Previously on Jim Henson’s Birthday Celebration in NYC…
All in all, New York City was a Muppet fanatic’s paradise as we celebrated Jim Henson. It’s the biggest celebration yet… until we hopefully do it again next year!
So guess what? We did do it again… and it was even bigger than before! In fact, there was so much fun to go around this time, we couldn’t even contain it to just one day. September 20 and 21 saw the Big Apple become a haven of creativity and Muppet nerdery. Whether you couldn’t be there or just want to revisit the memories, here’s how it went down!
On Saturday, the festivities began with a walking tour of Manhattan, led by ToughPigs’ own Joe Hennes, focused on the Henson-related landmarks. Our own Ryan Roe shares his account of the tour:
The tour was made even more special by the presence of Richard Termine, a former puppet builder with the Muppet workshop who later became a photographer. This guy has taken approximately a zillion beautiful photos of Muppets (and humans!). Termine shared several fascinating stories along the way, for example: When protestors organized in Columbus Circle to prevent some historically significant buildings from being demolished, a group of full-bodied Sesame Street Live-style Muppet costume characters showed up to join in! He also told us a story about the Russian embassy that was located across the street from the old workshop and the comings and goings he observed, which sounded like a storyline from The Americans.
Highlights of the tour included several locations in Central Park, including a pond used in a Play-Along video and some environmental PSAs. And this year’s tour had some new flourishes! At various stops, the crowd was entertained by puppets (yes, PUPPETS!) reenacting Muppet bits and singing songs. When we reached the historical Central Park Dairy, cows serenaded us with a rendition of the old Cloverland Dairy jingle from a classic Henson commercial. These pleasant periodic puppet performances were provided by Tau Bennett and Brandon Smith.
There was also an additional musical component to this year’s tour. Several times throughout the morning, we sang familiar songs like “Movin’ Right Along” and “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon.” But we didn’t just sing them — we sang them in multiple vocal parts, like some kind of Muppet Tabernacle Choir, capably conducted by Yanniv Frank from Heather Henson’s Green Feather Foundation.
As in previous years, Lucas Ross was on hand to provide accompaniment with his banjo. In addition to the organized songs, many spontaneous sing-alongs broke out, and it sure seemed like Lucas knew how to play every single Muppet song ever on that magic banjo of his.
The centerpiece of the tour was a stop at the benches dedicated to Jim Henson and Jon Stone. We decorated the benches and the surrounding asphalt with colorful drawings and messages (in washable chalk, of course) and posed for a group photo. Lots of passersby stopped to ask what this was all about, and they were all delighted to learn that we were Muppet fans celebrating Jim Henson’s birthday.
The tour concluded at the Henson Carriage House, where we enjoyed the air conditioning and watched clips of productions shot in the studio space there. Yep, we were in the same room where the music video for “She Drives Me Crazy” was made! Finally, we all received some special Muppet fan art “trading cards” designed by Will Carroll before heading to Queens and the Museum of the Moving Image. I got a Labyrinth Worm!
It was a morning full of information, history, music, and fun — but even more than that, it was a morning full of Muppet fan camaraderie, with Muppet fan friends reuniting, meeting for the first time, and chatting about every conceivable Muppet-related topic (and not-Muppet-related… I had a nice conversation about the Marx Brothers with a fellow fan). And fortunately, the Muppet fan togetherness kept on going for the rest of the weekend!
Back at the Museum of the Moving Image, professional puppeteer Brian Carson led a puppetry workshop for all ages and skill levels. (You see, because it’s a little-known fact that Jim Henson was a puppeteer.)
One of the main features of the weekend was the long-awaited reveal of “The 70 Greatest Moments in Henson History,” as nominated by fans here on ToughPigs and selected by guru of all things Muppets and Henson Craig Shemin. But before that, we were treated to a singalong and mini-concert by Lucas Ross. (With all the music he played, I sure hope he treated himself to a new set of banjo strings after the weekend.)
While we’re not quite ready to reveal the full listing just yet, it was a well-balanced celebration of the last 70 years. Unless you think “Shapes in My Room” is the greatest moment in Henson history. Then you may have been disappointed.
As day turned to night on Saturday, the party moved across the street to Pig Beach BBQ, where karaoke was the order of the evening. You know, like from the episode “Pig Out” from The Muppets!
