1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff you should know 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: from House stuff Works dot Com about rainbow and what 4 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: a Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. Hey, 5 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: Chuck Bryant, Hey Josh Clark. It's a beautiful day here 6 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: at How Stuff Works, Hunt it is. I have a 7 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 1: question for you, Jy. Have you ever been half sleep? 8 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: And have you heard voices? Chuck? Josh, I've heard them 9 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,840 Speaker 1: calling my name? Is that the sweet sound that calls 10 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: a young sailor? Oh? I can't remember the next line. 11 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: It might be one and the same. I think it 12 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: is one and the same. Yes, clearly we were speaking 13 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: of none other than top hit Academy Award nominated song 14 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: Rainbow Connection is performed by a certain philosophizing frog in 15 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: a swamp at the beginning of the Muppet movie. Huh, 16 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:12,959 Speaker 1: we're gonna be talking about how the Muppets work today. 17 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: I know Josh is like rocking in his chair right now. 18 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: He's so excited. I love the Muppets. Who doesn't love them? Uppet? Everybody? 19 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: You show me someone that doesn't love the Muppets, and 20 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: you know they've got a butt kicking coming to them 21 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: via me. Yeah, Chuck's the Muppet enforcer, Muppet love enforcer. Um, 22 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:32,039 Speaker 1: I think we should probably give a disclaimer, Chuck. If 23 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: anybody is really attached to illusion and doesn't really want 24 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:38,960 Speaker 1: to know, like the nitty gritty details of how muppets 25 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:42,839 Speaker 1: are made and moved about, they should probably not listen 26 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: to this one, right, People that don't even want to 27 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: acknowledge that they are puppets. Yeah, the lovers, the dreamers 28 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: and me. Yeah that's awesome. Yeah. So um, Chuck, let's 29 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: start at the beginning. Let's start back in. Gotta start 30 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: with Jim Henson. Yeah, well, yeah, there are no ups 31 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: without Jim Henson and even says it right there in 32 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: the article how Muppets Work, which you can find on 33 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot com. Right right, Uh, Washington, d 34 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: C has a local TV station and uh, and I 35 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: think the winner of nineteen fifty five, Um, a young 36 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,919 Speaker 1: college freshman, Jim Henson. Dude, until probably had no idea 37 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: that this went back that far. No, this guy was 38 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:24,959 Speaker 1: starting something huge at this time, right, I mean it's puppets, 39 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: Like puppets were relegated to what children's birthday parties, stuff 40 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: like that. This guy's bringing them on the TV. Exactly huge. 41 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: And what what what was kind of surprising is that 42 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: this show Sam and Friends, Right, that was his first show, 43 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: the one on the local Washington d c UH television station, 44 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: was for adults. Absolutely, it was I believe there was 45 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: some satire involved, correct, a ted political satire parody. They 46 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: parodied other television shows and it ran for six years 47 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: and got him on Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show. Yeah, 48 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,519 Speaker 1: and actually this is where um, a little lizard like 49 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: creature who came to be known as Kermit debut. Should 50 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: I do it? Yeah? Hi? Who Kermit d Frog? Here? 51 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 1: That is wonderful, Chuck revealed before the the UM, I 52 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: guess the real, the real that's run by a hamster 53 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: started rolling. Um that he started with Kermit. That was 54 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: your first voice, first voice? What else do you get? 55 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: My voices are mediocre at best, But I still like 56 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: doing him. I gotta tell you, Nail Kurmit, but I've 57 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: been doing Kermit since I was like six km. Yeah, 58 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: well you've got him. I'm trying to get a ya 59 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: out of Chuck, but have a limited range. Well, Kermit 60 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: lizard like Kermit, as we'll call him Um. It was 61 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: joined by some other wonderfully named puppets that weren't quite 62 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: called muppets yet these are still puppets in Henson's mind. 63 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: You had Sam Yorick Harry the Hipster, one of my favorites, 64 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: Professor Magcliff. I'm surprised it wasn't a hippie rob. No 65 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: hippie rob yet give it another decade. Mush Melon and 66 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: Chicken Liver was part of the regular cast, and basically 67 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: it was Henson and a classmate of his um named 68 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: Jane Nabel, who later became Jane Henson. They met up 69 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: and she kind of assisted him early on. They fell 70 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: in love. They did fell in love, and she was 71 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 1: actually replaced when they got married and had kids by 72 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 1: one frank Oz. Frank a nineteen year old Frank Oz, 73 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 1: and he was originally um hired just to be the 74 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: right hand literally of Rolf the Dog. Right they call 75 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 1: that technique right handing. We'll get into that, which we'll 76 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: get into and Rolf actually fun fact, Rolf the dog 77 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,599 Speaker 1: with the big floppy ears, who's performed with the likes 78 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 1: of Liberacci among others, was actually created specifically to sell 79 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: Purina dog food. Yeah. After he did Salmon Friends, he 80 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: produced TV commercials for a while with the early