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dwmckim
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I originally posted this in another thread but figured i should start a new one about this since (a) it's an all new idea/approach and (b) i know a lot of people who may be very interested in this might not see it in the other thread because of its length and also because some people have indicated they stopped reading it.
So anyway, some of us have communicated with Disney, others have signed the Where's Steve Whitmire petition. Many are wondering what to do next - should there be a letter writing campaign? What can fans do that's both proactive, positive, and effective?
I propose not a "letter-writing campaign" but rather a "postcard-writing campaign". And rather than addressing our postcards to any of the Disney/Muppet heads, these will be for (and by extension in support of) Steve himself.
I've been working this out in my head for awhile but have held off until someone either hopefully has been able to get some more concrete information of what all has been going on and/or some kind of response from Disney (Disney now has a form response - though they do at least personalize it for each person for those writing in asking about Steve)
Muppet fans should flood Disney/Muppets Studio with mail - but here's some specifics i'd reccomend:
*** Send POSTCARDS. The benefit over letters is
- (a) they're quicker, shorter, and to the point
- (b) anyone handling or passing by them can easily see the message without having to open an envelope or intending to "read" it. Most literate people can see the writing on a postcard and see what it's conveying even if they're not making an active effort to read it.
- (c) of course, there's some Fraggle Rock symbolism in postcards
- (d) if these do get passed on to Steve, he'll have a whole bunch of nifty cards to make a collage out of or put in a nice place at home or at work - either the picture side or the writing side. A big collection of these would be an awesome gift!
*** Since Disney is not going on the record as far as saying why Steve hasn't been performing Kermit during September, then neither should we address possible reasons/theories in the postcards. They should be kept simple, short, and sweet (the less it says, the clearer the message is and easier to see by someone handling it).
*** They should be addressed ---TO STEVE--- and say something along the lines of "WE MISS YOU PERFORMING KERMIT. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BACK WHERE YOU BELONG REAL SOON." You may want to throw in a 50th birthday greeting or a personal sentence or two about how much you love Steve's work but aside from very short personalizations, the basic message up there in caps should be the prominent words. This message
- (a) is something personal for Steve - a flood of support/fan mail
- (b) by being addressed to Steve, the right thing for Disney to do is forward them to him - which means keeping in contact with him
- (c) assumes that the situation is temporary and that Steve WILL be back as Kermit
- (d) says we've noticed that someone else has been performing Kermit and that we don't feel they should be doing it in place of Steve.
- (e) mail gets the most attention of any other form of communication corporations receive - types of mail a little different than the standard "letter in white sealed envelope" gets noticed even more - a whole bunch of similar things coming in en masse from different people is a big attention-grabber.
- (f) being addressed to Steve and of a personal nature (though with obvious undertones of also being a message for all of Muppets Studios as well) places more importance on Steve himself - the fact we're all writing to Steve as opposed to any of the leaders of Muppet Studios carries an implication of him being the most important person in all of this. Anyone could head Muppets Studio (and so far three people have) but only one person can mobilize our love and support.
- (g) Addressing postcards to Steve (and sending them to the Disney offices) says he belongs there; we expect him to be there with the rest of Team Muppet.
- (h) Also by addressing all these postcards to Steve says fans know and fully recognize who and what he is - he's not some anonymous guy under the frog that's easily replaceable, interchangable, or forgettable. Disney might be used to getting a lot of fan mail directed to "Mickey Mouse" - but by contrast we're not sending a bunch of mail "to Kermit the Frog" - but we're addressing by name the person who makes Kermit who he is.
- (i) Since a bunch of mail addressed to Steve is initially unexpected, it gives Disney a "wake up" nudge. They EXPECT fans to send letters to Lylle Breier and other Muppet Studios heads. If they weren't anticipating them before substitute-Kermit made his debut, they certainly are now (they've got the form letter a-rarin' to go after all). No one probably ever thought a bunch of postcards to Steve would start flooding in at some point.
*** Keep these POSITIVE. Sends a stronger message than angry letters. Plus remember that besides being a message to Disney and a form of protest, these should ideally end up being passed on to Steve (and hopefully not hoarded or thrown in the garbage) So since these will double as a gift to Steve, don't sour them with anti-Disney jargon or directly criticize (or even mention) Artie. If you really have a burning desire to and won't be able to rest at night until you send Disney/Muppets Studio a scathing critical letter of the recast situation, then do what you feel you need to do - but could you at least _seperately_ send a postcard to Steve afterward?
