The Vacation's Over

After losing both Jim Henson and Richard Hunt, the Muppets dropped off the radar, and stayed off until 1992 when The Muppet Christmas Carol signaled their return.  And while the movie was fun, the Muppets took somewhat of a backseat to the story, so the next few years were spent building up excitement for a true comeback of our favorite characters.  1996 was going to be the big year, featuring not only another feature film, but also the premiere of an updated version of The Muppet Show.

So what did they do during those three years in between?  They had a vacation.

Let's all go to the beach and never come back!

The first major Muppet project after Christmas Carol was also the first Muppet music album comprised of purely original material (as much as covers of songs can be considered original).  The newly formed Jim Henson Records released three new albums.  One was a collection of classic songs featured on previous television and movie soundtracks, one was a previously unreleased album featuring Henson as Rowlf covering famous Muppet tunes, and the third one was the actually new "Muppet Beach Party."

And it's.....not so great.

I kind of wish I had chosen to review the Rowlf album instead.

Last summer, a couple of the contributors of ToughPigs.com reviewed the album and their assessments ranged from "tolerable" to "terrible."  Both reviews are worth checking out, especially since I was unable to locate all of the songs for download (and unwilling to buy a $74 copy from Amazon).

The "story" of the album is that the then-current Muppet gang (Kermit, Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, Animal, Rizzo, and Clifford) go on vacation and sing as many beach-related songs as possible.  A common complaint is that usually one Muppet will sing while another would interject with his or her commentary after every line to make it "funny" or "annoying."  Songs without much Muppet interference, such as the Rockapella version of "Papa Oom Mow Mow" fare the best.  Although one wonders why include Kermit and Clifford at all, since this is the only song not sung by Muppets.

The most egregious example of this "unnecessary Muppet dialogue" is in the final song "Wipeout" by the Surfaris which is a mostly instrumental piece.  So of course, to make it "Muppet-y," Animal just shouts "WIPEOUT!" over the music repeatedly.

Yes, that was the official music video for the song, which was the album's second single.  The first single was far less painful, though.  Steve Whitmire as Kermit performed "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys.  Regardless of your musical tastes, this song choice is probably one of the best on the album and the accompanying music video isn't half bad (especially since the album version features Piggy cooing over Kermit throughout the whole song, just to remind us she's there).

The song describes a fictional island paradise known as "Kokomo" which is supposed to be the ultimate vacation spot.  A tropical getaway where two can relax, play, and fall in love.  It is the ideal dream, what most of us wish for when we picture a perfect place on Earth.  It is fitting that Kermit would dream to visit there and that Piggy would inevitably cause stress and pain on his vacation.  Because eventually, you have to return to the real world.

Alright guys, time to stop pretending we are actually at a beach.

There's only one problem with the Muppets' "Kokomo," though.  They had already done this song four years earlier.  Except it was an original song called "Sweet Vacation."  And Jim Henson was singing it.  In fact, if you turned off the sound to both of these videos, you would have a hard time telling them apart.

You'll notice that "Sweet Vacation" features the cast of MuppetTelevison because this was actually the closing number to the "Monster Telethon" episode where the gang decides to try their hand at hosting the show and running the studio, giving Kermit a much needed vacation.  And by the end, they decide to just join him on his vacation, because it beats having to clean up the messes they made while he was gone.

Also you'll notice that this song is great.

Because, unlike the "Kokomo" video, the vacation in question isn't some impossible ideal dream.  It can apply to any relaxing moment with friends.  Just the relief that comes from taking a break is all one needs in having a good time.  This is a vacation that can occur anywhere at any time.  Plus, Piggy doesn't show up at the end to cause misery and suffering.

"Muppet Beach Party" reeks of a cash-in novelty album hoping to recapture the fun of the Muppets, but it instead falls short and reminds us of the greatness we are missing.  The songs seem hollow and without passion.  The zaniness feels forced.  The whole ordeal just feels wrong.  The fact that an entire album can be eclipsed by one song says a lot.  In a few minutes, "Sweet Vacation" gives us every thing we need and want out of a summer of Muppet recreation.

It may be short and sweet, but this vacation is endless.

I Want My MTV(?)