muppets, 81 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: a bunch of them. So this is a clearly we've 82 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:04,479 Speaker 1: we've transitioned into the era where there were muppets. We 83 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 1: went from Salmon Friends and now muppets are starting to 84 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 1: come about. Ralph Kermits now Frog. He's made that sexual 85 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:16,040 Speaker 1: transition from lizard to frog, that right of passage that 86 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: every lizard has to go through. Um, and uh, there's 87 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 1: still no TV show. We're in the sixties and everyone's 88 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: getting to be aware of the muppets, Chuck, Like you said, Uh, 89 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: they were on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Jimmy Dean Show, 90 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: which you should have been in the green room for 91 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: that one sausage everywhere. Um. He did create some pilots, 92 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: but they never took no one ever, bottom up No. 93 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 1: And he got really close with ABC, but they walked 94 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: on a deal. Um. What really kind of catapulted him 95 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: into a possible TV deal was the formation of kids 96 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: show called Sesame Street, the children's television network started by 97 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: Joan and Coney Right and Jim Henson always kind of 98 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 1: thought of his puppets and then muppets as um uh 99 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,919 Speaker 1: for adults, like this is adults stuff like you can 100 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: even today there's um puppet Up Uncensored. It's a live 101 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 1: improv muppet puppet show for adults. It's carried on by 102 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:16,919 Speaker 1: his son Brian. And that's very much in the tradition 103 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 1: of Jim Henson's original idea, which is these are puppets, 104 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: but they're for adults. Like there's just that kind of 105 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: ironic twist that these puppets are cursing, you know. But 106 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: apparently somewhere along the way he came to figure out 107 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: that um children could be a very sophisticated audiences a 108 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: quote in the article, So he went along with Sesame Street, right, yeah, 109 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: and that's really where it blew up. Everyone who grew 110 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: up in the United States and probably elsewhere watch Sesame 111 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: Street as a kid and may still and that's where 112 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: we were introduced to uh, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird 113 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:55,239 Speaker 1: and Burton Ernie Cookie Monster. Doesn't get any more classic 114 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: than that. Grower's my favorite Sesame. Yeah. I did little 115 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 1: video one time with a Grover Finger puppet. Did you 116 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: This is back in like the old VHS days where 117 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: you could edit like I literally had to edit it 118 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,160 Speaker 1: all in camera as I shot it, and I used 119 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: like a ween song and I Grover finger Puppet. He's 120 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: pretty fun. So this had nothing to do with Karate Chuck. No, no, no, 121 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: these are just my early filmmaking days. It's fun. So okay, 122 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: So Sesame Street takes off and still going today. I mean, 123 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: this has got to be one of the longest running 124 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: television shows of all time. Yeah, I think sixty Minutes 125 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 1: has a beat. Maybe General Hospital. You know General Hospital 126 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: has been on since the mid fifties. Who cares. Yeah, 127 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: but dude, that's a really long time for a single 128 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: television show to run. That's a lot of crap, it 129 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: is They just shovel it on nothings. Yeah, back to 130 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: the goodness of the Muppets though. So he's almost there, 131 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: He's so close. He's been shooting pilots. None of them 132 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 1: were getting taken up. ABC's Walked Um and a little 133 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: show called s Live starts up in nineteen Yeah. I 134 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 1: did not know this until I read this article. I 135 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: didn't either. I'm a big fan. I'm trying to sound 136 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: like I did know this, alright. Um, the the first 137 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: season and included sketches Um called The Land of Gorge, 138 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: which were larger muppets, and the SNL writers said, we're 139 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: not writing for puppets. Yeah, in fact they're I think 140 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: they're head writer is famously quoted saying I don't write 141 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: for felt, which I thought was kind of was that 142 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: Al Franken? Now what now Franken? I can't remember his name, 143 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: but Senator Al Franken, Senator Al Francin is so crazy. 144 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 1: Um so that was very short lived. Finally, Henson strikes 145 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: a deal with UM I t C and they start 146 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: shooting The Muppet Show in London and syndicating it out 147 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:39,840 Speaker 1: at CBS. And this is Yeah, the pilot, though I 148 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: thought was interesting. I should mention was the name of 149 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: the pilot was called Sex and Violence. They actually UM 150 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: I was watching it earlier and um, one of the 151 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,080 Speaker 1: muppets comes out, not when I could identify by sight. 