Who's with me?
So anyway, some of us have communicated with Disney, others have signed the Where's Steve Whitmire petition. Many are wondering what to do next - should there be a letter writing campaign? What can fans do that's both proactive, positive, and effective?
I propose not a "letter-writing campaign" but rather a "postcard-writing campaign". And rather than addressing our postcards to any of the Disney/Muppet heads, these will be for (and by extension in support of) Steve himself.
I've been working this out in my head for awhile but have held off until someone either hopefully has been able to get some more concrete information of what all has been going on and/or some kind of response from Disney (Disney now has a form response - though they do at least personalize it for each person for those writing in asking about Steve)
Muppet fans should flood Disney/Muppets Studio with mail - but here's some specifics i'd reccomend:
*** Send POSTCARDS. The benefit over letters is
- (a) they're quicker, shorter, and to the point
- (b) anyone handling or passing by them can easily see the message without having to open an envelope or intending to "read" it. Most literate people can see the writing on a postcard and see what it's conveying even if they're not making an active effort to read it.
- (c) of course, there's some Fraggle Rock symbolism in postcards
- (d) if these do get passed on to Steve, he'll have a whole bunch of nifty cards to make a collage out of or put in a nice place at home or at work - either the picture side or the writing side. A big collection of these would be an awesome gift!
*** Since Disney is not going on the record as far as saying why Steve hasn't been performing Kermit during September, then neither should we address possible reasons/theories in the postcards. They should be kept simple, short, and sweet (the less it says, the clearer the message is and easier to see by someone handling it).
*** They should be addressed ---TO STEVE--- and say something along the lines of "WE MISS YOU PERFORMING KERMIT. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BACK WHERE YOU BELONG REAL SOON." You may want to throw in a 50th birthday greeting or a personal sentence or two about how much you love Steve's work but aside from very short personalizations, the basic message up there in caps should be the prominent words. This message
- (a) is something personal for Steve - a flood of support/fan mail
- (b) by being addressed to Steve, the right thing for Disney to do is forward them to him - which means keeping in contact with him
- (c) assumes that the situation is temporary and that Steve WILL be back as Kermit
- (d) says we've noticed that someone else has been performing Kermit and that we don't feel they should be doing it in place of Steve.
- (e) mail gets the most attention of any other form of communication corporations receive - types of mail a little different than the standard "letter in white sealed envelope" gets noticed even more - a whole bunch of similar things coming in en masse from different people is a big attention-grabber.
- (f) being addressed to Steve and of a personal nature (though with obvious undertones of also being a message for all of Muppets Studios as well) places more importance on Steve himself - the fact we're all writing to Steve as opposed to any of the leaders of Muppet Studios carries an implication of him being the most important person in all of this. Anyone could head Muppets Studio (and so far three people have) but only one person can mobilize our love and support.
- (g) Addressing postcards to Steve (and sending them to the Disney offices) says he belongs there; we expect him to be there with the rest of Team Muppet.
- (h) Also by addressing all these postcards to Steve says fans know and fully recognize who and what he is - he's not some anonymous guy under the frog that's easily replaceable, interchangable, or forgettable. Disney might be used to getting a lot of fan mail directed to "Mickey Mouse" - but by contrast we're not sending a bunch of mail "to Kermit the Frog" - but we're addressing by name the person who makes Kermit who he is.
- (i) Since a bunch of mail addressed to Steve is initially unexpected, it gives Disney a "wake up" nudge. They EXPECT fans to send letters to Lylle Breier and other Muppet Studios heads. If they weren't anticipating them before substitute-Kermit made his debut, they certainly are now (they've got the form letter a-rarin' to go after all). No one probably ever thought a bunch of postcards to Steve would start flooding in at some point.
*** Keep these POSITIVE. Sends a stronger message than angry letters. Plus remember that besides being a message to Disney and a form of protest, these should ideally end up being passed on to Steve (and hopefully not hoarded or thrown in the garbage) So since these will double as a gift to Steve, don't sour them with anti-Disney jargon or directly criticize (or even mention) Artie. If you really have a burning desire to and won't be able to rest at night until you send Disney/Muppets Studio a scathing critical letter of the recast situation, then do what you feel you need to do - but could you at least _seperately_ send a postcard to Steve afterward?
Who's with me?
I absolutely love this idea. Not only does Steve see how much we care for him (if he gets the postcards) but so will Disney. Come on, Muppet fans! Now's our time to shine! Let's do this!
