Beforehand on Jim Henson’s Birthday Celebration in NYC…
All in all, New York Metropolis was a Muppet fanatic’s paradise as we celebrated Jim Henson. It’s the most important celebration but… till we hopefully do it once more subsequent 12 months!
So guess what? We did do it once more… and it was even greater than earlier than! In truth, there was a lot enjoyable to go round this time, we couldn’t even include it to only at some point. September 20 and 21 noticed the Huge Apple grow to be a haven of creativity and Muppet nerdery. Whether or not you couldn’t be there or simply wish to revisit the recollections, right here’s the way it went down!
On Saturday, the festivities started with a strolling tour of Manhattan, led by ToughPigs’ personal Joe Hennes, targeted on the Henson-related landmarks. Our personal Ryan Roe shares his account of the tour:
The tour was made much more particular by the presence of Richard Termine, a former puppet builder with the Muppet workshop who later grew to become a photographer. This man has taken roughly a zillion lovely photographs of Muppets (and people!). Termine shared a number of fascinating tales alongside the best way, for instance: When protestors organized in Columbus Circle to forestall some traditionally vital buildings from being demolished, a gaggle of full-bodied Sesame Avenue Dwell-style Muppet costume characters confirmed as much as take part! He additionally instructed us a narrative concerning the Russian embassy that was positioned throughout the road from the outdated workshop and the comings and goings he noticed, which seemed like a storyline from The Individuals.
Highlights of the tour included a number of areas in Central Park, together with a pond utilized in a Play-Alongside video and a few environmental PSAs. And this 12 months’s tour had some new thrives! At varied stops, the gang was entertained by puppets (sure, PUPPETS!) reenacting Muppet bits and singing songs. Once we reached the historic Central Park Dairy, cows serenaded us with a rendition of the outdated Cloverland Dairy jingle from a traditional Henson business. These nice periodic puppet performances had been supplied by Tau Bennett and Brandon Smith.
There was additionally an extra musical part to this 12 months’s tour. A number of occasions all through the morning, we sang acquainted songs like “Movin’ Proper Alongside” and “I Don’t Need to Dwell on the Moon.” However we didn’t simply sing them — we sang them in a number of vocal elements, like some type of Muppet Tabernacle Choir, capably carried out by Yanniv Frank from Heather Henson’s Inexperienced Feather Basis.
As in earlier years, Lucas Ross was readily available to supply accompaniment together with his banjo. Along with the organized songs, many spontaneous sing-alongs broke out, and it positive appeared like Lucas knew find out how to play each single Muppet tune ever on that magic banjo of his.
The centerpiece of the tour was a cease on the benches devoted to Jim Henson and Jon Stone. We embellished the benches and the encircling asphalt with colourful drawings and messages (in washable chalk, after all) and posed for a gaggle photograph. Plenty of passersby stopped to ask what this was all about, and so they had been all delighted to be taught that we had been Muppet followers celebrating Jim Henson’s birthday.
The tour concluded on the Henson Carriage Home, the place we loved the air-con and watched clips of productions shot within the studio house there. Yep, we had been in the identical room the place the music video for “She Drives Me Loopy” was made! Lastly, all of us acquired some particular Muppet fan artwork “buying and selling playing cards” designed by Will Carroll earlier than heading to Queens and the Museum of the Shifting Picture. I obtained a Labyrinth Worm!
It was a morning full of knowledge, historical past, music, and enjoyable — however much more than that, it was a morning stuffed with Muppet fan camaraderie, with Muppet fan associates reuniting, assembly for the primary time, and chatting about each conceivable Muppet-related subject (and not-Muppet-related… I had a pleasant dialog concerning the Marx Brothers with a fellow fan). And fortuitously, the Muppet fan togetherness saved on going for the remainder of the weekend!
Again on the Museum of the Shifting Picture, skilled puppeteer Brian Carson led a puppetry workshop for all ages and ability ranges. (You see, as a result of it’s a little-known indisputable fact that Jim Henson was a puppeteer.)
One of many major options of the weekend was the long-awaited reveal of “The 70 Best Moments in Henson Historical past,” as nominated by followers right here on ToughPigs and chosen by guru of all issues Muppets and Henson Craig Shemin. However earlier than that, we had been handled to a singalong and mini-concert by Lucas Ross. (With all of the music he performed, I positive hope he handled himself to a brand new set of banjo strings after the weekend.)
Whereas we’re not fairly able to reveal the complete itemizing simply but, it was a well-balanced celebration of the final 70 years. Except you assume “Shapes in My Room” is the best second in Henson historical past. Then you’ll have been dissatisfied.
As day turned to nighttime on Saturday, the get together moved throughout the road to Pig Seashore BBQ, the place karaoke was the order of the night. You understand, like from the episode “Pig Out” from The Muppets!