152 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: Uh comes out and there's this huge thing carved out 153 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: of stone. It's a sex and violence and uh, the 154 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: announcer says, and now the end of sex and violence 155 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: on TV. And the Muppet presses a dynamite plunger and 156 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: blows up the sex and violence and then the Muppet 157 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: Show theme starts, well, there you have it. Yeah, that 158 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: makes sense. Then I thought it was just one of 159 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: those ironic names or something. I don't think like Jim 160 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: Hinson was trying to be ironically funny. I think he 161 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,440 Speaker 1: was still but sure, yeah, got you the end of 162 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 1: sex and Violence. So yeah, the Muppet Show was born 163 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: and the rest is history. The end, the end. Thanks 164 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: for coming, Chuck, What was your favorite Muppet d How 165 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: did you get your voice to do that? It's anytime 166 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: you say those three words together that happens. Let me 167 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:43,679 Speaker 1: try You should try to hum or the judges. We 168 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: see old guys in the balcony. Yeah, yeah, yeah, what 169 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 1: was it? Statler and Waldorf? Statler and Waldorf. Those guys 170 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,960 Speaker 1: were excellent, and Jim Hinson actually voiced Waldorf. I guess 171 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:56,600 Speaker 1: we should talk about who the creator actually voiced specifically. Yeah, 172 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:58,959 Speaker 1: he did obviously did Kermit the Frog, He did Rolf 173 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: the Dog. He and Waldorf. Uh. He did Doctor Teeth 174 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: of Electric Mayhem, the Electric Mayhem, which was the the 175 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 1: hippie band. Yeah. I think Dr Teeth was probably modeled 176 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: after Dr John that's a guest, but probably I think so. Yeah, 177 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: he had he had that kind of new Orleans accent, 178 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: didn't he? Yeah? And then link Hogthrob of Pigs and 179 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: Space of what excellent, And he did the Ernie half 180 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,560 Speaker 1: of Burton Ernie. Yeah. Who I have to say, Ernie's 181 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: one of my favorite characters. I know he's set to 182 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:33,839 Speaker 1: me Street, but he's one of my favorite buppets. Um. 183 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: I kind of go for the really sweet, kind hearted 184 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:42,160 Speaker 1: ones really Ernie, Fozzy, Yeah, Bunsen, which one was Bunsen 185 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,840 Speaker 1: the Little Professor, a little affable professor with Beaker the most. Yeah. 186 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: Have you seen Beaker doing oh to Joy? It's pretty cool. 187 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 1: It's on YouTube. Type in meep and oh to Joy 188 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: and it will come up. Yeah, He's like me, me, me, Me, 189 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: me me. It's pretty cool. And of course the chef, 190 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: the chef who was Swedish chef, who actually has the 191 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: distinction of being the only muppet with live human hands 192 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: unsupposed or uncovered by gloves or anything like that. Yeah. 193 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,360 Speaker 1: I was watching a clip of the Swedish chef and 194 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,440 Speaker 1: you can very easily see why they did that. He 195 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 1: has to put like dashes of things in and pinch 196 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: and stuff in, and so he actually has I believe 197 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 1: frank Oz's hands and then then Henson doing his head. Yeah, 198 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 1: and we'll we'll talk about the muppeteering and Manto because 199 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 1: it gets pretty intense. So I get ahead of myself 200 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: sometimes I know it's just exciting. Uh. And then frank 201 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,080 Speaker 1: Oz of course, which was the other half. And I 202 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 1: think the quote in the article, which I thought was cool, 203 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: as Jim Henson said that Frank Oz was probably the 204 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 1: person most responsible for the Muppets being funny. Right, Frank 205 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:46,839 Speaker 1: Oz is a very funny guy. He is. He also 206 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: did h He also puppeted and voiced Yoda and All 207 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: Star Wars. Oh you knew that, did you? Yeah? I 208 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: think everyone did it. Frank Oz did Yoda. Uh. And um, 209 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: he did Rolf the Dog. I'm sorry he right handed 210 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 1: Route the Dog. Jim did the voice. Let's remember this 211 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:04,840 Speaker 1: is what he was hired for it an, that's right. 212 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: He did Bert the Burt half. He did Grover, your 213 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: favorite cookie monster animal who doesn't love animal? A lot 214 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 1: of screaming with that one, Miss Piggy and Fozzy Bear 215 00:12:14,679 --> 00:12:18,240 Speaker 1: of course, to to the iconic characters. And you know, 216 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: frank went on to direct movies. I mean he worked 217 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: with Hinson for like thirty years and then directed movies. 218 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:27,559 Speaker 1: He directed Uh What About Bob? And Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 219 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: and with other classics. You're gonna tell you Dirty Rotten 220 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,160 Speaker 1: Scoundrels is funny. The greatest thing he's ever made, and 221 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: he's acted to. He was in The Blues Brothers briefly. 222 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: Oh was he the the corrections officer at Hands and 223 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: Back is prophylactic? Yes, he is. Later on he reprises 224 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 1: that role sort of in Trading Places. He plays the 225 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 1: officer checking out danack Royd in prison in that film 226 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: as well. So he's a specialist. He plays officers giving 227 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: prisoners there type cast. Yeah. Yeah, so Chuck you one 228 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: to get into um a little behind the scenes stuff, Yeah, 229 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,720 Speaker 1: why not? We might as well. Um, well, let's start 230 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,240 Speaker 1: with how a Muppet is made. Yeah, Josh, the Muppets 231 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: were created only by Jim Hinson. He did all the 232 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: original sketches and he built some of the original muppets 233 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:18,720 Speaker 1: when he was still kind of a small shop. Yeah, 234 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: but he figured out pretty quick that he had too 235 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: many in his head and he needed too many to 236 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:26,719 Speaker 1: just do it himself. So yeah, he