Muppet T-Shirts are Mighty Fine, part 2

When last we left off, we reviewed the first batch of entries from Mighty Fine’s Muppet t-shirt design contest.  And now you’re all caught up!

Remember to register (for free) at Mighty Fine’s website to be able to view the entries and vote.  The polls are open until November 4, so get to it!

Kermit Ramone

As a Ramones parody, this doesn’t work at all.  But as a logo or symbol?  I actually think it’s kinda cool-looking.  Then again, it’s weird to see the character names without the actual characters represented.  What I’m trying to say is: I am pretty wishy-washy about this design.

My rating: 3

MEEEP!

One of the big problems I’ve had with Beaker in the past few years is that he doesn’t get to do much but be a symbol of fear and abuse.  There aren’t many examples of him actually being tortured in a clever way (I mean, how many times have we seen him get electrocuted, and that’s the entire joke?).  I don’t know if the oversized needle is clever enough to make this design memorable, but it’s a start!

My rating: 3

Set Sail!

This is a nice enough idea.  Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzie on a moonlight boat ride through a cloud.  Oh, and Gonzo’s oversized trumpet can come too.

My rating: 3

Open to Thought

I’m sure there’s an appeal for deliberately poorly-drawn characters to some people out there.  I am not one of those people.

My rating: 2

GTL

I have to admit, I had to Google “GTL” to get the joke here.  I’m gonna go on a limb and say that painting Fozzie in blackface is not really worth the Jersey Shore reference.

My rating: 1

Kermit

Have people forgotten that the “Got ___” thing is a reference to milk?  I think this artist wanted both the milk ad thing and the Warhol art, but couldn’t find a way to make them work together. But he did it anyway.

My rating: 2

Party!

Oh god.  So creepy.  They’re staring directly into my soul.  And I think they smell like burning.

My rating: 1

The Great Gonzo

This is a cute little picture.  Looking beyond the fact that Gonzo is (almost) deliberately setting his beloved chickens on fire, I love the glimpse into yet another Great Gonzo stunt gone wrong.  Plus, that burning chicken might end up as one delicious entree!

My rating: 5

Boom-A-Shooten

A poorly-drawn Chef, waving around his poorly-drawn blunderbuss makes for one poorly-drawn t-shirt.  Boom.

My rating: 2

Mio

This artist (Richard Miller) made this illustration a couple years ago for the Muppet Rawk exhibit (which we covered here on ToughPigs).  I loved it back then, and I love it now.  Duran Duran would be proud.

My rating: 5

To Boldly Go…

I love Star Trek, so I want to love this design.  But the idea of putting Muppet heads onto human bodies just isn’t enough to keep me interested.  But there’s a lot of potential for a Muppet/Trek parody, and I’ll bet someone (possibly a little further down the page… hint hint) knows how to do it right!

My rating: 2

Wanted

Wanted: This artist for the misuse of the word “alter”.

My rating: 1

Kermit & Miss Piggy

Aw, this is a cute picture.  Sure, they’re both a little off-model, but Kermit’s derpiness and Piggy’s slightly more human-looking face add a lot of character to the image.  Plus, we know who’s going to end up drinking most of that milkshake.

My rating: 4

Muppet Mix-Up

I like the fact that all of these characters are variants.  It really breaks up the monotony of seeing the same versions of these Muppets over and over again.  I just wish these designs were a little less dress-up-doll and a little more three dimensional.

My rating: 3

Muppets on High Seas

It’s so interesting to me that all these artists equate “Adventure” to “On a boat”.  Here’s another boat-related illustration, which probably takes place just after the Muppets survived the sinking of the Titanic.

My rating: 3

Bold, Brave and Free

This one’s a little busy, but there’s still a lot to like.  The characters are all very expressive, with visual details to keep them looking interesting (Gonzo’s superhero costume, Fozzie’s pickles, Kermit’s pirate getup).  The colors are a little bland, but the artist definitely has a lot of potential for good Muppet fan art.

My rating: 4

Three Simple Tasks

Simple is good.  All you need is a frog on a cloud thinking about nice things.  Yeah, I like it.

My rating: 4

3D Adventure

See, when I say I want some of these images to look more three dimensional, this is not what I meant.  I prefer designs that don’t make my brain hurt.

My rating: 1

KermitOutlined3DGlow

Did someone just run a magic marker across a white t-shirt?  Because, y’know,  This.

My rating: 1

My Friend, Kermit

Kermit! Get outta the way!  You’re blocking the M!  Unless you wanna go by “Kerit” from now on.  But then you have to get a new driver’s license, and there’d probably be a lot of confusion from your mailman, not to mention the fact that you’d have to correct all your old friends from high school when you run into them on the street.  It’s probably easier just to move a few inches to your left.

My rating: 4

Kermit Kermit Kermit

If you are a giant frog who loves meta apparel, this is the shirt for you.  And if you are the designer, please get rid of Kermit’s pointy head and then print this shirt so I can buy it.  Thankyew.

My rating: 4

Dance Off

Is “Atomic Animals” a reference to something?  An album maybe?  Or a piece of bad art?  Yeah, probably the bad art thing.  Now it all makes sense.

My rating: 1

Kermit the Frog?

Cute idea.  But not funny enough or clever enough to warrant a t-shirt.  Still, I like the idea of Kermit having left the swamp due to his own ennui.  Reboot!

My rating: 2

Miss Piggy & Cake

I guess I get what this artist was going for.  But it’s so much more of the setup to a joke, rather than the joke itself.  How will Miss Piggy react?  Will she chop the Chef for his negligence, Fozzie for laughing at her, or Kermit for failing to control his theater troupe?  I suppose we’ll never know.

