Meet Splash and Bubbles!

PBS unveiled the new website of their new Henson produced preschool series Splash and Bubbles.

The series uses the Henson digital performance system like other Henson/PBS shows Sid the Science Kid and Dinosaur Train.

The new "splash page" if you will, does a nice job of introducing the main characters. 

Splash:

"We'll bravely go where no fish has gone before!”

Splash is a fun and energetic yellowback fusilier who found a home in Reeftown after traveling the entire ocean. He loves to explore new places and meet new creatures.






Bubbles:


“Ocean Friends Forever, we'll stick together like goo!”

Bubbles is a beautiful mandarin dragonet who loves to get dirty in the muck and the yuck. She's never afraid to face a challenge and is always up for an adventure.

Dunk:

 

“It's always an adventure, when you're hangin' with friends!”

Dunk is a pufferfish, who likes to make sand art and knows a lot about Reeftown. Being a pufferfish, he tends to puff up when he gets nervous around a new situation.

Ripple: 

“See what one small ripple can do!”

Ripple is a soulful and sweet seahorse, who believes even the smallest thing can make a big impact. She lives with her father and 499 brothers, and loves to get away with Splash, Bubbles, and Dunk on adventures.

Splash and Bubbles will premiere on PBS November 23!

Check out the first clip of the show here!

Sesame Street Says Adios to Bob, Gordon, and Luis!

Say it ain't so Sesame! The Street we love is about to loose a few more humans.

Long time resident of Sesame Street, Bob McGrath (Bob) was recently interviewd by a fan at Florida's Supercon where he announced that himself along with other longtime cast members Emilio Delgado (“Luis”), and Roscoe Orman (“Gordon”) had been "let go" from the show.

As heard on the MuppetCast podcast, McGrath said:

"As of this season, I completed my 45th season this year. And the show has done a major turnaround. It’s now gone from an hour to half an hour, and HBO has gotten involved also. And so, they let all of the original cast members go, with the exception of Alan Muraoka, who’s still on the show and he’s probably 20 years younger than the rest of us, and Chris Knowings, who’s also young, and they’re terrific, wonderful people and really great actors and performers."

Muliple outlets including Today have picked up the story and some seem to imply this was HBO's way of "retooling" the show. As far was we know, the HBO deal didn't give the premium cable network any creative control, so this appears to be all Sesame Workshop's decision. 

As our friends at ToughPigs pointed out, “All cast members except Alan and Chris” would mean that Loretta Long’s Susan and Alison Bartlett’s Gina will also no longer be on the TV show."  

One report said Loretta Long would still be on the series even hough she has't appeared in quite some time. 

In addition to McGrath, Delgado, and Orman, it looks like Nitya Vidyasagar (Leela) was let go as well. 

Might this continue be part of the "Soul of Show" fight that forced head writer Joey Mazzarino to exit the beloved children's show last year?  We'll see. If anything, it definitely feels agist. 

In the past year the show has added two new cast members:
Ismael Cruz Cordova (Armando/ Mando)

and Suki Lopez ( Nina)

But Sesame Street has always featured not only people of multiple nationalities and backgrounds, but peopel of all ages as well. Mr. Hooper, Mr Cranford, and Ruthie come to mind. 

While working on this article Sesame Workshop released the following statement:

Bob McGrath, Emilio Delgado (“Luis”) and Roscoe Orman (“Gordon”) remain a beloved part of the Sesame family and continue to represent us at public events.  To us, and for millions of people worldwide, they are a treasured part of Sesame Street. Since the show began, we are constantly evolving our content and curriculum, and hence, our characters, to meet the educational needs of children. As a result of this, our cast has changed over the years, though you can still expect to see many of them in upcoming productions. As we’ve stated previously, Sesame Workshop retains sole creative control over the show. HBO does not oversee the production.

We look forward to seeing Bob, Luis, and Gordon back on the street as much as possible.

Update: Emilio Delgado has released the following statement: 

Thanks to everyone for your love and appreciation of Bob, Luis & Gordon. It's very gratifying to experience the outpouring of love and appreciation from our fans. My dear friend and colleague Roscoe (Gordon) prepared a statement that speaks for all of us. It accurately sums up the current news about the fate of Bob, Luis & Gordon ...
"To all of you who have expressed your appreciation and support for the years of work and service to Sesame Street by me and my colleagues, Ithank you! Due to your overwhelming reaction regarding the status of myself and others on the show, the new producers of Sesame Street have reached out to us with an expressed desire to continue our longstanding relationship, to be initiated with a meeting in September. Hopefully, this will result in the inclusion of veteran cast members in upcoming productions. I look forward to sharing with you at such time, the results of that conversation. Thanks again for your loving support and devotion to Sesame Street and to what it has meant to the children of the world." 

The Muppets Are Coming to Walt Disney World Resort This Fall in an All-New Show!

Shawn Slater, just released some info on the Disney Parks Blog, about the new Muppet show coming to Walt Disney World:

Beginning this fall, the Muppets will be visiting Magic Kingdom Park, where they’ll take part in an all-new live show, “The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History.” 

