Muppets Tarot Deck

[Nasubionna]

So, I really hope that this hasn't been discussed on a different thread somewhere (I did a search and couldn't find anything), so I'm starting one here.

I'm thinking very seriously of drawing my own Muppets Tarot Deck, at least the Major Arcana. I love tarot decks (I've already got a massive Harry Potter tarot deck I'm drawing in progress) and I love the Muppets, and since I haven't been able to find an existing Muppety-tarot, well, I should do one! But if anybody knows of an existing Muppety tarot, please do tell me about it, I would love to see it!

I'm trying to think of the best characters/scenarios to go with the cards. I've done a tiny little brainstorming below, but I would welcome the thoughts of anyone who knows Muppets and Tarot card meanings!

Fool: Gonzo?
Magician: Dr. Strangepork? Bunsen Honeydew?
High Priestess: Janice?
Empress: Miss Piggy?
Emporer: Kermit?
Heirophant: Sam the Eagle?
Lovers: Piggy & Kermit?
Chariot: Fozzie's Studebaker or the Electric Mayhem bus?
Strength: Fozzie?
Hermit: Rowlf?
Wheel of Fortune: ?
Justice: ?
Hanged Man: ?
Death: ?
Temperance: Scooter?
Devil: Animal?
Tower: ?
Star: Robin?
Moon: Uncle Deadly?
Sun:?
Judgement: Statler & Waldorf?
World: The Muppet Show

There are a LOT of Muppets I've skipped over, who I would like included (like more members of the Electric Mayhem, or the whole band itself...) I want to get Link in there somehow, but I can't figure out where, haha... maybe in the minor arcana.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Naturally this is a more humorous deck idea, so I guess I'm getting stalled because I'm thinking too seriously about it, haha... plus, I'm really tired right now so I should probably stop attempting to think about it and just go to bed. :B

 

[newsmanfan]

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Nice choices!
Gonzo is ABSOLUTELY The Fool (I indicated him as such in my own current fic, though I'm using the Halloween Tarot for it).
My vote for Newsie as Knight of Pentacles: steady, grounded, focused on the material world, determined, if a little unexciting...
The EM Bus for the Chariot, yes.
I think Sam better fits the Emperor.
The Magician might be Mumford (if you're broadening the spectrum to include all Muppety creatures)...or maybe Kermit himself?
Bunsen for Hierophant; more concerned with obscurities and minutiae.
Piggy is quintessential Empress!
Lovers, Piggy and Kermit, yes good.
Tower: Doc Hoppers'!
S&W for Judgment is wonderful. Love it.
Devil: Animal and Gorgon Heap in chains held by Sweetums?
Fozzie as Strength is a nice touch!
Death: perhaps Gonzo in his Darth Nadir outfit? It is about violent upheaval and change, after all...
I vote Uncle Deadly for the Star, not the Moon; the Star is more fickle, and one never knows which way the scary dude will go...
Dr Teeth for the Moon. Yeah, I know, wrong gender, but the quality seems right.

Will have to think about the others. I'm much more comfortable with Pentacles than with the other suits, least so with Swords, but I'm sure our Muppety friends could be worked into anywhere in the deck, and some of them multiple places... What about Robin for Knight of Cups? It's a great idea, whichever ways you decide to go with it! Look forward to the art!
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[The Count]

Okay, after some research into the matter because of Kris's vonderful fic with the Halloween deck (shout-out), I have some other possibilities.

Four Suits of Minor Arkana:
You could have lilypads for the cups (reflecting Kermit's swamp origins), chickens for wands, wedding rings with the pearl Piggy calls BK for coins/pentacles, and frackles for swords.

Or you could go beyond the limits of just Muppet Show conventions and feature that along with Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and Bear in the Big Blue House as the four main divisions.

Major Arkana:
I tend to prefer not overusing characters, but your ideas are certainly okay enough if you believe in them. Some suggestions do come to mind.
Fool: Lew Zealand?
Magician: Strangepork?
High Priestess: Camilla? Sorry, I'm thinking of the Dance of the Seven Clucks from Sesame.
Empress: Piggy, yes.
Emperor: Kermit, especially if Piggy's the Empress.
Hierophant: Bunsen, yes.
Lovers: Floyd and Janice.
Chariot: Beauregard in his cab from TGMC?
Strength: Fozzie.
Hermit: Pops?
Wheel of Fortune: Dr. Teeth?
Justice: Rowlf?
Hanged Man: Crazy Harry? Sorry, that's a throwback to Kris's first fic, Love Rain or News.
Death: Uncle Deadly... Or perhaps, Beaker (*remembers his role as the Angel of Death from Silent Strawberries in The Muppets Go to the Movies).
Temperance: Zoot?
Devil: Animal.
Tower: Scooter?
Star: Robin, I like that... Or if you're going all Muppet-wide, Big Bird when he sang One Little Star?
Moon: Rizzo?
Sun: Link Hogthrob?
Judgment: Statler and Waldorf, natch.

