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Welcome back to the Tough Pigs art gallery! It’s part two of the Young Muppet Fans Art Extravaganza (part one can be found here), and today we’ll be looking at works from the past, submitted by the artists now that they’re older and taller and can grow moustaches. Well, some of them can grow moustaches, anyway.

Leighanne M is going to kick things off for us, with this pair of pics of Bert and Ernie she made when she was 4 and 5, respectively.

Regarding the caption on that first picture, Leighanne offers this word of explanation: “I made Ernie’s and Bert’s torsos way too long so I solved the problem by calling them worms. Imagine the Muppet News Flash that would've ensued if Bernice the pigeon were a wormivore.” Leighanne called the second picture “Sharing Schmaring,” and I think it’s a pretty good snapshot of our favorite odd couple.

Hey, I like Sesame Street characters. Let’s see some more. Here’s Mary Catherine O's Big Bird, drawn when she was around 5 years old.

The cool thing about this picture is that it’s a great recreation of an illustration in The Sesame Street ABC Storybook, from a story in which a knightly Big Bird is searching the kingdom for things that begin with the letter A... or possibly for foods which keep the doctor away, I'm not sure which.

Speaking of Sesame characters and books, when Michael H was 7, he affectionately paid homage to – or as he puts it, “blatantly plagiarized” – the literary classic Oscar's Book by creating this three-page work.

It’s powerful stuff. When Oscar begs you not to look at the book on the first page, it only ensures that you must dare to look at the second page, where he begins to warn you that the book will make you crazy, only to think better of it and declare that it’ll make you crazy.

Finally, he asks you to play “mud drag,” whatever that is (the artist has no recollection as to its significance). And you’re right there with him.

It’s a pretty ambitious work, but Michael wasn’t the only one experimenting with long form techniques as a kid. Here’s another selection from 5-year-old Mary Catherine. It’s her adaptation of A Muppet Christmas Carol, complete with “Miss Piggy twins.”

Now I’m going to force you to look at another one of my own childhood drawings. It’s Rowlf the Dog, drawn around the same time as the Kermit I showed you in this original post. (And most likely on the very same day – I work fast when I’m inspired.)

Go for it, Rowlf! Play the heck out of that tiny piano with your differently sized arms!

Here’s something different. When Josh H was 13, he took shop class, where he was assigned to create a shelf. When the teacher said the shelf could take any shape, Josh says his “Muppet senses kicked in, and a light bulb went off,” and he knew he had to make the class’s only Gonzo shelf. Nine weeks later, he had this lovely piece:

Shifting our attention now from Gonzo to Gobo, here are some Fraggle Rock watercolors painted by Justin P way back when he was only three years old. The first one is Gobo flanked by Red and Mokey, and the second one is Pa Gorg.

I’m pretty sure Pa is dancing there. For more Fraggles, we turn back to Leighanne, who drew individual portraits of the show’s main characters.

I think seven-year-old Leighanne could have gotten a job as a portrait artist at Six Flags Over Fraggle Rock.

Wow. Lots of great pictures. But we’re not done yet! Here’s another one from the prolific Mary Catherine – it’s an adorable rendering captioned “One day, Kermit asked Miss Piggy to go to the prom with him.”

After seeing that, I can only assume Piggy is wearing her prom dress is Mary Catherine’s next picture.

And finally, let’s close things out with Stevie B’s shot of the Muppet Show cast, drawn when Stevie was five.

If that picture doesn’t make you smile, you need to pay a visit to the smile repair shop as soon as possible. And that’s what this whole thing was about… the Muppets make kids smile, and kids draw the Muppets, which makes everyone else smile. We all win.

Yikes… this might just be the least cynical ToughPigs.com article ever. What have I done?!

Click here to discuss this article on the Tough Pigs forum! And stay tuned for a possible follow-up exhibition for grown-ups!

Labels: fan art, fanaticism

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else, to the Young Muppet Fans Art Extravaganza! The Tough Pigs art gallery is now officially open.

A while back, I asked for samples of Muppety art from kids past and present, and I received some really great submissions. I said “Awwwww!” many, many times while going through these pictures. In fact, I may buy a new refrigerator just so I can display all these works of art.

