SST 40th Anniversary Library Exhibit Project, Coming in September

[minor muppetz]

Our patrons will have to read up on Michael Earl Davis through the Muppet Wiki or one of the books like Street Gang (which we have).

Street Gang doesn't have any mention of Michael Earl Davis (just a different Michael Davis, the author). The 40th anniversary book mentions him in the section on Martin Robinson.

 

[Convincing John]

Street Gang doesn't have any mention of Michael Earl Davis (just a different Michael Davis, the author). The 40th anniversary book mentions him in the section on Martin Robinson.

Whoops, my bad. I meant the 40th Anniversary book.

Convincing John

 

[minor muppetz]

I've reread this thread several times, and it seems the more I read it, the more I find things that I missed.

So it seems like the entire exhibet is inside glass cases. I expected some things to be hung on walls or shelves. Still, I would recommend having a binder on display, with pages on characters, biographies, and classic moments.

Since you're making some 3-D models/replicas, have you thought about making a Cecille? That shouldn't be too hard... Just roll some orange playdough into a ball, maybe paint some lipstick.

I was thinking about two things I would do if I were in charge, and maybe you did think about them (or are planning them). One thing I would do would be to display some posterboard dedicated to the first episode. Put some text paper in the middle, providing such information as "sponsors", original air date, and basic plot info, and on the sides of the posterboard, images (and text) of some of the episode's highlights, like Big Bird, Oscar, Ernie and Bert's first scenes, Jazz #2, Kermit's W lecture, the dots, and others, maybe list some of the best unpictured scenes in the main text. I wouldn't include photos from the baker films, since those will have representation by the clay sculpture of the baker, and I wouldn't list anything that is cut on DVD.

The other thing I would do would also invovle poster board and include mini-biographies on the main six performers from the early years (of course I'm referring to Henson, Oz, Nelson, Spinney, Brill, and Hunt), put in six columns, with photos of the performers on top and text on them below (and if there's any room left, images of some of their characters).

I was thinking it would be funny to put in a paper listing errors that appear in the reference books, maybe draw a word balloon over the text and put in a picture of Oscar. Might be too mean, though (I wouldn't want the exhibet to make people reconsider reading the reference books, though Muppet Wiki is the best reference tool).

Assuming that library has a copy of Old School: Volume 2, you should try to work in a reference to the sketch where Cookie Monster goes to the library... Maybe include info on that sketch and point out that that particular library also doesn't have any cookies.

Before posting this I noticed that you mentioned part of it will be online. That's good to know.

 

[Convincing John]

Actually, I've done of the lot of those things you've suggested. They've been in the works for a while. (I have a Richard Hunt file I'm going to work with today). The only thing I haven't included that you suggested is a Cecille replica and the mistakes/goofs. Oscar already appears somewhere else, plus the whole point of the exhibit is to point out "Hey, look at all the cool stuff we have in the library on Sesame Street! Plus, do you remember___?" If you know the term SIRE (mentioned on Tough Pigs a lot), the exhibit will do a lot of that, too. It'll give everyone a knock on the noggin and shake all those old Sesame Street memories loose like acorns out of a tree.

The only space I have (or anybody does) in our exhibit committee is the glass cases, no more, no less. Funny you should mention a binder. There is one, but it's now in the hands of the Sesame Street resident who I have met and haven't yet revealed the name of.

We do have Old School Vol. 2, plus a whole bunch of other stuff in our collection. I'll have more updates soon.

Convincing John

 

[minor muppetz]

The only thing I haven't included that you suggested is a Cecille replica and the mistakes/goofs. Oscar already appears somewhere else, plus the whole point of the exhibit is to point out "Hey, look at all the cool stuff we have in the library on Sesame Street! Plus, do you remember___?"

I was sort of half-kidding about the "pointing out goofs" thing.

I wonder if that library will limit the number of Sesame Street items a person can check out at a time during the exhibet. One of my local libraries has done that a few times concerning in-demand authors. I really hope that some patrons who aren't like us become as hardcore as we are after seeing the exhibet.

