Pinkflower7783
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Tina Fey sort of accepts Kermit's ice bucket challenge and nominates Miss Piggy and Captain Hook.
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The official ALS Ice Bucket Challenge thread
- Thread starter fozzieisfunny
- Start date
snichols1973
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So far, Sesame Street's Cookie Monster is the second Muppet to accept the challenge (from Rachael Ray), nominating Neil Patrick Harris, Sesame Street's Maria, Janelle Monáe, and unless I'm mistaken, I think the last one was "Marshal Grover"....
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dwmckim
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This is an article i wrote on my facebook page after replying to other people's questions, i thought i'd do a mixture of an faq and a history of since this is something i've followed the evolution of and a lot of people (including news programs reporting on it) don't know how it came to be or that it isn't specifically *FOR* ALS, though that's the charity that's gone the most viral.
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TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF THE COLD WATER/ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE
What It Is, Where It Came From and Where It May Be Going - an analysis by Mupp Freek. (Feel free to Share or spread however you like.)
You've seen it trending on Youtube and right here on Facebook. Or maybe you saw it featured both during the morning news, the evening news, and late night talk shows. Perhaps you've done it or have been nominated to take part (or soon will be). But what is it exactly, where did it come from and how did it become so huge seemingly overnight? Hopefully this answers everyone's current questions about the #ColdWaterChallenge /#IceBucketChallenge .
So you probably at least know the basics by now. A viral video based money raiser where someone dumps a bucket of cold water over their head, posts a video of it online and then challenges other people to do the same within 24 hours and donate $5 to a charity or $100 if they fail to do so. But why ice water? Must it be 5 vs 100 dollars and does it have to be a specific charity? How did this even get started? A good question since you've probably seen the cast of Good Morning America or your local news anchors getting drenched but not really covering where this trend actually came from.
"Challenge" videos have existed for a few years on Youtube and the like with people doing dares - some fun, others a bit more on the dangerous side. Various stunts from glugging a jug of milk to a mouthful of cinnamon and yes, also getting soaked with cold water. Some were just random fun not tied to anything, others would be a punishment for losing a gaming battle, some people would tie it into a "how well do you know your best friend/sibling" quiz. Like many modern day internet memes, some go "viral" gaining a large number of views in a short amount of time, some seen by millions. Some continue to be replicated and duplicated; others fail to catch on as much.
Around the latter part of 2013, someone had the rather inspired idea to channel this into raising money for charity. The "Cold Water Challenge" started to take off with the idea being that someone would pick a charity and call out a few people to either post a video of themselves being subjected to a cold water soaking and pay between $5-10 dollars to the charity of choice or between $50-100 if they didn't do this within one to three days. Though the first major notoriety attached to the growing trend was actually negative as news reports covered how people (especially teens) were risking hypothermia and drowning by jumping into bodies of water. This was dubbed a very dangerous fad and the major initial publicity it was attracting was more connected with educating youth about its dangers!
The basic idea was still an attractive one and throughout spring 2014, the Cold Water Challenge continued though with a lot more adults taking part and choosing safer methods of getting wet - via one's bathtub, swimming pool, or dumping buckets or coolers over the head. This was especially popular with the firefighter community with many using the fire trucks to supply the cold water. As the trend was gaining back its popularity and momentum, many participants made it a point of making sure the bathtubs or buckets contained a sizable amount of ice to "prove" they weren't cheating - that yes, they were being subjected to cold water. Hence the gradual transitioning from the phrase "Cold Water Challenge" to "Ice Bucket Challenge".
As the trend was gaining in popularity (aided by the "chain" element - by picking three to five other people to do it afterwards and adding that to the already viral nature of expansion), people started calling out well-known people (as opposed to their peers) as their picks to take part and the addition of the Celebrity Factor to the above elements really made this explode and bring this very quickly into public awareness with late night personalities, news anchors, tv and movie stars, sports figures - and yes even such notables as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Kermit the Frog and former President George W. Bush doing it. Even if you weren't online that much, if you had a television, you saw or heard about it!
