Le Nouvel Album de Sesame Street!

Not content to keep to one country, Sesame Street has cloned, doppleganged, and otherwise duplidupliduplicated itself into over 30 co-productions all over the world. Each one has its own set of characters, but the jury is still out on how many provinces and commonwealths exist within Elmo’s World.

To celebrate the international aspect of all things Sesame, Putamayo Kids has released “Sesame Street Playground,” a CD chock full of songs from Streets around the world. Also included with the CD is an extensive booklet with liner notes and a bonus DVD.

The CD contains music from Sesamstraat (The Netherlands), Takalani Sesame (South Africa), Zhima Jie (China), 5 rue Sesame (France), Ulitsa Sezam (Russia), Plaza Sesamo (Mexico), Galli Galli Sim Sim (India), Shara’a Simsim (Palestine), Rechov Sumsum (Israel), Kilimani Sesame (Tanzania), Vila Sesamo (Brazil), and of course, good old USA, home of the Whopper.
The music itself is pretty great. I only wish I spoke all of these different languages so I could get that much more out of it. The theme songs to Sesamstraat and Galli Galli Sim Sim are both included, which sound remarkably familiar. We also get the Chinese version of "Rubber Duckie" and the Brazilian version of "One Small Voice." The rest of the songs are catchy, but not as familiar to American audiences.

Something I don’t always take special notice of is the liner notes. In this case, a full booklet is included, featuring a brief synopsis of each song (which is important if you don’t know what “Ohgneyat Al Lo’ba Al Sha’beyya” means) and translations into Spanish, French, and German. The notes are cute and informative, and now I’ve figured out how to say “Mr. Noodle” in four languages!

The cover, in my opinion, could use a little improvement. As you can see, it looks like a watercolor painting done by the artiest 10-year-old in the class. It doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the Sesame Street library, but after looking at some of Putamayo Kids’ other releases, it definitely fits in well with those. I’d assume that this album would have a better release with other international titles rather than Sesame albums, but it might have been nice to have something eye-catching to both demographics. Still, I’m perplexed by Cookie Monster’s hovering cookie basket, Zoe’s claw feet, and why half of the characters included on the cover don’t appear in the album at all.
By far, my favorite song on the album is Takalani Sesame’s “Pollution Song,” which is one of the songs included on the bonus DVD. Part of the song is in English (one of 11 languages spoken on the show), which makes it a little easier to follow. I like the design of Moshe, the walkaround character, and the low, gravelly voice of Zikwe (the blue monster) fills out the song nicely in a way we don’t often hear on our Street. The song also includes everyone’s favorite Muppet to help create false rumors, Kami, in the only clip I’ve seen of her that didn’t involve a lesson about being HIV positive.

Also notable is Rechov Sumsum’s “En Den Dino,” which features Ronnie Rock, an Israeli children’s performer who doesn’t look anything like his name should be “Ronnie Rock.” The chorus has mostly nonsense words, which makes it easy to enjoy, although if you’re listening to a song to which you don’t recognize the language, it’ll all be nonsense to you anyway. Still, the inclusion of this song saddens me, if only for the fact that we didn’t get an appearance by Moishe Oofnik.

Two songs from Sesame Street USA made it onto the album: “Elmo’s Song” and “Sing.” I suppose the former was included to forgive the fact that Elmo is on the cover (as is with most Sesame releases these days), though I would have preferred one extra international song. I did enjoy the inclusion of “Sing,” which is sung in both English and Spanish, making for a proper fit in this compilation. Wiki fact: Did you know that Emilio Delgado wrote the Spanish translation for “Sing”? Es verdad!

The only dud of the 5 DVD tracks is “The Song of Caretakers” from Ulitsa Sezam. The video features Na-Na, which, as far as I can tell, is the Russian equivalent of The Wiggles. The song is pretty much a music video for these guys, and Muppets don’t even show up until we’re two minutes into the three minute song. On top of it all, it’s the third song out of the five to feature a regional celebrity, rather than spotlighting the best of the puppet characters.

In all, I found the CD and DVD to be most fun. Since I don’t have the biggest interest in foreign language music, I doubt it’ll jump off my shelf too often, but that doesn’t mean it’s not well-done or entertaining. The one reason I would bring it out again and again would be for the DVD portion. If Putamayo Kids or Sesame Workshop decide to release another volume, I would hope that they’d make it a DVD with a bonus CD, rather than the other way around. I haven’t seen much of the international characters, and they’ve teased me enough to make me want more.

All said and done, I would recommend the album, but only if your heart yearns for world music. If not, then a second listen may not be in your future.

Sesame Street Playground will be available in stores on September 30.
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joe.toughpigs@gmail.com

My Day on a Muppet Movie Set: Part 2

Has everyone read Joe Hennes' article from September 9th, in which he told the story of visiting the set of the new Muppet TV special Letters to Santa? (If you haven't, you should click on this link right here and read it.) In Joe's article he mentioned that he was invited by some of the Muppet people to come back for day of studio shooting. He recently took them up on that offer, and this time I got to come too.

I met Joe at the studio in the early afternoon. As we entered the stage, Joe said, "Nathan Lane is here," and yeah, actually, there he was. He's playing an airport security official in the special, which will also include appearances by Uma Thurman, Jane Krakowski, Jesse L. Martin, Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa from The Sopranos, Richard Griffiths, Disney Channel star Madison Pettis, and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. But with all those celebrities, is there any space in the special left for Muppets?

As a matter of fact, there is space, which is good, because the first scene I saw them shoot featured Bobo, and the Bobo puppet is frigging enormous. He's so bulky that when Bill Barretta performs him, he has to wear a harness kinda thing to keep Bobo steady. One take ended abruptly with Bobo toppling over, which cracked up everyone in the room, including Nathan Lane. Lane found Bobo pretty hilarious in general, and he struggled to get through a few takes without laughing. Hearing Bobo speak inspired several people in the room to do their own Bobo impressions, which makes me wonder if the annual informal holiday Talk Like a Pirate Day should be replaced by Talk Like Bobo Day.

