This report was brought to us by Mike Westfall, Muppet fan and host of the terrific Advent Calendar House podcast! Thanks for all your hard work, Mike!
With less than a week to go before the official grand opening of the new Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I am eternally grateful for Joe at ToughPigs for thinking of me when he wasn’t able to make the trip to Orlando to attend a special media preview of the ride.
Seriously, folks. My qualifications were:
1. Can drive there, and
2. Joe knew that.
Besides getting to ride the coaster multiple times and take in all the sights and sounds surrounding it, I got to spend a lot of time in the queue getting a closer look at every detail, reference, and tribute I could find.
Disney Parks has already shared some Easter eggs scattered throughout the queue, but I wanted to focus on the little things… in some cases, the very little things… and I’m sure I haven’t spotted them all.
Gallery Case Room
After entering the G-Force Records lobby and before entering the studio hallway is a display behind glass of The Electric Mayhem’s instruments, as well as other musical Muppet items.
In one corner of the display is a small pile of clutter that reveals Yolanda the Rat is the one curating this gallery. She’s left herself a to-do list of items, along with several other rat-sized items like a hunk of cheese, an alarm clock, and a rat-sized guitar in the back behind a cowboy boot.
Among some of Rowlf’s piano accessories is an empty pedestal reserving a spot for a “Priceless Item of Historic and Sentimental Value,” and an I.O.U. note signed “Ben.” We believe this is Ben Conway, associate set decorator for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Studio Hallway
Before entering the studio to watch the preshow, there’s a hallway lined with framed, mostly black-and-white photos, plus covers of albums the Muppets have supposedly recorded. Be sure to look closely at some of the track listings on the album covers.
A portrait of J.P. Grosse adorns one of the hallways leading to the studio booths. The portrait’s plaque includes Grosse’s motto: “Can we do it better and cheaper?”
When the studio door swings open, you might miss this cover for “A stunning full-color photo book and long-playing record from the stage show, “Here Come the Muppets.”
“Here Come the Muppets” ran at the park, then still the Disney-MGM Studios, from 1990 to 1991. I didn’t spot this until my second or third time through. It’s easy to miss, since the studio door covers it when it opens.
Oh, so here’s a little section for Kermit and…
Wait. Let’s have another look at that track list.
Did you find it?
Track 5 of Kermit the Frog’s “Swamp Sounds” is called “Tough Pig.”
Friends, I cannot tell you how delighted Joe was upon seeing that. Tough Pigs is now canon on a Muppet ride in a theme park at Walt Disney World. One of the Cast Members I spoke with asked if I noticed it, and I was happy to confirm Joe found it. What a wonderful tribute.
In the Studio
PizzeRizzo boxes… and unfinished slices… are in a few places along the queue.
Look closely behind Kermit during his video call and you’ll see Mo Frackle, Pokey, and Gaffer the cat.
Resting atop a small pile of old cassette tapes is “The Muppet Show” album from 1977.
Looks like Zoot is still into photography, as seen on Muppets Mayhem – there’s his Polaroid camera!
Once the studio doors open again on the way to your ride to the Mayhem’s concert, the first thing standby riders will see is this Employee of the Month gallery. Scooter’s got quite the streak going.
Next to the Employee of the Month gallery is this portrait of an unnamed G-Force Legend, played by actor Ken Marino, who appeared as Aerosmith’s sound engineer on the original ride.
Riders using Lightning Lane will pass this Parisian coat Miss Piggy wore in 2011’s “The Muppets,” while standby riders will pass a gallery of outfits worn by the band in “The Muppets Mayhem.”
In the Alley
The queue turns left into the alley where the loading area is, but peek around the corner toward the right, and you’ll find a pile of props shipped over from Muppet*Vision 3D, including Statler and Waldorf’s theater seats.
I found this Muppaphone sitting on a fire escape behind a clothesline full of hanging laundry before I noticed several fliers that read “Missing Muppaphone.” The fire escape is right above the point where the L.I.M.O. (Lengthy Immediate Motion Object) stops before launching onto the freeway.
