rec.arts.henson+muppets FAQ
Craig Silverstein
URL: http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~csilvers/muppet-faq.html
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Expires: November 1, 2010
REC.ARTS.HENSON+MUPPETS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Version 1.18. Last updated: 1 June 2007.
Changes since last version: #8 (updated ny address), cleaned up all broken links
WWW location: http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~csilvers/muppet-faq.html
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 rec.arts.henson+muppets? A friendly newsgroup
2. What other fan activities exist? Muppet Central et al.
3. I have strong opinions about this FAQ. te...@panix.com,
Who should I send "comments" to? danny...@toughpigs.com
csil...@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? Yes, pretty much
7. Who runs the Muppets nowadays? The Henson family
8. What's the address of The Jim Henson 117 E. 69th Street
Company? 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? What about Scooter? (i) Whatever (ii) Human
11. Where has Scooter gone, anyway? He's been retired
12. And where has Skeeter gone? Down the Amazon
13. What's the best ever Muppet sketch? Mahna Mahna :-)
IV. "Muppets Tonight!" and its cast
14. Muppets *what*? Successor to The Muppet Show
15. Who plays Kermit now? Steve Whitmire
16. What is Clifford? What is Pepe? (i) Human (ii) Prawn
What is Eugene (Nigel's buddy)? Mink
V. Muppet Movies
17. Does Beaker give Scrooge the bird He gives the index finger
in _Muppet Christmas Carol_?
VI. "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 if they don't have to
VII. 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, more
24. What are the lyrics to...? Lists: SS TMS
25. Where are sounds of...? At a few official sites
26. Where are pictures of...? At a few official sites
27. What records/CDs/CD-ROMs/videos/books A lot, but some are
are there? out of print
28. Where can I buy Muppet stuff? Many stores
29. What's that program that turns stuff The Encheferizer
into Mock Swedish? Bork bork bork!
30. Yes, but where are the *Muppet sites*? All over the web
VIII. Now Playing
31. Can I get _The Storyteller_ on video? Yes you can
32. What Muppet merchandise is planned Check the press releases
for release?
33. What Muppet stuff is on TV nowadays? Depends on the country
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
rec.arts.henson+muppets?
It's a newsgroup devoted to Muppets and other Jim Henson creations,
in all their wonderful shapes and forms. This newsgroup is meant
to supersede alt.tv.muppets, the newsgroup formerly devoted to
Henson and the Muppets. Don't post anything to alt.tv.muppets;
post to rec.arts.henson+muppets instead!
In r.a.h+m we talk about Muppets in cartoons, movies, television
shows, happy meal boxes, you name it. While not emphasized in this
FAQ, we often also discuss _The Dark Crystal_, _Labyrinth_,
"Fraggle Rock," "Dinosaurs," and other Henson productions. We talk
about Babe and other creations from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. 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.
Please observe the following rules (from the r.a.h+m charter):
o Don't post copyrighted material.
o You can advertise -- Henson-related materials only! -- but
please, no more than 6 such posts per person per month.
o Posting of binaries is strictly prohibited. If you want
to post a picture, post it to alt.binaries.pictures.misc --
or better yet, put it up on a web site somewhere -- and
then post a message to r.a.h+m saying what you've done.
2. What other fan activities are there?
If you're in New York City or Los Angeles, 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.)
On the web, Muppet Central, maintained by Phillip Chapman, has chat
forums and messages boards, original articles about the Muppets,
Muppet news and current events, and more. It is at
http://www.muppetcentral.com/
3. I have strong opinions about this FAQ. Who should I send
"comments" to?
Comments (but please, no thugs!) should go to
o te...@panix.com
o danny...@toughpigs.com
o csil...@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. Many Muppets are hand
puppets with arm wires. However, Muppets now include the most
advanced computer and animatronics technology. For the purposes of
this newsgroup, "Muppet" covers anything that has been created by
The Jim Henson Company or the Creature Shop, including creations in
"Muppets Tonight!," "The Muppet Show," "Sesame Street," "Fraggle
Rock," "Dinosaurs," _The Dark Crystal_, _Labyrinth_, _Babe_, etc.
Here's Jim Henson's take on the question, from an interview by Judy
Harris (full text is at http://www.bestweb.net/~foosie/henson.htm;
the article that came out of this fascinating interview is in the
April/May 1983 issue of _Cinefantastique_): "Well, to me the Muppets
are sort of fuzzy, bright colored, cute, lovable caricatures."
