The Muppets

I’ve been watching a lot of The Muppets lately.  Partly on YouTube, partly movies, and The Muppet Show from Netflix.  I had forgotten what genius The Muppets are.  The Muppet Show is one of my all time favorite shows.  I really enjoyed the ballroom skit and Muppet News Flash.  My favorites were Pigs In Spaaace and the Swedish Chef.  I can still do a good impression of him.  Sure The Muppet Show is corny.  Sure it’s hokey.  But that is part of its charm.  They consistantly produced a quality show with interesting guests.  It was fun seeing people who you may not see that much or in a while like Alice Cooper, Harvey Korman, Ruth Buzzi, or Vincent Price.  The coolest part for me though was the technical aspect.  I’ve always loved puppets and used to do them in church.  And it’s hard.  Try holding your arm above your head for more than 5 or 8 minutes.  All the while acting with your hand.  And staying out of sight.  So I was very appreciative of what was going on behind and under the scenes.

The movies.   I like the Muppet movies.  They are cute and funny for the most part.  My favorite is Muppet Treasure Island.  They did a good riff on the story and Tim Currie is fantastic.  And so is Billy Connolly though his part is brief. A Muppet Christmas Carol is a close second.  Michael Caine makes a pretty good Ebenezer Scrooge but Gonzo and Rizzo make it for me.

The Muppets haven’t been idle.  Check out YouTube.  There are some really fun Muppet versions of songs there.  In particular Bohemian Rhapsody.  There is other new content there also.  And fan made things.  So check them out for a lot of fun.

And you may not be aware that they are making a new Muppet movie.  I for one am glad to hear it and can’t wait for it to be released.  Check it out at IMDB here.