I wish all my friends were more like Sesame Street, because Sesame Street has been celebrating its own birthday by giving us a ton of great presents. One of these, which I just finished consuming, is the two-disc DVD set 40 Years of Sunny Days.

Every season of the show is represented with at least one segment on this set, which pretty much guarantees you'll see some stuff you've known all your life, some stuff you've seen a time or two before, and at least one thing you've never seen.

For example, I had never seen the very first appearance of Telly Monster, in his initial incarnation as "the television monster." That's here, and it's almost worth the price of the DVD just to see it. That voice! Those swirling eyes! Boy, Telly's come a long way.

Then there's an appearance from the Fonz, and Bob and Linda performing "Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood" with an elevator operator, and some clips from the Hawaii episodes. (My goodness, but Mr. Hooper was hairy!) Oh, and Batman shows up at some point. It's a pretty comprehensive selection that goes way beyond the obvious.

The disc covering the first 20 seasons is a bit longer than the one covering seasons 21-40, and I'm guessing nobody's going to have a problem with that, as it's the old stuff that most people buying a Sesame retrospective DVD are looking for. So you got your Teeny Little Super Guy and your "Put Down the Duckie," and it all looks really fantastic, but there's plenty of great stuff from recent years, too. Mr. Noodle... Destiny's Child's cover of "I Got a New Way to Walk" with Zoe, Elmo, and Grover... season 40's groovealicious "Dance" iPod commercial parody... and "Can't Say the Alphabet Enough" by Gabi, Maria, and Gina, which I happen to love.

The extras are delightful too. There's a pretty healthy dose of "Behind the Street" footage that shows the cast and crew working on the show, and most of these focus on scenes that are included on the discs. As some folks on the Tough Pigs forum have noted, it seems like few people outside our little world of Muppet geeks would really be interested in a lot of this stuff, but that just proves that the Sesame people know we're out there and they want us to be entertained. (Hi, Sesame people! Thanks for the cool DVDs!)

My one and only fan-geek complaint is that I wish some of the clips were longer. I'm mostly talking about the street scenes... We get a few minutes of Snuffy being revealed to the grown-ups, and Gabriella's birth, and the hurricane, and so on, but it sure would have been nice to see a little bit more. It seems like we get an impression of what the episodes are about, and then it moves on to the next clip just as things are getting good.

My favorite part of the Snuffy story is when Phil Donahue comes in and hugs everyone, but that's not included. My favorite part of the baby Gabriella story is when Oscar sadistically withholds the news of the new baby from everyone, but that's not included either.

But that doesn't prevent this from being a dynamite DVD set. If you don't already have it, I suggest adding it to your Christmas wish list. If you do already have it, I suggest buying it for all your friends and family for Christmas. If they ever watched Sesame Street, chances are they'll dig it, and they'll thank you for getting "Ladybug Picnic" stuck in their heads.



Click here to talk about the 40th anniversary DVD on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: DVD, review, Sesame Street

A few weeks ago, I called upon you to submit your own redesign to the upcoming Letters to Santa DVD, which will sport the mysterious and captivating O-Sleeve. Much to my surprise, a few of you actually sent pictures in! Well done, few-of-you!

Let's take a looksee at what ToughPigs readers think of Letters to Santa and that pesky O-Sleeve.
Special thanks to everyone who submitted a picture! You guys are all aces in my book.

Click here to discuss Stephen King's level of talent on the ToughPigs forum!

Labels: Christmas, DVD, fan art, Muppet movies

Here's a secret: one of my all-time favorite Muppets isn't one that is seen regularly like your Grovers or Gonzos. Chances are you don't own any merchandise or DVDs with him in them. He doesn't even speak the Queen's English. I have a soft spot in my heart for Moishe Oofnik, Rechov Sumsum's resident hobo.

Fun Fact #1: Moishe might be the only Sesame Street Muppet to have gotten drunk on-screen.

Thankfully for me and the rest of Moishe's fan club, SISU Entertainment just released "Meet Oofnik the Grouch", a new DVD featuring everybody's favorite Israeli garbage-dweller. The DVD boasts three full episodes of Rechov Sumsum, plus bonus clips. The total running time came to about an hour, which already trumps the domestic Sesame DVDs, which usually come to about half that.