Although the trend still continues to be done with varying rules (length of time to respond, dollar amounts, charity), the charity that has especially gone viral with celebrities/big names has been The ALS Association (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka "Lou Gehrig's disease"). The roots of ALS as choice-of-charity appears to be traced back to a profile of the Cold Water Challenge done on The Golf Channel's "Morning Drive". Golfer Chris Kennedy took up the challenge on July 15 and challenged his cousin to do it next - whose husband has had ALS for 11 years. With the addition of big name celebrities and many donating to ALS tagging it under the newer name of "Ice Bucket Challenge" rather than "Cold Water Challenge" (if not the even more specific "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge"), this particular "strain" of the viral trend has exploded to where as of this time of writing (August 21, 2014), $8.6 million was raised for ALS in a single day!
Though this is the most visible and best-known form of the trend, of course the basic concept continues to attract different charities and variants/"mutations" each day. (One of my favorites being the Pie in the Face Challenge to raise awareness of depression inspired by Robin Williams - where after being pied, the person does a "Mrs. Doubtfire" impression from when the character shoves his face into a cake).
Even though an initial awareness campaign has steered people away from jumping in lakes or taking more dangerous risks associated with the challenge, it should still be noted that there are still major "flaws" and "downsides" associated with the trend. Obviously, the great thing is that this is a fad with an emphasis on fundraising and many charities and causes are gaining a massive level of visibility, awareness, support, and donations. It's a fun way to involve people who may not normally donate to something and a fun activity which is generally simple for many to do. But yet when it comes right down to it, the challenge isn't technically as much of a "challenge" as it is an "ultimatum". People may be called upon to either do the task or pay a large sum (that they may not have among their disposable income) without regard to if this is a realistic thing for them to do or not. The short "24 hours" window of time may not take into account the challenged person's schedule or logistics - they may be consumed with work, school, prior engagements during that particular time - with no forewarning and suddenly have to in effect drop everything to meet the time limit to avoid paying the much larger sum. Also when naming nominations, people may not pay attention to the financial status or living conditions of the people they call-out (Using myself as an example, i'm pretty much a "charity case" myself often not having money for basic needs and sometimes having to resort to dumpster diving for food or saving up all my old contact lenses for when i can't afford more. I have no car and no money for "gadgetry" meaning i have no equipment at my disposal to film or upload a video if someone nominated me and certainly wouldn't have the money to donate due to my inability to make such a video.) Though well-intentioned, it could just as easily be a form of bullying/extortion. It's important that people keep on mind the spirit of the challenge and stay true to the positive elements of the fad rather than turning it into something darker. People need to take care to keep it fun and motivational rather than a shaming device or bully tactic in terms of who they nominate and how they present it. And of course, because it involves the sudden introduction of cold water to the body, this is not something that everyone can safely do; people with heart conditions or other health issues may need to be particularly careful.
So now that we've looked at how it evolved and where it's at, the next question is "Where is it going?" Will this be an annual summer favorite act of philanthropy or will it die a quick death plummeting in popularity as sudden as it's risen? Here's my guess - I think it will continue to exist, but after this summer, i doubt it will continue anywhere on the same scale we're now seeing. It got very big very quickly and after it's been spotlighted on all the news and late night shows, then it's effectively "been done". I don't see Conan O'Brian or the GMA cast getting soaked on a regular basis. Some programs may showcase it annually but i don't see the same participants embracing it more frequently than that. Like any "chain activity", there comes a point where too many people have done it already and it's harder to find people to add. Being the Current Big Thing, i think you'll see all the major people who would do it having done it and then soon wading back into more background obscurity with the trend being continued by "regular folk" with maybe a few new videos being uploaded a week as opposed to the hundreds a day we're now seeing, And of course it will continue to change, (d)evolve, and mutate. Maybe a variant strain like the aforementioned Robin Williams Inspired Pie in Face being the next big thing everyone's doing next year (month?) and changing and growing. But this is definitely it's peak we're seeing now. So enjoy it while it's trending and if it's not your cup of tea (or bucket of water), take comfort in the fact it will be "yesterday's news" soon enough.
---------------------------------------------
TRACING THE EVOLUTION OF THE COLD WATER/ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE
What It Is, Where It Came From and Where It May Be Going - an analysis by Mupp Freek. (Feel free to Share or spread however you like.)
You've seen it trending on Youtube and right here on Facebook. Or maybe you saw it featured both during the morning news, the evening news, and late night talk shows. Perhaps you've done it or have been nominated to take part (or soon will be). But what is it exactly, where did it come from and how did it become so huge seemingly overnight? Hopefully this answers everyone's current questions about the #ColdWaterChallenge /#IceBucketChallenge .
