite Bruce Schwartz's best efforts, Cleo Laine's career apparently is alive and well. You can read all about it here.

Episode 17 - Julie Andrews

Because Julie Andrews owns a cow.

Episode 18 - Jaye P. Morgan

Because at one point, Jaye P. Morgan's head gets caught on fire.
And then she imitates Dr. Teeth's mouth-open-and-head-nodding-thing-that-Muppets-do-after-a-song-thing.

Episode 19 - Peter Sellers

Because it's the only Muppet Show episode that can possibly get away with a Nazi-esque character.

Episode 20 - Petula Clark

Shameless promotion.

Episode 21 - Bob Hope

Because I been through the desert on a horse with no knees...

Episode 22 - Teresa Brewer

Because Teresa Brewer is a fatty fatty boom batty. Lookit all those treats!

Episode 23 - John Cleese

Because the pirate sketch is the best non-Monty Python sketch ever performed by 1/6 of the troupe.

Episode 24 - Cloris Leachman

Because Cloris Leachman gets booed in the first 15 seconds of the show. By a bunch of vegetables.

And there you have it, folks. 24 episodes, 24 great reasons to buy season 2 on DVD. And if that ain't enough, maybe you should try the H.R. Pufinstuf fan site.

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Labels: DVD, fanaticism, lists, the muppet show

Hey, remember when the Muppets used to make funny things? Cast your mind back. I have fond memories of those days, and I've been missing them terribly.

So here's an example. Gonzo and Rizzo are asked by an interviewer, "What is friendship?" And Gonzo says, "Well, if you look at, you know, from his point of view -- or, actually, cause you're asking from my point of view... Okay, well, from my point of view, I look at it, see, what I do is I look it through his point of view."

He goes on. "And when I'm looking through Rizzo's eyes at me, feeling things about him, to describe our friendship... then, what I'll do is, I'll get some therapy, and, uh..."

"Wait a second, wait a second," Rizzo interrupts.

Gonzo says, "Wait, what was the question?"

"This is a very complicated answer," Rizzo shrugs.

Gonzo explains that he's been in therapy for fifteen years. The interviewer asks, "Ever thought of changing your therapist?"

"I don't have a therapist," Gonzo says. "I do it myself."

"Self-therapy," Rizzo adds.

"Yeah," Gonzo nods. "It's cheaper that way."

And there you go, it's as easy as that. Point a camera at a couple of Muppets, and that's what they do; they act funny. Now that you think of it, it's amazing that they haven't tried it before.

This exchange, by the way -- I should explain where this exchange comes from -- it's from the new Muppet Show: Season Two DVD set, which is coming out next week. There's a bonus feature called "The Muppets on Muppets", which is twelve minutes of this kind of stuff.

Miss Piggy claims that she has a vacation house in Maine where she hosts elaborate parties. Fozzie asks Kermit why he gets so upset when he talks about Piggy. Pepe says that he has three secrets for success, which he calls Pepe's three secrets for success, okay, and he can't tell you the first one, because it's a secret. Animal, straining at the end of his chain, admits that he likes bunny rabbits.

It's just good stuff, good ol' fashioned Muppets being amusing type stuff. It feels like it's improvised -- but it might just be the kind of writing and performing that makes you think it's improvised. The performers slip right into these characters with a natural, easy charm, as if it hasn't been two years since their last movie.

Oh, and there's also some Muppet Show episodes on this set, a whole season's worth, and it's a great season, too. John Cleese is forced to sing "To Dream the Impossible Dream", Rudolf Nureyev performs "Swine Lake" with a giant pig ballerina, Miss Piggy hires Scooter to bribe the audience, Bernadette Peters sings "Just One Person" to cheer up Robin the Frog.

They're comfortable enough with the show at this point to start playing with the format, so they hold auditions for new acts in the Steve Martin episode, and the pigs take over the show in the Cloris Leachman episode. "Pigs in Space" is introduced, Beaker joins Bunsen Honeydew in the Muppet Labs skits, and the whole show just comes together in surprising and remarkable new ways. If you haven't seen these episodes in a long time -- this is where your fond memories of the show begin.

The episodes are uncut, which is unbelievably great, and they look gorgeous and clear. And The Muppet Valentine Show is on it, and the Weezer video. I even like the packaging; they didn't use the tired old ugly poser photos that have been ruining my day since 1999. I honestly can't say a bad thing about this set, and anybody who can is just being persnickety for the sake of it.

Remember when the Muppets were funny? They're being funny right now on my TV -- old funny stuff and new funny stuff, just like we've been waiting for. I love it. Make more of everything.

Labels: DVD, review, the muppet show

Look at your Muppet Show: Season One DVDs. I bet they're pretty lonely sitting there on the shelf with no other Muppet Show DVDs to pal around with, forced to make awkward small talk with your Munsters and Murphy Brown discs.

Well, now they're in luck, and so are you, and so am I, because it's been reported on numerous websites that The Muppet Show: Season Two will be available on DVD on August 7, with 24 episodes on four discs. Bonus features will include a featurette called "The Muppets on the Muppets," a feature on the Muppet-centric Weezer music video for "Keep Fishin'," and The Muppet Valentine special. Now fans of Don Knotts, Rivers Cuomo, and Mia Farrow all have reason to celebrate!

