Terms and rules

Fans from around the world come together at Muppet Central to celebrate the work of Jim Henson. We encourage your active participation in discussions on our forum.

Muppet Central is dedicated to the celebration of differences that make the world interesting and exciting. Healthy debates are not only expected but encouraged. Please remember to treat others with respect. Like the Muppets, each of us is unique, but our admiration and respect for Jim Henson's Muppets have brought us together and make us a family. Together, we have found that our similarities make us much more alike than different.

By participating in this forum you agree to follow this code of conduct:

1. Respect forum members. Treat others how you would like to be treated. Do not allow disagreements to degenerate into personal attacks or judgments towards another individual.
2. Offensive language and name-calling of any sort will not be tolerated.
3. Do not spam the forum with inaccurate, repetitive or offensive information. Humor must be in good taste.
4. Signatures and avatars should be fun and non-offensive.
5. Try to stay on topic. Short, off-topic remarks are fine but do not hijack a discussion.
6. Concerning video trades, do not sell or promote your unreleased videos, VCDs or DVDs.
7. Follow the rules for participating in Muppet games.

Violation of these guideline may result in warnings, suspension, and the deletion of your account and messages. If a member violates these guidelines, please kindly refer them back to the rules listed above. If you see a public message that breaks any of these rules, please click on the "report post" link on any offending message. The offending post will immediately be reporting to the moderating team.

Moderators are happy to assist with any questions or issues that may arise. Your comments can be left in our "Feedback" folder.

Thanks for your cooperation with the following guidelines. As you abide by them, you will ensure that Muppet Central is a positive and beneficial place for everyone.

The Muppet Central Forum Moderators

RESPECT:

Respect differences of opinion. It's fine to disagree, just remember that the other person has a right to their opinions and experiences too. Respect diversity. Don't attack someone else because of their beliefs or way of life. All ages from the young to the old are active in our forum. Please phrase your language and comments accordingly. Respect others. If you don't like a person's viewpoints say why without attacking the individual. Don't treat them in a way that you wouldn't like to be treated yourself.

We are very grateful for the opportunity to interact with many Henson employees, past and present, here on the forum. We have the utmost respect for Henson employees and friends. When posting about an individual, please keep in mind the person and/or their family may be reading your message. While it's fine and appropriate to critique their work on a particular Henson production (whether you liked it or not), please be respectful of a performer's personal life at all times. Muppeteers personal lives need to be kept just that, personal.

DISAGREEMENTS:

Conflicts will arise from time to time. There is nothing wrong with disagreements. The key is to not make personal remarks about any individual, directly or indirectly. Remember: two wrongs don't make a right. Sometimes the responsible thing to do is walk away. If you are having trouble and can not sort it out yourself, notify a moderator. If a member continually gets on your nerves, it is best to avoid them. You may set your preference in your control panel so that you never see the individual's posts.

LANGUAGE:

Our forum has members of all ages and a wide variety of beliefs. We strive to make all members feel welcome and comfortable. Offensive language and name-calling of any sort will not be tolerated. Using symbols or misspellings to represent swear words is not acceptable. All posts must be respectful of different races, sex, religions, sexual orientation, and mental and physical abilities. Chose your words carefully. Inflammatory language of any sort is unacceptable. Do not post just to anger someone.

SPAM:

Please do not use the forum to post irrelevant, repetitive or offensive information. Debates are encouraged but there is no need to filibuster to get your point across. The excessive use of blank space in posts is disrespectful to other forum members and should be avoided. It may lead to the editing of posts and/or a warning from the moderators. Before posting a new thread, please make sure a similar thread is not already active. Multiple threads on the same topic can be confusing. Please do not post the same message in multiple parts of our forum. Duplicate posts will often be deleted.

HUMOR:

We encourage humor, within reasonable limits. Some pranks may be seen as spam so please be thoughtful of others. Consider how your words might be misinterpreted before you post. Don't post false information. We have a games section for humor.

SIGNATURES:

Signatures (the customized greeting that closes your posts) should not exceed two lines, including blank space. Signatures may contain your name, up to four links, up to four smilies or your favorite Muppety quote. Signatures may not contain links to offensive or "adult" sites. Signatures are a great form of expression, but they must be respectful of fellow forum members. You can tell us more about yourself on your profile page. Remember, "Brevity is the soul of wit."

AVATARS:

Your avatar (a little picture that appears next to your posts) should be friendly and fun. You are welcome to use a Muppety image for your avatar or any other non-offensive image that you choose. Your avatar should not be inflammatory in nature or defame Henson or the Muppets. If an avatar is deemed offensive to forum members, a moderator will ask you to change it. Please do not use an avatar already in use by another member. If you need help creating or adding an avatar on your messages, please post in the avatar help discussion.

STAY ON TOPIC:

We are notorious for talking about penguins, muffins and whatnot without much reason. Short off-topic remarks are fine. If a thread seems to be changing topic, please create a new thread for the new subject. This helps folk find the information they are looking for quickly and easily.

VIDEO TRADES:

While we do encourage merchandise and tape trading, out of respect for the copyrights of the Jim Henson Company personal and unreleased videos, homemade VCDs and DVDs may not be sold for profit or cash on our forum. Advertising or promoting such illegal material to purchase will lead to suspension of your account. In some cases, we may forward all of your account information directly to copyright owner (or eBay if applicable) for them to investigate further.

GAMES:

In order to keep the "Games" discussions focused on Muppety topics. Please abide by the following guidelines.

1. All games must be approved by a moderator. If you wish to start a new game (or new thread in the “Games” folder), please write a moderator with a description of your game rules. When you are approved, a moderator will begin the game for you and you can continue it. If you begin a game, please see it through until completion.
   
   
2. Your game must involve the Muppets or Henson characters in some way. This will help eliminate "random" threads or games that could be offensive to some forum members. Only games related to the Muppets or Henson characters will be approved for our forum.

WARNINGS:

Any behavior that is not in the spirit of our guidelines may result in a warning. Subsequent behavior, depending on the nature, may result in temporary suspension or permanent ejection from the forum. Overly aggressive behavior and/or complete disregard for the spirit of these guidelines may result in immediate banishment. Action will be taken with the discretion of the staff. Please help keep Muppet Central a fun place for everyone.

MODERATORS:

Muppet Central moderators are here to assist you. You may write an individual moderator by clicking their profile link underneath one of their posts or by using the contact form.