He's explaining why, to him, the creatures in _The Dark Crystal_
aren't Muppets. But we don't listen. La la la, we go.
In the same interview, Henson talks about the origin of the word
"Muppet": "It was really just a term we made up. For a long time I
would tell people it was a combination of marionettes and puppets
but, basically, it was really just a word that we coined. We have
done very few things connected with marionettes."
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. (Louise Gold is one of
the few left-handed performer, and her Muppets are right handed.)
This leaves them their left hand to control the Muppet's arms.
Muppets like the Swedish Chef, which are controlled by two
performers, are of course an exception.
6. Doesn't Disney own the Muppets?
Yes, pretty much. Here's how ownership breaks down, along with the
date the relevant company acquired control:
o Sesame Workshop: Sesame Street Muppets (Dec 2000)
o Disney: All other Muppets, Bear in the Big Blue House (Feb 2004)
o Henson family: Everything else, including the Creature Shop,
Fraggle Rock, movies like Labyrinth, the Hoobs, etc (May 2003)
Before February 2000, the Henson company was independent. In
February 2000, the German company EM.TV bought the Muppets. They
turned around and sold the rights to the Sesame Street characters
to Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Network). EM.TV
proceeded to utterly collapse and sold the Muppets back to the
Henson family in May of 2003, for about the value they bought it.
Henson then sold the rights to the Muppets (and Bear in the Big
Blue House) to Disney in February 2004.
It's interesting to compare the various press releases as the
Henson family lost, gained, and again gave up control:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040215115000/http://www.henson.com/company/press/html/022100.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20040215115000/http://www.henson.com/company/press/html/050703.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20040223103246/http://www.henson.com/company/press/html/021704.html
Disney worked with the Hensons even before the 2004 deal. As far
back as 1989, the Walt Disney Company entered into negotiations to
acquire The Jim Henson Company (then Jim Henson Productions) and
the Muppets. Jim Henson died during the negotiations, and the deal
eventually fell through. However, the JHC and Disney continnued to
work together, such as for the (wonderful) MuppetVision 3-D at
Disney/MGM studios in Orlando and at Disney's California Adventure
in Anaheim. Presumably, we'll now see even more along these lines.
7. Who runs the Muppets nowadays?
The Henson family now owns the company and also runs it. (However,
it obviously does not run the parts it sold off to Sesame Workshop
and Disney.) Brian Henson and Lisa Henson are co-chairs and
co-CEOs. The Board of Directors consists of all five Henson
children plus Charles Rivkin (who was President and CEO before and
during the EM.TV period). Peter Schube, President and COO, is the
other major senior executive not from the Henson clan.
8. What's the address of The Jim Henson Company?
1416 North La Brea Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90028
Note that this is an office building and is not open for tours.
There's also a New York office:
627 Broadway, 9th floor
New York, NY 10012
The Creature Shop is in London:
30 Oval Road
Camden, London NW1 7DE
If you want to email them, try the following address:
http://www.henson.com/company/fanform.html
OR fan...@henson.com
The Jim Henson Company was formerly known as Jim Henson
Productions, and, before that, Henson Associates! Through
the 1970's, the company was called Muppets, Inc.
-----------------
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? What about Scooter?
The current best answers are "whatever" and "human," respectively.
Christopher Finch, in the almost-definitive "Of Muppets and Men,"
relates the following ad-libbed exchange on the backstage of "The
Muppet Show": "Kermit/Jim Henson turns to Scooter/Richard Hunt and
asks, 'What are you anyway?' 'My mother was a parrot,' Scooter
replies. 'We don't know about my father. It was during the war.'
'Really?' says Kermit. 'Which side was he on?'" Finch describes
both Scooter and Gonzo as "creatures of indeterminate provenance."
Continuing the trend, on the official Henson web site (at
http://web.archive.org/web/20020826164248/http://www.henson.com/fun/ask/ask_archives_body.html#Goelz3)
David Goelz talks coy about Gonzo, saying not even Gonzo himself
knows. In many movies he's called a Whatever -- starting in "The
Great Muppet Caper", where that's the marking on Gonzo's airplane
crate -- and that's the answer we Faqmeisters usually give.
(Though _Muppets From Space_, in which Gonzo is an unnamed alien
species, muddies the picture still further.)
Note that the answer has changed over time: the Gonzo Muppet's
first appearance was as a Frackle in "The Great Santa Claus Switch"
(though clearly this is not the Gonzo we know and love today).
