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Archive-name: tv/muppets/faq
URL: http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~csilvers/muppet-faq.html Posting-Frequency: monthly Expires: April 1, 1997 See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
ALT.TV.MUPPETS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Version 5.2c. Last updated: 23 February 1997.
Before we start, let me get this out of the way: the two old guys in
the balcony are Statler and Waldorf. (See question 9.)
CONTENTS QUICK ANSWER
I. Administrivia
1. A Muppet newsgroup? That's SO cool! Well, we think so
What is alt.tv.muppets? A friendly newsgroup
2. What other fan activities exist? MuppetZine et al.
3. I have strong opinions about this FAQ. teej@panix.com,
Who should I send "comments" to? horn@dolphin.upenn.edu,
csilvers@cs.stanford.edu
II. Muppets and their owners
4. What is a Muppet, anyway? Puppets, but different
5. Why are Muppets left handed? Because performers aren't
6. Doesn't Disney own the Muppets? No
7. Who runs the Muppets nowadays? Brian Henson
8. What's the address of Jim Henson 117 E. 69th Street
Productions? New York, NY 10021
III. "The Muppet Show" and its cast
9. Who are the two old guys in the Statler and Waldorf
balcony?
10. What is Gonzo? Unclear
11. What about Scooter? Human
12. Where has Scooter gone, anyway? He's been retired
13. And where has Skeeter gone? Down the Amazon
14. What's the best ever Muppet sketch? Mahna Mahna :-)
IV. "Muppets Tonight!" and its cast
15. Muppets *what*? On ABC, occasionally
16. Who plays Kermit now? Steve Whitmire
17. What is Clifford? What is Pepe? Human and prawn
What is Nigel's buddy? Mink
V. "Sesame Street"
18. Is XXX dying of any disease? NO
19. Are Ernie and Bert gay? No evidence either way
20. I heard PBS is going to cancel SS. Not gonna happen
VI. Things available on the 'net
21. Who is...? Lew Zealand? Uncle Deadly?
22. Who performed...? Big list of all performers
23. In what episode did...? Lists: SS TMS MT! FR Dino
24. What are the lyrics to...? Lists: SS TMS
25. Where are pictures of...? Probably nowhere
26. What records/CDs/CD-ROMs/videos/books A lot, but some are
are there? out of print
27. What's that program that turns stuff The Encheferizer
into Mock Swedish? Bork bork bork!
28. Yes, but where are the *Muppet sites*? All over the web
VII. Now Showing
29. What Muppet stuff is on TV nowadays? MT! and others
A humble request: If someone posts a question that is answered here,
please be polite anyway. Yelling to read the FAQ gets to be more
annoying that answering the question that was asked.
-----------------
I. ADMINISTRIVIA
1. A Muppet newsgroup? That's SO cool! What is alt.tv.muppets?
It's a newsgroup devoted to Muppets, in all their wonderful shapes
and forms. We talk about Muppets in cartoons, movies, television
shows, happy meal boxes, you name it. While not emphasized in
this FAQ, we often talk about _The Dark Crystal_, _Labyrinth_,
"Fraggle Rock," "Dinosaurs," and other Henson productions on this
newsgroup. We do not really discuss puppets or puppetry in
general; rec.arts.puppetry is more appropriate for this.
While "Sesame Street" would not be the same without the Muppets,
there is more to "Sesame Street" then just the Muppets. If you
want to talk about extra-Muppet parts of "Sesame Street," consider
alt.tv.sesame-street.
And if you are feeling terribly silly, there's always
alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork.
2. What other fan activities are there?
If you're in New York City or Los Angelos, The Museum(s) of
Television and Radio have a huge collection of Muppet programs for
viewing. These includes rare Muppet clips that, no matter how big
a Muppet fan you are, you've never seen before! The NY address is
25 West 52nd St, New York, 10019, and the phone number is (212)
621-6600. The LA address is 465 North Beverly Drive, Beverly
Hills, 90210, and the phone number there is (310) 786-1000.
(Thanks to Danny Horn and Rodney Elin for this info.)
No matter where you are, you can subscribe to MuppetZine, a
quarterly fanzine devoted to the Muppets and Jim Henson. It is
run by Danny Horn, whom you can contact at horn@dolphin.upenn.edu.
