Extreme Makeover: Sweetums Edition

[Hubert]

I was watching a TMS episode last night, and watching the theme, a longtime wondering that I've always had came back to me, and now that I have a whole forum to discuss it with, I thought that we should. In the opening of TMS, when the five monsters come out at the beginning, Sweetums is there. However, Sweetums looks entirely different in that opening than he ever did in any other appearances I know of.

Originally I had thought that that was simply an original version of Sweetums, but once I got the TMS season 1 and The Frog Prince, I realized that it couldn't be. In all of those appearances, Sweetums has his original design. Yet at the beginning of season two (when the opening was filmed), Sweetums has a different design than he ever has had.

 

[Vincent L]

Hm, looks the same to me.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

It's true. His eyes are extremely different. And his colour is slightly off, he looks more...ragged might be the word.

(By the way, love the name of this thread. Good one Hubert )

 

[Hubert]

Yeah, sorry, it's hard to see in these pictures, but his eyes and hair are all just so different that he has this tougher, shaggier, ragged look to him. I'll have to snapshot a better picture so he can be seen in his full glory.

 

[minor muppetz]

Maybe it's lighting?

Back in 2008, I recall reading a Tough Pigs article regarding the filming of Letters to Santa (the writer of the article happened to be at one of the specials filming locations, and was invited to visit the set another day after they learned he was from Tough Pigs), and I recall in the article Dave Goelz informed the writer that the same Sweetums head had been used since 1976. Quite impressive that they've been able to use the same Sweetums all this time. I've noticed in the last few years the characters fur looks like it has rotted, I assume due to years of being used.

 

[Hubert]

No, it's definitely not a lighting issue. Sweetums literally has a different design, I believe he's missing his eyelashes, he very disheveled, I don't even think his features are placed the same as usual. It's just all around a different looking puppet.