Fun Fact #2: "Meet Oofnik the Grouch" translates into "Meet Grouch the Grouch." It's like using your "PIN number" at an "ATM machine".

This being a foreign production, the video is naturally in Hebrew with English subtitles. While that wouldn't bother you or me, that's the one factor that might turn kids off. Vicariously, that might turn you off too if you're the one who little Timmy keeps asking "What did he say? Now what did she say? Now what did he say? Can I have more caffeine? I like turtles!"

Moishe, as you would guess, is just like his American counterpart, Oscar. They're both jerkfaces, they both live in trash cans, and they're both probably one step away from going postal on all of their neighbors.

In the first episode, Moishe demonstrates what he does when he's angry: he plays his noisemaker, which calms him down (why a Grouch would want to calm down is beyond me). Noah, the orange monster, has another method for cooling off, but he won't show it since he's not actually mad. In classic Grouch form, Moishe emasculates Noah for not being capable of anger, which of course makes him infuriated. Then Noah reveals his secret method as he begins adding numbers ("One and one are two, two and two are four..."), and the magic of mathematics sedates him into a near slumber. Though Moishe has been defeated, he still gets props for being able to piss off a kid in just 10 seconds flat.

The next episode features Avigile, a purple girlie-girl monster who speaks in the third person, much like another dude we know. Avigile tells Moishe that she wants to play with him, but like any self respecting Grouch, he tries to get rid of her by telling her that he's bringing out the dreaded "karambula." Avigile, shaken with fear, runs away to the safety of the grocery store where the clerk informs her that a karambula is just a star fruit. She introduces Avigile to some other fruits, and then Avigile goes back to Moishe's hovel to tell him that she still wants to play. Unfazed, Moishe then tries to scare her by threatening to bring out the "pasiflora," which Avigile coincidentally just learned is just a passion fruit. She then laughs right in Moishe's face, boasting that she's smarter than the homeless guy. And then I guess they played a game or something, we'll never know for sure. Moishe will apparently stoop pretty low to get rid of annoying children, even to go as far as threaten them with fruit.

Fun Fact #3: Monsters hate vitamin C.

In the third episode, everyone is playing "The Dwarf and the Giant," which is pretty much Secret Santa, but with a slightly politically incorrect name. Moishe is excited to get a Stinky Garbage Cake, which is made of mango peels, spinach, and rotten cucumbers. Unbeknownst to Avigile, Moishe is her "dwarf" and buys her a jar of the very best Spoiled Sardine Jelly. The ungrateful brat deduces who bought her the gift and says that it's the worst present she's ever gotten, with Moishe standing right next to her! Even though he already spent good money on the Grouch delicacy, Moishe disguises himself as Groucho Marx and forces himself to buy Avigile a "nice" gift. Kids these days, they're never happy.

There's a good deal of extra Moishe Oofnik sketches on the DVD in case you're not happy with just three. (C'mon, the guy is on the cover! Give the Grouch his screen time!) There's a sketch about Moishe wearing a watermelon peel as a hat, one where Moishe asks everyone in town to make as much noise as they can so he can fall asleep, and one where he thinks that kids never have anything important to say (and then ignores Avigile's warnings that the sign over his trash can is about to fall on his head). One sketch in particular involves Moishe trying to teach the kids at home that everyone is the same, which seems to be a valuable lesson for kids in the Middle East. He is then immediately countered by every person in town who tells Moishe how they're nothing like their neighbors. And then they all fought a war over the Gaza Strip, which is why you should always listen to Moishe Oofnik, kids.

Because the DVD contained full episodes, a few dubbed versions of our Sesame Street made the cut, with one Muppety skit for each one. A sketch I've never seen featuring Oscar, Grungetta, and a few other Grouches as cavemen inventing the word "Scram" (subtitled as "Get Lost", which is obviously not one word) was in the first episode. Bert singing "I've Got to Be Clean" also appeared, which proved to us that Bert has a lovely singing voice, even when he's singing in Hebrew. The last had another new-to-me sketch about Two Nosed, a kingdom of people with two noses ("They can sneeze twice at the same time!" What an astonishing mutant power!), where the king and queen won't allow their daughter to play with Elmo. They said it was because he only has one nose, but we all know it was because Two Nosed is constantly at war with Elmo's World.