Also take a look at the MuppetZine web page, at
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~rosesage/MZ.html
If you want to get involved with a Muppet fan group or start your
own, Danny is again the person to talk to.
3. I have strong opinions about this FAQ. Who should I send
"comments" to?
Comments (but please, no thugs!) should go to
o teej@panix.com
o horn@dolphin.upenn.edu
o csilvers@cs.stanford.edu
We welcome, and indeed relish, comments.
-----------------
II. MUPPETS AND THEIR OWNERS
4. What is a Muppet, anyway?
Muppets are puppets invented by Jim Henson and his colleagues.
Muppets were specially designed to be on television and in the
movies, using camera techniques as well as classical puppeteering
techniques to create the illusion of life. The name "Muppet" comes
from a combination of the words "marionette" and "puppet," and many
of the puppets are hand puppets with arm-wires operated much like
marionettes' limbs. However, many Muppets now include the most
advanced computer and animatronics technology. For the purposes of
this newsgroup, "Muppet" means anything that has been created by
Jim Henson Productions or the Creature Shop, including creations in
"Muppets Tonight!," "The Muppet Show," "Sesame Street," "Fraggle
Rock," "Dinosaurs," _The Dark Crystal_, and _Labyrinth_.
5. Why are Muppets left handed?
You may have noticed that Muppets, particularly Muppet musicians,
tend to do everything with their left arms. This is because most
Muppet performers are right handed and use their primary hand to
control the head and face of the Muppet. This leaves them their
left hand to control the Muppet's arms. The Swedish Chef, which is
controlled by two performers, is an exception that proves the rule.
6. Doesn't Disney own the Muppets?
No. In the fall of 1989, the Walt Disney Company entered into
negotiations to acquire Jim Henson Productions and the Muppets.
While the deal was being worked out, Jim Henson created a 3-D film
for Walt Disney World, "MuppetVision 3-D," and a TV special, "The
Muppets at Walt Disney World." Henson was initially excited about
working with Disney -- particularly because its deep pockets could
finance the projects he wanted to do -- but as negotiations
progressed, differences in Disney's and Henson's management styles
became clearer. Jim Henson died in May 1990, before the deal was
completed, and Disney lowered their offering price as a consequence
(the original deal had included Henson's "creative services").
Eventually the deal was called off. Jim Henson Productions is
still a completely independent entity, and Disney has no creative
control over the Muppets.
However, JHP and Disney do sometimes work together; for example,
Buena Vista Home Video (a Disney subsidiary) distributes the Jim
Henson Video line, and Disney distributes the Muppet films. These
are short-term deals and don't mean that Disney "owns" the Muppets.
7. Who runs the Muppets nowadays?
Jim's son Brian Henson inherited the CEO position at Jim Henson
Productions. Brian has done some puppet work with the Muppets,
including Dog on "The Storyteller" and Hoggle in _Labyrinth_, but
he never performed any major Classic Muppet characters. He
directed _The Muppet Christmas Carol_ and _Muppet Treasure
Island_ and performs some new characters on "Muppets Tonight!"
These characters, including Sal and Seymour, are quickly becoming
favorites, which is nice to see.
8. What's the address of Jim Henson Productions?
117 E. 69th Street
New York, NY 10021
Note that this is an office building and is not open for tours.
-----------------
III. "THE MUPPET SHOW" AND ITS CAST
9. Who are the two old guys in the balcony?
Statler and Waldorf. Statler is the taller, thinner one sitting on
the right as we look at them in their box. Waldorf's wife is named
Astoria. They are all named after old New York hotels.
10. What is Gonzo?
There has been no definitive comment on what Gonzo is.
o In "The Muppet Movie," Kermit refers to Gonzo as "sort of like
a turkey... but not much." We've seen many Muppet birds, and
even a Muppet turkey (in "The Muppet Family Christmas") and
none of them looks anything like Gonzo. In the Liberace
episode of "The Muppet Show," Gonzo tries to pass himself off
as a bird to get into the tribute concert for the birds, but
it doesn't work. So he's almost certainly not a bird.
o In "Muppet Babies," his species is sometimes referred to as
"weirdo."
o In "The Great Muppet Caper," when Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo
are flying to England, Kermit's crate is marked "Frog,"
Fozzie's is marked "Bear," and Gonzo's is marked "Whatever."
