Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween!


From everyone at It Starts When We're Kids-A Muppet Fan Blog, we wish you a very spooky Halloween! In honor of Halloween, we include some of our favorite classic spooky Muppet moments below. 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI0g6im44nQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz0lXNNkqac


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsBIjhBBPx8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H10Km7xpub8



Happy Halloween, Muppet fans!


Friday, October 25, 2013

Muppet News Flash!

Of course, we're a little late to the party, but it was announced earlier this week that popular pop singer Lady Gaga will be teaming up with the Muppets in "Lady Gaga & The Muppets Holiday Spectacular" which will be taking over TV screens on November 28th on ABC.
Other celebrity cameos include Elton John, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kristen Bell, and RuPaul.

It is also worth noting that Lady Gaga is scheduled to make a cameo in Muppets Most Wanted as well.
Aaaand, Disney released three photos from the special.


Looks fun, promising, and very Muppety. Be sure to tune in on November 28th on ABC! 


Author Brian Jay Jones, author of the recent (and incredible) Jim Henson: The Biography appeared on the Today Show with Frank Oz to talk about Jim Henson and his brand new book. Was an incredible tribute to Jim and is a must-see for all Henson fanatics. 


George Orwitz, known for creating greatly detailed plush of classic characters announced he would be creating a plush based on Red Fraggle, for only $1,200. What a deal! 
We're being sarcastic. While the plush looks incredibly detailed and set, it most probably is not worth $1200. 




In sadder news this week, according to recent reports, The Jim Henson Company's latest TV series, That Puppet Game Show has been cancelled from it's home on BBC. 



That's all for now! Be sure to follow us on Twitter for more up-to the minute Muppet news! 



Sunday, October 13, 2013

Thoughts on Jim Henson: The Biography

by Mitchell Stein

I made sure to grab a copy of the truly fantastic Jim Henson: The Biography on the release date, September 24th, which of course, would have also been Jim's 77th birthday this year.

The book is definetley the biggest book about Jim Henson to ever be written, with over 600 pages, Brian Jay Jones goes into incredible detail of every place Jim's ever been or anyone who Jim's ever met or worked with before. Any Muppet expert will be flabbergasted by the amount of brand-new Muppet info that is shared in this book.
Did you know that Rowlf was named after the Purina Dog Chow owner who had the name Ralph? This of course puts to rest a debate that's been going on within the Muppet fan world for over ten years.

Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of photos in this book, but of the handful of ones that were featured are mostly brand new, never before seen photos recently uncovered by the Henson Archives. (Haven't you ever wondered what Pierre the French Rat looked like?) Many of the photos referenced can be found in Jim Henson: The Works, written by Christopher Finch.

Mr. Jones also provides us with a great index and source for each and every page, so if you don't believe it, just flip to thew back of the book and see for yourself.

I've always envisioned Jim Henson as a saint or a god, but known that was unrealistic. He always seemed like a flawless person in most previous biographies.
Mr. Jones takes the brilliant life of Jim Henson and shows it in a different life. Yes, Jim was a creative and brilliant artist, futurist, and all around great guy, but jut like everyone else on this earth, he had his flaws as well.

This isn't a "The Dark Side of Jim Henson" or anything wacky like that. Brian Jay Jones shines Jim with the the brightest light in depth that has never been read before. Yes, he was an undeniable genius, but, like everyone else, he was capable of missteps. Jones looks at Jim's 'failures' or less popular productions too, so you, the Muppet fan can learn the entire story, and giving some great info that even the folks at Muppet Wiki will be embarrassed they didn't know.
Let's face it, not everything Jim's done in his life has been a complete success. The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth weren't exactly box-office hits and the Jim Henson Hour got cancelled before it's second season. Included in the book are some ideas from Jim that barely even made it to the drawing board.

I cannot recommend this book enough. If there's anything Muppety you should spend your money on this year, make it Jim Henson: The Biography. You won't be sorry.











Friday, October 4, 2013

Remembering Faz Fazakas

It was reported earlier this week that legendary tech-wizard and puppet builder Faz Fazakas has passed away at the age of 95.

Faz joined the Muppet team in 1970 during the filming of Tales from Muppetland specials. In the many years since then, he's been responsible for most of the incredible special effects you've seen on-screen.
Some of his most famous work includes the eye mechanism for Sweetums and Big Bird, and the rod and cable techniques used for the Doozers.

Goodbye to one of the most important men in Muppet history. A true unsung Muppet hero.