Muppet Convention Thread #2: Where Should it be Held?

[dwayne1115]

I think we should get together a core group of people who could make this happen and go from there ( 9 members with Phillip, 9 members with The Count, 9 members with Cindy, etc.) on PMs and we would each have different jobs to do. Cindy's group could help find a location of where we could hold the Muppet convention. Ed's group could decide what panels we would have. Phillip's group would decide if we would have the convention. We still have so much steps to do, but I think it's very truly possible.

I really don't think that the first two or more would get the full attention of the staff here. I think that to start off we should really find out who would want to go, and start from there.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Okay people I am one of the members to HensonCon the reasons this project hasn't gone forward is because for one we are just regular people who have lives outside of MC and Muppets in general as I'm sure you all do too. Second the main big reason is The Jim Henson Company pretty much shot us down. We were trying to work with their legal team but couldn't come up with an agreement so when that happened we didn't even bother with Disney or Sesame Street knowing if we couldn't even get them on board why would the other two give us the light of day?

We had a lot going and even made promotional videos on the project until the issue with the Henson company came up. We had talked to some of the puppeteers and people who had a history working with the Muppets who thought it was a great idea. Ryan from TheMuppetMindset was also on board and still supports us in making this happen but again without the approval of such companies we really can't go forward.

So unless someone here either knows someone personally and can magically pull some strings this convention is pretty much a no go. If you have any ideas then let us know. But please be understanding on why this took the back burner. Thank you and have a great night.

 

[MelissaY1]

Okay people I am one of the members to HensonCon the reasons this project hasn't gone forward is because for one we are just regular people who have lives outside of MC and Muppets in general as I'm sure you all do too. Second the main big reason is The Jim Henson Company pretty much shot us down. We were trying to work with their legal team but couldn't come up with an agreement so when that happened we didn't even bother with Disney or Sesame Street knowing if we couldn't even get them on board why would the other two give us the light of day?

We had a lot going and even made promotional videos on the project until the issue with the Henson company came up. We had talked to some of the puppeteers and people who had a history working with the Muppets who thought it was a great idea. Ryan from TheMuppetMindset was also on board and still supports us in making this happen but again without the approval of such companies we really can't go forward.

So unless someone here either knows someone personally and can magically pull some strings this convention is pretty much a no go. If you have any ideas then let us know. But please be understanding on why this took the back burner. Thank you and have a great night.

Thank you for explaining the inside story of all this to us. It's a shame Henson wasn't on board with this. My question is though, how does one of the other big Muppet fan sites get to do their screenings and Muppet related events? Surely, they have to get permission from Disney or another one of the big guys to OK it for them to screen material in public, charge a fee, etc. I am certainly not knocking them or what they do, I think it's amazing and I know they put on wonderful events.

But they also have everyday jobs and families, etc. and yet managed to pull this off. And I can tell you the internet and Facebook has certainly made the Muppet fandom a "smaller" place in that everyone seems to have a connection with someone else. There's gotta be a way to make this happen. I would love to be involved somehow as I have said on here prior in some sort of capacity.

 

[Pinkflower7783]

The thing is, is we even talked to or corresponded with Bonnie Erickson and she also thought it was a wonderful idea in fact it was her who put is in touch with the JHC. We didn't wanna step on anyone's copyright coat tails and because we have such a high respect to the Muppets we wanted to reach out to them first. We also wrote a personal letter to Brian Henson but somehow I think there was a mix up and it never got directly to him. I can't imagine Brian not being on board with something to honor his dad for.

It was a real blow to us to be so hyped up about this project only to have the door shut in our face. And let me tell you the JHC's legal team is the worst at getting back to you. We literally were waiting months before we FINALLY heard back.

It's ashame we basically have the support from a lot of people but can't seem to swing the legal side of it. Ryan is one of the people who had said a Muppet convention needs to happen. He was even willing to try and get some of the puppeteers to appear such as Steve Whitmire, Dave Golez, and, Bill Baretta, just to name a few.

We even got in contact with Leland, Mississippi and they were all for it but we learned it was inconvenient for tourists particularly where their convention center is. Hardly anything is within walking distance.

We are still passionate about this project and would love to see nothing more then for it to become a reality. Also this project can't happen without you guessed it money. Like I said if you can think of something that we havent tried yet then please leave your suggestions.

 

[dwayne1115]

Kickstarer!

 

[panmanthe2nd]

Kickstarer!

Crowdfunding is a good idea.

And you know what, we can't take no for an answer!

 

[Pinkflower7783]

Maybe a montage will help.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

From what I remember, the Muppet performers were very interested in an event like this, and many of them were on-board from the start. Although a problem came up with Henson, I can't understand why they would ever shoot it down again. It will take negotiating and certain needs will have to be met, but I think in the end it would work. The main issue would be on how we can get all the properties in one place and have all companies agree on it. Something I would have thought was impossible until that Jim Henson Musical World event at Carnegie Hall two years ago.

It will take a lot of work, and the support is certainly there. I think it's still possible. Even if we don't get the agreement from Henson/Disney/Sesame, Toughpigs hosts Muppet Vaults once a month which I'm pretty sure are not cleared with the companies, and is allowed from a legal perspective. The hard part would be having the characters live in appearance, where the paperwork could get heavy.

 

[dwayne1115]

From what I remember, the Muppet performers were very interested in an event like this, and many of them were on-board from the start. Although a problem came up with Henson, I can't understand why they would ever shoot it down again. It will take negotiating and certain needs will have to be met, but I think in the end it would work. The main issue would be on how we can get all the properties in one place and have all companies agree on it. Something I would have thought was impossible until that Jim Henson Musical World event at Carnegie Hall two years ago.

It will take a lot of work, and the support is certainly there. I think it's still possible. Even if we don't get the agreement from Henson/Disney/Sesame, Toughpigs hosts Muppet Vaults once a month which I'm pretty sure are not cleared with the companies, and is allowed from a legal perspective. The hard part would be having the characters live in appearance, where the paperwork could get heavy.

Someone needs to contact the guys at tough pigs and ask them how they do there events and if anything was cleared. If nothing was cleared then I say we build off of that.

 

[dwayne1115]

I know I'm double posting here, and for that I am sorry. However I feel I must come clean of sorts. There is a reason why I would like to see something like this happen, and not just to meet all of you and watch Muppet stuff. I have started a movement on here and on Facebook called the Muppet Movement, and one of the main goals of this movement is to contact the Walt-Disney company and urge them to release the Muppet Show Season 4.
The second goal of the movement is to unite Muppet fans, because I truly feel like we are all scattered all over the place. That's one reason why I think this is such a good idea. Even if we do not get the backing of Henson/Disney/Sesame to have small gatherings at first would surly get the word out about the Muppet fan community. Which is one of the main reasons why I would love to see this happen. I'm willing to do whatever I can to help make this wonderful dream come to a reality, and I truly believe we can do it if we just keep trying.