started out, um, 237 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: using some materials like paper machee that didn't work out 238 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: because it was too hard, and then he tried um 239 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: different kinds of foam. I think he's foam rubber, but 240 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: found that that deteriorated. Yeah, so he's reticulated polyphone, which 241 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: is I imagined very much like foam rubber, but a 242 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: little more durable, right, And I think it's more flexible 243 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 1: because that that gave him the opportunity if you stick 244 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,079 Speaker 1: your hand in Kerman's head to operate the puppet, to 245 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: move your knuckles around and like he would raise an 246 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: eyebrow and it would give him a little more feature 247 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:59,400 Speaker 1: to his face. I chuck. You know, I love lore. 248 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: I want it's poss this one out. Kermit Lizard Kermit 249 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: pre Great Transition. Kermit was actually made from his The 250 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: skin of Kermit was made from fuzzy green coat Jim 251 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: Henson's mother owned, and his eyes were two halves of 252 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: a toy which I'm not familiar with. I wouldn't either, 253 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: wacky wacky stacks yea stacks half. Yeah. They always kind 254 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,960 Speaker 1: of looked like ping pong balls with the little pupils 255 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: drawn on them. Yeah, well, let's go ahead and talk 256 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 1: about that. The pupils. Yeah, that's they They say that 257 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 1: they did the eyes last when they're building muppets because 258 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,320 Speaker 1: it's the most important part, and the pupils are actually 259 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: very important. And this I didn't know either. Um, the 260 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: bigger the pupil, the younger the muppet. Pretty cool, Yeah, 261 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: and it really kind of makes sense. It gets the 262 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: point across that they're kind of wide eyed and innocent, 263 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: unfamiliar with the horrors and evil of the world. Right. 264 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: And it says they also tilt the pupils end slightly 265 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 1: to give them more focus. Well, they move them closer together, 266 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: because if they just put them, you know, on these 267 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 1: huge eyes where they should be in the middle, muppets 268 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 1: would look like they had easy eyes. Right. And the 269 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:03,520 Speaker 1: man responsible for this was one of the first guys 270 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:07,960 Speaker 1: that Jim Hinson hired. His name was Don uh Salen Salon. 271 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: I get the impression that this guy was like the 272 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 1: man behind the man in a lot of ways. Jim 273 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 1: Henson was this very creative, artistic person and he knew 274 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: what he was doing. But I think Don Solon was 275 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 1: the one who's like, okay, i'll make it work. Well. 276 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 1: He was definitely the master, like a sower. It sounds 277 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: like he came up with the Henson stitch, which he 278 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 1: very graciously um named after Henson. The Henson stitch, which 279 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: is a I guess, a method of sewing that hides 280 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: the scene. Yeah, you don't wanna. You don't want to 281 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: see a scene right there. It's like I forgot that's 282 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 1: a puppet exactly. And this, uh, this is so chuck 283 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 1: full of things I never knew. I'm so glad we're 284 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: doing this. Kermit the Frog actually has a stitch, Henson 285 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,800 Speaker 1: stitch going right up the center of his nose, and 286 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: you would never know it because the Henson stitch and 287 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 1: the little fuzzy felt kind of helps to hide it. Yeah. 288 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: And the fuzzy felt actually um is called Andron fleets. 289 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: That's the covering of Kermit and most of the other 290 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: You know that that kind of muppet skin, they actually 291 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 1: call it muppet fleece. That that fabric sort of like 292 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: a worn tennis ball. Yeah. You know you've arrived when 293 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: there's a type of textile named after your creation, a 294 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: stitch named after you. Uh so most muppets. Um. Well, 295 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:20,560 Speaker 1: there's either two ways you can go about it. There's 296 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:23,280 Speaker 1: either the hand and rod method of operating or a 297 00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: live hand. We talked about the live hand, and that 298 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 1: is when you literally stick your arm into the arm 299 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: of the puppet, into a glove or in the swedishchef's case, 300 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,640 Speaker 1: a natural hand. Right, and there's actually two people operating. 301 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 1: And let's start with the hand and rod one or 302 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: rod in hand. Yes, so most muppeteers chuck or right handed. Um, 303 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: and so they're their right hand would be inside the muppet, 304 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: operating the head the face, that kind of thing. Their 305 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: left hand would be holding the two rods that were 306 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: attached to the muppets hand. Grover's an example of a 307 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,560 Speaker 1: hand and rod one. Um, so the left hand would 308 00:16:57,560 --> 00:16:59,640 Speaker 1: make the hands clap. That kind of thing is two 309 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 1: very in dowels, which you can move them with your fingers, right, 310 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,639 Speaker 1: so one person can operate it. Uh. And actually, since 311 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 1: they the most muppeteers were right handed and they were 312 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:14,120 Speaker 1: operating with their left hand. Um, most muppets are left 313 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:16,640 Speaker 1: handed since they were operating the hands with them. Yeah. 314 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 1: Another cool fact, except