"If I ran the Muppets" thread. Post YOUR good ideas HERE!

[spcglider]

Elchippo,

You're right on target with the clothing and plush idea...."hard lines" as they are called (plastic toys, etc.) take a long time to get through production. Soft items like clothing and stuffed animals get to market much faster.

I do have to say though, I was HORRIBLY disappointed with the offerings available at the Muppet Store right next to Muppets 3-D in Florida. More than half the space was devoted to standard Disney character stuff. Yes, there were lots of Muppet plushies, but it really looked paltry when you compared it to the rest of the stores in the park. I think if you're going to have a MUPPET STORE in the park, you should have it bursting at the seams with MUPPET MERCH!!

So... I guess if I ran the Muppets, I'd be making SURE that Muppet fans who attended the Theme parks didn't walk away disappointed and empty-handed.

-G

 

[MrsPepper]

So... I guess if I ran the Muppets, I'd be making SURE that Muppet fans who attended the Theme parks didn't walk away disappointed and empty-handed.

-G

That was 50% me this past August... I was disappointed, but certainly not empty handed. I think I spent about 60$ american... 0____0 I bought all the cool stuff I could find, like the sheet music book!

Edit: You know what? I just re-read what I wrote... if I am willing to spend so much on such a small selection of merch (mind you it was a trip, I saved forever specifically for that reason), imagine how much money Disney could make off of new well priced merch.

 

[rexcrk]

Well, I'm not too great at thinking outside of the box if you will, but if I was in charge of the Muppets I would AT LEAST show The Muppet Show on Disney Channel! (And/or play some of the movies too!)

Oh and I'd have the creative team from the previous Palisades make at least a Bobo and a Sal figure to go with the rest

 

[Ruahnna]

They key to longevity is exposure. Disney has two mediums that are obvious--The Disney Channel and Toon Disney. They ought to be showing reruns of TMS and Muppet Babies on their show--instead of showing reruns of their same shows over and over and over and over. Don't get me wrong--Disney Channel is on MOST of the time at my house. I have kids and have to watch what comes on, and right now I'm pretty unimpressed with what's available on Cartoon Network, for example. But my kids watch the muppets with me, and know the different muppets and who does what and why it's funny when one of them acts out of character. (I have mentioned to some of my MC friends that my daughter, who is six, loves the Carol Channing episode, and goes around the house singing "Diamonds are a girl's best frog!" at the top of her lungs.) If Disney was crafty--and I think they can be--they would try to capture the interest of the tween and teen after school crowd. The muppets are part of popular culture, and have a lot to offer.
The EM is retro enough to be totally cool--especially with the clothes.
Miss Piggy is a strong, empowered, fiesty woman who doesn't mind saying what she wants and going after it. This would play well with the new generation of young women.
Kermit, as always, is charmingly cool by being so totally un-hip (and so charmingly unaware of it) and virtually unflappable. (That is, unflappable until he erupts into arm-waving hysteria. *Sigh* That never gets old here.)
Scooter is street savvy and naively manipulative--much more watchable than some of the smarmy youngsters smirking at us in sit-coms.
Fozzie has the same charm as all of those goofy dads you see in such proliferation on teen-aimed sitcoms. He's funny and dorky and lovable--plus furry, which could make him a natural teddy bear substitute.
I could go on, but I'll stop and pass the torch to anyone else who wants to chime in.

While I don't mind the collectible stuff--and I do collect SOME of it--that's the type of marketing you to to an established fan-base, not the sort of thing that gets you new fans. Frankly (see my disgruntled post), I'd be thrilled to be able to get a GROWN-UP sized t-shirt that featured Kermit and Piggy TOGETHER ON THE SAME T-shirt. They used to make them--I bought them! (Okay, I'm dating myself here, but I have one from MY COLLEGE!) Now--all I can get is one or the other. Not enough, guys. Not by a long shot.

 

[Skekayuk]

I'd definitely go for sorting out the rights to issuing the DVDs, and/or showing reruns of TMS.

I'd also focus on a bringing out a bunch of CD albums, of songs from TMS. - Obviously taken off the TMS soundtracks. Besides reissuing stuff that was already on the Muppet Show records, I'd look at what else was sung by The Muppets on TMS that one could make a good audio album of.

For example, how about a compilation of Jerry Nelson and Louise Gold's duets?
One might also consider having an album of Jim Henson and Frank Oz's duologs.

And if we're thinking outside the box, well I'd say we can push some of this to musical theatre fans (a lot of whom probably still buy CDs). especially the Muppet versions of classic musical numbers. I reckon that the best of TMS's singing talents (Jerry, Richard, and Louise at anyrate) are as good as anything you'll find in Musical Theatre. And besides,Louise is an accomplished musical theatre performer in her own right (even if she is currently employed as a rather minor principal in a West End show).

Well that's my 2 cents worth.
Emma

 

[spcglider]

All good stuff... definitely.

So, besides the re-running of old Muppet material, what about the creation of NEW Muppet material? Surely some of you have "fantasy projects" you'd love to see the Muppets do?

I think it's pretty much a no-brainer that we really don't want the Muppets portraying other characters any more... no more Treasure Island or Christmas Carol.

Am I correct in taking away that we, as a generalized fan group, want to see more of the Muppets AS the MUPPETS? Some creative, original storylines that allow the characters to be themselves? And maybe, JUST MAYBE, bring a little more to them and allow them to "grow" a little?

-Gordon

 

[Elchippo]

Check out my idea for a new Muppet feature posted above.

They should avoid TV movies (which I also explain why above) though theatrical shorts are a great idea.

I think they should also avoid a new TV show-Muppets Tonight didn't fare well, so that may not be the most effective way to getting them back out there full-force.

 

[dwayne1115]

i have had this iead for a Muppet Sit-com that would have the muppets come and stay with one of Kermit's real man friends. The man would be a single guy who is always trying to find miss right but the Muppets get in the way and cause the dates to go anything but smoth. Plus get them out doing real jobs, like Piggy becoming a Nerse at a real hospital and seeing that people besides herself are in need of attion. ya know. somthing like that would be cool.

 

[dabauckham]

One of the ideas (of the many good ones listed here) that is still resonating with me is Gordon's idea of Rizzo and Gonzo opening up a laundromat together.

In a similar vein, what about shorts that show the Electric Mayhem during their day jobs in/between gigs? You could have a number of hilarious situations with these characters. Imagine, Animal and Floyd as car mechanics... (Floyd would have to rein him in A LOT), Janice as the crunchy aerobics instructor (or maybe yoga instructor), Dr. Teeth selling insurance, Zoot selling ice-cream in the mall. You could even weave these bits in together with footage of the band's performances in a kind of mockumentary style, maybe. I love all the muppets, but I do think the EM would be one excellent starting point.

 

[minor muppetz]

I would try to bring back a lot of the obscure characters who we haven't seen in new productiosn in years. If the puppets don't exist anymore, then I'd at least have them rebuild Lips, Digit, Seymour, Uncle Deadley, Thog, Doglion, Fletcherbird, and Leon.