 

[charlietheowl]

I know nothing about tarot cards, but oh my goodness does this sound like an amazingly cool project!

 

[Nasubionna]

Thanks everyone who had ideas so far! I was mostly thinking of keeping to the Muppet Show group of characters, since I am the most familiar with them (well, them and Sesame Street, but they could probably have their own deck, too!). I honestly don't know enough about Fraggle Rock or Bear in the Big Blue House to feel comfortable including them. *dodges tomatoes*

I did a little more thinking about it tonight at work.... maybe Beaker for the Hanged Man, Uncle Deadly for Death.... I love the idea of Link for the Sun, in an ironic sort of way! Ha! It would be really nice to get the Swedish Chef in there somehow.
I also like the four suits idea.... maybe lilypads, chickens, bowling trophies (aka Fred Awards) and dynamite sticks? Hmmm.... so much to think about!

 

[The Count]

Okay... Here's a revised offering for your Muppet tarot lineup, feel free to use any or all or even none if you get better ideas.

Fool -
Magician - , surrounded by your four suit symbols at the kitchen counter island.
High Priestess - , Camilla in fine feathery arrainments...
Empress -
Emperor -
Hierophant -
Lovers - &
Chariot - in his cab from TGMC.
Strength -
Hermit - Pops at the theater's ticket booth.
Justice - , it just feels right to me.
Wheel of Fortune - Being spun by
Hanged Man -
Death - Uncle Deadly, (needs a smilie campaign!)
Temperance -
Devil - , unless you want to use the Muppet Devil from TMS Season 4, but Animal's better to complete the band.
Tower -
Star - Walter, (also needs a smilie, maybe "Faint"?)
Moon - or maybe , though UD as Death would fill the Muppet monster quota if you decide it does.
Sun - Link Hogthrob.
Judgment - &
World - The Muppet Show logo and arches with all the characters contained therein.
Hope this helps.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Very interesting to read. Just the other day a page on facebook asked what tarot deck you would design if you could have anything on it, and I realized there simply needs to be a muppet tarott!

I'm sorry Ed, but I don't really understand Camilla at all. To me

would be the antithesis of the high priestess. I mean, I love her as any other muppet, but she's still a chicken. Not room for a lot of mystery there. Then again, I had just a bit of trouble fitting Janice there as well. I'm glad you agree with me though that Janice and Floid would make better lovers than Kermit and Piggy! Man, I wish we were sitting around a table drinking pot after pot of herbal tea and talking/debating this all night... How awesome would that be? lol
Fozzie as strength is perfect!
I think the EM bus would make a better chariot. After all it carried the muppets throughout most of their adventures, including many a fanfic. Remember too that GMC was a movie about a movie, so essentially none of it was real. So even though Beau's scene was very cool, it unfortunately didn't mean too much.

For the heirophant I'd stick with Sam. The page I read focussed a lot on the conservative values and morality aspects, which is Sam all over.

I haven't read through all the cards yet. I started out in order, but for the last few I just kind of skipped around, so I don't know what all the symbols mean and can't really comment on some of them. I'll post the site I'm using, so maybe someone can tell me if it's inaccurate or something.

http://www.free-tarot-reading.net/meanings/major_arcanum/MA-11.php

 

[The Count]

Heh, Fraggie, I've missed talking to you here. For the majority of the cards I just went with what felt right to me. Sure, the EM bus would be a more iconic Chariot vehicle, but then it'd have no character visible driving it. Unless you remove Dr. Teeth from the Wheel of Fortune to stick him in the bus's driver's seat? But then who goes to the Wheel? And then there's the other extreme that you'd keep Dr. Teeth with the Wheel and then stick Lips with the bus? Sorry, but in his cab feels better to me mainly for the reason of having a different character for each card unlike what Disney does with its pin series in repeating characters.

Camilla as the priestess... Come on, don't you remember Gonzo as Aladdin asking Marty Feldman as the Genie of the Lamp for a harem of chickens with one of his wishes? They even used that joke on Sesame Street in the form of the Dance of the Seven Veiled Chickens on that episode a couple of seasons ago titled The Spectacular 7 Show!

As for Bunsen as the Hierophant, I went with Kris/newsmanfan's info about that character being a knowledgable professorial type but being traditionally myopic when it comes to the rest of the world outside and around him.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Sad to say I haven't seen the Mardy Feldman episode, nor have I read the story in question.

Actually when I read the wheel of fortune discription I thought of the standard rich and famous contract, but then again Kermit wouldn't really be able to sign it if he were the emperor... Then again keep in mind it was 2:30 in the morning when I was looking at these, so maybe sharp as I thought I was my judgement was a bit off, lol. Definitely agree with Rowlf as the Hermit though!


And I missed you and everyone else as well!

 

[Fragglemuppet]

What do you think of Walter as the Hanged Man? It's about gain through sacrifice, right? Walter joined the muppets, which is sure to give him knowledge and life experience, but in exchange he had to leave Gary and his home.