I Met Kermit And Gonzo At Dca!

[MrsPepper]

Wow, what an amazing story!

First off, Steve Whitmire, if/when you read this, you just reccomended an awesome new member to Muppet Central, so thank you! Plus, YOU ROCK!

Second, that is SO COOL! I'm so happy that you got to meet Steve and Dave; the whole experience sounds awesome. Nice avatar, it's small but it's proof enough for me!

 

[wendygirl]

Sure wish I could post pictures here. But till I can post a link to my photo album here is another random post about the mobile lab.

The lab reminds me of a Segway Human Transporter. Do a Google search on the word Segway and you can go to links that show you these things. The Mobile Lab is silver and egg or bullet shaped. It is decorated with lights and other cool things like a sign that flips around. The wheels it uses to move look like Segway wheels. Dr. Honeydew is up front "driving" it and Beaker is behind him but up high like he's pedaling it. They came out from backstage behind the area of the exit to Muppet Vision 3D. All along the way from that area out front to the Plaza area Honeydew would talk to the spectators, throwing off little comments along the way like "make way for Science" or "science stops for no one." He would "see" people taking pictures of him and say "cheese". He saw me pointing my camera at him and said "cheese" and then said "oh, it's a video camera." As we were moving along, and at a very fast clip I might add, I almost fell over a kid in a stroller (you would think they would have seen us all coming and moved back a little!). Honeydew said "oh, be careful. Don't fall. Someone get that woman a steadycam." Much of his interaction was live and tuned right in to what was going around the moving lab. When we got to the Plaza area the lab stopped (finally; I was winded) and it sort of rocked in place and would turn from side to side. At one point we sang happy birthday to some girls and a string of confetti burst out of the lab with a pop. Startled me and I jumped. He also asked for volunteers for a new discovery of a special deodorant. When he got three volunteers and they were lined up in front of him he sprayed them with water. He also asked if there were any teenage girls in the audience, that teenage girls really like Beaker. He got another volunteer whom he spoke with and then he ask her to blow in Beakers ear. Well, he is pretty high up so she blew up in that general direction. Beaker made his meeping noises and Honeydew told her Beaker agreed to go out with her and to meet him at 6:30 in front of her hotel. So it was this general kind of thing. Also Beaker made his meeping noises at appropriate times throughout the program. On the way back to the backstage area Honeydew decided some music would be nice so the mobile lab started to play really cute music which was a take off on the old Lawrence Welk theme song and Honeydew kind of hummed along with it.

It was all very well done. I do not know where Dave was in order to be able see what was going on and provide the voice at the same time. Of course I wasn't looking around for him at the time (and didn't know what he looked like yet) as I was concentrating on filming.

So there is a general description of The Muppet Mobile Lab. There was more little quips and stuff but it's hard to remember it all without looking at the video again.

So 4 down 6 to go.

 

[The Count]

Wow... That sounds like a rully great experience Wendy. Maybe you'd have luck hosting/posting your video at youtube.com and I rully look forward to getting to know you better here at MC.

Oh and Prawny... It's not Bo Steve needs to fear... He should rully look out for that crazy half-sister of mine from Tennessee who speaks either like a Southerner or a Yankee, depending on which part of the country she's at.

 

[zns]

Great story Wendy. I'm kinda envious that you actually got to meet two of the best Muppeteers out there.

 

[wendygirl]

Maybe you'd have luck hosting/posting your video at youtube.com

I can't post my video anywhere because its file type is VRO and these hosting places won't take that file type. I have no idea how to convert it from VRO to something that is acceptable. Here is what YouTube says:

"YouTube accepts video files from most digital cameras, camcorders, and cell phones in the .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG file formats."

My husband says VRO is exclusive to Panasonic which is the type of camera I have. He got me this camera for Christmas 2005 and I have not been able to share any of my movies

We do have Windows Movie Maker but we have never been able to figure it out. Guess I might have to get in there and try

5 post down, 5 to go. Half way there

 

[wendygirl]

By the way, I am really impressed by the number of posts some of you have. The Counts number of posts (and how appropriate) is really impressive.

6 down 4 to go. Getting closer.

 

[MrsPepper]

By the way, I am really impressed by the number of posts some of you have. The Counts number of posts (and how appropriate) is really impressive.

6 down 4 to go. Getting closer.

Yeah, it's annoying but until you have 10 posts you can't post links, or private-message anybody. We used to get alot of spammers before this was implemented, and now I haven't noticed as many.

Don't worry about the post count, all it means is that we spend too much time indoors.

Thanks for the description, it was terrific. So, the performers are controlling it in front of an audience, is that how it works? I read a bit about it before I read your posts, but didn't really understand.

 

[wendygirl]

So, I mentioned I would tell you about my tour of the Muppet Studios in Hollywood. And at the same time get another post in

It was Summer of 2001 just before school was out (I am a teacher's aide) that I went in for a routine mammogram at Kaiser. I had to have one side retaken but that was normal for me. A few days later I received a card in the mail that told me I needed a closer picture using ultrasound. About 30 minutes after the mail came I got a phone call from Kaiser and they had made the appointment for me and told me to get myself in there! To make a long story short, I had cancer on both sides and had a mastectomy for both breasts and lymph node removal on the left arm pit area. Because the cancer had spread to one lymph node I needed to have chemo.

I started chemo the very end of August until the middle of December. During that time one of my best friends made arrangements for me to have a tour of the Muppet Studio. She knew how much of a Muppet geek I am. Her husband had a vending machine business back then and one of his clients was the Muppet Studio. My friend helped her husband by contacting the people at the businesses and had become friendly with a woman at the studio. She contacted this woman and she set up a date for us to come down and this woman would give us a tour of the place.

So I got to see sound stages, the office area, places where the creative people work, etc. I did take pictures but not with a digital camera. Maybe what I will do is scan the photos in and then put them in a Epson Album and link to that when I get to 10 posts.

It was a special day and one I will never forget. I have been very blessed in more ways than one. Still cancer free after five and a half years!

 

[wendygirl]

Yeah, it's annoying but until you have 10 posts you can't post links, or private-message anybody. We used to get alot of spammers before this was implemented, and now I haven't noticed as many.

Don't worry about the post count, all it means is that we spend too much time indoors.

Thanks for the description, it was terrific. So, the performers are controlling it in front of an audience, is that how it works? I read a bit about it before I read your posts, but didn't really understand.

That's funny, about spending too much time indoors.

Yes, someone is controlling it from somewhere nearby but I'll be darned if I can figure out where they are And these last few days Dave was voicing Honeydew from nearby. Others on another Disney board have looked around, but not seen him or others controlling it. What they do, they do very well indeed.

 

[wendygirl]

I have had a couple of private messages. Thank you so much for welcoming me. I can't reply to you until I get 10 posts, though.

I only post on one other board, a Disney one. Up until a month ago we only had dial up and it was a pain to do anything online. Now that we have high speed it is much easier to do things, like these forums. Until now, I never thought I had much to say, but I guess I have proved myself wrong

(and, by the way, I love these Muppet smilies ... can you tell?)