there was one muppeteer who was 315 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,920 Speaker 1: left handed and all of her muppets were right handed. Yeah. 316 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:26,240 Speaker 1: I didn't know that. Yeah, man, I'm learning so much. Uh. 317 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 1: And then um, occasionally you know clearly, if one person 318 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: is operating both hands, there's a limited amount of things 319 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: they can do. That's where the right handing comes in. 320 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: If you need uh specific movements done with both hands, 321 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 1: then a second puppeteer comes in operates only the right hand, 322 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 1: which is what frank Oz was hard to do in 323 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: the case of Ralph right Um. Ernie is another example 324 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,959 Speaker 1: to see right handed. Yeah, so there's a there's one 325 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 1: muppeteer who's there two guys standing next to each other. Um, 326 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 1: there's one guy who has his right hand up as 327 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,480 Speaker 1: high as it can go. He's operating the face, and 328 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:04,880 Speaker 1: then his left hand is up the arm of the muppet, 329 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: and then the other guy has his right hand up 330 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:13,160 Speaker 1: the muppets right hand. There's two people operating these three parts, 331 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 1: and they do a pretty good job. But you really, 332 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 1: you think about it, and you just you look at 333 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 1: Ernie or something, and you don't you wouldn't think that 334 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: there's two people operating him, and that sounds very cramped 335 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: and close and it is. Yeah, I mean talk about 336 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,399 Speaker 1: henson Um at the beginning of the Muppet movie when 337 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: Kermit's on the log. Oh yeah, well sure, when the 338 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,480 Speaker 1: shots in the movies where you don't see a human Well, 339 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:38,919 Speaker 1: what I guess, let's backtrack a little. What they usually 340 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: do um was a technique that Henson invented called platforming up, 341 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 1: So they would build the actual muppet stage about eight 342 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:50,639 Speaker 1: you know, six to eight feet off the ground so 343 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:52,840 Speaker 1: the puppeteers could stand fully upright so they don't have 344 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: to bend over. Sometimes when that wasn't possible, they built 345 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:59,600 Speaker 1: trenches for the for the muppeteers to get down in. 346 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:01,919 Speaker 1: And then for the movies, which is what you were 347 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: talking about, for the scenes where like Kermit was sitting 348 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 1: on the log and singing Rainbow Connection. At the opening 349 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,640 Speaker 1: of the film, Jim Hinson was in a little capsule 350 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:17,119 Speaker 1: cramped down underwater, underwater sealed uh, with the thing all 351 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,400 Speaker 1: around was sticking up out of the water, probably disguised 352 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,159 Speaker 1: as a read that allowed him to breathe exactly. But 353 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: they were showing off right out of the bat they 354 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: right out of the gate. They did a three sixty 355 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,119 Speaker 1: shot of Kermit on the log to show that right, 356 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,119 Speaker 1: no wires is not a marrionette. Pretty cool, Yeah, it 357 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:34,919 Speaker 1: was pretty cool. I love that. And then they did 358 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:37,959 Speaker 1: scenes where they were like riding bicycles, and in some 359 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: cases I think they had to have multiple h They 360 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,640 Speaker 1: called it muppet switching, where they had like a full 361 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:45,239 Speaker 1: body Muppet that they would occasionally have to use the 362 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,879 Speaker 1: marrionette wires, or they would have a little person in it, 363 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: or they would have a little person, or they would 364 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,439 Speaker 1: use a remote control which came a little bit later. Um. Also, 365 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,560 Speaker 1: this is my favorite. When they had a muppet driving 366 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: a car, the car was actually being driven, so the 367 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: Muppet would be in the front seat. Uh, the muppeteer 368 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,440 Speaker 1: would be crouched down in the back seat operating the Muppet, 369 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:08,119 Speaker 1: and then there would be a little person in the 370 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:12,120 Speaker 1: trunk driving the car with remote control looking at a 371 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:15,639 Speaker 1: video screen. Yeah, they're actually extremely sophisticated. What they have 372 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 1: to do. This is incredibly complex. Imagine having to build 373 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 1: like you have to know exactly what's going to happen 374 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: in every scene. Then you have to build the set 375 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,040 Speaker 1: to accommodate a human person and a muppet and their muppeteer, 376 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 1: so there may be several different levels. It sounds very dangerous. 377 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 1: And then as a muppeteer as well, Chuck Um. They 378 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: have and they have had since the seventies monitors strapped 379 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 1: to their chest so they can see what the what 380 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:42,360 Speaker 1: their muppet is doing. Right, it is backwards, so they 381 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:44,520 Speaker 1: have to know that if they're if they are looking 382 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,440 Speaker 1: at the screen and they want their muppet to move left, 383 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,320 Speaker 1: they have to move right. I mean, I imagine that 384 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: the wiring, the neural connections of these people's brains are 385 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:55,399 Speaker 1: very unusual. If you could slap them in a wonder 386 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,080 Speaker 1: machine and take a look at them next to like 387 00:20:57,119 --> 00:20:59,680 Speaker 1: one of ours, I'll bet you've noticed some real distinction. 