Another alternative identification is in "Muppet Babies," in which
Gonzo is sometimes called a "weirdo." Also, in "The Muppet Movie,"
Kermit says Gonzo looks "sort of like a turkey... but not much."
(Judging by the Muppet turkey in "The Muppet Family Christmas," he
doesn't look much like a turkey at all.)
As for Scooter, his uncle, J. P. Grosse, who owns the theatre, is
clearly human. Despite Hunt's joking around, Scooter is probably a
human too. While he's called a "gofer," that's his position and
not his species ("gofer coffee," etc).
11. Where has Scooter gone, anyway?
The performer who performed Scooter, Richard Hunt, died in 1992 of
complications due to AIDS. Scooter was not really seen since until
_Muppets From Space_, in which he had a small cameo. It is
unlikely he will ever return as a major character.
12. 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 instance is hardly
enough to mitigate the distressing lack of female voices in the
Muppet world). In any case, the writers and producers of "Muppet
Babies" like to think she became a famous explorer and disappeared
down the Amazon.
13. 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. :-)
(btw, the Mahna Mahna skit is on the "Muppets Season 1" DVD, on the
Juliet Prowse episode.)
-----------------
IV. "MUPPETS TONIGHT!" AND ITS CAST
14. Muppets *what*?
It's the most recent Muppet TV show. Originally it was on ABC,
then the Disney Channel, but alas it's no longer showing in the US.
Not that we're biased, but "Muppets Tonight!" is (was) *great*. We
all love Bobo, and Johnny Fiama (possibly Fiamma) and Sal (Minella
-- ha ha), and Pepe and Seymour, and even Garth Brooks! Alas, the
broader public did not agree, and no new episodes are being
produced.
15. 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."
16. What is Clifford? What is Pepe? What is Eugene (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. (From _Muppets From Space_: "I am a King Prawn!")
Eugene, Nigel the Director's buddy -- the one who pops out of the
control panel during the opening sequence -- is a mink.
This isn't actually a Frequently Asked Question (to date, it's
been asked all of once) but we threw it in because of its trivia
value: 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, the progenitor of rec.arts.henson+muppets.
-----------------
V. MUPPET MOVIES
17. Does Beaker give Scrooge the bird in _Muppet Christmas Carol_?
At one point during _Muppet Christmas Carol_ it looks like Beaker
flips off Scrooge. Does he? Close examination of the video
reveals that (a) Beaker uses his index finger (the second of his
four fingers), and (b) the back of Beaker's hand isn't toward
Scrooge. While the gesture is angry, it isn't obscene.
-----------------
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.
PBS is not likely to cancel one of their most popular programs.
While PBS funding is usually in crisis (in 1995 and 2005,
particularly so), Sesame Street makes more than enough off
merchandizing to support itself. That said, less money for public
television is unlikely to be good for Sesame Street.
You may see a call to sign an on-line petition objecting to budget
cuts for public television. But better is to contact your
representative directly! For more details, check out
http://www.snopes.com/politics/arts/pbs.asp.
-----------------
VII. THINGS AVAILABLE ON THE 'NET
21. Who is...?
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~csilvers/muppet-characters.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20060203221609/http://sesame-encyclopedia.com/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060602195936/http://www.kermitage.com/html/characterindex/tms/index.html
Thae first site has lists: Muppets from "The Muppet Show" and
"Muppets Tonight!" and Muppets and humans from "Sesame Street"
(both the U.S. and some non-U.S. versions).
The second and third sites are not currently on the web; the above
links point to old versions maintained on archive.org.
The second site has lots of "Sesame Street" characters, with great
pictures. The third site has an amazingly detailed list of the
Muppets seen on the Muppet Show, and the third has the same for
Sesame Street. Do you know who Abe and Bernie are? What episode
featured Astoria? The name of Telly's sister? Me either.
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
o The yip-yip aliens: Bob and Joe Martian
22. Who performed...?
http://www.punchandjewelry.com/legacy/html/mpindex.htm
http://www.toughpigs.com/extrarecast.htm
Chris Vaughn and Sue Rose have put together an extensive, though
now somewhat out-of-date, list. Many characters are no longer
performed (or no longer exclusively performed) by their original
performer; the second site, by Danny Horn, discusses many
characters' performers, both old and new.