I’m going to divide up the pictures into categories, and post them in two separate articles, so as no to overwhelm you with cuteness. First up, some art from the kids of the 21st century.

Let’s start things off with two drawings of Pino. Pino is Big Bird’s counterpart from the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street, and he’s rendered here by 8-year-old Ana and 7-year-old Anouk.




He certainly looks happy to have achieved the dream of seeing his name in blocks. Next up, let’s take a look at a trio of Kermits. Inspired by a Fisher-Price puppet, 8-year-old Sofie drew a Kermit who seems to be saying, “Make love, not war:”

Next, 12-year-old H. used the time-honored medium of pencil to create this Kermit:

And 12-year-old J. drew our favorite flippered fellow chillin’ in the swamp. Note the accurate depiction of Kermit playing banjo left-handed, a detail some professional illustrators don’t even get right.


Speaking of Kermit, how about a picture that tells the timeless story of love between a frog and a pig? The pig’s little doggy is there too, in this work of art by 6-year-old Gillian.


The text reads: The Muppet Party Cruise: The Muppet Show

They love each other. They are family forever. They lived happily [ever] after.

Piggy: “I love you Kermit”
Kermit: “I love you too Piggy”
Piggy: “I love you Foo-Foo”
Foo-Foo: “roof-roof roof-roof”

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Thank you for coming to The Muppet Show.

A happier work of art I’ve never seen. You know what else makes me happy? The Electric Mayhem. And here they are, rendered by 8-year-old Sara. (Eight seems to be a good age for Muppet art. Maybe that’s when we reach our Muppet-drawing peak.)


I especially like Sara’s artistic choice of leaving the whole picture black and white except for Dr. Teeth’s gold tooth. Very striking. Also: Just how cool is Floyd? He’s so cool he can play in the band without his bass. Continuing with Sara’s theme of Muppet Show musicians, here’s Rowlf, joined by some singing chickens.


Say, those are some nice-looking Muppet chickens. It’s a good thing, then, that Sara continued the Chicken Period of her career with this flattering portrait of Camilla.


Among the e-mails I received in response to the call for entries was one from a Mr. Hai hoa, who writes:

“hihihihi”

Well hello to you too, buddy, but I’m afraid you forgot to include any Muppet art. Maybe next time get your kid to whip up a picture of Harvey Kneeslapper, or something.

Let’s close out this category of the exhibition with a series of Sesame Street character studies by 5-year-old Miles. First up, two Caroll Spinney characters – Shivers the Penguin and Bennett Snerf. Just kidding! It’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.


That’s a nest of baby birds accompanying Big Bird there. Perhaps he’s babysitting for his Uncle Slim. Next, Miles gives us one of the biggest Sesame characters and one of the smallest. It’s Snuffy (joined by a baby snuffleupagus) and Slimey (puppet wire included).


Finally, here’s an image I’d like to have on a T-shirt: It’s Miles’ depiction of Cookie Monster.


What’s the matter with kids today? Not a thing, judging by these fantastic pictures. Muppet fan spirit is alive and well in the current generation, and I don’t know about you, but that gives me hope for the future of mankind.

Now that we’ve been amazed and inspired by those works of art, here’s some silly stuff just for fun. When I posted the call for entries, I suggested that those without access to pictures by actual kids could create some new artwork using kid-inspired techniques. I got a handful of entries… all of which came from my friends from the Tough Pigs forum… and myself. But here they are.

I want to mention that the next ten pictures you’ll see here were drawn wrong-handed, to simulate childhood motor functions, thus ensuring authenticity. Here’s a Sam the Eagle, drawn by me. In the interest of maintaining the joke, I’m going to say that I was eight when I drew this.


Here’s an obscure character and an old favorite – Marlon Fraggle from Fraggle Rock and Scooter. I’ll say I was 10 and 12, respectively, when I drew these.


And here’s my portrait of the Count with his girlfriend, the Countess. I think this looks like the work of a 5-year-old Ryan.


Next up, a series of fake childhood drawings by Joe. Here are three monsters – Cookie Monster, Telly, and a very specific Beautiful Day Monster (from a season one Bert & Ernie sketch.)