Between takes, Joe introduced me to director Kirk Thatcher, who told us that Letters to Santa was greenlit and put into production quite suddenly. The whole shoot, in fact, will total only 15 days, which is less time than I take between trips to the laundromat.

After the scene was finished, I met and chatted with Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, and Noel MacNeal. Here's the thing about real live Muppet people: They're impossibly friendly, and they're almost as interested in the Muppet fan community as we are in them. Several of them commented on the recent New York Times article about Disney's big plans for the Muppets, which they described as "mostly accurate." They did not, however, comment on the difficulty of the Sudoku in that issue of the Times.

After the scene was finished, it was time for the cast and crew's favorite part of the day: lunch break! Joe and I talked some more with Steve and Kirk, as well as Bill Barretta. Among other things, they mentioned that Frank Oz had briefly dropped by the set last week to say hello. Apparently he's a bit of a Muppet fan himself.

One thing that came up over and over again throughout the day was a feeling of optimism among everyone involved. All the puppeteers believe Letters to Santa is a genuinely good Muppet production in the spirit of the classic stuff. Dave Goelz described it as the best thing they've done since Muppet Treasure Island, with "the perfect mix of lunacy and heart." I think every single puppeteer we talked to used the word "heart" in their assessment of the new special. This thing is lousy with heart. Which is great news for all the fans, unless maybe there's a faction of fans who've always felt the Muppets would be better if they were really mean.


During the break, we also got to talk to Andrew Samson and Scott Ganz, two of the writers on the project (along with Hugh Fink, who wasn't there that day). They have a lot of ideas for the Muppets, and I really got the impression that they're One of Us. Or Two of Us, or whatever. They're a couple of guys who grew up watching and loving The Muppet Show and the movies, and they want to see the characters get back to doing the kind of material they did in their heyday. Also notable: Scott's wife Brooke ran the "Sesame Seventies" fan website a few years ago, which was a fun and groovy celebration of Sesame Street's crazy disco records.

Soon it was time to start shooting again, and it was more airport stuff. One thing that struck me as the day went on was the fact that, although we only saw a tiny portion of the production, every single shot we saw them do had a joke in it, and all the jokes were funny. Unless we just happened to see the only funny scenes in the entire special, that bodes well. And as Joe pointed out, the performances seemed to get funnier with every take. If that's always the case, how do they know when to stop?

Another thing I noticed: Muppet performing is hard work. The scenes we saw them shoot had several human extras, but the sets were not "built up" to allow the puppeteers to perform standing up, so they had to sit and kneel and crouch and contort and roll around on wheely things (which probably have a real name other than "wheely things"). And while we tend to take for granted that a Muppet can do anything a human can do, the mere act of Rizzo putting his coat in an airport security bin required several attempts to get right.

Of course, it would have been easier to just cut the Rizzo coat-placing. I'm sure it's not crucial to the plot, but they kept doing it until it worked. I know this is going to sound cheesy, so maybe you want to skip this paragraph, but somehow it seemed very true to the spirit of the Muppets, and even to Jim Henson's own creative philosophy. From Kermit playing the banjo in an actual swamp in The Muppet Movie to Gonzo driving a lawn mower in Muppets From Space, it's always been about creating a world in which the Muppets are real, living beings. So they did take after take until Rizzo got it right. Man, if it had been a real airport, the people in line behind Rizzo would have been seriously ticked off: Just drop your coat, already! (And by the way, what's this talking rat doing at the airport?)

And after all that trouble with the Rizzo shot? They immediately did it again, with a shot requiring Pepe to hold various objects in each of his four hands, and drop them in the bin one by one. This required Bill Barretta, Matt Vogel and Peter Linz to squeeze in close together so they could each perform a prawn hand or two. I couldn't help but think it's a good thing none of the Muppet performers smell bad. Marty Robinson called that gag "a joke that's easy to write, but hard to do"... but once again, they did it until it worked.

While this stuff was going on, Joe and I got a chance to talk to the aforementioned Marty, Matt, and Peter, and they were all a bunch of jerks. No, of course that's not true at all. Like everyone else, they were as nice as could be and very enthusiastic about the new special. This was also about the time I saw one of the puppet wranglers stapling Kermit's winter shoes together so he could hold them in the next scene. I think it would be amazing, when your friends ask you what you've been doing at work, to be able to say, "Oh, today I stapled Kermit the Frog's shoes together."

To a humble, slack-jawed yokel like myself, the whole process of shooting a big TV project like this is pretty impressive. Great care was taken for every shot to ensure that no puppeteers' hands or heads were seen onscreen. Kirk Thatcher made sure Fozzie carried the same candy cane from shot to shot, for "continudity" purposes. And a few times, Kirk and the writers had to confer on whether or not a particular joke would be allowed in a Muppet special.

Speaking of which, here's an interesting tidbit: Remember Gonzo/The Tin Thing's line "Those are my nipples" in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz? I thought that was pretty darn funny, but I was surprised it made the cut. Well, the story behind that came up during a discussion about what the Muppets can and can't get away with: Dave Goelz thought up the line and jokingly suggested it to Kirk Thatcher, prefacing it by saying, "We'll never actually use this, but it would be funny if Gonzo said..." And then Kirk put it in the movie! And that's the story of Gonzo's nipples.

The next scene we saw was an interaction between Fozzie and Bobo. Have we ever even seen those two talk to each other before? Here you have two of the greatest fictional bears ever (equal to Winnie the Pooh, and miles above Andy Williams' Cookie Bear) and they're both part of the same entertainment franchise, but I really don't remember ever seeing them in the same scene. I predict that once viewers find out about this moment, they'll flock to the special by the billions.

During this scene, Scott Ganz told us that a lot of the last-minute additions to this production were "stolen" directly from the script he and Samson and Fink wrote for the now-canceled election special. Which is reasonable. If you're working on a new Muppet special, and you happen to have a perfectly good, unused Muppet script lying around, you might as well use it, right?

