I need to know what happen to that sixty - ft - tall fauna read/write head .
The Muppets are turning 70 this year (HBD), which has me longing for some reruns ofThe Muppet Show. Because Kermit the Frog is the greatest fictional character ever made, here are some super interesting vintage Muppet facts for you.
1.Before starting onThe Muppet Show, the Muppets had arecurring sketchon the first season ofSNL.
2.In fact, Jim Hensonwas partof the inaugural cast ofSNL.
3.Jim Henson created the first Kermit the Frogout ofone of his mother’s old coats. The eyes were a ping pong ball.
4.Most Muppetsare left-handedbecause the majority of Muppet performers are right-handed and prefer to control the head of the Muppets with their dominant hand.
5.Cookie Monster typicallyeats rice cakespainted to look like cookies, as the oils from actual cookies are damaging to the Muppet.
6.Frank Oz, the voice of Sam the American Eagle, is British.
7.Polly Smith, the costume designer forThe Muppet Show,helpedinvent the sports bra.
8.To perform “Rainbow Connection” inThe Muppet Movie, Jim Hensonwas submersedin a specially made diving bell to control Kermit the Frog in the swap during the opening number.
9.And the “swamp” Kermit is sitting in is actuallythe lagoonfromGilligan’s Island.
10.InThe Muppet Movie, since space was so limited in Fozzie’s Studebaker, Frank Oz asked Jim Henson’s son, Brian, tooperate Fozzie’s handsince he was a kid and took up less room. Brian says watching the film, he sees his blonde hair poking out of the frame.
11.Instead of using aregular-sized Animalon a miniature set for the scene inThe Muppet Moviewhere Animal swallows Dr. Honeydew’s Insta-Grow pills, the production team built a 60-foot-tall Animal head.
12.The final shot ofThe Muppet Movieincluded roughly 250 Muppets, nearly every Muppet the Henson Company had made. To perform them, 137 puppeteers from all over the West Coast of the US came for “pit duty.”
13.One of those puppeteers who came to help?Tim Burton.
14.ForThe Dark Crystal, Jim Hensonbought a derelictpost office and converted it into a creature shop to make the creatures.
15.Ernie’s “Rubber Duckie” performed by Jim Henson onSesame Streetpeaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.
16.Hoggle, a Muppet inLabyrinth, wasin a suitcasethat was lost while Jim Henson was traveling back from a movie studio overseas. Years later, it was found in a suitcase at the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro, Alabama. It was restored and is now on display there.
17.Finally, Jim Henson is one of four people to be honored on the Walk of Fame, and ALSO have the character he played be honored on the Walk of Fame.
SNL / Viayoutube.com