Right after boarding, riders will drive past this rat biker bar, the Squeakeasy, established in 1936… the year Jim Henson was born.
Signs for Chuck’s Uptown Construction Company reference the character Chuck from the Muppet*Vision 3D preshow.
Hidden among Gonzo’s props stored in the alley (which includes, among other things, the topper to his plumbing truck from The Muppet Movie) is this jar of marbles. A Cast Member informed me these marbles were taken from one of the old entrance doors from the original ride.
That’s not the only reference to the old marble doors. Here’s an ad for Angus McGonagle’s marble door business. “More than just gargles — he also marbles!”
A big thanks to The Muppets Studio’s Dani Iglesias for making sure ToughPigs saw this Easter egg. Among a large pile of props Gonzo’s storing in the alley is the cannon from Muppet*Vision 3D, but you’ll have to turn around while passing it to find this bumper sticker, featuring a tribute to Dave Goelz’s dog, Rocket!
In addition to a missing Muppaphone, it seems we still have a lost bunny! A reference to Sweetums’ search for Bean Bunny during Muppet*Vision 3D. Because it’s what appears to be a one-page Word doc written in all caps, I like to imagine Sweetums printed and posted it.
While in line, I thought this might be one of Kermit’s bicycles, or someone else’s from “The Great Muppet Caper.” Now that I compare them, none of the bikes in the movie match this one — for one, they didn’t have white tires — but it definitely made me think of it.
One of my favorite Muppet*Vision 3D secrets was a sign near the show’s entrance that read “Keys Under Mat.” You could then lift up a floor mat nearby to find a door key hiding underneath. I’m happy to report the gag made its way to the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster queue. Under the mat next to a door to Gonzo’s Stunt School is… a tiny set of piano keys! This is on the Lightning Lane side near Gonzo’s pile of props.
Most riders probably won’t get an up-close look at this bulletin board, which is behind Cast Members directing guests onto the L.I.M.O. But a note from Dr. Bunsen Honeydew about extending a 1960s convertible into a longer vehicle includes the lines, “Make it a stretch? Make it a super stretch?” — another reference to a line from Aerosmith’s manager, played by Illeana Douglas, in the original preshow.
It’s small, but I spotted what I think is a tiny model of Fozzie’s Studebaker on a shelf in the parking garage, along with one of Gonzo’s crash helmets.
Speaking of Fozzie’s Studebaker and places it’s been hidden, here’s another “Muppet Movie” reference Dani Iglesias thought ToughPigs would love: A recreation of the Pop Off billboard. After walking under this scaffolding, turn around to see it.
And a Few in the Gift Shop
Rock Around the Shop has a few great Easter eggs hidden high above the shelves, including these suitcases featuring stickers for Worldwide Studios, Mad Man Mooney’s Used Cars from “The Muppet Movie,” the Happiness Hotel from “The Great Muppet Caper,” and Gonzo’s Royal Flush from 2011’s “The Muppets.” Gonzo’s Royal Flush was also a sign over the bathrooms in the old Muppets Courtyard.
This suitcase features stickers for Scrooge & Marley from “The Muppet Christmas Carol” — or I guess just “A Christmas Carol” — and the Admiral Benbow Inn from “Muppet Treasure Island.”
More stickers from Muppet movies include El Sleezo Cafe and Doc Hopper’s FrogLegs from “The Muppet Movie,” and Fozziwig and Mom Ltd. from “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”
Finally (for now), these cases, labeled “MV3D,” are colored blue and red like a pair of classic 3D glasses. Sitting atop them is Chuck’s hardhat from the old preshow. It was very heartwarming to find so many references to Muppet*Vision 3D, and I’m thrilled to have a moment to stop and look around for them.
To ToughPigs and Disney Parks, in the words of a rat I know, “Thank you for making me a part of this.”
Stay tuned for more Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster coverage here on ToughPigs over the coming weeks!
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by Mike Westfall