And here's fake young Joe's take on a Honker:


And now, from Michal, here are three Sesame Street characters: Herry, Guy Smiley, and Lefty the salesman.


And here’s Michal’s crayon drawing of a Doozer. It’s worth noting that Michal drew this upside-down in order to further the kid aesthetic.


Finally, we’ll close out this category with Shawn’s vibrant portrait of Kremit. I mean, Kermit.

I’m not sure whether Shawn used his right hand or his wrong hand to create that, but it captures the kid aesthetic nicely.

That’s it for today. But come back soon -- oh, let's say Monday -- when we’ll be looking at lots of great vintage fan art by kid Muppet fans who have since grown up to become mature, well-adjusted grown-ups who occasionally sing Rubber Duckie in their cars.

Click here to discuss this article on the Tough Pigs forum!

ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com

Labels: fan art, fanaticism

Come with me as I gaze into the Muppet crystal! The way this works, is, you tell me when you were born, and I will use my powers of prognostication to tell you your destiny based on that the Muppets were doing in the year of your birth. Just call me Madame Shawn! Except, don't call me that.

Your results may vary. Side effects include people knowing how old you are, flashbacks to your childhood, or general ennui. As with all prescription horoscopes and fortune-telling, please consult with your family medium or religious leader.


Joe H.

Birthdate: January 1, 1982
Sign: The Dark Crystal

Joe, you were born under the dark sign of The Dark Crystal, which premiered in 1982. Which automatically makes your birthstone Dark Crystal, but it'll be tough finding a miniature plush teddy bear with a necklace that includes a piece at convenience stores.

Your personality: Unfortunately, this truly is a dark sign - you are tedious, and possibly too smart for your own good. You look pretty, though.

Your future: College kids will gather around you while high.


Michal R.

Birthdate: November 4, 1983
Sign: Fraggle Rock

Michal, you were born under the whimsical sign of Fraggle Rock, which premiered in the year of your birth.

Your personality: Michals are a noble race - fearless, dignified, and intellectual. They represent the very pinnacle of civilization and culture. A Michal is most assuredly the best of all possible creatures.

Your future: That movie deal you've been hoping for? Don't hold your breath.


Andrew L.

Birthdate: October 23, 1980
Sign: Shirley Bassey

Andrew, your sign is the Shirley Bassey episode of The Muppet Show, where she performed "Goldfinger".

Your personality: Everything about you shines, and people are always trying to... uh... steal you? Um, the crystal is fading, faaaadinggg...

Your future: You will become either a Bond villain or a Bond girl. Your pick.


Mary Catherine O.

Birthdate: February 9, 1988
Sign: Croonchy Stars

Mary Cate, you were born under the auspicious (and delicious!) Croonchy Star.

Your personality: You are both sweet and entertaining, like the cereal and the box it came in.

Your future: People will spend their entire adult lives trying to remember what you were like. Were you like Apple Jacks? Kinda. Yeah, let's say Apple Jacks. Croonchy Stars weren't around long but are fondly remembered. Not saying that should mean anything to you, just keep it in mind.


Catherine W.

Birthdate: November 14, 1975
Sign: Cher

Cathy, you were born under the star of Cher, whose show featured the Muppets on November 16th of your birth year.

Your personality: You believe in life after love.

Your future: Gay men will inexplicably worship you for many, many years. And apparently humor writers will exploit your very tenuous Muppet connections.


Elizabeth Anne E.

Birthdate: November 20, 1984
Sign: Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places

Elizabeth, your sign is one of stability and comfort, as shown by the book Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places, which featured a number of Grover's favorite 'resting spots' - colored spots on the pages you can rest yourself on.

Your personality: You always offer people a shoulder to lean on. And luckily for them, it's designated by a brightly colored circle, so they know just where to lean.

Your future: Get used to people pressing their body parts up against you.


Alaina B.

Birthdate: September 19, 1984
Sign: The Muppet Show On Tour

Alaina, your sign is an enigmatic one - The Muppet Show On Tour live show.