All in all, I had a great time watching and rewatching this DVD. Moishe Oofnik is hilarious in his jerkitude and filthiness. And because it's a foreign product, every sketch is brand new to us. If you don't mind a little light reading while you watch your Sesame, this DVD is highly recommended.

Click here to visit SISU Entertainment's website, where you can order this DVD, as well as other Rechov Sumsum and Shalom Sesame DVDs and merchandise.
!לחץ כאן כדי לשוחח על אשפה בפורום הטאפ-פיגס
(Translation: Click here to talk trash on the ToughPigs forum!)

Labels: DVD, review, Sesame Street

So what’s all this I keep hearing about “going green?” People are going on and on about how recycling is good and carbon footprints are bad… or is it the other way around? Are my feet made of carbon? I don’t understand. You know what I need? I need somebody to explain the “green” movement to me as if I were three years old.

Well, I’m in luck, because there’s a new Sesame Street DVD out now called Being Green, which is all about saving our planet and crap like that. I couldn’t wait to find out about environmentalism, so I drove my Hummer to the video store, left it idling while I ran in to buy the DVD, then drove home and turned on all the lights in the house while I watched it.



With so few episodes of Sesame Street produced these days, these direct-to-video specials are like extra bonus episodes, and this one isn’t about to waste any of its running time... There are no opening credits, just the title, and then boom!, we’re on Sesame Street, where Elmo and Abby Cadabby are playing Hide and Seek.


Hey, remember when Zoe was Elmo’s best friend? Lately it sure looks like he’s ditched her for Abby. Man, Elmo’s so fickle. Or maybe Zoe was playing Hide and Seek with them, and she was so good at hiding that they never found her.

Anyway, the game is soon interrupted by a guy wearing a big, puffy globe. Why, it’s comic actor Paul Rudd, in the role of Mr. Earth! And he’s hosting the Earth-a-thon, a TV show that’s happening right here on Sesame Street!


So here are two things I like about this special: 1) They never try to pass Rudd off as being the actual planet Earth, or even the Spirit of the Earth or something silly like that. He comes right out and admits he’s “an actor in a ridiculously awkward Earth costume,” and it allows him some room to be loose and irreverent. 2) Every time anyone mentions the Earth-a-thon, they have to sing it, like this: “THE Earth-a-THOOOOON!” I highly recommend you do the same while reading this.

Elmo’s all like, “What the heck is an Earth-a-thon?” and Rudd explains that they’re taking calls from all over from people who want to help the Earth. Then he has to explain to Elmo and Abby what the Earth is. Man, those kids are stupid.

Of course, a telethon needs volunteers to answer the phone, and fortunately for us, three familiar monsters are standing by: Telly, Rosita, and Cookie Monster. One has to wonder: Who thought it would be a good idea to trust Cookie Monster with this job? I don’t think it’s an enormous spoiler to say that before the end of this DVD, the telephone will find its way inside Cookie’s mouth. (One of my favorite parts has Cookie struggling to focus on pledges rather than cookies while Rosita yells at him: “You’ve got to pull yourself together, Cookie!”)


The special goes back and forth between Paul Rudd and the Muppets on the street doing the Earth-a-thon – sorry, I mean “THE Earth-a-THOOOOON!” – and various films and cartoons with an environmental theme. So it’s a lot like an episode of the show. Some of the segments I had definitely seen before. Yep, they’re recycled, which is perfect for this video.

There’s a clip about kids planting trees in Turkey… one about some other kids making paper out of old clothes… and one about kids in New York City working on a garden. That one looks to be from the early-to-mid-90s, and I swear one of the kids is a young Rosario Dawson, who shows up onscreen for about one second.


And then there are some segments that look like they might be new, including a cartoon about people of all the colors of the rainbow joining together to help the Earth… At this point in my notes, I wrote “Sign me up for WORLD PEACE!” Oh, and one with an all-kid band doing a surprisingly rockin’ song about… well, I don’t remember what it was about. Compost heaps, maybe?

But hey, what’s going on here? We’re 17 minutes in and Elmo is still red! I thought the whole point of this video was that Abby accidentally turns Elmo green! Where’s Elmo screaming frantically, as seen in this amazing “Being Green mashup” video on YouTube?