Sam Eagle, the fiercely patriotic American eagle who is forever trying to set a high moral standard for the Muppets, will join Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo and James Jefferson, town crier of Liberty Square, as they gather outside The Hall of Presidents to present historical tales in hysterical fashion as only they can. From the midnight ride of Paul Revere to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Muppets appear throughout the day to share with Guests, their own unique take on the founding fathers and the birth of the United States of America. 

Featuring an original song and plenty of wacky Muppets humor, “The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History” will make its debut in October 2016.

Based on the promotional photo above and the fact that it will be a "live show"  everyday, it looks like Disney will be using their park versions of the puppets as well as cast members as puppeteers. 

Presumably the original Muppet performers are involved in pre-recording the audio and hopefully training the cast members on performing the characters as well. 

SDCC Exclusives Now Available!

Couldn't make it to San Diego Comic Con this year and want do get the new Henson exclusives?

Well don't fret. The con may be over but you can now snag the two major Muppet/ Henson exclusives online now! 

Diamond Select Toys / Toy's R Us' "Formal Kermit & Ms. Piggy" exclusive Minimates 2 pack is now available on Toys R Us' website (1 per order limit).

Toys R Us also has the SDCC exclusive Funko Reaction The Dark Crystal 3.75 inch Vinyl Figure - Landstrider and Jen available on their website, (5 per order limit), as well. 

We also now have a look a the back of both packages: 

Both are now available from Toys R Us at the links above!

Preview Diamond Select Toy's Muppet Minimates Series 3!

The first two series of Diamond Select Toy's Minimates are now available and here's what to look forward to in series 3!

Our friends at Diamond Select Toys sent us some great Hi-Res images of what to expect. 

Patrol Bear Fozzie with Constantine:

Floyd with Janice:

Pepe with the Muppet Newsman:

And to complete your Minimates Electric Mayhem, Zoot with Lips!: 

Entertainment Earth currently states that they'll be available in January 2017, but you can pre-order them now. 

Preview Diamond Select Muppet Action Figures Series 3!

With Diamond Select Toy's first series of Muppet figures now, and series 2 on the way, let's take a look at series 3! 

Our friends at Diamond Select Toys sent us some great Hi-Res images of what to expect.  

Rowlf the Dog will come in pack with Crazy Harry and Mahna Mahna:

Miss Piggy, who'll come with Foo Foo and a penguin (sadly not Gloria Estefan though):

Floyd Pepper and Janice will make sweet harmony together along with their respective instruments:

Entertainment Earth currently states that they'll all be available in January 2017, but you can pre-order both them now. 

Jim Henson Company to Develop "Wee Free Men" Feature Film.

From PRNNewswire.
Award winning screenwriter Rhianna Pratchett, daughter of Sir Terry Pratchett, will pen the adaptation

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., July 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jim Henson Company announced today the development of a feature film based on the great literary legacy of the late Sir Terry Pratchett's "THE WEE FREE MEN," part of the wildly popular Discworld series.

The long-awaited film adaption will be written by his daughter Rhianna Pratchett, an award-winning scriptwriter for videogames, comics, film and TV. Her work includes the 2013 smash hit reboot of Tomb Raider, the BAFTA nominated Heavenly Sword and the Writers' Guild winning Overload and Rise of the Tomb Rider. Pratchett, co-director of independent production company Narrativia, has regularly been named one of the top 100 most influential women in the games industry and won the Women in Games Hall of Fame award in 2013.

"THE WEE FREE MEN," is the first in a series of Discworld novels starring the young witch Tiffany Aching. A nightmarish danger threatens from the other side of reality.  Armed with only a frying pan and her common sense, the young witch-to-be must defend her home against the monsters of Fairyland. Luckily she has some very unusual help: the local Nac Mac Feegles—aka the Wee Free Men—a clan of fierce, sheep-stealing, sword-wielding, six-inch-high blue men. Together they must face headless horsemen, ferocious grimhounds, terrifying dreams come true, and ultimately the most powerful force of all - the Queen.

Brian Henson of The Jim Henson Company will serve as producer.Rhianna Pratchett, Rob Wilkins and Rod Brown of Narrativia andVince Raisa of The Jim Henson Company, will serve as executive producers. WEE FREE MEN is a co-production with Narrativia.

"I've loved the Jim Henson Company's work all my life, so it's a great honor to team up with them and bring Wee Free Men to the big screen," said writer Rhianna Pratchett.

"As a family owned company, we fully understand the importance of legacy properties," said Brian Henson, Chairman of The Jim Henson Company. "The Discworld series is a richly developed world with devoted fans, myself included, and there is no one better than Rhianna to bring Terry's beloved project to life on the big screen."

Kermit and Fozzie in Disney's Emoji Blitz!

Disney has a new emoji themed game titled Emoji Blitz.

According to The Disney Blog:

Add the magic of Disney & Pixar characters to your mobile communications with the more than 400 emojis that appear in Disney Emoji Blitz, a new mobile game and custom keyboard available now on iPhones and Android devices. You’ll find emojis representing characters from favorites like “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “Cinderella,” “Frozen,” “Finding Dory,” “The Muppets,” “Toy Story,” and more!