My rating: 2

Sun Set Sitting

These renditions of Kermit, Piggy, and Gonzo are not very appealing (especially Piggy… yikes).  But strangely enough, I like the image of the sun with the word “Muppets” etched into it.  That’s a sunset I’d get excited over.

My rating: 2

Since 1954 Sheesh

Nice choice to show Kermit’s invisible “Henson stitch”, but not as nice to try and draw in the flocking in his fleece.  It makes him look like he’s come down with a case of the chicken pox.  Or frog pox.  Some sort of pox, definitely.

My rating: 3

Party Animal

They say that a good character design is evident when you recognize him or her from the silhouette.  So, I can get behind an idea like this for Animal.  And I’d even consider wearing it on my torso.

My rating: 4

Your Favourite?

I like this one a lot.  I love how the characters are so recognizable after taking away most of the details in their faces.  And it’s pretty cool that characters like Link and Lew Zealand made the cut.  Nice work guys, you’ve finally made the big time!

My rating: 5

The Jersey Sow

Ugh, goawayplease.

My rating: 2

We Love the Muppets!

I totally respect the fact that the artist tried to draw the characters in a new and interesting way.  But they lost me after the superfluous “T” in the word “Muppetts”.  No amount of Gonzo sweater-vests can help you now.

My rating: 2

Wakka Wakka

Fun fact: This is the only situation in which the misspelling of “Wocka” is allowed.

My rating: 4

Koozbane

Wow, what a beautiful picture!  And it works on so many levels!  The “Trouble with Tribbles” Star Trek reference, the well-loved Pigs in Space characters, the reference to the “Koozebanian Mating Ritual” Muppet Show sketch, and the fact that it’s really pretty.  I would buy the hell out of this t-shirt.

My rating: 5

We Got Us

Stuart Witts is a clever guy.  He knew he couldn’t submit the same design to both this contest and the Threadless one from a few months ago (as seen here).  So he swapped the photo of the Muppets and sent it in.  I was tempted to give him a poor rating for it, but it’s still a pretty design.  The first photo choice was better though, so a point off.

My rating: 3

Muppet Rescue

I’m not sure what’s supposed to be happening here.  Piggy fell down a hole, so Kermit has to belay about 3 feet down while the guys levitate above them?  At least Kermit has some good diving form.

My rating: 3

Dr. Tiki

Oh wow.  Absolutely beautiful.  If this actually existed as a wood carving, I’d sell my bottlecap collection just to get a glimpse of it.  This is easily one of the best designs of the entire contest.

My rating: 5

The Muppies

It’s too bad this picture comes right after “Dr. Tiki”, because although I like it a lot, it still kinda pales in comparison.  Still, I love how it represents Kermit’s role in the Muppet family, and their reliance on each other in both the theater world and Hollywood.  If anyone from Disney merchandising is reading this, please consider making a Muppet-themed “Barrel of Monkeys” set!

My rating: 5

Full Speed Ahead

I’m pretty sure there were a bunch of balloon-themed entries in the last t-shirt contest, so this idea is already a little tired.  Of course, that has nothing to do with the piece itself, which is perfectly fine.  I don’t know why Gonzo is dressed as a Chinese immigrant from the turn of the century, but the balloon animals are a real nice touch.

My rating: 4

Muppetmaster

This is the strangest image you’ll see all day.  Kermit, dreaming he’s a mustachioed magician/puppeteer, forcing Miss Piggy and Jim Henson to marry via marionette strings.  Oh, and he has a Fozzie Bear doll. These are the things nightmares are made of.

My rating: 2

Rock It!

I’d like to see a well-drawn design of the Muppets rocking out in their own makeshift band.  This is not that design.

My rating: 2

Celebrate 50 Years

I’m not exactly sure what 50th anniversary we’re supposed to be celebrating.  Let’s take a look at the Muppet Wiki’s entry for 1961.  Hmm, Sam and Friends ended that year.  The Muppet made commercials for the Donovan Coffee Company.  Ah, this must be it: Bernie Brillstein becomes Jim Henson’s agent!  Happy anniversary, Bernie!  Have a picture of Gonzo in his chili pepper shirt.

My rating: 2

The Muppets are Back

If you look close, there’s some faint text reading “Forever”, over and over again.  Is it a subliminal message telling me that Animal will be clicking his heels forever and ever??  Well, he seems pretty happy to be doing it, so I guess that’s cool.  Forever.

My rating: 2

The Muppets2

This is the same artist as the last image, so I was all ready to knock it.  But then I took a closer look, and it may not be as bad as I originally thought.  If you take away all the text and replace the colored pencils with some digital coloring, you’ve got a stocky Piggy and a very nervous Kermit.  That right there is a pretty good design.  Of course, that’s not what we have here, but maybe there’s something in there for another day.  Or another t-shirt contest.

My rating: 3

A Beaker Beaker

Okay, seriously.  Someone make this shirt.  It’s practically begging (or Meeping, I guess) to live in my t-shirt drawer.

My rating: 5

Muptourage

Muppet action figures used instead of the actual puppets?  Check.  Ignoring the comparative sizes of the characters, making them all the same height? Check.  Spoofing a TV show without making any specific jokes or references?  Check.  It all adds up: T-shirt design fail.

My rating: 2

Check back here in a few days for part 3 of our coverage of the contest, as I continue to step all over the dreams of budding Muppet fan artists!

Click here to dream about being a puppet puppeteering puppets on the ToughPigs forum!

by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com