23. In what episode did...?
http://www.muppetcentral.com/guides/episodes/tms/season1/
http://web.archive.org/web/20060519120842/http://www.kermitage.com/html/epguide/tms/tmsseasons.htm
http://mysite.verizon.net/ebrowne72/MuppetsTonight/
D.W. McKim and Michael Dixon both have very substantial episode
guides for The Muppet Show, at Muppet Central and kermitage
respectively. (The Kermitage site is via archive.org.) The Muppet
Central version is more detailed, while the Kermitage page is more
complete and consciously tries to leave out "spoilers".
Eric Browne has a very complete episode guide for "Muppets
Tonight!"
24. What are the lyrics to...?
http://www.lyricsdownload.com/muppets-lyrics.html
http://www.tinyd.net/sesame1.html
http://www.punchandjewelry.com/legacy/html/lyrics_ind.htm
In addition to annoying ads, the first site has all sorts of Muppet
and Sesame Street 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 232 songs (apparently all of them) from "Fraggle
Rock."
25. Where are sounds of...?
http://web.archive.org/web/20040207104157/http://www.muppets.com/downloads/sounds.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/19980203231837/www.henson.com/index_noframes.htm
There are various sites throughout the web with wav or mp3 clips
of the Muppets, but for copyright reasons, we only include
information about sounds on official sites. The first site
has sounds of several Muppet characters as well as a few songs.
The second site is more clip-oriented, but has a wider range
as well as videos. Unfortunately, you have to poke around the
site a bit to find them all.
26. Where are pictures of...?
For copyright reasons, we only include information about pictures
on official sites. For Muppets owned by Disney (most of the ones
folks have heard of), that would be go.com. It's an annoying and
slow Flash site, but if click on the map in the lower right and
then click on "Muppet Stuff," you'll go to a site where you can
download a few images of popular muppets, as screensavers,
backgrounds, AIM icons, and so forth.
For pictures of the many Muppet collectibles that have been produced,
check out http://www.muppetcentral.com/collectibles/muppets/index.shtml
27. What records/CDs/CD-ROMs/videos/books are there?
It used to be I could point to Bill Sherman's amazing muppography,
but it's no longer on the web (nor available via archive.org).
This is sad news indeed for those keeping track of Muppet items.
VIDEO: many Muppet TV and movie offerings are now
available on video. The first three Muppet movies, including
_Muppets Take Manhattan_, are widely available (e.g., through
Amazon). 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.
Disney, which now owns rights to The Muppet Show, has released the
entire first season on DVD. See, for instance,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009ULBGS/ref=nosim/104-1973347-4933567
The first season of Fraggle Rock is also available on DVD!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009RQSSW/ref=nosim/104-1973347-4933567
Time-Life had released a collection of Muppet Show episodes on VHS
and DVD. The DVD versions are pretty good. They are no longer for
sale (at least in the US), but may be available via eBay.
AUDIO: 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 some day. Right now only
relatively recent albums are in print: "Kermit Unpigged," _Muppet
Treasure Island_, "Bear in the Big Blue House," _Muppets from
Space_. "Sesame Street" albums are a dime a dozen.
BOOKS: Books we think are particularly neat:
o _Of Muppets and Men_ by Christopher Finch
o _Jim Henson: The Works_ by Christopher Finch
o _Sesame Street: Unpaved_ by David Borgenicht
_Of Muppets and Men_ is very hard to find, and bidding for it has
exceeded $100. The other books are still in print and can be
ordered, say, from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/).
I've also heard good things about _Designs and Doodles_, by Alison
Inches.
28. Where can I buy Muppet stuff?
http://www.muppetcentral.com/collectibles/shop/index.shtml
http://www.amazon.com/
Muppet Central has links to products at Amazon, but also has a
section for collectibles and for trades.
There are many other Henson items you can buy at various places.
Here are some program-related stores:
Muppet Show: http://www.mouseshoppe.com/directory.cfm?CategoryID=406
_Bear_: http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/playhouse/grown-ups/prod_all_new.html
Collectible stores (you may need to recombine the URLs):
Collectibles and cards: http://www.2momluvme.com/
New stuff, collectibles: http://www.muppetcentral.com/collectibles/shop/index.shtml
Action figures!: http://www.toymania.com/columns/spotlight/muppets3.shtml
Plushes: http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=wickedcoolstuff&query=muppets
Busts: http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=muppetshome
"Sesame Street" items: http://www.kbkids.com/w/l/snb.html?txt=sesame+street
Various products: http://www.emerchandise.com/browse/MUPPETS/A:MUPFAQ/
And of course, the standard auction sites often have Henson stuff.