The festivities resumed on Sunday, kicked off by this year’s edition of the Swa(m)p Meet. With rare Muppet merchandise and unique works of art at every table, the question on fans’ minds was how quickly they could shatter their budget. Still, it’s worth it for a vintage Muppet*Vision 3D t-shirt and a TV Guide promoting The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, right? Right?
Emily Engel once again showed off her craftsmanship with her famed Muppet replicas. Where Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker were going, they didn’t need roads. Or puppeteers. Because they were standees.
But perhaps the biggest table at the meet once again went to Chris Stulz, who has so much Muppet stuff, he named a website after it.
Just outside the Swa(m)p Meet, fans could put their knowledge to the test as Craig hosted a Henson Trivia Spectacular centered around Sam and Friends. It was almost like he had a new book to promote or something.
The first game was “Sam or Friends,” as contestants had to figure out whether a plot summary was from an episode of Sam and Friends or the sitcom Friends. (I’m pretty sure one series finale had Professor Madcliffe getting off a plane and reuniting with Rachel, and the other had Ross blowing up the set.)
“Sam? or Scam?” was a play on a simple true or false game based on facts about the series. (Sam and Friends, that is. Friends trivia would have to wait for another day.)
Finally, there was “Tune-a-Finish,” where fans tried to guess the next lyric in a song featured on the show. To make things slightly easier, all of the songs used were later performed on The Muppet Show. Do you know the words to “Pachalafaka?” I’ll start: “So no one told you life was gonna be this way.” (I have a problem.)
Over in the courtyard, we got to hear some lovely instrumentals of classic Muppet tunes courtesy of John Koozin and the Neighborhood. But the excitement was only beginning!
Following the music, fans strutted their stuff in the costume contest, hosted by Joe! You know, from ToughPigs.com! There were a LOT of great outfits and some really neat deep cuts, like an ensemble inspired by Gonzo’s turn as Charles Dickens in The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Of course, Gonzo’s longtime girlfriend got some love too! One of the standouts was an elaborate dress and headpiece representing Camilla.
Even Joe got in on the fun, dressing as Uncle Traveling Matt… whose mustache was temperamental and quit early on in the contest. It’s no wonder Matt’s afraid of it!
Someone even came not as Shrinkel or Stretchel, but as the very concept of Pak-Nit itself. That’s the kind of dedication and love of deep cuts people can expect at this event.
Hey, that’s not Prairie Dawn! That’s our own Becca Petunia, in one of her rare moments between podcasts.
Ultimately, three groups of contestants led to three finalists: Camilla, Jim Henson, and Dave Goelz. (Yes, the person in the green plaid shirt isn’t supposed to be Jim, they’re Dave. A lot of Muppet performers had beards back in the day, so it gets confusing.)
But ultimately, we were all there for Jim’s birthday, so Henson naturally took the title. (And a poster from The Art of the Muppets exhibition, which was also neat.)
Being a birthday celebration, there was cake to mark the occasion. It looked a lot like last year’s cake, but I tasted it, and it wasn’t stale at all, so I’m guessing they got a new one,
As MoMI closed for the night, the party once again headed to Pig Beach, where Heather Henson said a few words acknowledging everyone who helped make the weekend so special. She also led a singalong of “Rainbow Connection” in three-part harmony. (You didn’t even need to know the words, as one part was just singing “lovers” and “dreamers” over and over.)
John Koozin and the Neighborhood returned to provide accompaniment for those who wanted to sing their own Muppet songs. Joe, Richard Michael Gomez, and Gav rocked out to “Can You Picture That?”
And finally, Lucas closed out the night by breaking out his banjo and giving a timeshare presentation. (Just kidding, he played with the band.)
And thus ended an epic weekend celebrating Jim Henson and his legacy of imagination. Will we get to do it again next year and make it even bigger? Will Frank Oz will show up and give us all a nice, shiny quarter? Will we get a Gogolala Jubilee Jugband-themed mosh pit? Will they pick a different design for the cake? Only time will tell. But for now, we’ve got another round of memories that will stay with us forever.
Click here to LOVERS! DREAMERS! on the ToughPigs Discord!
by Matthew Soberman – [email protected]
Additional Reporting by Ryan Roe – [email protected]