The game is a fast-paced match-3 game where you score points and unlock new emoji. Each emoji has its own power and you can power-up and blast the board with combos. Complete missions to boost your score and earn digital prices like Rare Disney parks themed emoji, such as Mickey Ice Cream Bar, the Matterhorn, and Mickey Mouse Ear Hats.

So far the only two Muppets featured are Kermit and Fozzie:

Each emojis has special abilities. Kermit uses musical notes to clear other emojis on the game board, and Fozzie uses flying tomatoes.

If your over 30, don't play video games, and have no idea what any of these is check out this video of the game:

I still don't get it, but it seems like you play the game and get to keep certain Disney Emoji's when you win certain stages. Then you can use the emoji's in text messages by using the Disney Emoji Blitz keyboard. 

New Disney and Pixar-themed emojis will be added in the coming months, so maybe more Muppets too. 

Disney Emoji Blitz is now available to download for free with in-app purchases on the iOS App Store and Google Play for Android. 

Thanks to our pal Austen for the heads up. 

River Horse Labyrinth 3ups!

During the production phase of their Labyrinth board game, River Horse showed samples of the sculpture Fraser Allen's figures. These originals are called 3 ups since they are 3x's larger then the final versions. 

According River Horse's newsletter, they had such great responses from Labyrinth fans that said "I really really want that!" that they are now looking into production options for the jumbo playing pieces as well!

You can see the size difference of the figure vs the ones included in the game above.

We'll be sure to let you know when they'll be available.

Confirmed: PizzeRizzo Coming This Fall to Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

A Muppet themed restaurant is coming this fall to the newly named Muppets Courtyard at Walt Disney World!

The Hollywood Studios restaurant that once housed the Toy Story themed Pizza Planet, will be taken over by Rizzo and be renamed PizzeRizzo!

According to the DisneyParks blog:

Rizzo The Rat owns and operates the pizzeria, where guests can grab a pizza pie and a cold drink. Enjoy a casual Italian-American dining experience in a whole new way, through the eyes of the lovable, wisecracking Muppet. 

Walt Disney Imagineering hid hints of Rizzo, his extended family and friends who have visited PizzeRizzo over the years throughout the two-story quick-service location. In addition to the expansive indoor and outdoor seating area, guests will be able to dine in a “cheesy” banquet room, or take five in a special booth designated just for Rizzo’s celebrity friends.

Oh My Disney talked with Rizzo himself about his new restaurant venture:

“Opening PizzeRizzo is a dream come true for me and my entire extended family. The Muppets are pretty happy about it, too. (Miss Piggy said something about being happy to see me ‘doing some actual work for a change.’ Oh brudder!) While it’s true I ain’t part of the upper crust, I guarantee you’ll have the cheesiest, most entertaining dining experience of your life at PizzeRizzo. So come, sit, relax and eat! That’s what I’ll be doing.”

You may recall that this space was originally conceived to be a Muppet-themed restaurant by Jim Henson and Disney Imagineering when Henson first announced the sale of The Muppets to Disney in 1990!

Shadows of The Dark Crystal Now Available!

Dark Crystal novel contest winner J. M. Lee's book first book, "Shadows of the Dark Crystal"
Is now available at bookstores across the country!

Read a sample from the book here.

You can find it at and Amazon and Barnes and Noble locations. 

ABC's The Muppets Nominated For An Emmy!

The 2016 Emmy Award nominees were announced yesterday, and the nominees for Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program (Half-Hour Or Less) are  (drum roll please): 

The Big Bang Theory
The Muppets
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

Yes, you read that correctly. Despite ABC's decision to cancel the series, The Muppets has been nominated for an Emmy!

You may recall the show won an Art Directors Guild award in February, where they were also up against Transparent and Veep. 

Congratulations to everyone involved with The Muppets! Here's hoping another golden statue makes it's way to your mantel when the winners are announced Sept. 18 on ABC!

Throwback Thursday: Kermit Wrapping Paper!

Check out this Kermit wrapping paper from Hallmark:

We don't have an exact year on it, but if this doesn't scream 1970's, I don't know what does! It even comes with a "Surprise!" card!

Feinstein’s/54 Celebrates The Muppets and Jim Henson!

On Monday, Feinstein's/54 Below in New York held a celebration of the music of The Muppets and Jim Henson.

The show featured Henson alum Rick Lyon, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, and Jennifer Barnhart, along with Broadway and new York performers James Monroe Iglehart, Max Crumm, Lauren Molina, and Nick Cearley.

For a list of the full cast and their credits visit 54Below's website.

The show was produced and directed by Philip Romano who uploaded the show to his youtube channel for those of us who couldn't be there in person!

For those that live in New York or will be visiting next month, they will be performing at agian on August 28th 

Tickets can be purchased here.

Muppet Tsum Tsums On The Way!

Last week we got a our first look at the new Muppet Tsum Tsums. 

In case you missed it, Animal and Miss Piggy were the first to be revealed.

Some how they forgot that animal has a nose. Piggy has a snout but Animal doesn't get a nose? 

Lots of Tsum Tsums, lots of noses:

Hopefully Disney corrects the error before they're released.