At one point, there was a young kid present on the set... I'm not sure who he belonged to, but he was having a good time. As things were getting set up for one of the last scenes of the day, Bill Barretta brought Pepe over to talk to him, which was pretty great, although I'm not sure the kid had any idea who Pepe was. Pepe asked him about school and his favorite subjects, but he politely rebuffed the kid's attempts to stick a candy bar wrapper in his mouth.

It was also around this time that some glossy photos of the main Muppet cast (not to be confused with The MuppetCast) were making their way around the room. These were being autographed to give away to kids, and each puppeteer actually signed his characters' names on each copy. Of course, they could have easily gotten some intern to do that, but instead they guarantee that those kids get the authentic John Hancocks of Kermit, Bunsen, Animal, et al. And for the record, Eric Jacobson does a lovely Piggy signature.

The last shot of the day required Kermit, Gonzo, Pepe, Rizzo, Fozzie and two penguins, so it was all hands on deck for the puppeteers (For those of you keeping score: Steve was Kermit while Noel was Rizzo, Peter was Fozzie's right hand, and Matt and Marty were the penguins). This was some kind of POV shot, apparently taken from the perspective of another character watching the Muppets from a distance, and there didn't seem to be any specific scripted dialogue.

This allowed the puppeteers to ad lib, and danged if they didn't come up with something different to say for every single take. Once, Gonzo confided to Kermit, "If you run fast enough [through the metal detector], you don't have to take your belt off." Another time, Kermit noted that the security checkpoint is easier to get through when you don't wear clothing.

After a few successful takes of this shot, Kirk Thatcher announced that it was a wrap for the day, and everyone quickly dispersed. Joe and I, amazed that we were allowed to stay so long without being politely kicked out, said our thank-yous and exited to the real world, a world where prawns can't talk and bears rarely wear sweaters.

There's still a lot we don't know about Letters to Santa. And we know even less about the Muppet feature film that's being planned for 2010. But I have to say, I'm feeling more optimistic about the future of the Muppets today than I have in quite a while. The creative people know -- and they know that we know -- that not every production from the last 10 years or so has been a home run. But the enthusiasm on that set was pretty infectious, and while I've been "cautiously optmistic" about most of the recent Muppet productions, this time around I think I'll drop the adverb and just look forward to seeing what my favorite characters are up to this Christmas.

Click here to comment on this article on the Tough Pigs forum!

ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com

Ugly Toy Pageant 2008: Call for Entries!

Deadline for entries: October 7

Hey, remember this guy? He's a Fozzie mini-bean plush made by Sababa, and in 2005 he was hideous enough to win the Tough Pigs Ugly Toy Pageant.

It's been a while since 2005, so it's high time we had another Ugly Toy Pageant around these parts. Now, I know there are scads of ugly Muppet toys that have never been featured in a pageant, but there's no way I can find them all myself. Which is where you come in.

Send me photos of ugly Muppet toys! You can send your entries to ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com, and you can send as many entries as you got. They can be from Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, whatever. Just keep in mind this rule: Toys that are ugly because they've been beaten, abused, or manhandled don't count. Only toys that were ugly straight from the factory.

The deadline for entries is October 7, 2008. Then I'll post the nominees for Ugliest Toy, and you'll judge their ugliness and send in your votes. And yes, I know the pageant has traditionally been an April Fool's Day event, but let's just pretend it's an April Fool's Day joke that we're doing it in October.

Now, to inspire you, here are the winners of the pageant from 2004, 2003, and 2002:






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ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com

DINOSAUR TRAIN!

Hey, remember The Skrumps? That was a Jim Henson Company property announced way back in January 2007. Well, they're finally doing something with it: A new press release from JHC reveals that a "long-form direct-to-DVD" production is in the works, and there are plans for a TV series too.

Which is good enough news. The Skrumps videos that debuted on Yahoo last year were pretty cool. But this announcement pales in comparison to the other new Henson show on the way: Dinosaur Train.

That's right. The show is Dinosaur Train! It's an animated series that will air on PBS, and it's about dinosaurs riding a train. Is that the perfect combination for the demographic, or what? I can just imagine the meeting that led to the creation of this concept:

Henson Employee #1: People, we need to come up with a new animated show for kids aged three to six years old. Now, let's see... What do kids like?

Henson Employee #2: Kids? Well, they like... oh, I don't know... dinosaurs.

Henson Employee #1: Okay, that's good, that's good. Dinosaurs. Write that down. What else?

Henson Employee #2: Let me think... Oh, I know. They like trains.

Henson Employee #1: Okay, great. So let's call our new show Dinosaur Train. Great job, everyone! Let's go out for ice cream.

I'm pretty sure that's exactly how it went. Either that, or they arrived at the idea of Dinosaur Train after rejecting Space Bulldozers, Kittens Eating at McDonald's, Cupcakes Playing Drums, and Dead Bugs with Moustaches.


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ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com

The Tick vs. Muppets

Wherever injustice rears its ugly head, whenever a damsel in distress finds her damselness all distressed-like, when a monster the size of a 1988 Toyota Camry is attacking the town where your Aunt Blanche lives, only one nigh-invulnerable superhero can be bothered to take the call! Why, it’s The Tick!

Many of us have followed The Tick’s adventures against thousands of ninjas, the terrifying Chairface Chippendale, and The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs at Midnight through his hit indie comic series, his foxy FOX Kids cartoon, and his “Isn’t that the guy from Seinfeld?” live-action series. But that’s not where his true origins lie.

Way back in prehistoric 1986, The Tick’s comic book premiered. An 18-year-old Ben Edlund created a 3-page comic for his local comic book store, New England Comics, in which this new superhero would act as mascot for their newsletter. As opposed to his now-familiar faux-spandex appearance, The Tick sported a more fuzzy and blue look. He was also unceremoniously violent, even to those who meant him no harm. The comic even parodied pop culture, including the Hair Club for Men and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. And here’s where we get to the relevant part. Hold onto your hats, folks.

After the blue guy, the first two characters we’re introduced to in The Tick’s universe are his doctors at a psychiatric institution. One of which is short, stocky, bald, and wears glasses that hide his eyeballs. The other is thinner, with hair that sticks straight up, a terrified look on his face, and a high-pitched speech impediment. Sound like a couple of someones we know?

