Lips

[travellingpat]

Why dont they bring back Lips, even if Steve did use a Louie Armstrongish voice, I dont think anyone would be offended, would they?

As a fellow trumpet player, and fan of Lips, i say

Put Lips in future productions!!!

Anyone Agree?

 

[BEAR]

I personally don't care. I don't hate the character and would not be opposed to Lips being used more, but I wouldn't be upset if he wasn't used. I never really "got" the character. To me, he was just an excuse to get Steve in the Electric Mayhem group. He never said much or did anything that great. Just an extra "body". He had no personality as far as I'm concerned. Nothing that special. Just my opinion though.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I wouldn't mind if they brought him back.

 

[travellingpat]

I personally don't care. I don't hate the character and would not be opposed to Lips being used more, but I wouldn't be upset if he wasn't used. I never really "got" the character. To me, he was just an excuse to get Steve in the Electric Mayhem group. He never said much or did anything that great. Just an extra "body". He had no personality as far as I'm concerned. Nothing that special. Just my opinion though.

i just think that maybe he would bring some life back into the band, seeing as they are trying to ressurect them (with the recent CD release). Lips could make a very smooth transition back into the mainstream with the Electric Mayhem!

 

[minor muppetz]

Lips is one of my favorites, and I really hope he comes back in a new production soon. I havealways liked Lips, and I have especially wanted him to come back since the Muppet Central interview with Steve Whitmire. When the action figure line was announced, I really hoped that Lips would be made (and got what I hoped for). Every time there is a new major Muppet production I hope that he gets used (and he never does).

Lips is at the top of my list of characters who I hope that brought back, a list that also includes Seymour, both Nigels, Droop, Gorgon Heap, Boppity, Thog, Doglion, Bill the Bubble Guy, Digit, Dr. Phil van Neuter, and Leon.

Maybe he can be given a personality if brought back. Ever since I was in high school, I have thought of him as someone who is usually really shy, but very comfortable when playing the trumpet in front of an audience. That could explain his quietness, and maybe he had shyness that really got to him, causing him to quit the band.

BRING BACK LIPS!

 

[unclematt]

I think we should bring back Janice before we focus on Lips.

 

[minor muppetz]

Although Lips hasn't been used since The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992, I am thankful that he hasn't been reused as an entirely new character. A lot of minor characters have been reused as new characetrs for Mopatops Shop, Puppet Up, From the Balcony, and other productions. I want him back as a member of The Electric Mayhem, or at least in a few crowd/ group scenes, not as an entirely new character with a new name, new "personality", or part of a new band or group of characters.

 

[unclematt]

Although Lips hasn't been used since The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992, I am thankful that he hasn't been reused as an entirely new character. A lot of minor characters have been reused as new characetrs for Mopatops Shop, Puppet Up, From the Balcony, and other productions. I want him back as a member of The Electric Mayhem, or at least in a few crowd/ group scenes, not as an entirely new character with a new name, new "personality", or part of a new band or group of characters.

I agree 100% but I still think we should focus on Janice before we focus on Lips.

 

[rexcrk]

I'm also a trumpet player and I wish Lips could have some big parts, or at least hang with the Electric Mayhem. I was VERY pleased to get a figure of him though

 

[minor muppetz]

I wonder if Jim Henson had ever considered making Lips become a major character. In Steve Whitmire's Muppet Central interview, he says that he wanted Lips to have a Louis Armstrong-typ voice, but was worried about offending african americans. I have seen two interviews with Dave Goelz where he says that whenever Zoot was given lines in the scripts that he would try to give the lines to other characters whenever possible. I wodner if Steve Whitmire gave any of Lips' lines to other characters. Zoot did have quite a bit of dialogue in The Great Muppet Caper, the only movie where Lips was part of the main cast. And some of Zoots lines seemd unneccessary. Him telling Kermit that Animal was upset over missing a rembradt museum could have been given to Floyd or Janice. After Janice hears that Kermit would be dating Lady Holiday and says "Wait 'till I tell the guys in the band!", Dr. Teeth, Floyd, Lips, and Zoot all appear, and Lips is the only one of them to not talk. And Zoots line, "What's goin' down", isn't really a very neccessary line.

When the cast picks up Kermit and Piggy for their date, Lips has a few off-camera lines. I wonder if this was a deliberate choice. Of course, we know it's him, since that's a Steve Whitmire voice and no other Steve Whitmire characters were there (unless the voice was meant to be that of a chicken). In that scene the voice sounded like a mix of Floyd and Zoot, so casual fans might have thought it was one of them.

It also seems like Lips was absent from a lot of key scenes in the movie. Especially ones that were photographed and included in many books r promotional material. He was the only member of The Electric Mayhem to not ride a bicycle (a full-body Lips existed in the Rockin' Robin number, so it's not like he didn't have legs). He also wasn't in the Muppets room when Gonzo told everybody about the jewel thieves plans (but Rizzo wasn't there either). And he wasn't in the scene where the Mupepts read off the checklist. And when the Muppets get to the mallory gallery, it seems like he keeps being part of the group and being nowhere to be seen.

It seems like Lips was also rarely illustrated. I know that Lips was in The Muppet Show Book, but was he in Muppet Magazine or any of the Muppet annuals? I don't know if he's just too hard for proffessional illustrators to include in books, but many other obscure characters have been illustrated in books. He wasn't even included in any of the Great Muppet Caper glasses from McDonalds, not even the one with the Happiness Hotel bus (even Sam was included in that glass, and he never rode the bus).