It's a Great Day to Be a Muppet Fan!

[theprawncracker]

Yes, this is basically something that could be posted in "The State of the Muppets" thread, and if it needs to be moved, so be it. I just thought this needed to be asked:

How exciting is it to be a Muppet fan right now?

RIGHT now we have amazing new videos on Muppets.com (which is being updated weekly) and on YouTube--where our own Beaker has become a viral sensation (which sounds contagious... because, let's face it, Muppet fever IS!) with over two MILLION views! Gonzo, The Swedish Chef, Sam Eagle, and Statler and Waldorf have also invaded arguably the most popular site on the Internet with videos of their own! And how can you not love both the Muppets.com videos and the YouTube videos? They're harkening back to the days of TMS where the Muppets were running around... being themselves! I think Entertainment Weekly put the status of the Muppets' online situation best... "Are the Muppets staging a stealth comeback online?" Yes. I think they just might be. The Muppets are BACK online!

We have TWO new Muppet books coming out soon (Pepe's "It's Hard Out Here for a Shrimp" and Miss Piggy's "The Diva Code"), both springing off the (apparently) overwhelming success of Kermit's "Before You Leap." The Muppets are BACK in print!

We're also expecting TWO new Muppet specials in the fall--each in primetime, one will assumedly be on a rather big network, and the other will be on the BIGGEST kids station on the air. The Muppets Tackle Politics (working title ) will FINALLY (most likely) cater to the palatte of the Muppets biggest audience--adult fans who appreciate their classic work! My goodness, that special has the potential to be absolutely INCREDIBLE, and I highly doubt it will disappoint. Then, for the younger crowd, we get a second Studio DC special, proving that the Muppets' partnering with the Disney Channel stars attracted enough of the younger viewing audience (arguably our most crucial audience to attract at this stage in the Muppet fanbase) to garner a second special this fall. The Muppets are BACK on TV!

Farther into the future we can look forward to a brand-new-supposedly-awesome Muppet Christmas special in 2009. According to The Muppet Newsflash, Disney execs are hoping, "that this all-new holiday extravaganza will become an enduring holiday classic that families can enjoy year after year." How much more exciting can THAT get? I mean, c'mon! It's showing that Diz finally has faith in our Muppets! The Muppets will REMAIN on TV!

And of course, way down the line, we have Jason Segel's Muppet Movie (I think they should just buckle down and title it that... ). This is definitely the most exciting Muppet project in years--HECK! They're coming BACK to the big-screen after--when the film comes out--OVER A DECADE! The Muppets are BACK on the big-screen!

What more could we, as Muppet fans, ask for in this day and age? Sure, a weekly TV show would be great, but honestly, do we see that happening without a complete ressurgance? Oh... wait... we ARE getting a complete ressurgance! The Muppets are BACK! And in a big way! They're tackling all forms of media--internet, print, television, movies, radio (with the recent Sirius appearance--as lame as it may have been)... We just need to get them back into merchandise again and they've hit everything!

It's a great day to be a Muppet fan, everybody! So let's live it up!

 

[Baby Gonzo]

This is defiantly cause for optimism. I have to say, if these projects all go through (heck, if even two or three come through) that will be a great achievement for the Muppets, or at least a giant step in the right direction. Fans give Disney a lot of grief, but I think that, while not perfect, they are obviously trying to keep the Muppets in the public eye, and I think that is to be commended.

I'm excited to see how all of these projects develop, and you can bet I will be watching them.

 

[Oscarfan]

That's looking at the glass half full!

 

[Super Scooter]

I was actually going to post a similair thread. I think I'll just post what I was going to say here.

You're right, it is a great time to be a Muppet fan! All of this is very exciting. Besides all of that, a Fraggle Rock movie, Fraggle DVDs and more Muppet DVDs (the remaining Muppet Show DVDs should probably be out before the new movie arrives).

You made a note of how it will have been over a decade since the last theatrically released Muppet film. Here's a little timeline for the Muppet movies:

July 22, 1979 - The Muppet Movie was released, the highest grossing Muppet movie to date.

June 26, 1981 - Two years after the success of the first film, The Great Muppet Caper is released.

July 13, 1984 - The Muppets take three years off, then The Muppets Take Manhattan comes to theaters.

December 11, 1992 - Eight years have passed, some good friends are gone, but the Muppets return, taking on classic literature with The Muppet Christmas Carol.

February 16, 1996 - Four years later, the Muppets return to the storybook setting for some swashbuckling fun in Muppet Treasure Island.

July 14, 1999 - The Muppets return to playing themselves three years later in Muppets from Space.

2010 - After ELEVEN years, the Muppets return to the big screen!

Eleven years. That's far too long for the Muppets to be missing from a medium that just seems to be perfect for them. The Muppets work better on the silver screen than anywhere else, as far as this frog fan is concerned. Thirty-one years from the release of The Muppet Movie, and a longer wait than any Muppet movie before it, even longer than the time between The Muppets Take Manhattan and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Let's hope they're welcomed back warmly. It will be exciting to see, and I'd dare say this could be the most financially successful Muppet movie ever, if it's good enough. Perhaps even more so than the first... mainly because it will be the first Muppet movie that I will be able to see many, many, many times in the theater.

It is an exciting time. I look forward to seeing what comes of all of this.

 

[wwfpooh]

An exciting time indeed.

 

[dwayne1115]

Ryan you have said evereything that was on my mind! Don't forget about the new Muppet comics comming out next spring!

 

[Beauregard]

And the Muppets radio appearence on Sirius.

 

[wwfpooh]

Ryan mentioned both of them, but the Sirius radio appearance seemed lack luster.

 

[redBoobergurl]

Hallelujah it IS a good time to be a Muppet fan!

I'm still seeing lots of Muppet shirts in stores like Kohls too so that makes me excited. I couldn't afford it right now but there's one at my Kohls in the Juniors department that says "Life's Like a Movie!" That's one of my favorite quotes!

I think things can only continue to look up for Muppet fans. I like being glass half full!

 

[MelissaY1]

I don't know, maybe something's wrong with me, but I'm not really that excited about any of these new projects coming out. After seeing that awful DC Live special and being hugely disappointed by it, unless there's some MAJOR improvements from the writing aspect of these projects I think we're going to see more mediocre stuff like the DC special.

The only thing I'm looking forward to is the rest of the Muppet Show DVDs coming out and completing that series on DVD and any other classic stuff. Maybe I'm just getting older, maybe I'm just pining for the old days........