388 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 1: We should write a article on muppeteers brains would be good. 389 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 1: Uh and you're dead on man, because one of the muppeteers, 390 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:08,160 Speaker 1: there's been about a hundred of him, one of them 391 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 1: named Dave Gold, said it takes maybe five years to 392 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: do everything without thinking about it. In fact, I still 393 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: find it difficult. And Frank Oz said, what you're doing 394 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:18,680 Speaker 1: is so complicated that you really don't have time to 395 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 1: think about what you're doing. First your body understands and 396 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:25,400 Speaker 1: then your mind grasp what you're doing. Sometimes so very 397 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,160 Speaker 1: complicated stuff. There's there's one other kind of muppet. We've 398 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:33,400 Speaker 1: got hand and rod uh live hand or right hand muppets, 399 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,400 Speaker 1: and then there's full body muppets like Big Bird. Sure, 400 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: so this is actually you know Big Birds as tall 401 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,360 Speaker 1: as he looks, um, what is he like? Eight feet tall? 402 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,879 Speaker 1: He's pretty tall. So there's a muppeteer and they're probably 403 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: a fairly tall muppeteer on platform shoes five inch shoes. Uh, 404 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:52,640 Speaker 1: standing up with his right hand going up to Big 405 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,119 Speaker 1: Bird's mouth and it's a it's a reach to Yeah, 406 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,440 Speaker 1: I can you imagine. I'll bet they feel like Neil 407 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: Pert all the time? Right, you know what you should 408 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: look on the on the article actually, and there's some 409 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 1: really good illustrations, excellent illustrations. It shows like Big Bird 410 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,200 Speaker 1: with the person inside of it, and it is a 411 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,440 Speaker 1: stretch man that would get really really tiring, just physically exhausting, 412 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 1: I would imagine. So the right hands up, the left 413 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: hands controlling left hand, and then there's a wire connected 414 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:21,600 Speaker 1: to the left elbow that's connecting Big birds right hand 415 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:24,399 Speaker 1: or that's that's controlling Big birds right hand. Which is 416 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: why if you notice, if you watch Big Bird, when 417 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 1: the right hand goes up, the left hand goes down. 418 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:30,480 Speaker 1: When the left hand goes down, the right hand goes 419 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: up because it's Uh, it's like a little Pulley system, right, Chuck. 420 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: We were we were talking about, you know, um, muppeteers 421 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,680 Speaker 1: performing in trenches on the set or platforming up or 422 00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 1: you know, how difficult it is to create these sets. Uh, 423 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 1: And once you know what they're doing, you can see 424 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:49,679 Speaker 1: it pretty easily. Like I was watching a clip of 425 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:53,600 Speaker 1: Steve Martin playing dueling banjos with some muppets class on 426 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 1: The Muppet Show, right classic, and they're doing it, like 427 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: I guess in between performances because they're out in the 428 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: theater seats and Steve Martin doesn't move the whole time, 429 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: so god knows how many like pits are on either 430 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: side of him and how far he would fall if 431 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 1: he stepped one way or the other. And then some 432 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 1: of the other muppets are in the seats rows of 433 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,679 Speaker 1: seats behind him, so that clearly provides a trench for 434 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: the muppeteers too. And once you once you kind of 435 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 1: know how they did it, you can you can see 436 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,360 Speaker 1: the techniques in use. It's pretty interesting. Yeah, I bet 437 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:23,919 Speaker 1: it was a cool set to visit, for sure. The 438 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 1: sets were usually speaking of sets were um, there were 439 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: a couple of ways they could do it. They're either 440 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,600 Speaker 1: muppets sized when there was only muppets involved, which would 441 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,639 Speaker 1: be scaled down obviously, or when um obviously. You know. 442 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:37,880 Speaker 1: The Muppet Show was famous for having celebrity guests each 443 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,120 Speaker 1: week when humans interacted, and as they do in Sesame 444 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: Street too, they would have kind of a mix. Some 445 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: things would be human size and then they would do 446 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: it's a technique called forced perspective when they would make 447 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,919 Speaker 1: like a door, you know, seven eighths the size of 448 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: a real door in the background to make it look 449 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 1: like it's really far away, or just to bring everything, 450 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:59,360 Speaker 1: you know, to where it all matches up. Fantastic, pretty cool. Yeah, 451 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:01,639 Speaker 1: that is cool. What's the quote from Carol Burnett? Because 452 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: that the article talked about, you know, humans interacting with 453 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:07,119 Speaker 1: muppets and once it like to act with you know, 454 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:10,920 Speaker 1: poly Era. She said something like, when you're standing next 455 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,560 Speaker 1: to Kermit and interacting with them, you totally believe him. 456 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:16,920 Speaker 1: And she she was on the Muppe Show a lot, wasn't, Yeah, 457 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: she was. And the other cool thing was they said 458 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 1: that between takes that they said the puppets would often 459 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:23,720 Speaker 1: just kind of chit chat with the actors, like making 460 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: small talk, just totally buy into it. Yeah, I love it, man, 461 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,320 Speaker 1: that would have been an awesome show to do. It 462 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:31,239 Speaker 1: was a good time for it too, And Chuck, if 463 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,440 