In case that wasn’t blatant enough, the short one refers to his assistant as “Beaker,” while he himself wears an ID tag that reads “Hello, my name is: Dr. B. Honeydew.” Okay seriously, if you’re not getting this, then you need to go read some other blog.

In fact, this strangely familiar duo gets almost as much page-time as the titular hero. Sadly, their appearance didn’t carry over to The Tick’s proper comic and continuity, but that’s ok, seeing as they got to be on TV a heck of a lot more than The Tick over the years.

Below, be sure to check out the original 3-page comic of The Tick, featuring those two science guys from that show we all seem to like so much.

Special thanks to ToughPigs reader Jamila for the scans!

Click here to share your battle cry on the ToughPigs forum! For justice!

joe.toughpigs@gmail.com

ToughPigs on the MuppetCast #3

Special thanks to everyone out there in internetland for your great response to the article posted earlier this week about my experience on the Muppet set. But apparently, hard as we tried, we weren't able to keep the story to one medium. Sure, print may be dead, but radio is the wave of the future!

Check out the latest edition of the MuppetCast to hear my loverly voice rant about, well, pretty much everything I wrote about in this article. Hey, you never know, I may have accidentally mentioned something about that line of Muppet-themed Q-tips they've got planned. Whoops!

Click here to listen to the MuppetCast!

And click here to discuss my accent on the ToughPigs forum!

ToughPigs Art: Red Fraggle, Split Up, Puppeteer At Work

In case you haven't looked three inches above these words lately, you may have noticed that we've got a shiny and new logo here at ToughPigs.com! We commissioned the piece a while back from our resident artist, Smig, and then sat on it for a few months before bothering to put it up. Because that's how we roll around here.

In honor of this momentous occasion, we also bring to you three new pieces by Smig. So enjoy the artiness! (Click the images to embiggen)

Click here to help unionize the Doozers on the ToughPigs forum!

joe.toughpigs@gmail.com

My Day On a Muppet Movie Set

About a week ago, I found a post on a Brooklyn Heights blog with an image of a notice on a lamp post saying that “Muppets Prod, Inc.” would be filming in the area on Monday morning. Being a Brooklynite myself, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see real live Muppets, as I’m sure none of us could. So I woke myself up extra early and bustled down to the Heights for what I hoped would be a good show.

For those who don’t know, “Letters to Santa” (working title) is a Muppet Christmas movie set to premiere on NBC this holiday season. According to the description written on a notice: “Our characters are forced to give up their Christmas vacation plans, of escaping the NY snow, to help get Santa’s lost mail into his hands before Christmas Eve.” I don’t know about you, but I’m gripping the arms of my easy chair already!

I showed up at 8:00am and stood on a street corner in front of a Cosby-esque brownstone and watched as 16 people stood in the late summer heat wearing winter coats, hats, and scarves. There was no doubt about it, this was a Christmas movie. A synagogue had been altered slightly to look like a US post office. The people all stood impatiently as a mailman drove his van up to the building, walked up the stairs, and went back to do it all over again. And again. And again. I forget that when making a real film, one take is never enough. The repetition made me dizzy.

But still, no Muppets to be seen. That’s when I saw Steve Whitmire and Bill Barretta, and a minute later, Kirk Thatcher. Now, people who know me well know that I’m fearless when it comes to talking to celebrities on the street. I’ve approached many here in New York, and most of them are happy for the attention. But when Steve and Bill walked past, I suddenly turned to a nervous ball of sweat and shakies. Crap! There goes my chance. Might as well go home, head in my hands.

Knowing the fuzzy ones were nearby, I wouldn’t even think of leaving until I saw a Muppet, so I stayed. I waited until Kermit made his little green face shown, followed immediately by Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Camilla, Pepe, and a team of rat carolers (adorned with tiny reindeer antlers). They went through a scene a few times and while I marveled at the fact that there were real Muppets mere feet away, I noticed that the crowd around me grew and grew. Parents were holding their kids up in the air to see Miss Piggy, kids were refusing to go to the playground (lest they miss the frog do something funny), and adults were dumbfounded that this was actually happening in their neighborhood. One woman in particular was completely unfazed, as Brad Pitt was two blocks away just last year. Psshh, girl didn’t know what she was talking about: Frog always trumps Pitt.

During a pause in filming, Steve brought Kermit into the crowd to say hi to some of the kids (he did this several times during the day, and while this might get tiring to you or me, he seemed to find a new delight with every child he made smile, and rightly so) when I finally found the courage to introduce myself. He shook my left hand since Kermit was sitting on his right, and said that he loves ToughPigs.com (Hi Steve!), but he really must get back to filming and he’ll try and stop for a conversation later. Ok, that might have been a very polite blowoff, but at least he was enthusiastic.

During the next pause in filming, the crew took an ice cream break (ye gods, I want to work for these people!). Steve came and found me in the crowd. Come on, he said, I’ll introduce you to the guys. I didn’t care who “the guys” were, I’d be following. Steve then introduced me to Martin Robinson, Tyler Bunch, Noel MacNeal, and Matt Vogel (Hi guys!). They were kind enough to chat with me for a while. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much info on upcoming productions (which was what most of my prepared questions involved), but I did get a lot of behind-the-scenes tidbits.

For example: Martin Robinson has no idea that people know what he looks like, as evidenced by the fact that I congratulated him on his recent marriage before he said his name. Puppet designer Jane Gootnick is the one responsible for the recent appearance of The Swedish Chef’s wedding ring. Dave Goelz performs, and has always performed, the eyes for Sweetums via remote. Martin Robinson was able to have his wedding on the Sesame Street stoop for free because nobody had ever asked before (though he did have to pay three unions since they were using a TV studio). And so on and so forth.

While we were milling about, an entourage of large black cars filled the street. None of us had any idea what was going on. Then New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg stepped out and readied himself for a cameo in the movie. Someone mentioned that he must be filling the role listed as “Handsome Celebrity Male” in the script. Well, they’re about half right (Sorry, Mike! I couldn’t resist). Then, just as quick as he appeared, Mr. Mayor fled into the night, joining David Dinkins and Ed Koch on the list of New York Mayors with articles on the Muppet Wiki. Yeah, I’m sure that’s why he agreed to it.