The festivities resumed on Sunday, kicked off by this 12 months’s version of the Swa(m)p Meet. With uncommon Muppet merchandise and distinctive artistic endeavors at each desk, the query on followers’ minds was how shortly they may shatter their price range. Nonetheless, it’s value it for a classic Muppet*Imaginative and prescient 3D t-shirt and a TV Information selling The Muppets Have fun Jim Henson, proper? Proper?
Emily Engel as soon as once more confirmed off her craftsmanship along with her famed Muppet replicas. The place Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker had been going, they didn’t want roads. Or puppeteers. As a result of they had been standees.
However maybe the most important desk on the meet as soon as once more went to Chris Stulz, who has a lot Muppet stuff, he named a web site after it.
Simply outdoors the Swa(m)p Meet, followers might put their data to the check as Craig hosted a Henson Trivia Spectacular centered round Sam and Mates. It was virtually like he had a brand new guide to advertise or one thing.
The primary sport was “Sam or Mates,” as contestants had to determine whether or not a plot abstract was from an episode of Sam and Mates or the sitcom Mates. (I’m fairly positive one sequence finale had Professor Madcliffe getting off a airplane and reuniting with Rachel, and the opposite had Ross blowing up the set.)
“Sam? or Rip-off?” was a play on a easy true or false sport based mostly on information concerning the sequence. (Sam and Mates, that’s. Mates trivia must wait for an additional day.)
Lastly, there was “Tune-a-End,” the place followers tried to guess the subsequent lyric in a tune featured on the present. To make issues barely simpler, the entire songs used had been later carried out on The Muppet Present. Have you learnt the phrases to “Pachalafaka?” I’ll begin: “So nobody instructed you life was gonna be this manner.” (I’ve an issue.)
Over within the courtyard, we obtained to listen to some pretty instrumentals of traditional Muppet tunes courtesy of John Koozin and the Neighborhood. However the pleasure was solely starting!
Following the music, followers strutted their stuff within the costume contest, hosted by Joe! You understand, from ToughPigs.com! There have been a LOT of nice outfits and a few actually neat deep cuts, like an ensemble impressed by Gonzo’s flip as Charles Dickens in The Muppet Christmas Carol.
After all, Gonzo’s longtime girlfriend obtained some love too! One of many standouts was an elaborate gown and headpiece representing Camilla.
Even Joe obtained in on the enjoyable, dressing as Uncle Touring Matt… whose mustache was temperamental and give up early on within the contest. It’s no surprise Matt’s afraid of it!
Somebody even got here not as Shrinkel or Stretchel, however because the very idea of Pak-Nit itself. That’s the type of dedication and love of deep cuts individuals can count on at this occasion.
Hey, that’s not Prairie Daybreak! That’s our personal Becca Petunia, in one among her uncommon moments between podcasts.
Finally, three teams of contestants led to 3 finalists: Camilla, Jim Henson, and Dave Goelz. (Sure, the particular person within the inexperienced plaid shirt isn’t speculated to be Jim, they’re Dave. Quite a lot of Muppet performers had beards again within the day, so it will get complicated.)
However in the end, we had been all there for Jim’s birthday, so Henson naturally took the title. (And a poster from The Artwork of the Muppets exhibition, which was additionally neat.)
Being a birthday celebration, there was cake to mark the event. It seemed loads like final 12 months’s cake, however I tasted it, and it wasn’t stale in any respect, so I’m guessing they obtained a brand new one,
As MoMI closed for the night time, the get together as soon as once more headed to Pig Seashore, the place Heather Henson stated a couple of phrases acknowledging everybody who helped make the weekend so particular. She additionally led a singalong of “Rainbow Connection” in three-part concord. (You didn’t even have to know the phrases, as one half was simply singing “lovers” and “dreamers” again and again.)
John Koozin and the Neighborhood returned to supply accompaniment for individuals who wished to sing their very own Muppet songs. Joe, Richard Michael Gomez, and Gav rocked out to “Can You Image That?”
And eventually, Lucas closed out the night time by breaking out his banjo and giving a timeshare presentation. (Simply kidding, he performed with the band.)
And thus ended an epic weekend celebrating Jim Henson and his legacy of creativeness. Will we get to do it once more subsequent 12 months and make it even greater? Will Frank Ozwill present up and provides us all a pleasant, shiny quarter? Will we get a Gogolala Jubilee Jugband-themed mosh pit? Will they choose a distinct design for the cake? Solely time will inform. However for now, we’ve obtained one other spherical of recollections that can stick with us endlessly.
Click on right here to LOVERS! DREAMERS! on the ToughPigs Discord!
by Matthew Soberman – [email protected]
Extra Reporting by Ryan Roe – [email protected]