So you probably at least know the basics by now. A viral video based money raiser where someone dumps a bucket of cold water over their head, posts a video of it online and then challenges other people to do the same within 24 hours and donate $5 to a charity or $100 if they fail to do so. But why ice water? Must it be 5 vs 100 dollars and does it have to be a specific charity? How did this even get started? A good question since you've probably seen the cast of Good Morning America or your local news anchors getting drenched but not really covering where this trend actually came from.
"Challenge" videos have existed for a few years on Youtube and the like with people doing dares - some fun, others a bit more on the dangerous side. Various stunts from glugging a jug of milk to a mouthful of cinnamon and yes, also getting soaked with cold water. Some were just random fun not tied to anything, others would be a punishment for losing a gaming battle, some people would tie it into a "how well do you know your best friend/sibling" quiz. Like many modern day internet memes, some go "viral" gaining a large number of views in a short amount of time, some seen by millions. Some continue to be replicated and duplicated; others fail to catch on as much.
Around the latter part of 2013, someone had the rather inspired idea to channel this into raising money for charity. The "Cold Water Challenge" started to take off with the idea being that someone would pick a charity and call out a few people to either post a video of themselves being subjected to a cold water soaking and pay between $5-10 dollars to the charity of choice or between $50-100 if they didn't do this within one to three days. Though the first major notoriety attached to the growing trend was actually negative as news reports covered how people (especially teens) were risking hypothermia and drowning by jumping into bodies of water. This was dubbed a very dangerous fad and the major initial publicity it was attracting was more connected with educating youth about its dangers!
The basic idea was still an attractive one and throughout spring 2014, the Cold Water Challenge continued though with a lot more adults taking part and choosing safer methods of getting wet - via one's bathtub, swimming pool, or dumping buckets or coolers over the head. This was especially popular with the firefighter community with many using the fire trucks to supply the cold water. As the trend was gaining back its popularity and momentum, many participants made it a point of making sure the bathtubs or buckets contained a sizable amount of ice to "prove" they weren't cheating - that yes, they were being subjected to cold water. Hence the gradual transitioning from the phrase "Cold Water Challenge" to "Ice Bucket Challenge".
As the trend was gaining in popularity (aided by the "chain" element - by picking three to five other people to do it afterwards and adding that to the already viral nature of expansion), people started calling out well-known people (as opposed to their peers) as their picks to take part and the addition of the Celebrity Factor to the above elements really made this explode and bring this very quickly into public awareness with late night personalities, news anchors, tv and movie stars, sports figures - and yes even such notables as Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Kermit the Frog and former President George W. Bush doing it. Even if you weren't online that much, if you had a television, you saw or heard about it!
Although the trend still continues to be done with varying rules (length of time to respond, dollar amounts, charity), the charity that has especially gone viral with celebrities/big names has been The ALS Association (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka "Lou Gehrig's disease"). The roots of ALS as choice-of-charity appears to be traced back to a profile of the Cold Water Challenge done on The Golf Channel's "Morning Drive". Golfer Chris Kennedy took up the challenge on July 15 and challenged his cousin to do it next - whose husband has had ALS for 11 years. With the addition of big name celebrities and many donating to ALS tagging it under the newer name of "Ice Bucket Challenge" rather than "Cold Water Challenge" (if not the even more specific "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge"), this particular "strain" of the viral trend has exploded to where as of this time of writing (August 21, 2014), $8.6 million was raised for ALS in a single day!
Though this is the most visible and best-known form of the trend, of course the basic concept continues to attract different charities and variants/"mutations" each day. (One of my favorites being the Pie in the Face Challenge to raise awareness of depression inspired by Robin Williams - where after being pied, the person does a "Mrs. Doubtfire" impression from when the character shoves his face into a cake).