Puppet designer Bonnie Erickson, who, to my knowledge, hasn’t worked on a Henson production in some time, also showed up for the filming. It turned out that she lives only a few blocks away, and a phone call from Dave Goelz sent her running to the set. She also claims to enjoy ToughPigs.com (Hi, Bonnie!), and was just as thrilled to see the Muppets making a quality production as I was. And then her husband asked to take my picture, which means I’ve got to become famous quick, or else the photo will be worthless.

When the puppeteers got ready for the next scene, Steve pulled me aside again and helped me to find a cranny-like nook to squeeze into to watch the filming up close. When Kirk Thatcher saw this, he introduced himself (and no, Kirk, we almost never say you’re a bad director!) and took me into the director’s tent to watch the monitors over his shoulder. After every shot, Kirk would swear, yell, or wisecrack, then turn around and explain to me why directing is hard. And then I bit my tongue to keep from bringing up his appearance in Star Trek IV.

I then met Hugh Fink (formerly a writer for Saturday Night Live) and Andrew Samson who, along with Scott Ganz (not present), have been given a 1-year development deal with Disney to write for the Muppets. According to Fink, their pitch to Disney consisted of an idea for a Muppet roast and the previously announced election special. Disney loved the latter idea and had them sign on the dotted line. Unfortunately, now neither production is going forward, but they did write the script and screenplay for “Letters for Santa”, and they’ll continue to write for the Muppets for as long as the funny holds out. It seems that Disney’s finally getting a clue as to who their audience should be, and they’re showing it by hiring Fink to give them a “late night sensibility”, which sounds a whole lot easier to stomach than the ill effects of Studio DC.

I also discovered that not only did Paul Williams provide the music for the film, but it all stemmed from his original pitch. And that gives a whole new credence to the production. Add that to the great performers, Kirk Thatcher, and new writers Hugh Fink, Andrew Samson, and Scott Ganz, and we’ve got a Christmas movie that might just make it onto a few shelves. I know it’ll be on mine.

The last person I met was Kevin Frawley (apologies if I spelled your name wrong!), who talked up the recent Muppet productions with such enthusiasm that he gave me a true hope that the Muppets are back in the entertainment game for good. He also showed an unwavering faith that the Jason Segel-penned Muppet Movie will premiere in 2010, no matter what the trends of in-development movies are. He seemed genuinely concerned that the Muppets were previously only being kept barely alive for merchandising purposes and that he is making it his personal vendetta to keep them making quality productions. That’s a man I want fighting for the Frog.

At this point, I got a slight fear, like a sneeze about to ruin my family’s Thanksgiving dinner, that I might be looking over everyone’s shoulder a little bit too much. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that I may be there to have fun, but everyone else is there to work. So I made the hardest decision of my life and left the set. The puppeteers and crew were all incredibly cordial and never hinted that I was disturbing them, and a few made the offer for me to go back later this month (assuming they approve of this write-up, I suppose). So I guess I’ll do that. Y’know, if I’m still into Muppets by then.

It’s nice to know that we’re all on the same team, the fans and the creators. Everyone wants every production to be great, and everyone wants there to be more of everything. I want to thank everyone who took the time to talk with me, including the folks I mentioned in this article, the puppeteers, the P.A.s, the Creative Affairs department, and anyone I may have accidentally stepped on. Special super thanks to Steve Whitmire, who turned me from an outsider to an insider. Also for being the Frog.

There are a few things that I learned that didn’t quite fit into this article, so please head on over to the ToughPigs forum where you’ll get some more details about the Emmet Otter musical, the Muppet election special, and more. It’s also a great place to find me if you have any questions (but sorry, I won’t reveal plot details or anything said under strict confidence. However, I will plagiarize this book I have about ethics).

joe.toughpigs@gmail.com

Yet Another Muppet Christmas Special

How many Muppet Christmas specials have there been? Twenty? A hundred? Nine thousand? It must be one of those numbers.

And now there's another one on the way... The Hollywood Reporter is, um, reporting that NBC is working on Letters to Santa: A Muppets Christmas. Which is interesting, because you might think that Disney, who owns the Muppets, would want their special to air on ABC, the network which they also own.

But whatever. If there's one thing Muppets know how to do well, it's being merry at Christmas, so this should be fun. The plot is something about the Muppets intercepting kids letters to Santa Claus, which promises to be just adorable.

Guest stars include Whoopi Goldberg (Will she be reprising her role as God from It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie?) Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa from The Sopranos (Will they be reprising their roles as Bert and Ernie from Elmo's Christmas Countdown?), and some people from Harry Potter. And the Reporter says the songs will be by Paul Williams, who wrote the songs for a little thing called Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas.

So, assuming The Hollywood Reporter has their facts straight, the whole thing is really just going to be a Muppet Christmas reunion. Ho ho ho.

Click here to comment on this story and eat some figgy pudding on the Tough Pigs forum!

ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com

Hidden Gems of Sesame Street Music: Part 5

Welcome back! This is part five of a five-part series of articles on lesser-known but wonderful Sesame Street songs. Before you read this, you really oughtta read part one, part two, part three, and part four. In today's installment, my fellow Tough Pig Anthony and I have a fascinating and insightful conversation about the subject at hand.

Ryan: So, fellow Tough Pig Anthony, there certainly are a lot of great Sesame Street songs, aren't there?

Anthony: There are, which isn't at all surprising. The show's been on the air for almost forty years - Forty! - and so many great songwriters have worked on it.

Ryan: Great songwriters? Yeah, I guess. If you consider people like Joe Raposo, Jeff Moss, and Christopher Cerf to be great. And you know what? I do.

Anthony: Well sure, so do I. Not to mention often-ignored talents like Sam Pottle, David Axelrod and Tony Geiss. Look 'em up on Muppet Wiki, folks - you'll be surprised how many great songs those gentlemen wrote for Sesame Street.