(Speaking of that YouTube clip: I love that Sesame Workshop made this official promo for the DVD that looks exactly like something a fan would come up with just for kicks. It’s really smart to use internet video tricks to sell projects to fans on the internet… Muppet Studios did something similar with that “Glad All Over” lip-synching video to promote Letters to Santa, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more stuff like it in the future. Too bad none of the clips seen in the Being Green mashup are actually present on the DVD.)

A-ha, here we go. Elmo is inspired by the words of Mr. Earth, and says he wants to be green, so Abby obliges with a wave of her wand: “Make Elmo more green than we’ve ever seen!” At first, Elmo thinks it’s fun being the color of green paint and green beans, but when it becomes clear that Abby doesn’t know how to change him back (“Um, well, here’s the thing,” she says, “and you’re gonna laugh… I don’t know how to do that.”) he FREAKS THE HELL OUT. As seen above.


Will Elmo ever return to his normal color? Well, I’m not going to tell you, because that would COMPLETELY SPOIL THE ENDING, and I would never want to do that.

But I will answer the obvious question: When does the song “Bein’ Green” show up? And the answer is… never! Well, that’s not exactly true. When Elmo thinks he’s going to be green forever, he starts to sing the song, but Paul Rudd interrupts him after about a line and a half to sing a song about how it is, in fact, easy being green. I don’t mind that Kermit doesn’t show up. I wouldn’t expect him to, these days. But the title of this DVD is clearly meant to evoke the song, so would it have killed them to at least let Elmo finish a verse?


Misleading title aside, this is an entertaining special. Paul Rudd is clearly having a blast in that uncomfortable Earth suit, and I’m guessing a few of his funnier lines were ad-libbed. All the Muppets get to do what they do best – Oscar even shows up for one scene, in which he’s mean to Telly. Oscar being mean to Telly was a staple of Sesame Street during my childhood, so that moment was particularly enjoyable for me. Much more enjoyable than for Telly, anyway. They even manage to squeeze in a closing musical number... It’s pretty low-budget, but the performers really sell it, so you almost don’t notice.


But what about the “green” agenda? Will it inspire kids to save the planet? I don’t know… A four-year-old who hears Elmo saying it’s cool to pick up trash is probably not going to run out and adopt a highway. But it couldn’t hurt to plant the seed, much like those Turkish kids planted those trees. And maybe in time, as that seed matures, the kids who watch this video over and over will grow into responsible adult trees who try to reduce their carbon emissions instead of douchebag trees who throw empty bottles out the windows of their tree cars.

And you know what? Since I watched this special, I’ve been thinking a little more about turning off lights and not wasting water. I’m green! Thanks, Elmo and Paul Rudd!

Click here to freak the hell out about Elmo turning green on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: DVD, review, Sesame Street

Back in this post, I showed you the cover of the new 25th anniversary DVD release of Follow That Bird, and pointed out the sneaky move of putting Elmo on the cover when doesn't have any kind of significant role in the movie. Then I asked you to come up with your own Follow That Bird covers.

I got some great responses, so how about we look at them now? Do yourself a favor, and click on these to make them bigger!

Scott H:


Jarrod F:


Paul B:


Joe H #1:


Michal R:


Mike C:


Phil R:


Joe H #2:


Mo W:


Frank:


Joe H #3:

I tell ya, if Sesame Workshop would just put any of these designs on the real cover, they'd sell... well, they probably wouldn't sell many copies. But Tough Pigs readers sure are a creative bunch. Big thanks to everyone who submitted a cover, and don't forget to look for the new Follow That Bird DVD on March 24th!

Click here to follow that DVD on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: DVD, fan art, fanaticism, reader participation, Sesame Street

On Tuesday, November 4th, two Jim Henson Company DVD releases went on sale: the Fraggle Rock Complete Series Collection and The Christmas Toy, which is on DVD for the first time.

The Fraggle Rock set's release means that all 96 episodes of the series are now available, from Beginnings to Change of Address, with lots of songs and fun and life lessons and Doozers in between.