Your personality: You are like the wind, never putting down roots, flitting from place to place. Yet you create much anticipation and always leave people with a smile.

Your future: People will remark that you're a good five feet taller than you look on TV.


David B.

Birthdate: January 28, 1982
Sign: The Twiddlebug Game

David, your sign is The Twiddlebug Game, a Sesame Street-themed card game.

Your personality: Everyone loves you, David, because you're such a card! Get it? Because... because of the... you know... right?

Your future: Look, man, I'm really sorry about that joke. We cool?


Kellie B.

Birthdate: October 3, 1973
Sign: Sesamstrasse

Kellie, Ihr Zeichen ist Sesamstrasse, die deutsche Sesamkoproduktion, die 1973 anfing.

Your personality: Sie sind recognizeable aber zu Ihrem amerikanischen Selbst unterschiedlich, aber gerade, wie geliebt außer dieser rosafarbenen Schnecke. Dieses Kerls sonderbar, Mannes.

Your future: Sorgen Sie nicht sich um es - ich bezweifele jedermann, das geht, zu versuchen und darzustellen aus, was dieses sagt.


Peter P.

Birthdate: April 30, 1979
Sign: Shields & Yarnell

Peter, your sign is another enigmatic one: the Shields & Yarnell episode of The Muppet Show, which aired in October of 1979.

Your personality: Who the hell are Shields & Yarnell? Weren't they that campy pop duo? Oh, no, wait, that's The Captain & Tennille.

Your future: Hold on, I need to look this up. Okay, it says that Shields & Yarnell were mimes. Huh. Well, alright. You will be very quiet.


Anthony S.

Birthdate: December 30, 1984
Sigh - Another person born in 1984?

Man, you guys. There's only so much that happened in 1984 with the Muppets, you know? Unless you want to be another Sesame Street book.

Your personality: Okay, you know what? You're Muppet Babies. How do you like that? Maybe next time you won't be so born in 1984.

Your future: You will feel slighted by fortune tellers.

Want to have your Muppet Horoscope told? Let us know at the Tough Pigs forums!

Labels: fanaticism, lists

It's the eternal question that separates all Henson fans. Do you prefer the intricate art and stylings of the Dark Crystal or the fun adventurous characters of Labyrinth? Would you rather see the Trial by Stone or a Firey rip off his own head? Are you all about the Crystal Shard or the Crystal Balls?

There's only one way to solve this matter. Head on over to the ToughPigs forum and cast your vote!

Click here to vote for Gelflings or Goblins on the ToughPigs forum!

Labels: Creature Shop movies, poll

Back when you were a little kid (or before you were born, depending), The Jim Henson Company made a not-poorly-recieved film called Labyrinth. It starred Jennifer Connelly as intrepid-esque teen Sarah, a mincing David Bowie as Jareth, the Goblin King, and a ton of Creature Shop Muppets designed by Brian Froud. It had some goofy costumes and effects (as well as some pretty decent effects, let's be fair) and a good amount of genuine British humor, supplied, as you'd expect, by hardworking British people. I liked it then, and it's okay now.

A few years ago Tokyopop, an American comic book company that usually specializes in translating and reprinting Japanese comics acquired the Labyrinth license, and set about making a graphic novel (more specifically, a Japanese manga) that would serve as a direct sequel to the original movie.

And I guess that was their first mistake.

When you pick up the book, you initially notice the very pretty painted cover by Kouyu Shurei. Tokyopop really wants you to notice that, in particular - along with the writer and artist credits on the cover, the cover artist's name is there as well. Odd, that. But it is a Japanese name, and I guess it's meant to distract you from what's inside - no Japanese creators. See, the big deal about this being a Labyrinth manga instead of comic book is that manga is known among its fans as having very well-done, detailed artwork and interesting, character-driven plots by Japanese writers and artists. The Labyrinth manga, however, was written by Jake T. Forbes and drawn by Chris Lie. Now, I don't know from foreigners, but that don't sound too Japanese to me.

