Subject: Alt.tv.muppets FAQ
Date: 1 Sep 1995 01:44:32 -0400

URL: http://www.panix.com/~teej/muppet.html
Posting-Frequency: monthly

ALT.TV.MUPPETS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS--TEMPORARY VERSION
Last updated: Aug 30, 1995
 
This is the new Muppet FAQ.  I would really appreciate that any
suggestions for improving the FAQ do get emailed to me or Danny
(Stacey Goldsmith teej@panix.com or Danny Horn
horn@dolphin.upenn.edu.) 

We also make 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 then answering the question that was asked...
And now on with the FAQ....


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INDEX of FAQ

I. Introduction
  1 What is a Muppet?  
  2 What is alt.tv.muppets?

II. Questions we are *totally* sick of   
  1 What are the names of the two old geezers/critics in the balcony
    on the Muppet Show?
  2 What is the name of the guy who throws fish?
  3 Who is the piano-playing dog?
  4 Did Ernie die of cancer? Did Bert die of AIDS? Did Grover die? etc.
  5 Are Ernie and Bert gay?
  6 What _is_ Gonzo, anyway?
  7 Who is performing Kermit now?
  8 Who is running Jim Henson Productions?
  9 Does Disney own the Muppets? 
 10 What's the name of the program that will make text into Swedish chiefese?

III. Now available

  1 What Muppet/Henson shows are on TV now?
  2 Are "The Muppet Show" episodes on Nickelodeon being edited?
  3 What Muppet videos are available?
  4 What Muppet records are available?
  5 Where can I get "Sesame Street" merchandise?  
  6 What is the Museum of Television and Radio? 
  7 What Muppet fan activity is there? What is MuppetZine? Is there a
    Muppet fan group?
  8 Where can I find Muppet stuff on the Internet/World-Wide Web?
  9 Books we think are neat.
  
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I. Introduction

 1  What is a Muppet?  

  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. The name "Muppet" comes from a combination of the 
words "marionette" and "puppet," and many of the puppets are hand puppets 
with arm-wires operated much like marionettes' limbs, but many Muppets 
now include the most advanced computer and animatronics technology. For 
the purposes of this newsgroup, "Muppet" means anything that has been 
created by Jim Henson Productions or the Creature Shop, including "The 
Muppet Show," "Sesame Street," "Fraggle Rock," "Dinosaurs," "The Dark 
Crystal," and "Labyrinth."

 2  What is alt.tv.muppets?

  Alt.tv.muppets was created to discuss the muppets in all their
wonderful shapes and forms.  Muppets in cartoons, movies, televsion
shows and even muppet toys.  This is not an open forum to discuss
puppets in general.  For those types of questions and discussion,
you will find rec.arts.puppetry a more appropriate venue.  

  While Sesame Street would not be the same without the muppets, there
is more to Sesame Street then just the muppets.  If you wish to talk
about Sesame Street, you might want to post to alt.tv.sesame-street or
even crosspost if you think it relevant to both groups.

  And of course, if you are feeling terribly silly, there is always
alt.swedish.chef.bork.bork.bork. 

  Newsgroup readers are very much encouraged to post. We're friendly
on this group, and we like to hear what people have to say.
However... anyone who tries to spread rumors that any prominent
"Sesame Street" character is dead will be dealt with very harshly. You
have been warned.

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II. Questions we are *totally* sick of   
 
   1) What are the names of the two old geezers/critics in the balcony
      on the Muppet Show?
    . 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.
   
   2) What is the name of the guy who throws fish?
    .Lew Zealand

   3) Who is the piano-playing dog?
.Rowlf, Rowlf the dog 


   4) Did Ernie die of cancer? Did Bert die of AIDS? Did Grover die? etc.

        Answer: NO!!!! (Was that emphatic enough?) :-)

  No "Sesame Street" character is dead, or is 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 sketchs 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.

   5) 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.

 
   6) What _is_ Gonzo, anyway?

