Caroll Spinney: The Farewell Tour

[D'Snowth]

I mean, @LittleJerry92 does have a point: I've already met him once before, so that should be good enough - especially when you take into consideration his declining health; though I know there are other people here, such as @fuzzygobo, who have met him at least twice, with very positive experiences.

Now, the million dollar question is this: should I bring Steve D'Monster with me this time? I know fuzzygobo and others have tried persuading me before, but I didn't want to come across as one of "those guys" that I'm sure Caroll and others have dealth with: people running up to them, shoving their homemade puppets in their faces, and begging them to get them a job. I still wouldn't do that for certain, but this time around, my considering bringing Steve with me is far more selfish: it'd be great to have a picture taken with Steve and Caroll.

 

[fuzzygobo]

I don't think it's selfish. It might be the only chance you get.
Maybe the best thing to do is ask him, "Mr. Spinney, if you don't mind, I'd be honored to take a picture with you and my pal Steve".
That would be a little more tactful than just shoving fleece in his face. I've seen that before.
And if you have a shirt with Big Bird or Oscar on it, even better.

 

[fuzzygobo]

The thing the Sesame people I met, seem to appreciatejfans' enthusiasm abut some people act like teenybopper screaming at Justin Bieber.
They're still people, and they deserve their space and a modicum of privacy.
I'm just as star stuck as anybody else, but they're still real people.
Once Fran Brill asked me, "You're not one of those Tough Pigs people, are you?" When she saw I wasn't, she let her defenses down and opened up. I can only imagine what it must be like to be stalked and having your privacy disturbed. Yes, you worked with Jom Henson, but nobody deserves that hassle.

 

[LittleJerry92]

It’s too bad those crazy fans ruined Fran as far as attending cons goes. I would really love to meet her!

 

[MuppetSpot]

It’s too bad those crazy fans ruined Fran as far as attending cons goes. I would really love to meet her!

I am surprised, it was with people of ToughPigs. They seem so respectful.

 

[fuzzygobo]

She was very nice, once she didn't see you as a threat. I got a chance to talk with her about some ancient Sesame stuff, and put her at ease. Other people came with a stack of pictures and shoved them in her face. "Sign this! Sign this! Sign this!"
Probably sold them on eBay the next day.
I got one book signed, the then-current "Street Gang" book, and got to pose for a picture with her. She's a tiny little thing. I look like a giant next to her.
Still out of all the Sesame people I've been blessed to meet, Caroll is still tops.

 

[D'Snowth]

I don't think it's selfish. It might be the only chance you get.
Maybe the best thing to do is ask him, "Mr. Spinney, if you don't mind, I'd be honored to take a picture with you and my pal Steve".
That would be a little more tactful than just shoving fleece in his face. I've seen that before.
And if you have a shirt with Big Bird or Oscar on it, even better.

Oh yeah - even when I met Steve Whitmire last year, I brought an old Ernie doll I've had since infancy, and my 30th anniversary singing/talking Kermit plush, and asked if he was okay with including them in our picture (since during his Q&A panel, he politely declined a request to say something in Ernie's voice, as he wanted to be respectful to the current performers); he said he was as long I held them, so I did.

 

[fuzzygobo]

I am surprised, it was with people of ToughPigs. They seem so respectful.

I don't know what the deal was with Tough Pigs or how they rubbed her the wrong way. But something got under her skin. So I did my best not to act like "those guys".
I mentioned somewhere else, when I saw Frank Oz, people just bombarded him from every direction . People pushing and shoving to get an autograph. And nobody giving him a chance to breathe. I imagine if I was in Frank's shoes, that would turn me off too.

 

[D'Snowth]

Two years ago, I had never been to a con before, and so I was quite nervous about approach the cast members' tables, but they are every bit the warm, friendly, neighborly people as they've appeared on our TV screens for 50 years, and with each other I met, they put me more and more at ease . . . even when it was my turn for the photo-op later in the day, Alan greeted me with, "It's like seeing an old friend again!" Bob even invited me for a second visit to their tables, which I accepted.

When I met Steve Whitmire last year, I wasn't the least bit nervous, and likewise, he was an incredible nice and gracious guy. These were great experiences that I'm really, really grateful for; I'm now through with my irrational phobia of cons, and will happily attend future cons if I learn Muppet people will there.

Admittedly, I would be nervous about the possibility of meeting Frank, if only because I know he has an underlying arrogant streak that he's not exactly shy about, and I'd hate to accidentally rub him the wrong way if I get a little too fanboyish over the Muppets or something, since I know he also wants people to recognize his career as a director and not just a former Muppet person.

 

[Blue Frackle]

Admittedly, I would be nervous about the possibility of meeting Frank, if only because I know he has an underlying arrogant streak that he's not exactly shy about, and I'd hate to accidentally rub him the wrong way if I get a little too fanboyish over the Muppets or something, since I know he also wants people to recognize his career as a director and not just a former Muppet person.

This put a smile on my face because you're totally right, lol.