Ryan: That's true. And with 40 years of songs, this 5-part series of Tough Pigs articles could have easily been a 50-part article. Or 500! Or 5,000!

Anthony: Easily! I don't think that's an exaggeration. We've just begun to scratch the surface.

Ryan: Yeah, I have a whole list of songs I thought about writing about... "Pigeons, and Cookies and Trash" features Bert, Cookie Monster, and Oscar singing about their respective favorite things. "Google Bugle" is a song that only Cookie Monster could sing, because nobody else has googly eyes. "I Get a Nice Feeling," sung by Bob (presumably to Linda?) is one of the loveliest love songs I've ever loved.

Anthony: I have a similar list of omissions - "Don't Go Away Without Me", an Ernie & Bert anthem about not wanting to be apart from your best friend for even a minute. "Breakfast Time", where Cookie Monster tells Ernie about his daily breakfast of cookie juice and hard-boiled cookies.

Ryan: Oh, I like that one.

Anthony: "A Postcard from Amy", in which Grover's message from his friend gets mangled as it passes from one character to another... We could go on all day. But the point is that great Sesame Street songs are all over the place, and all you need to do is look for them.

Ryan: It's also amazing to me that both of us, as lifelong Muppet fans, are still discovering material from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond, that we've never heard before. I'm not sure I've ever even heard that Bert & Ernie song you just mentioned.

Anthony: That song, like "Too Busy", which I featured yesterday, is on the album Fair is Fair. But yeah, it really is amazing how never-ending the well seems to be.

Ryan: Oh. Then I guess I have heard that song. But I forgot it...which just proves how freakin' many Sesame Street songs there are!

Anthony: Listen to it again!

Ryan: Okay! Maybe I will!

Anthony: But yeah, like you said - you forgot the song. There's so much Sesame Street music out there that your brain can't hold it all.

Ryan: Of course, they're still writing new good stuff on Sesame Street. Did you see the musical number with Neil Patrick Harris this season?

Anthony: I did. It's terrific.

Ryan: Music has always been such an essential ingredient in the Muppet recipe, and it's great to see that tradition continuing.

Anthony: I agree. And as you say, it's an essential ingredient in the Muppet recipe, not just the Sesame Street one. The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, Bear in the Big Blue House - all of them were marked by wonderful music.

Ryan: Yep. Birds fly, fish swim, camels spit, and Muppets sing. It's just what they do. For the Muppet Show characters, it's a little harder to pull that off in today's post-variety show world, but for some reason it's still expected in kids' entertainment, and thank goodness for it.

Anthony: Yeah, say what you will about the recent Studio DC: Almost Live! special (I already did), but it featured Muppets singing, as do the videos made especially for YouTube. That's a good sign for the future, as far as I'm concerned.

Ryan: Yes. The day when Muppets stop singing altogether would be a sad day indeed. I don't think I'd even be able to get out of bed in the morning.

Anthony: Oh, but you will, because you'll still have decades of great music. Much of which, once again, you haven't even heard yet.

Ryan: I will? You're right, I will! That's amazing! We sure are lucky to have so much great Muppet music, Sesame and otherwise. It's like we won some kind of good music lottery.

Anthony: Yes, sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon listening to my homemade Muppets at Walt Disney World soundtrack.

Click here to rave about Muppet songs on the Tough Pigs forum!

ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com

Hidden Gems of Sesame Street Music: Part 4

Over the past few days, Ryan Roe and I have been sharing some of our favorite obscure Sesame Street songs.

Today, let’s talk about Sesame Street albums. Back in the 70s and into the 80s, the fine people at Children’s Television Workshop released records with alarming frequency. While many of the songs came straight from the TV show, a very large number of them were recorded especially for the audio releases. Many of these albums (you can find a full list at Muppet Wiki) have been out of print for years, so they’re a perfect place to look for obscure songs. I’ll begin today with a few of my favorites:

I'm Square – 1983 (The Gang’s All Here!)

If you’re reading Tough Pigs, chances are high that you’re a big geek, or a big nerd, or even kind of square. Here, Bert celebrates his status as One of Us. He waxes sentimental for his love his boring things, getting more and more excited as the song goes on. Any adult Sesame Street fan can relate to Bert’s frustration at being ridiculed for having unusual interests. The only difference is that in Bert’s case his interests include Kleenex and “pigeons in the news”.

The song is packed with amusing lines, as Bert reels off one nerdy obsession after another. Frank Oz’s performance is typically excellent, of course. When Bert sings about cold mashed potatoes towards the beginning, you can feel the affection in his voice. But by the time he gets to argyle socks at the end, he almost sounds like he needs a cold shower. Again, all geeks probably sound like that sometimes, which only makes it funnier.

Come Along (1978 – On the Street Where We Live: Block Party!)

Yesterday Ryan highlighted “Soul Food”, a Gordon-sung tune from this same record, my no-doubt-about-pick for the best Sesame Street album of all-time. Every song on it is a gem, with great numbers for most of the human cast members, as well as both of Caroll Spinney’s Muppets. It starts out with this track, where Big Bird is impatiently waiting for the party to start. When no one wants to play with him, he does what comes naturally – starts singing about how beautiful a day it is.

In the song, he urges everyone to join him and “Sing a happy song”. They do, conveniently as soon as he gets to the line “Oh, what a lovely sound when we sing this song.” And it’s a lovely sound indeed. This is straight-forward, snark-free happy Big Bird at his finest. I can’t help but feel happier and more energetic just for having heard it. While re-listening to it for this article, in fact, I started pumping my fists in the air and then jogging laps around my apartment. I swear to you that’s the truth.

It also features a reference to John-John. How can you say no to that?

Upside Down, Inside Out (1978 – On the Street Where We Live: Block Party!)

As I mentioned, this album is full of great songs for the human cast members – Gordon, Maria, Susan, Olivia, and David all get memorable numbers. Best of all is this one, sung by Bob and The Kids. The beginning is as understated as can be, with Bob idly playing piano. One of The Kids asks him to play a song, and he does.

