The Ultimate Muppet Box Set

[That Announcer]

I posted this on an earlier thread, but I've made some slight improvements on it. I know a release of this size would require some massive undertakings and deals between Sesame Workshop, Disney, Columbia and HIT. Although this release will probably never happen, it's a nice pipe dream. The set is as such:


"The Muppet's Closet- Assorted Specials, TV Shows, Interviews, Movies and Documentaries Guaranteed to Please the Die Hard Muppet Fan"

Disc 1: Start Things Off With A Bang!: Muppet TV Specials

"The Great Santa Claus Switch"
"Elmopalooza"
"The Christmas Toy"
"Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas"
"John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together"
"The Bells of Fraggle Rock"
"The Muppets At Walt Disney World"
"Muppet Family Christmas" (the complete, UNEDITED version)

Disc 2: Crazy Harry Play With Electricity (And Television Signals): Muppet TV Shows

"Muppet Show: Sex and Violence"
"Muppets Valentine Show"
"Fraggle Rock"- "Beginnings"
"Ghost of Faffner Hall"- at least 3 episodes
"Jim Henson Hour"- at least 2 episodes
"Muppets Tonight"- at least 5 episodes
"Sesame Street"- first 3 episodes, Mr. Hooper episode

Disc 3- Hey, A Movie!: Muppet Special Ventures and Telefilms

"Muppet Vision 3-D" (converted to red/blue 3-D- I know it sucks but it works; with newly shot puppet footage to replace robots in the theater)
"It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie"
"The Muppets' Wizard Of Oz"

Disc 4- Can We Get Back To The Good Stuff?: Behind The Scenes Of The Muppets

"The Muppets Go Hollywood"
"The Making of Muppet Vision 3-D"
"An Evening with the Muppets" (a new panel discussion similar to that at Muppetfest)
"The Big Bang Was Harry's Fault: The Creation Of The Muppets" (another new documentary)
"Of Muppets And Men"

Disc 5- I'd Hate To Miss It!: Muppet Theatrical Movies

"The Muppet Movie" with new commentary
"The Great Muppet Caper" with new commentary
"The Muppet Christmas Carol" with new commentary

As a 5- disc box set, this package would be released in 5 slimpaks (which are the thin DVD cases now commonly used for TV boxes) with a slipcase made up of a combination of metallic paper and a lenticular. Each box would feature a picture of a different Muppet, mostly ones NOT from the "Main Five"- Box 1 would have Kermit, Box 2 would have Crazy Harry, Box 3 would sport the Chef's mug, Box 4 would feature Link Hogthrob, and Dr. Phil would be staring out at you from Box 5's cover. Everything would have digitally remastered picture and new 5.1 Dolby Digital & 5.1 DTS surround tracks. Commentaries would be put in whereever possible.

I sure do hope you like this. Post your feedback, and I'll know!

 

[Harvey Towers]

That's great - but I don't think any of us could actually afford it...

If you can't do an entirely complete set then better just to re-release some of the TV/Film specials seen as all the main films are already released and TMS/MT/JHH deserve there own series box sets. Some of the documentaries would appear on these as extras - hopefully with commentry from Muppets/Muppeteers/Crew

 

[dpurves]

I'd find some way to afford this. I'd be happy if they'd just release the full run of TMS on DVD.

I'd love to see a "proper" release of TMM, with commentary and extras. There have to be some extras out there somewhere, don't they? I really hoped they would have done this for its 25th anniversary, but that's come and gone.

I would definitely love to own a Muppet super set like what you've described, though. A lot of it I've already seen, but so much of it I haven't.

 

[HPDJ]

Where was MTM?

 

[That Announcer]

I hate MTM, and so I didn't include it. It could possibly be included if the Disney company is so inclined.

Pricing for a 4-disc box varies, depending on the company. I can tell you this: the 4-disc "Home Impovement S1" is about $50 in Canada, and so you Statesters would be able to afford it.

 

[HPDJ]

Cool, what about the UK?

 

[Pug Lover]

I love Disc 2.I don't beleive I've ever seen The Muppets Valentines Show or The Muppet Show/Sex And Violence.I'd love to see both those shows sometime.

 

[That Announcer]

UK would be somewhere around 25 pounds, I think. It might be cheaper- a 10 disc Tintin box set from the UK is ALSO 25 pounds!

 

[minor muppetz]

Pricing for a 4-disc box varies, depending on the company. I can tell you this: the 4-disc "Home Impovement S1" is about $50 in Canada, and so you Statesters would be able to afford it.

Pricing also depends on the number of episodes, how long each program is, and what kinds of features are included (if any, and how many).

I don't think it would be fair to compare the Home Improvement sets to this. Home Improvement was a half-hour series, the DVD season sets just have the entire seasons (with however many episopdes were produced for those particular seasons. It seems like the average amount of episodes for a full season of prime time episodes is 24), these don't have many features, and these releases only involve one company (unless the show is owned by more than one company).

Most DVD season sets of half-hour TV shows usually cost between 28 and 48 dollars, sometimes depending on if there are any features (many season sets don't), how many features there are, what kinds of features are included, and how many episodes are included. Also, sometimes DVDs have limitations in space (some of the features planned for The Muppet Show: Season 1 had to be left out because of a lack of space). I'm not sure what the average number of hours can be put on a single side of one disc. Many season sets for shows that last longer than an hour cost more. I know that the season set for The new Scooby Doo Movies (which is an hour per episode) cost around ten more dollars than the other Scooby Doo season sets (which are a half hour per episode). The DVD sets for SCTV cost 65-99 dollars a set (depending on the store). The episodes on DVD are close to 90 minutes each, and the first three sets have nine episodes each (volume four has 12 episodes, but at the same price as the others). These DVDs also have special features on each disc, including commentary on select episodes and, at least for the first three volumes, one long feature on the last disc. Music rights might also have to do with the price, but I'm not sure.

What you are asing for not only involves permission from many different companies that own distribution rights, but also more hours than what's included on an average disc. The work needed for these to be included not only involves permission fro Disney, The Jim Henson Company, and Sesame Workshop (and possibly Hit!), but also the companies that own the rights to John Denver And The Muppets: A Christmas Together and The great santa Clause Switch, and NBC (for the rigths to It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie), as well as permission for certain music.

I'm going to list how long each disc would be if released the way you listed:
Disc 1: 7 1/2 hours
Disc 2: 11 1/2 hours (assuming you are asking for The Jim Henson Hour in it's original full-hour form)
Disc 3: 6 hours and 15-30 minutes
Disc 4: at least 2 hours (i'm assuming that most of the other features would be newly created, so I don't know how long those would last)
Disc 5: 5 1/2 hours (twice as long if commentary counts)

I would like a set like this though, even though I already have all of the movies (but commentary would be good) and some of the specials and episodes.

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

yeah i agree your looking at probley 129-159 dollers just like the 11 disc set disney put out years ago m even though it has only 5 discs the content would demand that