Save the Muppets

[Kynan Barker]

OverUnderAround has called the validity of the Save the Muppets petition into question. Internet petitions are rightly subject to a certain amount of skepticism, but in this case, OverUnderAround hasn't done his research. Thepetitionsite.com is 100% above board, and we at Save The Muppets take privacy, security and signature validity very seriously.

True petitions need the person's name and home address and optionally phone number and can be verified.

Each person signing the petition is required to submit their name, e-mail address and street address, which are not visible on the public site for obvious privacy reasons. On completion of the petition, all names on this petition are subject to verification by the sponsor (me) before submission. At this point, all joke names, multiple signings and unverifiable anonymous signatures will be removed.

Additionally, the target of the petition (MHC) can request verification on any name, which means there is no benefit to the sponsor in leaving fake names on the list to 'boost numbers'.

From http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petitionfaqs.html:

Public Petition Signature pages. Certain fields will be displayed on the publicly displayed signature page for all to see. Your email address, street address and telephone number are never displayed on this page. You are always given the option to check a box to hide your name, and replace it with the word "anonymous." You are also required to preview your signature before you submit it, to prevent mistakes.

Petition Author / Target. At the close of the petition, we provide all of the signature information to the petition author with the exception of your email address and/or street address and telephone number. These fields of information will only be shared with the petition author and target on a case by case basis to verify the validity of your signature.​

As always, I'm happy to answer any questions about the Save The Muppets campaign, website and petition.

Kynan Barker
www.savethemuppets.com

 

[OverUnderAround]

Internet petitions are rightly subject to a certain amount of skepticism, but in this case, OverUnderAround hasn't done his research. Thepetitionsite.com is 100% above board.

The website may have good intentions...but not so everyone who has signed.

The website could avoid themselves the problem of knowing who is legit and who isn't very simply. Many websites when you attempt to join them, email you asking you to validate your email address by replying to an email they send you. Once they receive a reply confirmation from you that your email address is legit, your name should be included in the petition.

Maybe there is some other petition website that will ask those who wish to sign an online petition to first validate their email address before their name would be included. That would be fair.

On completion of the petition, all names on this petition are subject to verification by the sponsor (me) before submission. At this point, all joke names, multiple signings and unverifiable anonymous signatures will be removed.

See...that's the problem with that website, (regardless of whatever the cause might be).
It's unfair to all and you that a petition even has to be edited.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I'm merging this thread with the original Save the Muppets thread. It's all still consistent with that topic.

I'm also surprised that with the last From the Balcony, nobody who is 100% Save the Muppets (STM) picked up on the Balconism! That would have been great fodder for the masses to play off of! LOL!

And I didn't see it before, maybe I missed it--or maybe I saw a response and just have forgotten it:

Why is STM only concerned with The Muppets and not Sesame Street? They were doing the same audition searches. Steve, DavidR, Eric, KevinC, and even Jerry now have something to worry about with alternate performers taking over SS characters for public appearances, etc. I just don't understand.

 

[GelflingWaldo]

Why is STM only concerned with The Muppets and not Sesame Street? They were doing the same audition searches. Steve, DavidR, Eric, KevinC, and even Jerry now have something to worry about with alternate performers taking over SS characters for public appearances, etc. I just don't understand.

We are looking at two different companies, two different worlds, two different situations. If Sesame Workshop starts doing the same thing Disney is than I would hope someone would start a campaign to save the Sesame characters. But having a joint-campaign/petition aimed at both companies and both situations would not work. So if we were to attack the decision-makers at Sesame Workshop for multiple-casting than it would be a whole diffrent battle - a similar one, but a seperate one.

And, so far we have not seen anything (nor has Sesame Workshop really said anything about) doing what Disney is doing with the Muppets. We know Sesame Workshop was at the auditions looking for new puppet talent; but it could be just expland the "puppeteer pool" or look for possible proper understudies. We have no proof they are planning to have 3 Grovers,6 Elmos, and a handfull of Oscars. But we are all watching, and if they “slip up” I'm sure we'll all yell and scream. Hopefully they will also see the campaign on Disney and learn from it too. But so far nothing has happened at Sesame in terms of mass-multiple casting or convenience-based casting, but we really can't tell what the executives are thinking, plotting, and planning. However, unlike Disney we have no facts to prove that Sesame is planning to do similar things to their characters...yet.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Is there some mistake? I would like to sign the petission, but it seems like the sight lists the wrong deadline. It says it is 1999, is this true?

 

[OverUnderAround]

Is there some mistake? I would like to sign the petission, but it seems like the sight lists the wrong deadline. It says it is 1999, is this true?

I'm quoting Kynan from a previous post of his:
"...The default target date for the petitions is 1999. If you don't set a target, that's what's displayed. So no, it's absolutely not too late to sign."

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Thanks, just did.

 

[Kynan Barker]

OverUnderAround: All petition sites have their pros and cons. Asking people to confirm their e-mail address is time-consuming and can cost signatures. Plus, having a valid e-mail address doesn't stop you from signing as "Kermit Frog." The committee decided this was the best of the bunch. I'm happy as long as the results are verifiable, which they will be.

Thanks for helping Fragglemuppet out, too.

And Greg's right about the Sesame Workshop stuff. They jumped on board Disney's auditions last-minute, and we have no concrete indication what their plans are. If and when they start makin' with the crazy plans, we'll react, but for now, our case is with Disney.

Kynan Barker
www.savethemuppets.com

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I was just wondering what your stances were on the SW auditions part of this, gang. Still, I'm amused that we fans feel a necessity to police what peole are doing with their products or the licenses they purchase to make products from these folks (ie, the Mokey Doll campaign with Sababa to get her made). While something like that works where we have to prove to a company we'll buy their product, I think Disney knows that, regardless, we'll be buying Muppets and watching to see what happens.

As far as SW is concerned, STM didn't have concrete evidence in the beginning what Disney was planning to do when it started its campaign against MHC, and even started STM under the words that the newly hired puppeteers would never take the place of the original performers. Now, some of that has changed, obviously. Things and times change and some of us are accepting of it. Still, without evidence STM started against MHC, and I'm curious why, knowing they were there and no evidence against 'em, STM isn't looking at SW as part of their campaign?

I'm also surprised that since both our most outspoken STM folks are journalistic in nature both of you haven't tried to gain some interviews to question both MHC and SW to see what their plans are? Of course, I would expect you would be able to go into an interview like that and be unbiased (as hard as it might be), but I DO have faith in your professionalism, fellers.

Personally, I'm happy to see as much Muppet stuff as we do this past little while. I'm disappointed that Kermit's world trip has been cancelled, though. However, and hopefully, new Sesame stuff will be springing up one day soon, too--specials and movies I mean.

 

[mikealan]

I'm afraid I'll be upset about the Walt Disney Company planning to replace the Muppeteers, and will the substitute Muppets last forever and forever?