So really quick, let's take a short detour and check out the creator bios in the back of the book for a second, okay? Now, it says here that Mr. Forbes has been an "English-language localizer for an unhealthy amount of manga". Huh. When you use a word like 'unhealthy' in your own biography, what kind of expectations are you laying out for us, your audience? Well, whatever, I read an unhealthy amount of manga, so I should be cool with it. It also says he's presently a "Quest Writer for massively multiplayer online games". Oh. I see. So that's what we're dealing with here. All right. Well.

Let's open the book anyway, shall we?

Okay, so the book begins with a recap of the original Labyrinth via the dialog of the play Sarah is rehearsing for at the beginning of that movie: "...In a kingdom far away, there lived a beautiful princess... through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered..." You should probably just go ahead and re-watch the first movie anyway, as it's kind of vague, here.

Our story proper opens with Toby, the baby half-brother Sarah spent all of Labyrinth trying to rescue. He's all growed up, a high school student, and he looks like a girl.



I should explain that the artist is clearly going for a shoujo look for the visuals, and what shoujo means to you, essentially, is "pretty, pretty lady". Every character, male, female, hermaphrodite (yep, we got those here in Japanese-type comics) looks like either a pretty 15-year-old girl or a pretty 25-year-old lady. That's it, save for the goblins. You say you want luxurious eyelashes? Brother, you came to the right place. I'm not really criticizing that aspect as much as I'm just making fun for the sake of it - the intended audience is pre-teen fantasy fans, and it's an appropriate look. But more on the art later.

When we enter, we're just in time to see Toby demolishing the school play he's performing in. Flubbing his lines, setting the stage on fire, endangering lives. This quickly becomes a theme - Toby's a loser. He's no good at his schoolwork (he's also not very bright, as it turns out), he's kind of lazy and a procrastinator, as shown by his failing a test because he stayed up all night playing (surprise) massively multiplayer online games. I have no solid proof, but I'd imagine Toby regularly has at least a slight case of teenage B.O. You kind of start to wonder why Jareth even wanted to keep the kid in the first place.



One of the big missteps in the transition from the movie to the manga is the characterization of Irene, Sara's stepmother and Toby's natural mom. In the movie, a key point was that Sarah's mother was harried and trying to be as good a parent as possible, but that Sarah was an ungrateful brat. They completely switched the character around for the manga - I guess years of having to put up with Sarah's elaborate doll collections has made Irene bitter. She's a total bitch in the book, and Toby's dad is nowhere to be seen. The irony of the character's perceived Cinderella situation has been turned into fact, making the story even more two-dimensional. Not only do his parents not go to watch to the play he destroys, but when Toby comes home, a note on the fridge says, and I quote:

"Toby - your father and I will be out until late this evening. Don't go mucking about in the fridge for something to eat. It's hard enough planning meals without you eating whatever you feel like. There should be some leftover soup in the freezer. If you really must eat, eat that. - Irene"

Damn. If you really must eat, I suppose, but I don't like it. So this soup in the freezer, would it be next to the Ziplock bag you keep your heart in, Mom? Also, "signed Irene"? Recall that in the movie this woman is Sarah's stepmother; but she's Toby's biological parent. Not to drag out the freezer metaphor, but cold. Mom and Dad are out for a night on the town, probably enjoying a nice swordfish steak, possibly with asparagus in some kind of cream sauce and fingerling potatoes, and her darling, cherished natural son gets frozen soup and resentment. Nice. And while we're examining this note, "mucking about"? I'm sorry, but in the film Irene is not British, or even Australian, as far as I'm aware. I'm not sure what kind of weird personality she's trying to affect here, but in the manga, she's a frightening woman. I might have been too harsh on Toby earlier - clearly he has a lot in his daily life he needs to escape from, and his Kingdom of Goblins MMORPG must be like sweet heroin.



Fortunately for Toby, he does have an ally - Sarah, who's now an adult with an unflattering hairstyle and goofy hornrimmed glasses. But she knows what a pain in the ass Irene can be, and offers soothing words, support, sisterly affection, even cooks the poor sap a real dinner. And Toby shows his gratitude by exclaiming, when Sarah heads home for the night, "Thank God. I thought she'd never leave!" so he can cloister himself in his room and play his cherished computer games until the crack of dawn. I love Toby. Don't you?