Gonzo continues to assert that he is a whatever in _Muppet
Treasure Island_.
The only thing we can say with certainty is that he is Gonzo the
Great.
11. What about Scooter?
Scooter's a human (like Statler, Waldorf, Bunsen Honeydew...).
His uncle, J.P. Grosse, who owns the theatre, is clearly a human.
He's called a "gofer," but that's his position, not his species
("gofer coffee," etc).
12. Where has Scooter gone, anyway?
The performer who performed Scooter, Richard Hunt, died in 1992 of
complications due to AIDS. In tribute, the character of Scooter
was retired. He will not be brought back.
13. And where has Skeeter gone?
Scooter's sister Skeeter has never been part of the non-animated
Muppet world; she exists only in "Muppet Babies," probably as a
nod towards gender equality (though this one character is hardly
enough to mitigate the distressing lack of female Muppets). In
any case, at the end of that series we are informed that Skeeter
became a famous explorer and disappeared down the Amazon.
14. What's the best ever Muppet sketch?
Mahna Mahna, with Mahna Mahna and the two Snowths. Even now,
you sing "doo doo do doo doo" under your breath every time someone
says "phenomena," don't you? You know you do.
Seriously, we don't mean to impose our point of view on the
FAQ-reading masses. We just love Mahna Mahna, that's all. :-)
-----------------
V. "MUPPETS TONIGHT!" AND ITS CAST
15. Muppets *what*?
It's this new show, see, on ABC. It was a mid-season replacement
for the 1995-96 season, and it was a mid-summer replacement in the
summer of 1996. Soon it will be a mid-season replacement for the
1996-97 season.
Not that we're biased, but "Muppets Tonight!" is *great*. We all
love Bobo, and Johnny Fiama (possibly Fiamma) and Sal, and Pepe and
Seymour, and even Garth Brooks!
16. Who plays Kermit now?
Steve Whitmire (whose other credits include Rizzo the Rat, Bean
Bunny, and Wembley Fraggle -- he's been a major player since "The
Muppet Show"). He has been performing Kermit since Jim Henson's
death. He also performs Ernie. Brian Henson has never performed
Kermit.
Whitmire's first Kermit performance was in the 1990 special
"The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson."
17. What is Clifford? What is Pepe? What is Nigel's buddy?
These have definitive answers, from the performers.
Clifford is a human: In the Billy Crystal episode, Clifford says to
Rizzo, "I'm the man and you're the rat. I've got genetic
seniority." In early press releases for "Muppets Tonight!" he was
referred to as "Clifford the Rasta," but that's his religious
affiliation, not his species. In the Garth Brooks episode, Kermit
calls Clifford "Catfish-faced" but never actually calls him a
catfish. Which is good, because he isn't one.
Pepe is a Prawn.
Nigel's buddy (that's the Nigel who says "Cue!" not the conductor
from "The Muppet Show") -- the one who pops out of the control
panel during the opening sequence -- is a mink.
alt.tv.muppets trivia: Steve Whitmire contributed this answer
during discussions of "Muppet Classic Theater" (in which the mink's
head-banging performance in "Gotta Get That Name" stole the show
for many of us). This was the first ever post of a Muppet
performer to alt.tv.muppets.
-----------------
VI. "SESAME STREET"
18. Is XXX dying of any disease?
No. No way, no how. No "Sesame Street" Muppet character is dead,
dying, or planning to die. This is a rumor that has been
circulating since Jim Henson died in 1990 -- people were afraid
that since Henson died, the producers of "Sesame Street" were also
going to make Ernie die on the show, so that children could learn
about death (as they did when Will Lee, the actor who played
Mr. Hooper, died). This rumor has since spread and mutated to
include Bert, Grover, and other characters, and any number of
diseases and fatal accidents. However, the producers have *no
intention* of "killing" any character on "Sesame Street." Jim
Henson's characters are kept alive on the show by rerunning
sketches that were recorded in the first twenty years of the show,
and new Ernie sketches are also being made with Steve Whitmire
performing Ernie. Please help to stop this rumor when you hear it.
Anyone who is afraid for the life of any character should be
encouraged to actually watch an episode of "Sesame Street," where
they will see Ernie, Bert, and all the gang, still alive and well.