(Special thanks to Nancy Eilers-Hughes for help compiling this list.)
29. What's that program that turns stuff into Mock Swedish?
http://www.almac.co.uk/chef/chef/chef.html
It's called the "Encheferizer."
30. Yes, but where are the *Muppet sites*?
http://www.henson.com/
http://www.muppetcentral.com/
http://www.toughpigs.com/
The first site is the official Henson web site, the second was
created by Phillip Chapman, and the third site is by Danny Horn,
faqmeister ex officio. All are excellent resources for Muppets
fans, and the best places for current Muppets news.
Henson used to maintain a wonderful site that answered user
questions about Henson and the Muppets:
http://web.archive.org/web/20020826164248/http://www.henson.com/fun/ask/ask_archives_body.html
The Henson Company: http://www.henson.com/
Official Muppets: http://muppets.go.com/
Muppet Central: http://www.muppetcentral.com/
Danny Horn's site: http://www.toughpigs.com/
Muppet Wiki: http://muppet.wikicities.com/
Muppet blog + forum: http://muppetnewsflash.blogspot.com/
Bear in the Big Blue House: http://www.bearinthebigbluehouse.com/
Sesame Place: http://www.sesameplace.com/
Carroll Spinney Fan: http://carollspinney.web1000.com/
Mar's Muppet site: http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Farm/4164
Muppet News etc: http://www.camelliasoftware.com/TheMuppetsSite
Fraggle Rock: http://www.fragglerocker.com/
Fraggle Rock 2: http://www.punchandjewelry.com/legacy/html/frindex.htm
Muppet*Vision 3D: http://members.aol.com/muppetvisn/mypage.html
Pepe's LJS commercials: http://ljs.winnercomm.com (password howcanyouresist)
Jerry Nelson site: http://e.domaindlx.com/jerrynelson
A Muppet forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/freemuppet/start
What Muppet are you: http://quizilla.com/users/AutumnSong123/quizzes/What%20Muppet%20are%20you%3F/
Please contact us if you have a Muppet page to add to this list.
-----------------
VIII. NOW PLAYING
31. Can I get _The Storyteller_ on video?
It used to be you couldn't, but now you can.
_Storyteller_ is out on video; there have been sightings of some
episodes on VHS, and the entire collection is available on DVD from
Amazon, starting 26 August 2003.
By the way, _The Dark Crystal_ and _Labyrinth_ have also been
released on VHS and DVD.
32. What Muppet merchandise is planned for release?
Danny's Tough Pigs site does an excellent job of keeping track of
what's for sale out there.
_The Muppet Movie_, _The Muppets Take Manhattan_, and _The Great
Muppet Caper_ are all out on DVD. Consensus is these DVDs are ok
but not great -- either few extras, poor image quality, or both.
On the other hand, _Muppets From Space_ and _Muppet Treasure
Island_ are superb DVDs.
Disney has put out the complete first season of _The Muppet Show_,
and future seasons are also planned. The complete first season of
Fraggle Rock is also available. (See question 27.)
33. What Muppet stuff is on TV nowadays?
The "as of" date is when I last received information about listings
in that country; the newer the date the more likely it is the
listing is accurate. All US times are Eastern.