Speaker 1: you notice there's um a lot of there's so much 464 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: going on on the Muppet Show. They really nailed the 465 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 1: realism in part because there were so many muppets going around. Yeah, 466 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,679 Speaker 1: and the big scenes, right, and then you have like 467 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: the stars clearly like ms Piggy, Kermit, Swedish Chef Buns 468 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: and Beak Girl them, um, but then you also have 469 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 1: some muppets who you just like you you don't really 470 00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:57,119 Speaker 1: recognize the background extras basically right, And and there's actually 471 00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 1: a name for these muppets. They create blank slate my 472 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 1: bits and then you know, depending on what they need, 473 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,400 Speaker 1: they have all sorts of costumes eyebrows, eyes, noses, all 474 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,120 Speaker 1: that stuff that they can just switch out real quick. 475 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 1: Pretty cool. And what do they call them? Well, there's 476 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: a couple of names that originally they were called anything Muppets, 477 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 1: but the one I like, they were called what Knots. Yeah, 478 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: I love that. I knew you would like whatnots over 479 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:20,320 Speaker 1: anything Muppets. Well, who wouldn't The Whatnots would be a 480 00:25:20,359 --> 00:25:22,800 Speaker 1: good band name. Uh so, yeah, they were basically the 481 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: background extra of The Muppet Show and they would just 482 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 1: interchange these uh these guys and girls. I guess, I 483 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: guess they were gender specific. Sure. Yeah. Ms Piggy actually 484 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,639 Speaker 1: had her own costume designer or her own real human 485 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:37,920 Speaker 1: costume designer for the Muppets. One of the few, well 486 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:39,920 Speaker 1: not few, but one of the one of the Muppets 487 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 1: that were close A lot of them were in the buff. Yeah. Kermit, well, 488 00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:46,439 Speaker 1: Kermit actually wore his trench coat sometimes. Well when he 489 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: was on Sesame Street, he was the roving reporter where 490 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:50,320 Speaker 1: he had the trench coat and the hat and everything, 491 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:52,639 Speaker 1: which was pretty awesome. I loved the idea of a 492 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 1: frog reporter. But then on The Muppet Show, his character 493 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,400 Speaker 1: was the kind of the lead producer of the show. 494 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:01,639 Speaker 1: That was kind of the idea of the show. That 495 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 1: leads me to the thirty Rock thing that what's gonna 496 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,280 Speaker 1: tell you about the television show thirty Rock? That was 497 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 1: there's a thing on the internet, so one did on 498 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:10,640 Speaker 1: a blog I think, where they linked the Muppet Show 499 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 1: to thirty Rock and how they were basically the same show. 500 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:15,440 Speaker 1: And Liz Lemon was Kerment trying to pull this show 501 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:19,240 Speaker 1: together amid the craziness, and Jane Karkowski was Miss Piggy, 502 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: and I can't remember the other characters, but they kind 503 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:23,000 Speaker 1: of tied each one to the other. And the only 504 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 1: one who they couldn't get a representation of was the 505 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: Alec Baldwin character, which I thought was pretty interesting. Maybe 506 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: he would be Carol Burnett, Yeah, maybe so, but I 507 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:34,399 Speaker 1: think they said he could have been both Waldorf and 508 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:38,200 Speaker 1: Statler something like that. That's pretty cool. Yeah, it's pretty cool. 509 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:42,880 Speaker 1: Um Chuck the uh. I guess that's kind of emblematic 510 00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 1: of the Muppets, right. The Muppet Show produced a bunch 511 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: of spinoffs. First of all, you've got the three movies, right, Yeah, 512 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 1: You've got The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and 513 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:54,320 Speaker 1: The Great Muppet Caper, all three of them excellent, excellent film. 514 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: And apparently there's uh Seth Rogan and Jason Siegel, the 515 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:01,520 Speaker 1: actors from Knocked Up, were trying to make another Muppet 516 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,159 Speaker 1: movie and I don't know if yeah, I don't know 517 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:05,199 Speaker 1: if that's ever gonna happen, but they were kind of 518 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:06,720 Speaker 1: in talks with the Hint and people to write a 519 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:08,639 Speaker 1: script and make another Muppet movie. There's a did you 520 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: ever watch Frago Rock? Did I watch Fraggle Rock? I didn't, actually, dude, 521 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: Fraggo Rock was on when I was eleven, twelve and 522 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,439 Speaker 1: thirteen on HBO, so right when I first got h 523 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: you just answered the question. So yes, I lived and 524 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:24,199 Speaker 1: breathed Fraggo Rock. Down, Chuck, you will be happy to know, 525 00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:27,400 Speaker 1: or possibly dismay, that there is a Frago Rock movie 526 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 1: that's supposed to have already come out. It hasn't yet, 527 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:32,639 Speaker 1: but I imagine it's coming down the pike. It is. 528 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 1: I looked it up today and right now they had 529 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:39,640 Speaker 1: the date listed as eleven. Good god, so we'll see okay, 530 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 1: and uh, Frago Rock is not the only one. Did 531 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:43,919 Speaker 1: you ever watch Muppet Babies? I did not. That was 532 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 1: after my time. That was right in my time, actually 533 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 1: embarrassingly maybe slightly after, but I still watched it. Um. Yeah, 534 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:55,359 Speaker 1: that was a really, really good cartoon. Barbara Billingsley played 535 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,280 Speaker 1: the nanny whose face you never saw. Yeah, they used 536 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:00,240 Speaker 1: to have some great adventures. I didn't know. That took 537 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:03,720 Speaker 1: me along on. And then my favorite was emmett Otter's 538 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:07,920 Speaker 1: jug Band. Christmas have you seen that? Man? Are you joking? 