   There's no definitive answer to this question, because no definitive 
statement on Gonzo's species has ever been made. Here's some of the evidence:

  In "The Muppet Movie," Kermit refers to Gonzo as "sort of like a 
turkey... but not much." In the Liberace episode of "The Muppet Show," 
Gonzo tries to pass himself off as a bird to get into Liberace's tribute 
concert for birds, but it doesn't work. In "The Great Muppet Caper," when 
Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo are flying to England, Kermit's crate is marked 
"Frog," Fozzie's is marked "Bear," and Gonzo's is marked "Whatever." In 
"Muppet Babies," his species is sometimes referred to as "weirdo." In 
various Muppet productions, we've seen lots of birds (including a turkey 
in "The Muppet Family Christmas"), and none of them look anything like Gonzo.

  So the only real answer is that he is Gonzo the Great. Nuff said.


   7) Who is performing Kermit now?

  Since Jim Henson's death, Kermit has been performed by Steve Whitmire. 
Whitmire's Kermit can be seen in "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and "Muppet 
Classic Theater," and heard on the albums "Muppet Beach Party" and 
"Kermit Unpigged." Whitmire has been a Muppeteer since "The Muppet Show," 
and has performed many major characters, including Rizzo Rat, Bean Bunny, 
and Wembley Fraggle.

   8) Who is running Jim Henson Productions?

  Jim's son Brian Henson inherited the CEO position at Jim Henson 
Productions. Brian has done some puppet work with the Muppets, including 
Dog on "The Storyteller" and Hoggle in "Labyrinth," but he has never 
performed any major Classic Muppet characters. These days, Brian doesn't 
do much puppet performing. He directed "The Muppet Christmas Carol" and 
is currently directing the upcoming film "The Muppet Treasure Island."


   9) Does Disney own the Muppets?

  No. In the fall of 1989, the Walt Disney Company entered into 
negotiations to acquire Jim Henson Productions and the Muppets, and there 
was a lot of publicity about the upcoming deal. While the deal was being 
worked out, Jim Henson created a 3-D film for Walt Disney World, 
"MuppetVision 3-D," and a TV special, "The Muppets at Walt Disney World." 
Henson was initially excited about the idea of working with Disney, so 
that he could have the financial backing to do the projects he really 
wanted to do. However, as the negotiations progressed, there were some 
clashes between the Disney people and the Henson people over their 
different management styles. Henson died in May 1990, before the deal had 
been completely worked out and before contracts had been signed. Jim 
Henson Productions was thrown into turmoil, and the Disney Company tried 
to lower the price they were going to pay for the rights to the Muppet 
characters, since the original deal had also included Jim Henson's 
creative services. This led to a lot of legal wrangling, and eventually 
the deal was called off. Jim Henson Productions is still a completely 
independent entity, and Disney has no creative control over the Muppets. 
However, JHP and Disney do sometimes work together; for example, Buena 
Vista Home Video (a Disney subsidiary) distributes the Jim Henson Video 
line, and Disney distributes the Muppet films. These are short-term deals 
and don't mean that Disney "owns" the Muppets.

    10) What's the name of the program that will make text into
Swedish chefese?

The translation program you're looking for is called the
'Encheferizer'.  It can be FTP'ed from ftp.hmc.edu in the directory
/pub/chef/ or you can get it from the web:
http://www.stir.ac.uk/~sac06/chef/chef.html
 
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III. Now available

 1  What Muppet/Henson shows are on TV now?

As of February 1995: (All US times are Eastern unless otherwise indicated)

  "The Muppet Show" -- 
  In the USA:  Nickelodeon, weekdays 10:30am (9:30 Central)  
  In the UK:   Nickelodeon,                                  
               Tuesday    12:00                              
               Thursday   12:00                              
               Saturday   07:00   
               Sunday     07:00   
  In Canada:   CANCELED (please let me know if it comes back)
  In Germany:  Kabel1,    (German time)
               Sunday     14:40
               Monday     05:00
 
