We have several news-y things to talk about here on Tough Pigs. So what are we waiting for?
Jim Henson Company on YouTube
Tough Pigs forum member Grant recently pointed out to us that the Jim Henson Company has its own channel on YouTube. There’s some new stuff (Sid the Science Kid and Dinosaur Train clips), some old stuff (Fraggle Rock clips), some behind-the-scenes stuff, and a few obscure and rarely seen videos, like this outtake from The Jim Henson Hour, which I’m pretty sure has never been seen publicly until now:
Elmo’s Tickle Hands hit toy stores, inappropriate jokes follow
Since the introduction of the original Tickle Me Elmo, there have been a heck of a lot of ticklish, vibrating Elmo toys, and by this point, Fisher Price and Sesame Workshop have run out of ways to make Elmo vibrate. But last week, they released a new innovation: Elmo’s Tickle Hands. Here’s how it works: You put them on your hands, and Elmo giggles, and your hands vibrate. I think Tough Pigs’ own Joe Hennes summed things up nicely when he said, “So many kids are going to discover themselves because of that toy.”
Ah, the Jim Henson Company. How you tease us with announcements for TV series, movies, and internet productions that never get made. Has anyone heard a single modicum of news about that monkey secret agent show that was announced last year? Well, now they’ve announced another new project, but it looks like it’ll actually happen: It’s called Wilson & Ditch: Digging America, and it’s a social studies-themed webshow for PBS. It’ll be animated, and educational, and Brian Henson will voice one of the title characters.
The paperback edition of Michael Davis’s Sesame Street history Street Gang will be released this October, with new material… and this lovely cover:
So if anyone managed to miss the book in the hardcover edition, that ought to catch their eye.
Emmy for Henson
Variety reports that the Jim Henson Company will be receiving an award at this year’s Primetime Emmy Engineering Awards, for its Henson Digital Puppetry Studio system. So, yay for Henson. They should absolutely let Gerald, the super-hyper guy from Sid the Science Kid, give the acceptance speech.
The ladies of The View yell at each other about Cookie Monster
The topic: Has Cookie Monster contributed to childhood obesity? Whoopi Goldberg says no, Sherri Shepherd says yes. Loudly. It’s just as ridiculous as it sounds:
Muppets are the key to everything
Isn’t it boring locking and unlocking doors with the same old non-Muppety keys day after day? Well, now all your problems are solved! Now you can order Muppet keys — Animal, Fozzie, Kermit, or Kermit/Piggy — and Sesame Street keys — Big Bird/Snuffy, Elmo, Oscar, Super Grover, or Ernie — and have them sent to you. Then you take them to your local locksmith or hardware store and have them cut while ignoring the judgmental stares. Fun!
Sesame 40th anniversary toys
And speaking of cool Sesame Street stuff, the Chicago Examiner‘s website reporta that there’s a new batch of toys coming just in time for the 40th anniversary. There’s a bus driven by a Honker, there’s a pretty Elmo doll… but most notably, there’s this 123 Sesame Street playset:
Now, the rational part of me says, “I could get one of those… but I’d never play with it, and it would just sit on a shelf collecting dust.” But the less rational part of me counters with “MOMMY, BUY ME THAT!”
Sesame Workshop brings peace to the Middle East
CNN.com has a lovely article about Sesame Street co-productions and “Muppet diplomacy.” You should read it.
Click here to talk about all this stuff on the Tough Pigs forum!