United States -- as of July 2003 (thanks to Danny Horn and MuppetCentral)
-------------
"Animal Jam" -- Discovery Kids Channel, weekdays, 7:30 am, 10:30 am;
The Learning Channel, weekdays, 8:00 am
"Bear in the Big Blue House" -- Disney Channel, weekdays, 6:00 am
and 11:30 am; weekends, 6:00 am
"Farscape" -- Sci-Fi Channel, weekdays, 12:00 am; Saturday, 5:00 am
"Play With Me Sesame" -- Noggin, daily, 8:00 am, 11:00 am
"123 Sesame Street" -- Noggin, daily, 5:00 am, 9:00 am, and 12:30 pm
"Sesame Street" -- PBS, daily, various times
Canada -- as of Febraury 2003 (thanks to Brian Knatchbull, Jamie Gray)
------
"Farscape" -- YTV, Wednesdays, 8:00 pm
"BRATS of the Lost Nebula" -- YTV, Wednesdays, 6:30 pm
"Bear in the Big Blue House" -- Treehouse TV, weekdays, 9:00 am,
1:30 pm, 6:00 pm, 10:30 pm; Saturdays, 6:30 am, 11:00 am,
3:30 pm, 8:00 pm; Sundays, 12:30 am
"The Secret Life of Toys" -- TV Ontario, weekdays, 8:15 am, 10:15 am;
Sundays, 7:05 am
"Dog City" -- Teletoon, Weekdays, 10:30 am; YTV, Sundays, 6:00 am
"Dinosaurs" -- Family Channel, weekdays, 12:00 pm, 7:30 pm
"Mopatop's Shop" -- YTV, weekdays, 1:10 pm
Great Britain -- as of June 2002 (thanks to Emma Shane, Daryl Barber)
-------------
"The Hoobs" -- Channel 4, weekdays, 6:05 and 6:30 am; weekends, 6:10 am;
Nick Junior, daily, 7:00 am and 4:00 pm
"Farscape" -- Sci-Fi channel, Sundays, 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm
"Bear in the Big Blue House" -- Channel 5, weekdays, 8:00 am;
Playhouse Disney, daily, 6:05 am, 8:40 am, 11:05 am, 1:35 pm,
4:00 pm, 6:35 pm and 9:00 pm;
Disney, weekdays, 9:35 am and 12:15 pm; weekends, 5:35 am
"Dinosaurs" -- Disney, weekends, 7:35 am
"Sesame Street" -- Nick Junior, weekends, 6:30 am
Australia -- as of June 2000 (thanks to Robert Whyte, Mac North)
---------
"Farscape" -- Channel 9, Saturdays, 8:30 pm
"Bear in the Big Blue House" -- ABC, weekdays, 3:00 pm
"The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss" -- Nickelodeon Australia,
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 10:00 am and 12:30 pm
"The Secret Life of Toys" -- FOX 8, Saturdays and Sundays, 3:00 pm
"Dog City" -- FOX 8, Saturdays and Sundays, 3:30 pm
"Big Bag" -- Cartoon Network, Sundays, 8:00 am
"Sesame Street" -- ABC, weekdays, 8:30 am and 3:00 pm
Denmark -- as of July 2006 (Thanks to Martin Lund)
-------
"Elmo's World" -- DR1, Wednesdays, 6:10 pm
"Fraggle Rock" -- DR1, weekdays, 4:20 pm
Norway -- as of December 2003 (Thanks to Henrik Rytter)
------
"Bear in the Big Blue House" -- Disney Channel, weekdays, 9:00 am
and 2:00 pm
"Dinosaurs" -- Disney Channel, daily, 9:00 pm
"Sesam Stasjon" -- NRK1, Thursdays, 6:00 pm
Sweden -- as of December 2003 (Thanks to Henrik Rytter)
------
"Bear in the Big Blue House" -- Disney Channel, weekdays, 9:00 am
and 2:00 pm
"Dinosaurs" -- Disney Channel, daily, 9:00 pm
"The Secret Life of Toys" -- Barnkanalen, Saturdays, 9:00 am
and 11:45 am
The Netherlands -- as of April 2005 (Thanks to Danny Sanders)
---------------
"Sesamstraat" -- Nederland 3, weekdays, 8:30 am; daily, 6:00 pm
Belgium -- as of April 2005 (Thanks to Danny Sanders)
-------
[nothing]
Germany -- as of April 2005 (Thanks to Danny Sanders)
-------
[nothing]
Israel -- as of April 1997 (thanks to Yoni Dital)
------
"Muppets Tonight!" -- Channel 1, Tuesdays, 7:30 pm
India and South Asia -- as of January 2002 (Thanks to Ganesh)
--------------------
"Sesame Street" -- Hallmark Channel, weekdays, 7:00 am and 4:00 pm
(usually); Saturdays, 11:00 am
Singapore -- as of December 1998 (Thanks to Tayan)
---------
"The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss" -- Eureka Learning Channel 06,
Singapore Cable Vision, Fridays, 7:00 pm
"Sesame Street" (English) -- TV12, Premiere 12, weekdays, 4:00 pm
"Taman Sesame" (Malay) -- TV12, Premiere 12, Saturdays, 6:00 pm
"Zhima Jie" (Chinese) -- TV12, Premiere 12, Sundays, 6:00 pm
Mexico -- as of July 1997 (Thanks to Rachel Moss)
------
"Plaza Sesamo" -- Univision, Saturdays, 8:00 am
Does anyone know shows, stations, and times for other countries?
-----------------
END of rec.arts.henson+muppets FAQ.