But here's the thing: If you're like me (and who isn't?), you already bought the first, second and third seasons on DVD as they came out individually. Those are some beautiful collections, with the episodes looking great and a ton of lovely and informative extras, and they were well worth the $40 or so I paid for each one. But as of now, there are no plans to release a fourth season DVD set. So if you want every episode, you have to buy the first three seasons all over again. The list price is $139.98.

Basically, Henson and HIT Entertainment are saying, "Hey there, loyal fans! Thanks a lot for buying those first three seasons on DVD, thus proving that Fraggle Rock is commercially viable. We'd like to reward you by making you pay 140 bucks for three-fourths of a series you already own! We sincerely hope you have lots of fun giving us more of your money!"

Now, it's possible they'll release a season four set in the future, and when they do, I'll stop complaining. But for now I'm going to sit here and kvetch. Oh, and the other thing -- when they first announced the complete series set, the special features touted included a new short starring Red Fraggle, which was pretty exciting news for the fans. But don't look too hard on your DVDs for this extra, 'cause it's not there. Apparently they made the announcement before the short was actually filmed, and whoops, they ran out of time to make it.

Wasn't there a Fraggle episode where Mokey learned why you should never make promises you can't keep? Maybe the Henson people should have watched that one.

As for The Christmas Toy: It's a classic, and I haven't seen it in years, so I'm pretty happy that I'll be able to own it. But that doesn't mean I couldn't be happier.

As soon as we heard that the Jim Henson Company was releasing this special on DVD, we expected that Kermit would be edited out, and sure enough, the frog is nowhere to be seen. I happen to think the whole "Henson can't release any DVDs with Kermit because he's owned by Disney now" thing is really, really stupid. I'm not a lawyer, so I'm willing to accept the possibility that it's easier legally to just leave him out. But if Fox could release Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium on DVD with Kermit's very brief cameo intact, why can't Henson keep Kermit in a special they've owned the rights to since 1986?

But that's not all! According to this review from DVD Talk, the new disc includes no special features, and no menus. No menus! Can you believe that? I mean, it's not like I love and cherish DVD menus. Usually I don't even pay much attention to them. It's just that their absence makes it seem like Henson and HIT didn't even try. To not bother with menus indicates that they didn't put any more effort into this release than any number of those no-name companies that produce the DVDs littering the dollar bins, with names like Murder Explosion and The Man With the Ugly Hat. The Christmas Toy is such a good TV special; it really deserves more.

Maybe I'm sounding ungrateful, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Come on, guys. We've been good fans and loyal DVD-buying customers. Can't you try just a little bit harder?

Click here to complain about cool DVDs on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: Christmas, complaining, DVD, Fraggle Rock, merchandise

Not content to keep to one country, Sesame Street has cloned, doppleganged, and otherwise duplidupliduplicated itself into over 30 co-productions all over the world. Each one has its own set of characters, but the jury is still out on how many provinces and commonwealths exist within Elmo’s World.

To celebrate the international aspect of all things Sesame, Putamayo Kids has released “Sesame Street Playground,” a CD chock full of songs from Streets around the world. Also included with the CD is an extensive booklet with liner notes and a bonus DVD.

The CD contains music from Sesamstraat (The Netherlands), Takalani Sesame (South Africa), Zhima Jie (China), 5 rue Sesame (France), Ulitsa Sezam (Russia), Plaza Sesamo (Mexico), Galli Galli Sim Sim (India), Shara’a Simsim (Palestine), Rechov Sumsum (Israel), Kilimani Sesame (Tanzania), Vila Sesamo (Brazil), and of course, good old USA, home of the Whopper.
The music itself is pretty great. I only wish I spoke all of these different languages so I could get that much more out of it. The theme songs to Sesamstraat and Galli Galli Sim Sim are both included, which sound remarkably familiar. We also get the Chinese version of "Rubber Duckie" and the Brazilian version of "One Small Voice." The rest of the songs are catchy, but not as familiar to American audiences.

Something I don’t always take special notice of is the liner notes. In this case, a full booklet is included, featuring a brief synopsis of each song (which is important if you don’t know what “Ohgneyat Al Lo’ba Al Sha’beyya” means) and translations into Spanish, French, and German. The notes are cute and informative, and now I’ve figured out how to say “Mr. Noodle” in four languages!