It’s a typically upbeat Bob song, and it’s all about how great You are. Yes, You. “You can turn my seams around, put my toes back on the ground, with just the love in your eyes” he says. And don’t think he doesn’t mean it. Would Bob lie to you? No, of course he wouldn’t. If you don’t believe me, listen to the song. Just once. You won’t doubt that you’re more important to Bob than anything else in the entire world.

Too Busy (1978 - Fair is Fair)

Here’s an example of how prevalent Sesame Street albums were in the 1970s – the very same year as Block Party!, CTW put out the also-terrific Fair is Fair. It has a lot of great Muppet songs on it, but its most memorable moment comes from, surprisingly, The Kids. Just one Kid takes the lead here – a boy named Jamie Aff – and he’s pretty far away from the likes of “Sing” or the theme song.

Instead, he’s talking about being ignored by his parents. He painted a picture at school today, it seems. But when he excitedly brought it home, his unspecified didn’t have time for him. It’s slightly unsettling to hear a Sesame Street song address parental neglect so head-on, but this was the 1970s, the era of the latchkey generation. In any case, the song is terrific. Young Mr. Aff really invests in the emotion of his character’s dilemma, and the refrain is relentlessly catchy. As for how the parent-child conflict is resolved – well, I’m not going to spoil it.

Cripple Creek – 1970s Sesame Street

This was never featured on an album, but I couldn’t leave it out of this list. Sung by Buffy (the human cast member who has sadly become mostly forgotten) and Fred the Wonder Horse, it’s an old-fashioned folk song about “going up to Cripple Creek to see my girl”. Buffy doesn’t change the gender-specific lines in the song, by the way. She mentions that she’ll “kiss her on the mouth” and that the girl will “wrap herself around me like a sweet-potato vine”. It’s slightly shocking to the modern listener.

That example of less-restrictive curriculum standards aside, the song is simply amazing. While singing, Buffy also plays a mouth-bow. This lends the song a unique, off-the-cuff vibe like nothing else ever heard on Sesame Street. Meanwhile, Buffy’s and Jerry Nelson’s voices blend together so perfectly that you’ll bemoan the fact that they never recorded a full album together. Say, that would have made an excellent addition to CTW’s release slate.

Well, that’s it for our twenty picks, but that isn’t all we have to say about obscure Sesame Street music. Click here for part five, where you’ll see Ryan and me together! At the same time!

Click here to kiss Tough Pigs Forum on the mouth.

Hidden Gems of Sesame Street Music: Part 3

This is the third installment in a five-part article about really great Sesame Street songs that are not as well-known as they should be. Part one is here, and part two (by Anthony Strand) is here. And now, more words about songs.

Soul Food
On the Street Where We Live: Block Party!, 1978

I've always loved the humans of Sesame Street nearly as much as the Muppets. I never owned a Bob doll or a Maria PEZ dispenser, but they've taught and entertained me for years, so the 1978 Block Party record is right up my alley: Big Bird and Oscar are present, but the spotlight is really on the less fuzzy residents on the street.

Of course, there's no Sesame Street character less fuzzy than Gordon, who offers this groovy, timbale-infused musical invitation to check out his food booth at the titular block party. When I hear the song, I can practically smell Gordon's dishes, including shrimp & rice, po' boys, birdseed ice cream, and enchiladas -- with meat AND cheese! "Everybody's got soul food/Would you like to buy some?" he asks, then warns "Don't say no till you try some!" Which, now that I think about it, kind of sounds like he's selling drugs, but I'm pretty sure he's not.

I would certainly get in line for some of Gordon's soul food... although I'm not sure I have any cash. Are there any ATMs on Sesame Street?

Count von Count's Continuous Country Cooking Downhome Diner
Sesame Country, 1981

As it turns out, Gordon's not the only skilled chef on Sesame Street. If, as this song says, you like home cooking, "try it Transylvanian style!" Everyone is welcome to "come inside and open wide" at the Count's restaurant, which is presumably the world's only Transylvanian-Southern fusion eatery.

The title of this track alone is fun to say, and the song is all banjos and fiddles. The Count's friends place their orders (by number, of course), although none of them sound especially "country"... Cookie Monster orders a cookie sandwich, while Ernie ultimately decides on cereal, but I'll assume those are authentic Nashville corn flakes. (Or perhaps authentic Romanian Rice Chex). Grover, meanwhile, orders "a number 5: the business monster's lunch," which is fairly adorable.

As far as I know, this is the only time the Count has ever done a country song, so that's pretty cool. I think this is also the only time we ever heard about the Count owning a restaurant, which makes sense... He probably got so caught up counting every single plate, glass, and utensil in the kitchen that he forgot to serve the food.

A Very Unhappy Birthday to You
For the First Time, 1982

This song should not be confused with Disney's "Very Merry Unbirthday" song from Alice in Wonderland, which does not mention chocolate pickle juice.

Oscar is at his best when he's at his worst. That contradiction defines the entire grouch culture that exists in Sesame Street's world: To a grouch, anything awful is wonderful. This song explains the goings-on at a grouch birthday party, and Oscar is beautifully nasty, wishing horrible things on the birthday boy or girl.

It's really rude to hope your friend gets a tummy ache from eating his cake, but for a grouch, anything nicer would be much more offensive. (Do you suppose grouches ever suffer from cognitive dissonance, what with all that "feeling good makes me feel bad, which makes me feel good" stuff?)

I didn't know about this song until recently, but I sure hope somebody sings it to me on my next birthday.

Get Along
late 80s/early 90s Sesame Street

Remember when I said I was impressed that Sesame Street composers can work in any style? Well, you might wonder, can they do a capella? And can they come up with an a capella song including parts for Twiddlebugs, Martians, and cows?

The answer, of course, is yes. Kermit takes the lead vocal on this toe-tappin', finger-snappin', yup-yup-yuppin' doo-woppy number, which carries the message that we can all get along if we just get together and sing. You know, they make it look so easy on Sesame Street, but when I try to start a sing-along on the subway or in Burger King nobody ever jumps in. Maybe I just need to move to a city with more Martians...