Season two is where we first meet Beaker, and the Pigs in Space crew, and of course it's packed with hilarity and music and comedy and probably some chickens, so it's great that this is finally being released, two years after the release of season one. In fact, this announcement has me so excited, I'm going to go watch the entire season one set again to prepare.

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Labels: DVD, the muppet show

First of all, there is no regard given to continuity. The show’s main set now has a tire swing, which is not only dangerous for children but also makes no sense. There’s no reason a tire swing would be added to this neighborhood. Still, if that were the only change, I’d probably be okay with it. But Oscar the Grouch, once a disgusting shade of orange, is now a visually pleasing green. As far as I can tell, this serves no purpose but to undermine his grumpy character. Even worse, the Muppet Ernie now wears a striped shirt. Last season, he was simply naked. I can only imagine this was done to discourage rumors that he and roommate Bert are meant to represent a homo-sexual couple.

I’m probably paying too much attention to the established characters anyway, as it looks like the show will be ignoring them in favor of a bevy of new ones. In particular, two new monster characters named Grover and The Cookie Monster are pushed heavily in the season premiere. Grover, a strange blue monster with oddly-placed eyes, appears in two sketches. The Cookie Monster appears in a whopping four. They even have one song together! It's clear these fuzzy new characters are nothing but crass attempts to sell more toys. The producers are foolish if they expect me to care about these abominations. The fact is I never will, and neither will anyone else.

A third new monster, the hideous Herry, is performed by a puppeteer named Jerry Nelson. That’s right – last year’s team of three Muppet performers (Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Caroll Spinney) has been expanded. I haven’t seen enough of this Nelson fellow to judge, but I can pretty much guarantee he’ll never match up to the seasoned veterans. Still, he’ll probably get a bunch of toy-selling characters of his own before too long. The focus on these dull new Muppets will certainly lead to less emphasis on old favorites such as Big Bird, Mr. Hooper, and Buddy & Jim.

Speaking of Buddy & Jim, it looks like they have been replaced by a married couple named Larry & Phyllis. Buddy & Jim, with their hilarious Abbott-&-Costello-style antics, were my favorite part of the show last year. This new pair simply sit on the couch and act like rather unintelligent children. If this is the type of Sesame Street sketch future generations of children will grow up to imitate, I want no part of it.

Larry is played by Alan Arkin, the star of Inspector Clouseau. This leads me to another way in which Sesame Street is ignoring its original goals– a ridiculous number of guest stars. In this premiere alone, we see Carol Burnett, Bill Cosby, Laugh-In’s Arte Johnson, and the entire cast of Bonanza. The show used to be focused on teaching kids and developing lovable characters of its own. Now it seems to be more concerned with showing off how cool it is among TV stars. It saddens me to see the show selling out in this way.

Another way the season premiere lowers the standards of the show is by resorting to tired references to popular culture. We got a bizarre detective character named Sherlock Hemlock, played by this upstart Nelson, who seems to be replacing Bert as Ernie’s new comedy partner. I have to wonder what crimes poor Arthur Conan Doyle ever committed to deserve this shoddy "tribute"?

Then we got a simply awful game show “parody” called “What’s my Part?” in which a panel with names such as “Arlene Frantic” and “Bennett Snerf” tried to guess the identity of a body part. Kids who see this will simply be confused, especially since the panel also includes another gratuitous appearance by The Cookie Monster. Worst of all, the host was a bland humanoid Muppet named Guy Smiley, performed by Jim Henson. If that name is supposed to be a pun, it isn't funny. And if the show keeps wasting Henson’s time with nonsense like this, I doubt he’ll ever have the time to play Kermit the Frog again.

Despite all of these distractions, the show has also decided to expand its curriculum. Last year, we were only taught to count to 10. This year the show is attempting to take us all the way to 20. This is a mistake, of course, because kids who have their brains stuffed full of Bill Cosby, tire swings and the Cookie Monster probably won’t be able to count to two, let alone twenty. If the show continues to go down this terrible new path, I can only predict that it will be cancelled before too long.
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Labels: DVD, old school, review, Sesame Street

So what do Sesame Street and Flatpoint, New Jersey have in common? They both play host to a filthy crack whore.

Okay, admittedly I probably could have come up with a better way to start the article. But since the filthy whore in question is Amy Sedaris, you get the feeling that's how she'd want it. Amy, of course, is best known for her role as Jerri Blank on the TV show Strangers With Candy but she's also familiar to Sesame fans as Snow White from an episode this past season, where she suffers a nervous breakdown in front of Elmo over the state of her dwarves.



I'm a big fan of Ms. Sedaris and I know a lot of people who are as well, so it'll be cool to be able to get that episode now that it's part of the creatively titled Sesame Street TV Episode Fun Pack Volume 2. This volume is noteable because it also contains the at-the-time controversial episode "Abby Cadabby Moves To Sesame Street". So this set will feature two girls who know how to raise a stink.

Each Pack of Fun (Volumes 1 and 2) contains two or three DVDs, with individual discs featuring a full episode of the show (from recent seasons) and available at Wal-Mart and on Sesame Workshop's online store. Available May 6th for $27, or go around to the alley out back and ask Julio for the good stuff. He'll know what you mean.

Labels: DVD, Sesame Street