To celebrate the release of the new (and awesome, I just got back from seeing it) Muppet movie, Tim, Rob, and Tommy sat down to talk Muppets, Jim Henson, Fraggle Rock, Dark Crystal, Muppet Babies, and everything in between. Rob discusses his article on the legacy Muppet Babies left behind, Tim and Tommy get nostalgic about Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, and Tommy can’t help but sing a song. Celebrate MuppetWeek with Bubble Pipe Theater, see the new Muppet movie, and then see it again!
It’s Muppet Week here on Top Hat Sasquatch and I thought it would be a great time to publish the second installation in our series of Instagram Roundups since everyone around the world is getting excited about The Muppets again.
I’m sure there will be plenty more images of The Muppets showing up after this week when the new movie comes out. I know my followers will probably be tired of seeing my Muppet-related images in their feed, but that’s the risk you take when you follow me.
Have any ideas for the next Instagram Roundup? Tag your photo #TopHatSasquatch and we’ll see it!
In 1984, the Muppets were on a bit of downslide. The Muppet Show had ended its five-season run in 1981, the same year the Muppets had last been on the big screen in The Great Muppet Caper. That’s not to say that Henson and company were bored by any means. 1982 had seen the all-puppet feature film, The Dark Crystal, and Fraggle Rock was introduced on HBO in 1983. And, of course, there was always Big Bird and his friends on Sesame Street to keep Muppeteers busy. But the Muppets – Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, and the rest of the gang – were sort of off the radar at the time. They’d had a few TV specials here and there, and The Muppet Show was still being shown in syndication, but the characters were essentially shelved while Henson focused on other creative ventures.
But that all changed when their new film, The Muppets Take Manhattan, was released in theaters. It wasn’t that the film itself, which told of Kermit’s journey to bring the Muppets to Broadway, was a huge success. In fact, of the six original Muppet features, Manhattan ranks #5 with a box office take of only $25 million (Muppets from Space is #6, which should surprise no one). However, there was one scene in Manhattan that was destined to bring the Muppets back into the spotlight.
If you were alive in 1984, you probably loved this scene; I know I did. The little Muppets were adorable and the song was a catchy 1950’s throwback, complete with Fozzie, Gonzo, and Scooter backup singers. Although it is cuter than cute, if you think about it, there’s no reason for the scene to exist; it’s a dream sequence (not a flashback), and it’s inclusion doesn’t progress the story at all. It feels like a scene from another film, and there is some indication that this is not entirely by accident. Read More
I vividly remember when I first encountered Halo way back in 2001. I was working with a bunch of serious gamers at the time. A couple of them picked up the new Xbox on the morning it launched on Nov. 15.
One of the guys bought the new console and a few of the initial games before coming into work. I went into his office to check out his haul. He showed off two the games he considered to be the best, NFL Fever and Project Gotham Racing. He’d bought a third game on a whim. It was Halo. “It’s supposed to be pretty good,” he said giving his justification for the purchase. Looking back, that was the understatement of the decade.
In the months that followed, my coworkers and I convened at lunch to play a little on the Xbox. Halo quickly became the lunchtime favorite. Not the campaign with the sci-fi storyline but the multiplayer which pitted player versus player. Our lunch sessions would sometimes spill over to after work. Other friends would often stop by to join in the fun. Read More
Terry Border is the mastermind behind the hit website and book series Bent Objects. He joined us on the podcast to talk about his work, the exciting world of photographing ironing boards, his creative process, sculpting chewing tobacco, the joys of being published, and much more. We’re super excited we got to chat with Terry, and highly recommend you check out his work and buy all the things he has available.
