If there’s one thing that Disney likes more than making money, it’s convincing people to leave their homes and do something they’d rather not do in exchange for theme park tickets. That and mouse ears. They really like mouse ears.
Disney’s “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” campaign has been in full-swing for a few months now, and because someone remembered that they also own the Muppets, Kermit the Frog and Company have been recruited to help recruit. And while some might think that there are better ways the Muppets could be spending their time aside from appearing in glorified PSAs, at least they’re getting out there and making new content. But is any of it worthwhile? Let’s take a look at the many places the “Give a Day…” campaign has brought our felted friends.
The first glimpse at the Muppets’ volunteerism was back in September with a small series of commercials co-starring some ABC corporate synergy stars. By now, we’ve seen them far too many times to count, so what’s one more? Seriously though, this is like the third time I’ve written about these commercials on ToughPigs.com. I need to shut up about them.
Soon after the commercials began, a print campaign with the Muppets at Disney World (or Disneyland.. all those Disney theme parks look the same to me) began with large inserts in popular magazines. Since we’ve been seeing the same old stock photography in recent calendars, merchandise, and even DVDs, the fact that someone bothered to go out and shoot new pictures of the Muppets is a bigger deal than you’d imagine. And y’know what? They don’t look half bad. Not half bad at all.
More recently, the Muppets appeared on their own “Give a Day…” website where you can enter your name and (as long as it’s not some obscure or hippie name) the Muppets will say your name out loud. The real kicker is that the animation, which features the Muppets accidentally destroying the website that you’re looking at, is highly entertaining and quite Muppety. And just when you think it’s over, you get the option to choose who will clean the site up: Miss Piggy, Bunsen and Beaker, or Animal dressed as a French maid (seems pretty obvious who to choose, doesn’t it?). And just when you think that’s over, you can go back to the site two more times to see additional footage with Sam the Eagle and Gonzo. I don’t know about you, but I’ve already forgotten that they said my name out loud! Click here for our previous coverage of the interactive websites.
On January 3, the Muppets appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and stuck around for the whole episode. There was some demolition, a little rebuilding, a lackluster rendition of “Just One Person”, and just a smidgen of bus-moving. Oh, and a metric ton of in-your-face volunteerism. It’s worth a watch for the Muppet appearances, but be forewarned, you may suffer minor injuries from the schmaltziness. The Hulu video below expires on February 8, so watch it soon!
On January 10, the Muppets also appeared on America’s Funniest Home Videos (yes, it’s still on the air) to spread the volunteering message, because I guess they really need to get the “laughs-at-people-getting-hit-in-the-crotch” demographic. Kermit and Pepe get a good amount of screen time, as do the Electric Mayhem, who are sitting in as the AFV house band. The folks over at the Muppet Mindset blog went into much more detail on their coverage of the episode.
Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Sweetums have begun appearing in Disney theme park parades along with some “VoluntEARS.” (Get it? Because Mickey Mouse has ears? I’ll explain it to you when you’re older.) Of course, the fatal flaw here is that everyone seeing this parade is already at Disney World or Disneyland, and they might not be interested in volunteering just so they could come back. Ah, who am I kidding? I’d live in Disneyland if I could. Unfortunately, Disney’s plans to clone Steve Whitmire and Eric Jacobson didn’t pan out, so the puppeteers controlling the pig and frog are kind of, well, terrible. In fact, there was much debate on the ToughPigs forum as to whether they are controlled by a real person or if they are animatronics. And as great as it is to see Sweetums walking around, it’s still a little odd to see him with his mouth hanging wide open like that. It looks like he just got back from the dentist. The first video below is of the rehearsal for the parade, and the second is of the parade itself.
Lastly, Kermit and Piggy are lending their tw0-dimensional faces to a set of pins featuring the frog and pig in hard hats and quasi-inspirational messages. I’ll never understand the appeal of the overpriced pins (which Disney apparently sells by the truckload). There are too many to collect, they are rarely attractive enough to wear, and even if they were, I’d be afraid of losing them every time I leave the house. And it saddens me that the pins are just about the only bits of Muppet merchandise I could find the last few times I visited the NYC Disney Store. So you’ll excuse me if I skip pretending to be excited this time around.
And that’s it (for now) for the Muppets’ involvement in the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” campaign. Did it inspire you to get out and volunteer in your community? Or did it make you realize just how lazy you are, not lifting a finger for another human being, even with the offer of free Disney theme park tickets? No? That’s just me? Well dang.
Click here to volunteer your time at the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – joe.toughpigs@gmail.com