539 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: How old are you? It came out in nineteen seventy seven. 540 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 1: I was six years old. Et Otters Jug Band Christmas. 541 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: Have you seen a Jerry? Jerry hasn't seen it. Emitt 542 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:20,480 Speaker 1: Odors Jug Band Christmas is one of the best Christmas 543 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:23,520 Speaker 1: specials ever in the history of Christmas specials. I'll check 544 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: it out. It was awesome. The the river Bottom Nightmare 545 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: Band was there. There were two bands. There was em 546 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:32,920 Speaker 1: Hotter clearly with his jug band were these old nice 547 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:35,919 Speaker 1: Otters that played country jug music, and then there was 548 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: the Evil Faction, which was the River Bottom Nightmare Band 549 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 1: and they did this like hard rock, heavy metal stuff 550 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:43,880 Speaker 1: and they had a snake muppet that was swimming around 551 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:47,280 Speaker 1: in a tank and it was awesome. That's pretty good. 552 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 1: I will check that out. I'll add that to a 553 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:53,000 Speaker 1: Christmas story and it's a wonderful life. You totally should. Well, 554 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,080 Speaker 1: that's pretty much muppets. They're still going on. As we mentioned, 555 00:28:56,080 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: Brian Henson's doing the puppet up Uncensored Crop Show. Yeah. 556 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 1: I think you can catch him at a comic con 557 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:08,240 Speaker 1: in San Diego, Australia. TBS had some stuff. I'm pretty sure. 558 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,360 Speaker 1: If you type in pup it up on the Internet, 559 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: it will bring up some stuff for you. There was 560 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: a Broadway show. There is a Broadway show called Q. 561 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 1: It's like, um, a revision of Sesame Street but adults 562 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 1: a little more drama. Yeah, they had to work it 563 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:28,360 Speaker 1: out with the Hintson Company to get approval and umour 564 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 1: for best Musical. Good move there. And I want to 565 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 1: just recommend if anyone visits Los Angeles ever or lives 566 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 1: in Los Angeles. If you live there, you know about it. 567 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 1: But the Jim Hinton Company is located at the corner 568 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 1: of Libre and Sunset, and it was the original Charlie 569 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:48,479 Speaker 1: Chaplin Studios. So it's this really cool old kind of 570 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:52,080 Speaker 1: English tutor uh studio. But it's it's small. It's not 571 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 1: like some big studio's right in the middle of Hollywood, 572 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,160 Speaker 1: so it's not very big. But um you drive ei 573 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:58,360 Speaker 1: there now and it's got a big archway right when 574 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:00,520 Speaker 1: you drive in, and on top there's like an eight 575 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:03,520 Speaker 1: foot tall kermit dressed as the Charlie Chaplin little tramp 576 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 1: character with the top hat and cane. And here it's 577 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 1: really cool and the Hitler mustache and Hitler mustache. Now 578 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: I don't think he has the mustache. Actually, so Chuck. 579 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 1: I want to leave everybody with a really chilling thought. 580 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: Imagine Jim Henson back in n had decided to go 581 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:25,880 Speaker 1: into accounting and this world was a world without muppets? 582 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:29,120 Speaker 1: Are you trying to make me cry? Isn't that a 583 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:34,600 Speaker 1: weird thought? It really kind of barrels it into perspective. 584 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,640 Speaker 1: We should write a book called a World without Muppets, 585 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: like some sort of reality. Be awful. It's nothing but war. 586 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: So thank you. Jim Henson, who everyone knows. Sadly in 587 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:51,440 Speaker 1: passed away of a kind of pneumonia, and they said 588 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,120 Speaker 1: it wasn't actually pneumonia, but it was. It was a 589 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: bacterial infection that shut his organs down. Basically, he complained 590 00:30:57,600 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 1: of flu like symptoms to his wife or his x 591 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 1: Y food he was still close with. I think they 592 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: were separated at the time. And I went to the 593 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:09,560 Speaker 1: hospital and twenty hours later died. It's very, very sad. 594 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:13,920 Speaker 1: But his children continued that tradition, and his son does 595 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,320 Speaker 1: not actually do the voice of Kermit as many people thought. 596 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: His son Brian, A lot of people thought that he 597 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 1: took over for Kermit. It was actually me for Kermit, 598 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,840 Speaker 1: Yes you did. That's my side gig. So that's muppets. 599 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 1: I could go on for hours, I know you could. 600 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: I gotta stop you right here. We're gonna press stop 601 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:33,880 Speaker 1: on the Stopwatch. Okay, okay, Chuck. Are we doing any 602 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:38,320 Speaker 1: listener mail today? No, Josh, no listener mail. Because this 603 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 1: is a special episode. We want to play it out 604 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 1: with a little treat for the fans, A little snippet 605 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:46,400 Speaker 1: from a song we all know and love. So uh, 606 00:31:46,440 --> 00:32:02,160 Speaker 1: without further ado, take it away. Thanks for coming, everybody. 607 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 1: For more on this and thousands of other topics, visit 608 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. Want more how stuff works, 609 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,680 Speaker 1: check out our blogs on the house stuff works dot 610 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: com home page. M brought to you by the reinvented 611 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,480 Speaker 1: two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are you