  "Jim Henson's The Storyteller" -- Sundays, 07:50 (German time), ZDF
  "Fraggle Rock" --- Sundays, 07:20 (German time), ZDF
  "Sesame Street" -- Every day, various times, local PBS stations.
  "Fraggle Rock" -- Weekdays, 10:30 am and 4:00 pm, Disney Channel.
  "Dog City" -- Saturdays, 8:00 am, Fox.
  "Jim Henson's Animal Show" -- Mondays and Fridays, Fox. Check local 
  listings for times. The show is listed in the TV page under "Cubhouse."
  "Muppet Time" -- Weekdays, a bumper between shows during the Nick Jr. 
  morning block on Nickelodeon. It's a 2-minute sketch airing sometime 
  between 9 am and 1 pm.
  "The Secret Life of Toys" -- Wednesdays at 12:30 pm, Sundays at 7:30 
  am, Disney.
  "The Animated Fraggle Rock" -- Wednesdays at noon, Disney.
  "Muppet Babies" -- Weekdays, 10:00 am, Nickelodeon.
  "Jim Henson's Mother Goose Stories" -- Tuesdays at 12:30 pm, Saturdays 
  at 7:30 am, Disney.

 2  Are "The Muppet Show" episodes on Nickelodeon being edited?
 
  Slightly. "The Muppet Show" was produced in England for both English
and American television. There are fewer commercials in England, so
the producers recorded an extra two-minute sketch -- usually a song --
that only aired in England and not in America. On Nickelodeon, they're
showing the extra English sketch; it's the sketch that immediately
follows the middle commercial break. However, they still have the same
American commercial time, so to accommodate the English sketch,
they've edited out one sketch from the episode. So what we're seeing
right now is a hybrid of the original American version and the English
version. The show has a little less of what you remember in it, and a
little something more.  If we were able to see the English bits, as
well as the bits that used to be shown, but are not shown anymore, we
would, for the first time in the States, see an unedited version of
"The Muppet Show"
 
 3 What Muppet videos are available?

  Jim Henson Video is an imprint of Buena Vista Home Video, and
they're producing lots of videos that are very widely available. You
should be able to find them in major video or record stores, or you
can special-order them.

  The Jim Henson Videos available now are:

     The Muppet Movie
     The Great Muppet Caper
     The Muppet Christmas Carol
     It's the Muppets!: Meet the Muppets
     It's the Muppets!: More Muppets, Please ("Muppet Show" compilations)
     The Muppet Show: Monster Laughs with Vincent Price
     Hey Cinderella
     The Frog Prince
     Muppet Classic Theater
     The Dark Crystal
     The Tale of the Bunny Picnic
     The Christmas Toy
     Muppet Sing-Alongs: It's Not Easy Being Green
     Muppet Sing-Alongs: Billy Bunny's Animal Songs
     Fraggle Rock (5 volumes)
     Muppet Babies (4 volumes)
     

  There are also many "Sesame Street" videos produced by Random House 
Home Video; these are also very widely available. There are too many to 
list here, but they include:

     Monster Hits
     The Best of Ernie and Bert
     The Best of Elmo
     Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration

  And if that's not enough, there are also 9 videos of "Dinosaurs"
episodes, produced by Walt Disney Home Video, and two "Dog City"
videos produced by Sony Home Video.

  You may remember a series of videotapes from Random House collecting
"Muppet Show" sketches with names like "Muppet Treasures," "Rock Music
with the Muppets" and "Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff."
Unfortunately, these videos haven't been produced for years.