The next day, Toby gets caught not cheating on the aforementioned math test (it's complicated, and further proof of Toby's ineptitude) by his handlebar-moustachioed, be-Afro'd math teacher. He's like a black Gene Shalit, this guy, and completely baffling character-design-wise. So Toby is sent to see the principal, where he meets Jareth, who's disguised as a 'guidance counselor'. Albeit a guidance counselor with really long nails and more eye makeup than you'd usually see on a male member of a high school's faculty.

He then flirts with Toby a bit (so I guess, at least, that part's true to life) and tells him about the goblin Honor Guard that he (Jareth) has set up to monitor Toby, and that eveything good that's ever happened to him (Toby) is thanks to him (Jareth) including recieving stolen property and implied physical harm to others. Then (God, it just goes on, doesn't it?) Jareth calls Toby an ungrateful little snot and jumps out a third-story window, which is pretty much what you're hoping would happen by this point anyway. But the scene does serve as a decent explanation as to why Toby hasn't been eaten by a bear or hit by a semi due to his own incompetence yet. I mean, I'd been wondering about it.



The little bitch (Toby!) goes home where he flails his uncoordinated, gangly teenage limbs around his bedroom, unplugging his computer and erasing the first homework assignment he's ever actually worked on in his life. Luckily, he had enough foresight to print out his efforts before he went spastic, but (and don't you hate when this happens) a goblin steals his homework, leads him through a Fraggle hole in his closet and into the world of the Labyrinth in a sequence that's totally not at all like anything from either Alice in Wonderland or The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Or a fucking retelling of the original movie. Jesus. And that - mercifully - is the end of Chapter One. Oh, wait - Chapter One... of the six chapters in this book. You know what? I'm done.

So let's see, what've we got so far? A cast of mostly unlikeable characters, and a hero I personally wouldn't root for if I were a trained French pig and he were a gourmet truffle. I have to admit, this is basically where I stopped reading the book. I skimmed through the rest, enough to know what was happening. But by this point I'd been beaten up (emotionally and possibly physically) by the thing, and I was only about sixty pages in.

Let's touch briefly on the artwork, seeing as it's half of the experience. The artist, as I mentioned, is doing this story in 'the manga style'. Except, um, he can't. By which I mean he isn't really very good. I'm sorry, but there it is, and it's especially apparent when he tries to adapt Brian Froud's original character designs. The biggest problem is it's just sort of bland - it has the most generic 'manga look' to it - things are drawn fairly competently, but not interestingly, and that includes the Goblin City and Labyrinth scenes. If the original movie had anything, it had amazing sets - dingy and worn but fantastic and surreal. The manga somehow manages to make the art inspired by those sets look, well, boring, if you can imagine. Everything is really hollow and lifeless at best, unpleasant at worst.

Plus the art looks just plain rushed, which it probably was. In defense of the artist, working by yourself on a graphic novel is a pretty big strain, especially when you have to do several hundred pages of artwork over the course of months, not years. But still, when you see his portrayal of The Worm (of "'Allo!" fame) - a likeable bit of Froud character design, and something people point to when they remember the film - you will wonder why, suddenly, a horrible zombie creature has taken that character's place in the manga.



Just so you know I can put my money where my mouth is, I spent five minutes sketching, using the same photo it looks like Chris Lie used to base his drawing of the Worm on, and came up with this:



Not to toot my own artistic horn (well, maybe just a little), but tell me that isn't a Worm you'd want to follow inside and have a cuppa tea with the Missus.

It's all a shame, too, because this would have been a great opportunity to really go nuts with the Labyrinth mythos. Watching the movie, you get the idea that there's a whole lot of stuff just behind the scenes they presented - there's a lot that could be told about how things work, the history; the cockeyed, funny fantasy-logic that makes the thing tick. You get some of that in the Froud art books that accompany the original movie, but this is also supposed to be a new story. And since it's a comic book (and you don't have to wory about an effects budget), you could do so much more than serve up a warmed-over Cinderella plot with lazy-yet-rushed art.