The cover, in my opinion, could use a little improvement. As you can see, it looks like a watercolor painting done by the artiest 10-year-old in the class. It doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the Sesame Street library, but after looking at some of Putamayo Kids’ other releases, it definitely fits in well with those. I’d assume that this album would have a better release with other international titles rather than Sesame albums, but it might have been nice to have something eye-catching to both demographics. Still, I’m perplexed by Cookie Monster’s hovering cookie basket, Zoe’s claw feet, and why half of the characters included on the cover don’t appear in the album at all.
By far, my favorite song on the album is Takalani Sesame’s “Pollution Song,” which is one of the songs included on the bonus DVD. Part of the song is in English (one of 11 languages spoken on the show), which makes it a little easier to follow. I like the design of Moshe, the walkaround character, and the low, gravelly voice of Zikwe (the blue monster) fills out the song nicely in a way we don’t often hear on our Street. The song also includes everyone’s favorite Muppet to help create false rumors, Kami, in the only clip I’ve seen of her that didn’t involve a lesson about being HIV positive.

Also notable is Rechov Sumsum’s “En Den Dino,” which features Ronnie Rock, an Israeli children’s performer who doesn’t look anything like his name should be “Ronnie Rock.” The chorus has mostly nonsense words, which makes it easy to enjoy, although if you’re listening to a song to which you don’t recognize the language, it’ll all be nonsense to you anyway. Still, the inclusion of this song saddens me, if only for the fact that we didn’t get an appearance by Moishe Oofnik.

Two songs from Sesame Street USA made it onto the album: “Elmo’s Song” and “Sing.” I suppose the former was included to forgive the fact that Elmo is on the cover (as is with most Sesame releases these days), though I would have preferred one extra international song. I did enjoy the inclusion of “Sing,” which is sung in both English and Spanish, making for a proper fit in this compilation. Wiki fact: Did you know that Emilio Delgado wrote the Spanish translation for “Sing”? Es verdad!

The only dud of the 5 DVD tracks is “The Song of Caretakers” from Ulitsa Sezam. The video features Na-Na, which, as far as I can tell, is the Russian equivalent of The Wiggles. The song is pretty much a music video for these guys, and Muppets don’t even show up until we’re two minutes into the three minute song. On top of it all, it’s the third song out of the five to feature a regional celebrity, rather than spotlighting the best of the puppet characters.

In all, I found the CD and DVD to be most fun. Since I don’t have the biggest interest in foreign language music, I doubt it’ll jump off my shelf too often, but that doesn’t mean it’s not well-done or entertaining. The one reason I would bring it out again and again would be for the DVD portion. If Putamayo Kids or Sesame Workshop decide to release another volume, I would hope that they’d make it a DVD with a bonus CD, rather than the other way around. I haven’t seen much of the international characters, and they’ve teased me enough to make me want more.

All said and done, I would recommend the album, but only if your heart yearns for world music. If not, then a second listen may not be in your future.

Sesame Street Playground will be available in stores on September 30.
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Labels: DVD, music, review, Sesame Street

Check out part 1 of Season 3: A to Z by clicking here! You can't expect to understand N-Z without reading A-M first, now can you?

N is for the Nazi Salute. When Spike Milligan participated in the Nod to all Nations, he felt it Necessary to also acknowledge the genocidists of the world. Thankfully, it’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it salute. Not-so-thankfully, it forever tarnished “It’s a Small World” for me.

O is for Onions. Oh, that Beauregard! So Obtuse! So Obvious! He Ordered Onions for Harry Belafonte’s big number! Me say Day-O indeed!

P is for Penzance. Perchance, when Gilda Radner first Perceived of a Penzance Plot, she Planned on a Parrot. Instead, Kermit Purchased a giant vegetable. Punniness ensued.

Q is for Quintuplets. That’s the only way I could explain Roy Clark’s doppelganger number.

R is for Rocky III. Really, when Sylvester Stallone Ran for a new Rocky film, he Reused footage from this episode of The Muppet Show. Mr. T was unavailable for comment.

S is for Sex. Raquel Welch and Fozzie Bear practically do it backstage of the theater. And no, that’s not innuendo.

T is for Tuned Clams. Too bad, we didn’t Tune in To see Manny Kaye play his Tuned clams Tonight. Instead, we had to watch that hack, Danny Kaye. No relation.