 

[minor muppetz]

If that library holds public screenings maybe you can host a screening of Sesame Street videos/DVDs from the libraries collection. Maybe Follow That Bird (since some of it takes place in Illonois) or a few anniversary specials (I wouldn't screen 40 Years of Sunny Days... I don't know if the kids could sit through three straight hours of non-stop Sesame Street clips... Then again you could show select segments from the DVD... Just click on the chapter titles and it'll go back to the menu after the clip ends).

Or if you can hook a laptop to a projector maybe make a special "My street" playlist at sesamestreet.org, showcasing the most important clips for the patrons.

 

[Convincing John]

Well folks, the Sesame Street exhibit is almost ready to be put up. Just got a few more pages (plus some credits) to put in it and it's done. Just thought I'd give a quick mention before the full report.

I did think of a final miscellaneous bit I could add...if I can get the right image. I'd really like to have a little page near the end of the exhibit that says something like "If you like the Muppets on Sesame Street, then check out The Muppet Show on DVD!" (We have 'em in our collection).

Does anyone out there know how or where I can get a good quality still image of the Sesame Street gang in Statler and Waldorf's theater box? It's from the closing joke from the Marty Feldman episode. I checked Muppet Wiki and there's a mention, but no image. True, there are other crossover pictures I could use, but that one would really work the best with that blurb. Can anyone help me out? I only found one image of that and it's too light and blurry to use.

Anyway, all the details will be revealed soon. I've also gotta get into Photobucket or Flickr and put up the pics so you can see 'em.

Convincing John

 

[minor muppetz]

I did think of a final miscellaneous bit I could add...if I can get the right image. I'd really like to have a little page near the end of the exhibit that says something like "If you like the Muppets on Sesame Street, then check out The Muppet Show on DVD!" (We have 'em in our collection).

Does anyone out there know how or where I can get a good quality still image of the Sesame Street gang in Statler and Waldorf's theater box? It's from the closing joke from the Marty Feldman episode. I checked Muppet Wiki and there's a mention, but no image. True, there are other crossover pictures I could use, but that one would really work the best with that blurb. Can anyone help me out? I only found one image of that and it's too light and blurry to use.

That's weird. I thought I saw it on Muppet Wiki but after checking all the pages I would have expected to see it I see that it's not in any of them.

But maybe you'd like to include a picture from Big Bird's appearance. There are plenty of pictures on the appropriate page: http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_318:_Leslie_Uggams

 

[Davina]

I went and found the clip on youtube and did a screen capture.. not the best quality, but is the best I could do with the clip..
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb52/familystuart/muppets/mupSS.jpg

hope it helps

 

[Convincing John]

It did! Thank you!

And guess what?

The pictures are now online! WOOHOO!

They're on Photobucket for now, but that's good enough. Soon, all of them, will be online. I wanted to get photos of the physical stuff in the exhibit, props, replicas, stuff like that. You will see all kinds of backdrop in the exhibit cases. Nearly every last one of them will wind up online here in a couple days or so. Each page with a green bar at the bottom with yellow text (look in the background of the cases) will be individual web pages complete with imbedded links. Some links will lead to the Muppet Wiki, some to here, some to Tough Pigs, some to our online card catalog. The replicas of the falling baker, Teeny Little Super Guy and the Mr. Hooper drawing are all there. Check out the Hooper's Store milk carton!

If you can see the exhibit in person, it's at the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It'll be up until Sep. 30. The exhibit serves as both a grand finale to Sesame Street's 40th year and Jim Henson's birthday.

And now to reveal who the exhibit is dedicated to. I had the chance to meet these folks and I told 'em all abouth the exhibit. They are two of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet and even gave me some tips and information that I don't think I've ever seen or heard of elsewhere. I met...(drumroll) Debi and Caroll Spinney.

Yep! I got to meet 'em! It was...it was...how do I describe it? Only one word can describe it: lovely!

So anyway, here are the pictures and I'll try to answer any questions you got.

I have a question, though. Do you think if I asked nicely, the Muppet Mindset might mention it on their site?

Have fun with the pictures!

Exhibit case 1:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v260/ConvincingJohn/Sesame Street Exhibit September 2010/Case 1/

Exhibit case 2:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v260/ConvincingJohn/Sesame Street Exhibit September 2010/Case 2/


Josh
(Convincing John)