Muppet questions you were afraid to ask...

[Uncle deadly]

yes,but kermit was the only with a collar. Other frogs like Robin had no joints to hide.
It's just what makes Kermit Kermit!

 

[Docnzhoss]

Okay, I've got one...

How does Lew Zealand get his fish to boomerang? I've bought fish and thrown them hoping they would come back but all I got was a big mess. So I guess what I'm asking is...Is it the fish or the wrist technique?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

What is Beauregard? He squints a lot, so I thought he was a mole.

Despite his name, I don't think Animal is an animal, is he from the monster family as is Grover, Dog-Lion, Herry, Sweetums, Cookie, Elmo, Frazzle, etc.?

Scooter, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot, Lips, Lew Zealand, Bunsen, Beaker, Crazy Harry... they're all "human" Muppets... right?

And finally, for now, aside from Kermit, I have never seen any species of frog that has a collar, it just wouldn't be Kermit without it, but where'd the idea for it come from?

Now here comes the part where Phil learns me by directing me to the FAQ page...

Beau is a humanoid, as are Scooter and the rest. Animal is a humanoid, but with animal instincts. He's been described by Frank Oz as Sex, Drugs, Rock-n-Roll at some point. Kermit's collar? I dunno. It's detachable, though, as he takes it off when he's wearing a tux or shirt or some other such thing. Please see the FAQs.

• So I'm watching "The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson", and they show this clip of Jim wearing the Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge glasses and huge Kermit feet dancing on a lighted tile floor like in Michael Jackson's Billy Jean video... what's this from?

• I once heard a rumor NOTHING MORE THEN THAT! That Jim and Steve weren't the best of friends and that Jim wasn't pleased with Steve for whatever reason. Why would such a rumor exist? (No flaming on this one please!!! I honestly mean NO harm!!!)

• More of a Palisades question then anything else; is there a complete checklist of the Muppet line of figures including exclusives, repaints etc.?

Jim liked to do short films, too. I'm no archivist, but I bet he was probably just playing with video footage. Jim not like Steve? That's crazy. Who couldn't like Steve?! He's cooool!! Besides that, Jim wouldn't have been picking him out of the litter as his Kermit understudy if he didn't like him, don't you agree? If you go to palisadestoys.com, at the bottom of the homepage you'll see "Muppets" and a little picture of Kermit, and there you can see ALL the ... well, EVERYTHING!

Scooter is NOT a gopher, he's a "Go Fer," go fer coffee, go fer sandwiches...

How does Lew Zealand get his fish to boomerang? I've bought fish and thrown them hoping they would come back but all I got was a big mess. So I guess what I'm asking is...Is it the fish or the wrist technique?

Slight of hand, illusion, magic...or just pure talent! I don't think it's meant to be physically possible, not nearly so much as it is to be funny. And it works.

 

[TogetherAgain]

As for Kermit, I don't know of any other frogs that sing or dance...

I know of other frogs that sing and dance. Robin, for example. But Robin doesn't have a collar. Neither do any of the other Muppet frogs.

...<lightbulb> Maybe Kermit has a collar as a way to identify him. Sort of like his eyes. No other frog has lines through his eyes, but Kermit does. No other frog has a collar, but Kermit does. Therefore, in a group of Muppet frogs, anyone can easily pick out Kermit. As well they should be able to, since he's such a main character. That way it's not just "Well, Kermit is this shade of green," which could get confusing. Especially on a black-and-white tv, or any situation where the color could get distorted.

 

[Mickey Moose]

Kermit's collar? I dunno. It's detachable, though, as he takes it off when he's wearing a tux or shirt or some other such thing. Please see the FAQs.

Plus the gophers stole it from him during the Crystal Gayle episode. I loved Scooter's line after it happened "Gee boss, I've never seen you naked before".

 

[Katzi428]

Plus the gophers stole it from him during the Crystal Gayle episode. I loved Scooter's line after it happened "Gee boss, I've never seen you naked before".

LOL! Poor Kermit! He was so embarrassed!

 

[That Announcer]

The joint theory is correct. This is often used in puppets of many kinds to disguise the seam where the neck meets the body. If you've ever seen "Chicken Run", you'll notice all the chickens wear scarves for the same reason. Smaller puppets like Robin are usually made as one piece, so no collar or whatever is needed.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

I got one, why does Zoot always never talk and seem so lifeless. he look slike he's about to go to the afterlife. I wish he was a bit more lively.

ryan

 

[TogetherAgain]

Originally Dave Goelz wasn't comfortable with Zoot. He couldn't quite figure out the voice and personality, so whenever Zoot had lines, Dave would try to hand them off to another character. Well after awhile, Zoot just had a reputation for being the saxaphone player who didn't really talk much at all. People started coming up to Dave saying "I know a saxaphone player who's just like Zoot," so Zoot just sort of stayed relatively silent. However, off the top of my head, I can think of at least two full sentences he has said:

1.) "Oh, he's just upset about missing the Rembrandt exhibit at the National Gallery"- The Great Muppet Caper, talking to Kermit, refering to Animal.
2.) "Hey man, I can't figure out what side we're on. Are we with the pirates, or the frog captain?"- Muppet Treasure Island, talking to Floyd, refering to... um... well, he sort of sums it up himself...

 

[That Announcer]

I think Zoot was supposed to be some musician who'd had a life of drugs and alcohol, and according to Goelz, was "living in a succession of hotels". It's a darn good caricature of many musicians like that, though.