U is for Unitard. Unfortunately, the Alice Cooper episode of The Muppet Show is decidedly Un-scary. But that Unitard: Ugh!

V is for Violence. Jean Stapleton claims Victory as she duets with Crazy Harry and his Valuable Explodaphone! And yes, that’s really Jean in the photo above, and not an exploding Victor Borge.

W is for What makes Muppets Work? In the special feature, Muppets on Puppets, Jim Henson and his Weirdo friends explain Who the Muppets are and Why they are so Wacky. Shot in amazing black and White.

X is for X-tra sensory perception. Hey, you try coming up with something besides Xylophone for the letter X! We came this close to an entry on James Coco’s insistence on XXX dancers.

Y is for Yodeling. Yikes, Kermit almost calls Roy Rogers a Yellow-bellied Yankee! His Yodeling made Kermit Yearn for a black Yarmulke!

Z is for Zippity Zip Zap Shabadoo Yeah! Pearl Bailey put some Zing into her spring with Floyd in one Zazztastic number. (The writer of this article obviously has no rhythm)

And there you have it, 26 entries chock-full of alphabetty goodness, plus the added benefit of generic Muppet jokes! Who could ask for anything more?

Come on back when the fourth season of The Muppet Show comes out and I find a link between each episode and every color in the rainbow!

Click here to spell your name with Muppet Show guest stars on the ToughPigs forum!

Labels: celebrities, DVD, lists, The Muppet Show

We at ToughPigs.com are always striving to keep our readers abreast of all Muppet trivia that comes across our desks. Education is a priority for us, as it was for our forefathers. This is why I want to make sure that you’re all aware of the basic Muppet facts, no matter how minute and obscure they may seem.

For example, did you know that Uncle Deadly was originally built to be the spokesman for Gatorade? Or that Muppeteer Bill Barretta is half chupacabra?

The latest factoid that I heard was about the “missing year” of 1978-1979 in which the TV-watching public saw neither hide nor hair of the Muppets or any other Jim Henson production. But Secret Squirrels have discovered the missing season of The Muppet Show, which apparently aired in between Season 2 and Season 4. The Muppet fan community has taken to calling this “Season 3,” though the name hasn’t been confirmed by Disney or The Jim Henson Company.

What’s that? I’m sorry, speak into my good ear. Oh, you’ve heard of the third season of The Muppet Show? And you know this because you purchased the DVD set that came out back in May? And you’ve watched it a zillion times and memorized every line? And you’ve counted the points on Lew Zealand’s head to enter on his Muppet Wiki article? And you think this whole paragraph sounds like a Bob Newhart routine?

Well, maybe there are some people out there in Internetland who haven’t heard of Season 3. Or, if they have, then maybe they haven’t been able to tear themselves away from the LOLcat blogs for long enough to go out and buy the DVDs. And it’s for those people (and, y’know, everyone else) that I give you The Alphabet of Season 3! So without further ado, I present to you the not-so-missing season of The Muppet Show in a bite-sized educational nugget.

A is for Animal cruelty. Lesley Ann Warren brings her A-game as an Actress as she Amazes at Marvin Suggs’ vicious mauling of some helpless furry creatures.

B is for Bird auditions. Liberace Brings a Bunch of Birds to his dressing room where they’re offscreen for the entire episode. What these auditions involve, we’ll never know. (And, for some reason, he shows up halfway through the episode to remind us that he’s down to his last 10 finalists, even though every Muppet with a beak shows up in his final number. I apologize for my Bitching.)

C is for Cavorting. You Can’t have the Chronicle of Robin Hood without a good Cavort. Lynn Redgrave Cavorts with the best of them. She’s a Cavorting fool! Cavort, Cavort, Cavort.

D is for Disease. Dang, the Muppet Show theater is rife with a Deathly Disease! The Cluckitis epidemic is turning the Muppets into not Ducks, not Dolphins, not even Doorknobs, but strangely familiar chickens! Roger Miller is, for some reason, immune.

E is for Elke. E is also for “Elkee”. E is also for “Elkeh.” See if you can spot how many different pronunciations the Muppets have for Elke Sommer’s name. Egad!