Even though an initial awareness campaign has steered people away from jumping in lakes or taking more dangerous risks associated with the challenge, it should still be noted that there are still major "flaws" and "downsides" associated with the trend. Obviously, the great thing is that this is a fad with an emphasis on fundraising and many charities and causes are gaining a massive level of visibility, awareness, support, and donations. It's a fun way to involve people who may not normally donate to something and a fun activity which is generally simple for many to do. But yet when it comes right down to it, the challenge isn't technically as much of a "challenge" as it is an "ultimatum". People may be called upon to either do the task or pay a large sum (that they may not have among their disposable income) without regard to if this is a realistic thing for them to do or not. The short "24 hours" window of time may not take into account the challenged person's schedule or logistics - they may be consumed with work, school, prior engagements during that particular time - with no forewarning and suddenly have to in effect drop everything to meet the time limit to avoid paying the much larger sum. Also when naming nominations, people may not pay attention to the financial status or living conditions of the people they call-out (Using myself as an example, i'm pretty much a "charity case" myself often not having money for basic needs and sometimes having to resort to dumpster diving for food or saving up all my old contact lenses for when i can't afford more. I have no car and no money for "gadgetry" meaning i have no equipment at my disposal to film or upload a video if someone nominated me and certainly wouldn't have the money to donate due to my inability to make such a video.) Though well-intentioned, it could just as easily be a form of bullying/extortion. It's important that people keep on mind the spirit of the challenge and stay true to the positive elements of the fad rather than turning it into something darker. People need to take care to keep it fun and motivational rather than a shaming device or bully tactic in terms of who they nominate and how they present it. And of course, because it involves the sudden introduction of cold water to the body, this is not something that everyone can safely do; people with heart conditions or other health issues may need to be particularly careful.
So now that we've looked at how it evolved and where it's at, the next question is "Where is it going?" Will this be an annual summer favorite act of philanthropy or will it die a quick death plummeting in popularity as sudden as it's risen? Here's my guess - I think it will continue to exist, but after this summer, i doubt it will continue anywhere on the same scale we're now seeing. It got very big very quickly and after it's been spotlighted on all the news and late night shows, then it's effectively "been done". I don't see Conan O'Brian or the GMA cast getting soaked on a regular basis. Some programs may showcase it annually but i don't see the same participants embracing it more frequently than that. Like any "chain activity", there comes a point where too many people have done it already and it's harder to find people to add. Being the Current Big Thing, i think you'll see all the major people who would do it having done it and then soon wading back into more background obscurity with the trend being continued by "regular folk" with maybe a few new videos being uploaded a week as opposed to the hundreds a day we're now seeing, And of course it will continue to change, (d)evolve, and mutate. Maybe a variant strain like the aforementioned Robin Williams Inspired Pie in Face being the next big thing everyone's doing next year (month?) and changing and growing. But this is definitely it's peak we're seeing now. So enjoy it while it's trending and if it's not your cup of tea (or bucket of water), take comfort in the fact it will be "yesterday's news" soon enough.
Cookie Monster's challenge appeared days before Kermit's, actually. Cookie did it first.So far, Sesame Street's Cookie Monster is the second Muppet to accept the challenge (from Rachael Ray), nominating Neil Patrick Harris, Sesame Street's Maria, Janelle Monáe, and unless I'm mistaken, I think the last one was "Marshal Grover"....
MarshalGrover, BTW, is our very own Oscarfan, not the Muppet character.
Muppet Master
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Well, The Muppet Mindset did the ice bucket challenge.
Yes, Ryan Dosier and Dan Shick took the ice bucket challenge and they nominated Miss Piggy, Walter, and Pepe the King Prawn. So both Tina Fey and the people at The Muppet Mindset have nominated Miss Piggy, looks like it is only a matter of time before we see a drenched pig.
Yes, Ryan Dosier and Dan Shick took the ice bucket challenge and they nominated Miss Piggy, Walter, and Pepe the King Prawn. So both Tina Fey and the people at The Muppet Mindset have nominated Miss Piggy, looks like it is only a matter of time before we see a drenched pig.
dwmckim
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Regarding the side discussion of wet Muppets, there's been enough times where Muppets have gotten wet and they probably have a healthy knowledge of the appropriate care. Fraggle Rock was one of the biggest examples since you had a swimming hole and well established how much Fraggles love to swim!
There's a bunch of Kermits so getting Kermit wet is probably a total non-issue.
It did look like the Cookie puppet used in his video was pretty worn as per fur texture etc so i'm guessing that was an older puppet that they were okay risking. (Or maybe Cookie actually looks like that regularly now? I've fallen behind on my Sesame watching).
Really venturing into a total side topic, but i've always wondered what the cleanup/restoration process was for the Piggy pushing stuck car in mud scene from MFC was like?
It's reached Japan!
The creator of Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure's doing it.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/int...takes-part-in-the-ice-bucket-challenge/.78005
The creator of Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure's doing it.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/int...takes-part-in-the-ice-bucket-challenge/.78005
Pinkflower7783
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Will the Pig swim or not? That is the question. I'm thinking I'll be really surprised. 