19. Are Ernie and Bert gay?
This is a source of wide speculation, but nothing has ever been
said on "Sesame Street" to indicate that Ernie and Bert have any
sexual or romantic feelings at all. While we wouldn't want to
suppress free speech on this newsgroup, beware: discussions on this
topic have historically been ugly. Rest assured that your point of
view has been stated before.
20. I heard PBS is going to cancel SS.
You would have to attribute a great deal of stupidity to PBS to
have them canceling one of their most popular programs. While PBS
funding is indeed being cut, "Sesame Street" would be among the
last shows to go. If you see a petition claiming otherwise,
ignore it. (This is a good rule of thumb for email petitions in
general. Since there is no way to control forgery or repetition of
signatures in email petitions, these petitions are universally
ignored.)
-----------------
VI. THINGS AVAILABLE ON THE 'NET
21. Who is...?
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~csilvers/muppet-characters.html
This site has lists: Muppets from "The Muppet Show" and Muppets
and humans from "Sesame Street." Compiled by Charles Evans, Bob
Pedersen, Rueven William Goren, and others.
Answers to some particularly frequent ID requests:
o The guy who throws fish: Lew Zealand
o The guy who blows things up: Crazy Harry
o The scary-looking blue monster: Uncle Deadly
o The piano playing dog: Rowlf
o The guy who hits his head on the piano on SS: Don Music
22. Who performed...?
http://www.clark.net/pub/cvaughn/html/mpindex.htm
Chris Vaughn and Sue Rose have put together an extensive list.
23. In what episode did...?
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/VR/BS/Muppets/muppets.html
Believe it or not, there are episode guides for every "Muppet Show,"
"Fraggle Rock," "Dinosaurs," and "Muppets Tonight!" episode ever
aired. In addition, there are descriptions of some of the Muppet
skits from "Sesame Street."
24. What are the lyrics to...?
ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/cvaughn/
http://www.globalserve.net/~rhonda/sesame1.html
http://www.cs.unc.edu/~arthur/muppet-songs.html
The first site has Muppet songs, including Rainbow
Connection, It's Not Easy Being Green, Just One Person, the theme
from "The Muppet Show," and more!
The second site, compiled by Tiny Dancer, has "Sesame Street"
songs. Besides all the songs you'd expect (Rubber Duckie,
"Sesame Street" theme), it has many Frequently Asked Lyrics: the
Alligator King, Captain Vegetable, I Don't Want to Live on the
Moon, We All Live In A Capital I, etc.
The third site has even more lyrics, courtesy of Kevin Arthur.
25. Where are pictures of...?
There aren't many available, which is good because they are
copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without permission,
even for private use. Sorry. :-(
26. What records/CDs/CD-ROMs/videos/books are there?
ALL: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/VR/BS/Muppets/muppography.html
VIDEO: http://www.megalink.net/~cooke/video.html
ALBUMS: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/1074/SSALBUMS.HTM
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/1074/ALBUMS.HTM
The first link, Bill Sherman's muppography, is quite large and
wonderful, but is not updated frequently. Luckily (perhaps)
neither are the albums, CDs, CD-ROMS, videos, books, etc.
VIDEO: The second link has an amazingly large list of Muppet-
related videos, collected by Jon Cooke.
A note on availability: _Muppets Take Manhattan_, though hard to
find, is available on video through Tristar. Other Muppet movies,
and some "Muppet Show" compilations, are also available. The
Playhouse Video compilations, such as "Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird
Stuff," are no longer being produced. Neither are "Dinosaurs"
episodes or "Dog City" episodes. On the other hand, the world is
currently swamped with "Sesame Street" videos.
ALBUMS: The last two links point to Ted Nesi's lists of "Sesame
Street" and Muppet albums, respectively. Both have track lists.
The Muppets are currently "between" record companies -- they
dropped Jim Henson Records/BMG Kidz, and rumor has it they are
working on starting a new label, possibly this year. Therefore,
the only Muppet album still in print is the "Muppet Treasure
Island" soundtrack. "Sesame Street" albums are a dime a dozen.
BOOKS: Books we think are particularly neat:
o Of Muppets and Men
o Jim Henson: The Works
Both are by Christopher Finch and are hard to find. _Of Muppets
and Men_ is especially rare, and bidding for it (on alt.tv.muppets)
has exceeded $100.