F is for Flat dog. Baskerville the Hound does his Finest Flat-Faced Figure in one of the Purina Dog Food ads on the DVD set. He could have a great career as a Fence.

G is for Girdle. Marisa Berenson Gives Miss Piggy some help in hiding her Girth. Great Googly moogly!

H is for Hunting Season. Leo Sayer gets Harassed by some local Hooligans. How will he get out of this Horrible mess? I Hope it doesn’t end with a Hanging!

I is for Incredibly creepy. My apologies to Leslie Uggams for not mentioning her in the entry for the letter I, but how weird is it that Gonzo falls in love with a 6-year-old male canary, who Invented this silly ABC shtick? Incredible!

J is for Jingle Bells. The Helen Reddy episode contains what may be the best moment of the entire season: The Swedish Chef and Animal singing a Jaunty tune in Helen’s dressing room.

K is for Karate. Cheryl Ladd and Miss Piggy Kick some butt in a Kung-Fu number. Unfortunately, the butt in question belongs to Kermit, which makes me Kringe.

L is for Lots of kids. Loretta Lynn Learns to Love her Little ones. Like, 30 of them. That Lady must’ve Liked getting Laid!

M is for Morbid. Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge can’t even Make eye contact with Gonzo after hearing about his plan to fake his own death for Monetary gain. Ok, so Maybe their reaction is More “Meh”.

Click here for part 2: N-Z!

Click here to talk about your favorite letters on the ToughPigs forum!

Labels: celebrities, DVD, lists, The Muppet Show

Season 3 of The Muppet Show comes out on DVD May 20, which is TODAY! Or, depending on when you read this, yesterday. Or two days ago or three days ago or five years ago if you read this in 2013. But the point is, I'm happier than a termite at a ventriloquist's dummy convention about the new DVDs, and I can't wait to hold Fozzie's huge face in my hands.

The season three shows I'm familiar with are full of hilarious/bizarre stuff. Pigs sing in Hawaiian! Gonzo falls in love with Big Bird! Miss Piggy sells her soul to a rock star! All these moments are terrific, but they're not the only reason I'm jazzed. See, I've been looking over the list of episodes over at Muppet Wiki, and I realized that almost half of these are episodes I've never seen before.

The third season was when The Muppet Show got all country & western, so many of the new-to-me episodes are the ones guest-starring country singers, like Kris Kristofferson (whose hits include "Help Me Make It Through the Night"), Roy Clark (whose hits include "Yesterday When I Was Young"), and Jean Stapleton (whose hits include "Boot Scootin' Boogie").

Other never-seen-by-me episodes include the ones guest-starring Cheryl Ladd, who is my third favorite Charlie's Angel, and Elke Sommer, whom I know nothing about. I think she's an actress, unless "Elke" is a man's name, in which case she's probably not an actress.

Maybe one of these episodes will have the funniest Veterinarian's Hosptial sketch ever. Maybe one of them will feature a musical number that will become my new favorite Muppet song. Maybe some of the non-comedian guest stars will surprise and delight me with their ability to share the stage with Muppets. I won't know until I watch the DVDs. Still, I can be certain of one thing: I will like these episodes of The Muppet Show.

I don't have to tell you that these are uncertain times we live in. Prices are up on every single thing that costs money, the airline industry and the housing market are both in dire straits, and nobody knows just what is wrong with Paula Abdul.

So it's incredibly comforting to know that I can purchase season three of The Muppet Show secure in the knowledge that it will be a good investment. I have no idea what gas prices will be tomorrow, but I know that The Muppet Show will make me chuckle and snicker and guffaw and sing along. When I get my DVDs home today, I can forget about plagues, famine and pestilence for a while and just get a kick out of Fozzie's bumbling attempts to write the script for the Harry Belafonte episode.

In these trying times, the Muppets are a sure thing. I, for one, plan on voting for these new DVDs for president in 2008, and I invite you all to do the same. Frog bless America.

Click here to discuss the season 3 DVDs on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: DVD, merchandise, The Muppet Show

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, merchandise, Photo Puppets, 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 Stiff" 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.

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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.

Click here to discuss awkward guest stars and animated gifs on the ToughPigs forum!

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.

Discuss the season two discs on the Tough Pigs forum!

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 fashionable 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