Best Friend Blues
late 80s Sesame Street

There are so many great Sesame Street characters that it's impossible for all of them to interact with each other. Which is why it's pretty exciting to see this Snuffy/Ernie team-up. Those guys are usually seen in the company of Big Bird and Bert, respectively, which just happens to be what the song is about.

As the song begins, Bert has just abandoned a kite-flying session and gone home after suddenly falling ill. (At least that's what he told Ernie. It's altogether possible he's faking it so he can watch his oatmeal soap operas or whatever without being disturbed.) Meanwhile, Big Bird has up and gone to Granny Bird's without notifying his big brown friend, leaving both Ernie and the snuffleupagus with an acute case of the titular blues.

Hoots the Owl contributes some fine sax-blowing as Ernie makes a medical breakthrough: the cure for the best friend blues! He reminds Snuffy "we're buddies too!", which doesn't quite seem accurate, as I've never seen them talk to each other before or since, but whatever. He then suggests that the two of them can play together -- they can play in his room, he says, though that sounds problematic given Snuffy's girth. I do like the idea of Bert in bed trying to sleep off his 24-hour flu, when suddenly Snuffy stomps in and knocks over all the furniture. That'll teach him to be sick!

This song makes me wish for more rare character pairings. What about a Mumford/Rosita song? Or a Grover/Stinky the Stinkweed duet? The possibilities are so many they could even keep the Count busy for a few days.

So there you go -- five more delightful but lesser-known Sesame Street songs. And believe it or not, there are still more, five of which Anthony will tell you about in part four, which you can find right here. Oh, boy! You can hardly wait!

Click here to talk about groovy Sesame tunes on the Tough Pigs forum!

ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com

Hidden Gems of Sesame Street Music: Part 2

Yesterday, our own Ryan offered a look at five obscure Sesame Street songs. Now it’s my turn. But today, I won’t just list any five songs – I’ve got a theme!

You see, one of the things I love most about Sesame Street is the way the universe it takes place in is so fully realized – it’s a world where two people can have an entire conversation about sharing or healthy food or the number six, and the audience not only doesn’t question it, they revel in it. How much more exciting is it, then, when the characters are singing instead of talking? Today’s five songs are all examples of the popular music you can only find on the Street.

With Every Beat of my Heart – 1970s Sesame Street

Little Jerry and the Monotones are probably best known for their string of hits about emotions, including “Mad,” “Sad,” and “Proud. But they were a staple of Sesame Street Top 40 for years, reaching their creative peak here, with a doo-wop song that somehow manages to be both a heartfelt love letter to a girl and an educational lesson on the circulatory system.

The tone is set right away, when Little Jerry proclaims “You know your heart beats pumping blood to all the parts of your body. I know that my heart beats too, and that my heart is beating FOR YOU!” The Monotones join in, harmonizing on “Boom-thump/Feel my heart ju-u-ump!” The next two minutes are sheer exhilaration. If your heart doesn’t jump just a little bit, it’s possible that you don’t have one.

A final note: “With Every Beat of my Heart” might sound familiar – writer Jeff Moss reused much of it when he wrote “Gonna Always Love You” for The Muppets Take Manhattan a few years later.

Rock and Roll Readers – 1990s Sesame Street

Little Jerry’s primary competition, Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats, shoot back with a song all about the rock star lifestyle on Sesame Street – rather than sex and drugs, it’s full of books. “Sure it’s lots of fun to be a rock and roll star, but being a rock and roll reader is better by far,” screams Little Chrissy. It says a lot about how things work on Sesame Street – education is all around, and everyone spends all of their time learning, even popular musicians. Looking beyond what it means, though, it’s just a catchy, Jerry Lee Lewis-style tune that you can dance to. And that’s what really matters.

Bert’s Blanket – 1980s Sesame Street

With Ernie staying over at the Count’s, Bert looks forward to a good night’s sleep. He lives on Sesame Street, though, so he doesn’t get to sleep at all – he both gives and gets an education. He and a herd of sheep (led by Jerry Nelson) explain how blankets are made, and they do it in a Shangri-Las-esque fashion. The sheep sing about being sheared, and Bert takes over to explain how wool is spun into thread and finally woven into a blanket. The reason the song works, though, is that the beautiful, almost haunting melody is accompanied by terrific harmonization – some sections have several sheep all taking different parts. It’s staggeringly lovely. Yes, I just called a song about how blankets are made “staggeringly lovely.” I won’t take it back.

In the Doghouse – 1970s Sesame Street

Roosevelt Franklin is apparently a child himself, but he was the teacher at Roosevelt Franklin Elementary back in the 1970s. Here, he gives his students a lesson in respecting the property of others through a parable about two small dogs taking a bone that belongs to a much larger dog. The style of the song is remarkably loose and experimental – it really sounds like a classroom full of students just singing.

What it doesn’t sound like, however, is anything else ever heard on Sesame Street. Without paying attention to the lyrics, it’d be easy to mistake it for an underground soul recording – the students clap, chant, and lay down beats like there’s no tomorrow. When you realize it’s a song about not taking things that aren’t yours, it will blow your mind. On Sesame Street, it’s possible for learning to sound like anything at all, not just mainstream pop music.

Rain Falls – 1970s Sesame Street

Finally, this could have been an adult contemporary hit, if it weren’t about two fellows explaining why they love rain. The first is Oscar the Grouch, and the second is Bob. Oscar, of course, loves to see “trucks roll by splashing mud on everyone”, while Bob praises it for “helping flowers start to grow,” to cite two examples. It’s a great character study – a person who has never encountered either character will know exactly who they are by the end of the song – but it’s also a solid lesson in what rain does.

I went out of my way to bring up the educational content of all these songs, obviously, but that’s because it’s easy to miss if you happen to be an adult. Like so many of the great Sesame Street songs, they play just like any other well-crafted piece of music. In the end, I think that’s the most impressive thing about these songs – adults can not only appreciate them, but actively enjoy them.

If you thought this was a bunch of hogwash, click here for part three and five more choices from Ryan. I’ll be back on Thursday with five more. See you then.

Click here to share your love of Roosevelt Franklin on the Tough Pigs Forum.