 4  What Muppet records are available?
 
  Jim Henson Records, an imprint of BMG Kidz, is producing lots of
Muppet records on cassette and CD. These are available in major record
stores, or can be special-ordered. The Jim Henson Records available
now are:

  Muppet Hits
  Muppet Hits Take Two
  The Muppet Movie
  The Great Muppet Caper
  The Muppet Christmas Carol
  Muppet Beach Party
  Kermit Unpigged
  Rowlf the Dog: Ol' Brown Ears Is Back
  Fraggle Rock: Music and Magic
  Muppet Babies: Rock It to the Stars
  Jim Henson's Read-Alongs: The Muppet Christmas Carol (tape/book set)

  There are also many "Sesame Street" albums produced by Golden Music, 
which are available at major record stores, including:

  Jim Henson: A Sesame Street Celebration
  Sing!: The Songs of Joe Raposo
  The Best of Sesame Street
  Put Down the Duckie
  Born To Add
  Sesame Road
  Cheep Thrills: The Silly Songs of Sesame Street
  Sesame Street Celebrates!

 5  Where can I get "Sesame Street" merchandise?

  The best place for "Sesame" stuff is the new chain of Sesame Street
General Stores, which are popping up around the country. If you don't
have a store in your area, you can call a store and order stuff
through the mail. Try one of these phone numbers:

  San Diego, CA: (619) 231-3818
  Duluth, GA: (404) 623-1130
  Garden City, NY: (516) 873-6119


 6  What is the Museum of Television and Radio?
 
  The Museum of Television and Radio is a New York museum dedicated to
preserving important TV and radio broadcasts. The Museum has a huge
collection of Muppet programs, which visitors can view at individual
consoles in the library. The collection includes sample episodes of
all the major Muppet series, all of the Muppet specials, and rare
clips of Muppet appearances. No matter how big a Muppet fan you are,
you'll find things here that you've *never* seen before. If you find
yourself in the New York area, go! The address is 25 West 52nd Street,
New York, 10019, and the phone number is (212) 621-6600.

 
 7  What Muppet fan activity is there? What is MuppetZine? Is there a
    Muppet fan group?

  Beyond this newsgroup, there's a growing fandom for Muppet
fans. Muppet fan groups are beginning on the East and West Coasts, and
the people involved in those groups would love to help people start
groups in other areas. So far, we've been hosting Muppet parties,
where fans can get together, meet each other, enjoy Muppet stuff, and
share our enthusiasm.

  Another way to get involved in Muppet fandom is MuppetZine, is the
fanzine for fans of the Muppets and Jim Henson; it's published
quarterly, and each issue contains news, reviews, opinions, articles,
episode guides, photos, cartoons, and other fun stuff.

  For more information on getting involved with a Muppet fan group,
starting your own in your area, or subscribing to MuppetZine, write to
Danny at horn@dolphin.upenn.edu.

 
 8  Where can I find Muppet stuff on the Internet/World-Wide Web?
  
   .There are a number of sites that have Muppets related stuff.
  
   .FTP:
    .* hobbes.eds.udel.edu in public/muppets
    .* cathouse.org in /pub/cathouse/television/muppets
  
    .Both sites have text files (episode guides, FAQ's, song
 .lyrics, etc.).  Hobbes also has some pictures.  
  
   .WWW:
    .* http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/VR/BS/Muppets/muppets.html
      .Comes the closest to being the "Official" Muppets WWW Page
.(and home of Bill Sherman's Muppography)
    .* http://www.sci.kun.nl/funpage/dinosaurs/dinos_en.html
      .Dinosaurs WWW Page
  .http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~rosesage/Muppet.html  
        Pigs in Cyberspace:
  .http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~rosesage/Piggy.html
        The Fabulous Miss Piggy Page:                        
    .* http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~mir/muppets/
    .* http://www.cs.utah.edu/~coffey/muppets.html
    .* http://www.csv.warwick.ac.uk/~phulm/Muppet.stuff/Muppets.html
  
    .[Please let us know if you do/do not want your site mentioned
 .here. I don't mean for it to be a complete list, but we have
 .room for many more than we have now.]

 9  Books we think are neat:
 
.Of Muppets and Men
.Miss Piggy's Guide to Life
.Jim Henson: The Works
 If you're looking for lists of series, specials, movies, and
 characters, you should look at Bill Sherman's Muppography.
 