The "MuppeTelevision" segments of The Jim Henson Hour were exactly what you'd expect when you hear the phrase "late '80s Muppet Show."  And that may have led to its quick demise.  The Muppet Show, while it was a product of the 1970s, was still timeless.  The set-up and acts were based on vaudeville routines and old show tunes.  The guest stars were an even blend of stars at the ends of their career, stars at the beginning, or stars in the middle.  The Muppet Show still holds up today because there is no need to explain references to current events or pop culture.  There is enough substance and charm to make it a classic.

"MuppeTelevision" could only exist in the late '80s.  Had it been given time to develop, it may have earned a spot in our collective conscience as "the second Muppet Show."  But the digital effects, spoofs of then-recent movies and TV shows, and overall approach to entertainment hinder it's ability to remain relevant decades later.  Needless to say, it was familiar, yet wildly different in tone.

It's all our old friends!!!  Wait, who are these people?

The show's cast was an odd mix of popular Muppet Show stars and brand new Muppets (of which only one of them survived past this series' cancellation).  Frank Oz and Richard Hunt rarely appeared in the program, so appearances by their signature characters were treated more like cameos and guest stars.  And Jerry Nelson appeared a few times, but none of his main characters made appearances.  The actual main returning cast members were Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, and Link Hogthrob, for some reason.  I guess Henson just really liked Link.  Can't blame him, though.

He is the best Muppet, after all.

Then we had Bean Bunny, who at the time was only familiar to audiences due to The Tale of Bunny Picnic, but I've already discussed his influence on the show.  The rest of the cast were basically replacements of older characters.

There was Lindbergh the Kiwi, the station's maintenance man, voiced by Gord Robertson doing his best impression of Beauregard the Janitor.

And nary a New Zealand accent.  A missed opportunity.

Vicki, voiced by Fran Brill, was the Scooter of the bunch, acting as the stage manager who was much younger than the rest of the gang.

In other words, Prairie Dawn.

And then we had Clifford, voiced by Kevin Clash, filling in for Floyd.  He led the band Solid Foam (great name) which occasionally had appearances by Electric Mayhem members.  He was the laid back musician and he was to become Clash's main Muppet character.

We'll get to you later.

As our sources of chaos, to round out the cast, were Digit, the robotic person who was the holdover from Inner Tube and Leon, another Clash character, who had shifty eyes and was always trying to grift people.  In fact, he once swindled Bill Cosby in his own show!

This is a surreal event that occurred once on our television screens.

The first episode of the show doesn't really bother with introductions and just assumes that we know who all of these people are.  Kermit, having been put in charge of the Inner-Tube-ish Muppet Central, interacts with these new characters as if they are old friends and we, the audience, are slow for not remembering who these Muppets are.

The main story concerns Digit being able to transport alien television channels through his body into our world, and then the cast takes a trip inside his robotic head to fix him when he malfunctions.  It's quite a trip for a first-time audience.

I understand why Kermit and Louie Anderson are there, but nothing else makes sense!

Oh, did I mention how this show also had guest stars?  And they were confined to their sketches and television monitors in the background, making for some pre-recorded awkward dialogue that would have made the creators of Space Ghost from Coast to Coast proud?  Also, there was no laugh track which I would normally consider a good thing, but coming from The Muppet Show, this new program just feels empty without it.

The first episode ends with the Muppets meeting their alien doppelgangers, the Teppums.  And this would have been neat had the cast not been so completely filled with new faces that seeing their bizarro alternates means nothing to us.

What is happening?!  Where are the old Muppets?!

While this first episode is a big departure from what we are used to from a Muppet television show, you shouldn't think that the whole show should be easily dismissed.  In fact, there are moments of sheer brilliance throughout the following episodes and I shall be discussing some over the next few posts.

I just wanted to prepare you to leave your comfort zone.  Because things are about to get weird.  But with Jim, we wouldn't want it any other way.

You Can't Do That on Television... or Can You?

Originally, I was going to spend this week discussing the follow-up to The Muppet Show that was made in 1996, Muppets Tonight.  But, in order to properly understand what led to that show's creation, it was important to look at 1989's The Jim Henson Hour, specifically the MuppeTelevision segments.  And, in order to understand that, we must first look at Inner Tube, which is a species unto itself.

It's unlike anything you'll ever want to see.

The premise concerns the world inside your television set.  Two engineers, Jake and Henry, oversaw the Inner Tube station, which gathered the very best from "1500 channels" (all of which were fake) in order to provide us with the best quality material.  Like The Muppet Show, it was a variety show with recurring characters and segments.  The wraparound bits would feature the antics of the television station while the sketches and songs would be drawn from the channels.