27. What's that program that turns stuff into Mock Swedish?
http://www.almac.co.uk/chef/chef/chef/
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/sw/swedish_chef
It's called the "Encheferizer."
28. Yes, but where are the *Muppet sites*?
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/VR/BS/Muppets/muppets.html
Bill Sherman's page is the place to start. It's the closest thing
there is to an "official" Muppets WWW page, and it has links to
other pages. (Coverage of TV shows is particularly impressive: it's
where you go if you want the ratings for the Jason Alexander
episode of "Muppets Tonight!")
Bill Sherman, again: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/VR/BS/Muppets/muppets.html
Official MTI site: http://www.disney.com/DisneyVideos/
MuppetTreasure/index.html
The Dark Crystal: http://www.public.asu.edu/~galenelf/wyvern/darkcrys
Labyrinth: http://www.public.asu.edu/~galenelf/wyvern/labyrnth
Muppets Tonight!: http://www.megalink.net/~cooke/muptnt/
Fraggle Rock: http://www.clark.net/pub/cvaughn/html/frindex.htm
Johnny Fiama page: http://pages.prodigy.com/fiama/
Muppets and Pooh: http://www.clark.net/pub/rinzel/muppooh/
Muppetabilia: http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~mir/muppets
The Muppet Site: http://www.public.asu.edu/~galenelf/wyvern/
Jeff's Muppenatics: http://bones.wcupa.edu/~jepstein/muppets
Ted's Muppet page: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/1074/
mupindex.html
Kerry's Place: http://pages.prodigy.com/robin/muppetr.htm
Please contact us if you have a Muppet page to add to this list.
-----------------
VII. NOW SHOWING
29. What Muppet stuff is on TV nowadays?
"Muppets Tonight!," occassionally on ABC, is once again on hiatus.
Help make sure MT! stays on the air! Write or email:
ABC-TV
77 West 66th Street
New York, NY 10023
E-mail: abcaudr@ccabc.com
"The Muppet Show" used to be on Nickelodeon but is no longer.
As of October 1996: (All US times are Eastern)
United States
-------------
["Muppets Tonight!" -- soon, we hope (but probably not until Spring)]
"The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss" -- Nickelodeon, Sundays, 8:00 pm
"Aliens in the Family" -- ABC, Saturdays, 11:30 am
"Muppet Babies" -- Nickelodeon, weekdays, 10:30 am and 1:30 pm
"The Secret Life of Toys" -- Disney Channel, Sundays, 7:30 am
"Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories" -- Disney Channel, Saturdays,
7:30 am
"Big Bag" -- Cartoon Network, Sundays, 9:00 am
"Sesame Street" -- PBS, every day, various times
Great Britain (thanks to Stuart Lancaster)
-------------
"Muppets Tonight" (season one repeats) -- Sky 1, Sundays, 5:00 pm
"Muppet Babies" -- Disney Channel, weekdays, 10:25 am
"Wubbulous World Of Dr Seuss" -- Nickelodeon, weekdays 2:00 pm
"Sesame Street" -- Channel 4, Weekdays, 6:00 am; Saturdays, 6:00 am
Australia (thanks to CRIT)
---------
"Muppets Tonight!" -- Channel 7, Fridays, 7:30 pm
"Jim Henson's Animal Show" -- Channel 7, Sundays, 8:30 am
"Dog City" -- ABC, MTWTh, 8:30 am
"Sesame Street" -- ABC, weekdays, 8:30 am and 3:00 pm
The Netherlands (Thanks to Danny Sanders)
---------------
"The Muppet Show" -- RTL4, Sundays, 11:00 am
"Sesamstraat" -- Nederland 3, every day, 6:15 pm
Germany (Thanks to Danny Sanders)
-------
"Sesamstrasse" -- N3, every day but Thursdays and Fridays, 6:00 pm
Israel (thanks to Yoni Dital)
------
"Muppets Tonight!" -- Channel 1, Tuesdays, 7:30 pm
Jordan (Thanks to Yishay)
------
"The Muppet Show" -- Jordan TV, Fridays, 2:00 pm
Mexico
------
"Plaza Sesamo" -- Univision, weekdays, 8:00 am
Does anyone know shows, stations, and times for other countries?
-----------------
END of alt.tv.muppets FAQ.
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