It seems like Tokyopop got the Labyrinth license and wanted to rush something out as quickly and cheaply as possible before it got stale - how much could it cost, really, to hire a Quest Writer for a MMORPG? I'm imagining the story that could have been told if a team of really talented Japanese creators had been hired to do the book - there's a specific flavor a lot of genuine fantasy and shoujo manga has that just isn't captured here. And the artwork - well, it's too bad that the cover has to act like a rabbit snare to get people to buy the book.

So in conclusion: Whiny, abused kids, mincing, fey rock gods and undead worms. I guess that about covers it! My suggestion is to read Return to Labyrinth if you have too much joy in your life, and need to be reminded of the darkness that lurks around the corner, unsuspected, waiting. Alternatively, if you don't hate yourself, just watch the original movie. Or any other movie. Or do anything else. Don't - don't read this comic book.

You can discuss this article on the Tough Pigs Forum.

Labels: comics/magazines, Creature Shop movies, Tokyopop

This just in, Disney Adventures magazine will soon be printing brand new Muppet comic strips! The series will be drawn by comic book artist Roger Langridge. On Langridge’s blog, he wrote:

“Curtrently working on: The Muppets! Disney Adventures Magazine are about to start a regular Muppets comic strip, written and drawn by Yours Truly. I have to admit this is a bit of a thrill - I realised only a few years ago how much of an influence the original, 1970s Muppet Show was on my comics work. So to be actually doing it is quite a weird feeling.” (sp)

Of course, this is not the first time the Muppets have appeared in comic strip-form. “The Muppets” was written and drawn by Guy and Brad Gilchrist from 1981 to 1986.

I should also add that I used to have a subscription to Disney Adventures, which I collected for the Bone comic features, by Jeff Smith. It made me into a lifetime Bone fan, so who knows? Maybe Disney is actually taking steps toward getting new fans as obsessed as us!

In any case, I’m sure we can all agree that new Muppet stuffs is good newses.

See below for a sample of Roger Langridge's art.
Click here to discuss this article on the ToughPigs forum! Biff! Bam! Pow!

Labels: comics/magazines, disney

Look at your Muppet Show: Season One DVDs. I bet they're pretty lonely sitting there on the shelf with no other Muppet Show DVDs to pal around with, forced to make awkward small talk with your Munsters and Murphy Brown discs.

Well, now they're in luck, and so are you, and so am I, because it's been reported on numerous websites that The Muppet Show: Season Two will be available on DVD on August 7, with 24 episodes on four discs. Bonus features will include a featurette called "The Muppets on the Muppets," a feature on the Muppet-centric Weezer music video for "Keep Fishin'," and The Muppet Valentine special. Now fans of Don Knotts, Rivers Cuomo, and Mia Farrow all have reason to celebrate!

Season two is where we first meet Beaker, and the Pigs in Space crew, and of course it's packed with hilarity and music and comedy and probably some chickens, so it's great that this is finally being released, two years after the release of season one. In fact, this announcement has me so excited, I'm going to go watch the entire season one set again to prepare.

Discuss the season two discs on the Tough Pigs forum!

Labels: DVD, the muppet show

Come, friends, travel back in time with me. The year is 2007. The month: April. Grindhouse was new in movie theaters. Wal-Mart retook the #1 position on the 2007 Fortune 500 list with $351.1 billion in revenue for 2006. Little Richard was just about one month younger.

And we here at ToughPigs.com rallied the troops to bring in the vote for Statler and Waldorf: From the Balcony for the 2007 Webby Awards. Obviously, our tactics bore sweet fruit because SaW:FtB brought home the Webby!

Believe you me, we did not see this coming. I mean, it’s an honor to just be nominated. I’d like to thank my mom and Elvis. And the producers, and my assistant Marie, who was always there when I needed a cup of coffee. I can’t forget to thank Todd Bridges for his motivational speeches, and Sweetums for giving me piggy-back rides whenever I asked. Ok, they’re playing the get-off-the-stage music now, so I’ll wrap things up. Get our troops out of Iraq! Thank you very much!

Click here to discuss whether you voted Muppocrat or Republifraggle on the Tough Pigs forum.

Labels: awards, internet, statler and waldorf