Unlike The Muppet Show, there were absolutely no Muppets.

Also, everyone looked like this:

Welcome back to Uncanny Valley!

These humanoid characters were not as appealing to look at as the colorful Muppets audiences were familiar with.  But, they still had the behavior of Muppets, with some being accident prone and destructive and others being neurotic and quirky.

Henry is the sympathetic host.  Pay no mind that he looks like a ghoul.

Only a 10-minute pilot exists and it basically tries to introduce all the major characters and concepts in that brief time.  The story, if there is one, follows Jake and Henry as they try to keep the more destructive characters under control.  Crusher, seen in the picture with the two elderly folks, escapes the television set and runs amok, while Glitch, an animated creature, screws up the stations.

I can SEE the music!

You can watch the entire segment below.  You'll notice that a brief intro featuring Kermit has been inserted in order to explain the conceit, as well as to appeal to audiences who may not be as open to the weirdness that follows.  The restored version still has that grainy late '80s VHS quality, which I think adds to the surreal nature of the program.

The pilot is cluttered and lacks focus, but you can still tell the kind of show it's attempting to be.  In fact,  it seems very similar to the aesthetic of MTV in the early '90s or shows featured on [adult swim], like Robot Chicken or Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!  That level of random, absurdist, non-conformitive sense of humor is all over the place nowadays.  And, to think, Henson tried to manufacture it in 1987.

Move aside, Gramps!  This is Generation X's time to shine!

The segment that is both the strangest and also the best executed is when Zaloom the Pirate hijacks the airways to deliver some an anti-technology propaganda.  The floating head conjures up a tiny world with a little frog who is then killed by the pollution made by nearby factories.  It's memorable and bizarre.  But it's also quite funny.  One could only wonder how this character could have grown had the show been picked up.

"I'm aware of the irony of appearing on TV in order to decry it, so don't bother pointing that out."

But it seemed that the world wasn't ready for this kind of television show.  Henson later reworked it with the title Lead Free TV and planned on making it a part of his upcoming anthology series.  He called it "The Muppet Show of the future" to establish a connection with his other work.  Still, the network wasn't too keen on the idea.  Finally, Henson removed all of the characters (save for the semi-robotic keyboardist named Digit) and put his classic Muppets in the roles instead, along with a variety of some more Muppety-looking characters.

Inner Tube was lost, but it lives on in today's postmodern alternative "anti-comedy" shows.  And at least we got to keep Digit who we'll learn more about as we take a look at MuppeTelevision.

Digit, the sole survivor of Inner Tube and winner of 1989's Creepiest-Looking Muppet Award.

Where's Waldo?

Henson, always one to explore the world of puppetry, discovered in 1986 that the animatronic technologies he used to create characters like the Doozers could be used as the base for digitally animated puppets.  He spent the next couple of years working with Disney Imagineer Kirk Thatcher and in 1988 they had created the first digital Muppet, known as Waldo C. Graphic.

Starting with this...

...adding some nonsense...

...and ending up with everyone's favorite clown...fish...Cat-in-the-Hat thing.

Named after the "waldo" robotic device used to manipulate the puppet (which in turn was named after a 1942 short sci-fi story about a man who built robotic devices), Waldo was supposed to revolutionize the field of puppetry.  The difference between Waldo and other digitally animated characters being developed around the same time was that the puppeteer could animate the Waldo character in real time. By manipulating the waldo device, the character would appear on the television screen, responding to every movement.  The "puppet" itself looked nothing like the end result.

KILL IT WITH FIRE!

A simple explanation of how the puppet works

Waldo would go on to become a recurring character in The Jim Henson Hour, which was a great opportunity to test out new forms of puppetry.  Waldo was regulated to a few random appearances, and he had the personality of a clownish shapeshifter, not unlike the Genie from Aladdin.  In one of the last episodes filmed, "The Secrets of the Muppets," Henson explains to a dog named Jojo how Waldo works.  Note that the actual "live" capture of Waldo is very primitive and that additional animation and care is required to make the character actually look good during this era.

Waldo was also the perfect puppet to make the transition to 3-D.  He is now immortalized in the Disney Park attraction Muppet*Vision 3D in case you were wondering why he looks so familiar.

He tended to disguise himself, though.

But then, after Henson's death, Waldo just seemed to disappear.  We was supposed to take puppetry and the Muppets into the 21st century.  So why haven't we ever seen him again?  And why aren't digital puppets more of a presence in our entertainment and culture.  He was made almost 25 years ago.  Surely, we should have digital puppets all over the place.

Well, actually, we kind of do.

At the Disney Parks, for instance, several attractions use this kind of puppetry to create an interactive experience with Disney and Pixar's cartoon characters.  The "Turtle Talk with Crush" attraction, based on Finding Nemo still operates today and is quite popular.  The puppeteer stands behind the screen, watching the interaction through a monitor has he manipulates the puppet to talk with kids in real time.  Improvisation and puppetry skills are key, as is the case with any Muppeteer interacting with a child.

It's like I'm in the movie!

Starting in the 2000s, the Jim Henson Creature Shop began using the Henson Digital Performance System to create puppets for a variety of productions, such as The Skrumps, Sid the Science Kid, and Wilson and Ditch: Digging America.  You know, all your favorites!  Well...I'm sure the kids love them.

The cast of Sid the Science Kid seems to have stumbled upon the uncanny valley for Muppets.

The Muppets' official website even used to use digital puppet versions of our favorite characters to welcome guests to the site.

Even this somehow manages to be unsettling.

One of the most impressive uses was for a demonstration in 2004 to create a human-looking digital puppet capable of displaying complex emotions.  Dawn the Fairy and Nalu the Mermaid were the chosen demo models and these results were far better.  Check out Dawn's range of emotions here.

It always comes back to sexy fairy ladies.

If the uses on human characters seems familiar that's because modern video games and movies are using more and more motion capture technology to create realistic characters that respond in real-time.   We are seeing the effects of Waldo more often that you'd expect.

This isn't to say that Henson invented the idea of motion capture.  We'd probably still have Andy Serkis's characters and Robert Zemeckis's films without Waldo.  Waldo himself was less of a character and more of an expensive toy.  But Waldo paved the way and Henson was right there at the forefront.  He helped create a form of puppetry so unique that we no longer consider it to be puppetry.  He created the future, and the rest of the industry just needed to catch up.

Milton's Paradise Lost

In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to look at Henson's specials that promoted environmentalism.  I hoped to include all of them, but as my research went further and further, I found far too many examples.  Fraggle Rock episodes, such as "The Great Radish Famine" and "The River of Life," are filled with messages promoting care for the eco-system.  Sesame Street got on a huge environmental kick in the '90s, featuring Earth-heavy songs, such as "We Are All Earthlings."  And then it seemed as if every other episode of Dinosaurs was about saving the environment, including the dramatic final episode that showcases the horrible aftermath of an eco-ignorant society.  This is too much to cover in one sitting, so instead I shall focus one one aspect of the Earth that Henson seemed to be the most passionate about: the well-being of frogs.

Because the earth is their home too.

In 1990, ABC produced a two-hour special that brought many celebrities together to promote Earth Day.  Many of these appearances were by fictional characters, such as Doogie Howser, Doc Brown, and ET.  So of course, Kermit the Frog made an appearance, and his segment of the show was directed and written by Jim Henson.  Jump to 3:50 in the video below to watch.

Henson uses Kermit, Robin, and a swamp full of frogs to discuss that while most of the special is focused on the benefits of saving the earth for humans, animals like them are also suffering due to pollution.  They point out that human interference has caused their predicament and they have to rely on humans to get them out of their situation, lest they go extinct.

Henson had produced a special that covered the same idea in more detail one year earlier.  It was called The Song of the Cloud Forest and it featured puppets and special effects unlike any that had been seen before in a Muppet production.

Using the Bunraku technique that places the puppeteer in the background mixed with a green screen, Henson brought a vibrant world to life, as he took us through his rainforest.  The neon colors practically dominate the special, adding a transfixing beauty to the show.

ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!

The story concerns a young Golden Toad named Milton who is the last of his species living in the rainforest.  He knows that it's been a lonely couple of years, but he has know idea that his species is on the verge of extinction.  Everyday, he sings his mating call from his tree to draw a mate closer to him.

He only succeeds in attracting outrageous looking howler monkeys.

All of the other creatures in the forest worry about Milton, and they grow even more worried when they overhear some humans or "Uprights" who have come to the forest attempting to capture him so they can breed him in captivity with the female they have captured.  Although a female is present, they warn Milton not to sing his song so that he does not get captured.

Milton's friends are a colorful bunch.

The gang gets even more fearful when a robin named Ralph who has flown south for the winter, posits his theory that Uprights destroy rainforests so that they can eat all of the plants and animals (he isn't very far off).  This leads to the token nightmare-inducing song of the special, where the animals imaginations run wild.

This is how they picture humans, because they have only seen the ancient statues that dot the landscape.

The humans, however, aren't villainous at all.  They feel they are doing the right thing, and when they hear Milton's call, they set up traps all around the forest to capture him.  Milton runs away to the deepest part of the forest, wondering what to do.  If he keeps singing, he'll be captured, but if he doesn't, then he'll never find a mate.

An introspective moment.

A wise alligator hears his plight and tells him that the humans need to hear his music.  So Milton sings the best mating call he has ever performed as the entire jungle joins him in song.  This manages to convince the humans that they should not interrupt the music and upset the balance of the forest, so they let their female go, so that nature may do its work.

Which is sweet and all, but now the toads are not protected whatsoever.  Oh well, let's go build a mall.

Milton and the female finally meet and set to work filling the forest with frog spawn.  But first, can they get through the awkward first date?

DUN DUN DUN!!!

While the show may be sending some mixed messages, it is clear that this was one of Henson's more passionate projects.  The art-direction is amazing (save for some awkward '80s effects) and the story is really sweet.  Dave Golez (Gonzo, Boober Fraggle) plays Milton, so he is able to create a purely sympathetic character with his shy voice, which seems to be his best talent.  It may be hard to say if this special helped save the rainforests in anyway, but at least it was well-received critically.  If there is one thing this special achieved, it was reminding us how beautiful our Earth is.  This is probably the closest he came to showing us how he saw the world every day.

The Rise and Fall of Bean Norman Bunny, Part 2: Overexposure

After The Muppet Show had been off the air for years, Jim Henson hoped to try a new style of television to show off his new creations and experiments.  The show was dubbed The Jim Henson Hour and it each episode would be made up of two parts (usually).  The second half would focus on a story or special involving Henson's Creature Shop, usually old episodes of The Storyteller or something new like "Dog City."  The first half would be called "MuppeTelevision" and would run like The Muppet Show.  There would be sketches, songs, and guest stars but the segments would be shot as if the Muppets ran a television studio rather than a theater.  Many new characters were brought in as lead roles to perform along side familiar favorites like Kermit, Piggy, and Gonzo.  But to draw in the younger demographic they needed Bean Bunny.

To quote Kermit, "We hired Bean to be cute so the rest of us don't have to bother."

The cast of "MuppeTelevision"

Unfortunately, the show struggled to build an audience in the primetime hours, and one of the last episodes that aired confronted the ratings disaster head on.  It was soon discovered that ratings were at their highest whenever the show featured sex, violence, or Bean Bunny (or a combination of the three).

And so, Bean Bunny was shoehorned into as many sketches as possible to maintain an audience.

Leading to horrible abominations such as these.

However, Bean's presence could not keep the show afloat, and soon it was cancelled.  This setback did not hinder his fame, though.  It allowed him to move to the forefront of the action partaking in many other endeavors.  As the Muppets started joining forces with the Walt Disney Company, Bean Bunny was first in line to reap the benefits.

Doing whatever it takes to rake in the dough.

He became one of the stars of "MuppetVision 3-D," a Disney Parks attraction that still runs to this day.  Thanks to excellent timing, Bean Bunny has gained immortality due to the wonders of the third dimension.

Not so little anymore.

Bean Bunny was so omnipresent that he even arranged to join the cast of the Muppet Babies!  The logic that all of the Muppets knew each other as toddlers was stretched pretty thin to begin with, but then to add in a character who was deliberately a child when he was introduced to the Muppet family and say that he was a baby with them as well?  Well now you're asking too much of us!

On top of that, he's the only one who is toilet trained!

Bean Bunny was on top of the world.  At this point, anything was possible.  The world was his carrot patch and he could have been on Easy Street for the rest of his life.  Sure, he was being used for his cuteness, but he did not care.  Everything was coming up Bean Bunny.

But as with most child actors, the initial charm fades, and the antics do not seem as cute anymore.  He was on a path towards destruction, one that he could not have foreseen.  The bigger they are, the harder they fall.  And Bean Bunny was about to hit rock-bottom.  Join us tomorrow as we learn about the tragic aftermath of the young kit who had so much potential and promise.

Play us out Bean (jump to 11:42):