NY Times: Fuzzy Renaissance

Thank You Ny Times

I was showing off the ad for tonight's' Emmy Awards in EW (more on that below) when I went through the NY Times and saw and the Muppets popping right off the page! It was such a great way to wake up!

Everyone go out and buy this weekends NY Times just for this article. Seriously.

No offense, but reading it online just does not do it justice. This is the cover story to the Arts & Entertainment section and the cast picture is huge, in color, and although we've all seen the photo before (BTW: I love the addition of Pepe, Janice, and Fozzie!) it screams: READ ME!

The ad for the Emmy's tonight in EW (and I'm sure other magazines as well) features 6 of our favorite Muppets. I'm pretty sure is more then any other franchise features in the c of TV personalities from the past 60 years.

There may be some Muppet appearances tonight on the Emmy's so be don't miss it!

Three cheers for the "Fuzzy Renaissance!"

But can we wait until we hear plans that any of this is "Cancelled" before we get this negative.

Remember... it wasn't JUST Disney. If anyone can recall the millions of plans they had when VMX came out... more holiday themed "movies" for one, nothing happened until one day OZ was greenlit. And that was about a couple years. They were even planning to make a Halloween movie to be released a YEAR after VMX came out. And nothing happened with that one.

And lest we forget the hundreds of odd muppet movie project scripts that appeared... some of them were pretty good... much better than OZ could have been, anyway.

So relax and wait before we get to negative. Only cancellation we had was the Political special (something Spitting Image would have done better, anyway)... and that really didn't sound like a solid concept to me.

Again, I'm not being negative, I'm being realistic.

I understand...words are easy to write in a newspaper, but only time will tell about anything. Hopefully, they have made a big enough deal telling everyone about things there is no way they could go back on their word even if they wanted to . After all, not only we would be let down, but all the performers would be to..I'm sure they are itching and ready to go !

Being realistic is a good thing. Over pessimissm and over optimism both aren't good. We just have to remember to be civil.

I understand what you're saying Snowthy, and I'm sure we're all just as tired as you are of the empty promises we've been getting for the past four years--but this article SCREAMS that things are FINALLY happening. The Christmas special is WAY into production, so there's a promise that will be fulfilled, Studio DC 2 is set to air in less than a month--we've even seen publicity photos--so there's another promise, Muppets.com is updated weekly, something I would've never even thought possible a year ago, and we've seen the YouTube videos.

The proof is in the pudding. A Fuzzy Renaissance IS coming. This article PROOVES that Disney is pumped and ready for it--and so am I. You guys don't have to be, but *I* will be.

This is change we can believe in!

We Muppet fans can kid ourselves all we want, but PR has always been the most crucial part of the entertainment industry. Jim knew that well. Remember his mock shrine to the almighty dollar? I do believe the sentiment of “if you build it they will come” to some extent, but without exposure nobody’s going to know what’s out there!

PR doesn’t have to be dirty and soul crushing like fast food commercial appearances. A slow steady building drumbeat is all that is required. The problem is there hasn’t been any real push or consistency to the fuzzy fellas’ PR until now. The Muppet stage is finally being set.

It’s a different marketplace than in the Muppets’ heyday, yet the core of advertising will always be the same. The Muppets have been using a 56k modem in a broadband world. They used to be their own sharpest promoters and Disney is now figuring that out. I think the brand can stand alongside Pooh and company as a popular Disney-owned off-shoot branch and it can be done without losing their foamy center.

I really like this writer’s use of the term DNA because that is exactly what had been lost. The Muppets were mere shell facsimiles of their former selves. How is any audience, new or old, expected to relate to that? Classic Muppet programs and the newer stuff should all be equally palatable to people across the spectrum. But again, they need a firm-footed push. They need to go to where the marketplace is rather than merely wait around expecting to be discovered. When does that method really work? It is a shame that the Muppets had fallen into such a state of disrepair in the first place.

Disney is placing more confidence in the Muppets’ potential and I am placing more confidence in Disney! We are seeing evidence of something new that has not been seen in the Muppets since the days of Jim Henson. The characters have been branching out comfortably in multiple media arms at the same time. We have seen fruits of Disney’s words this time! That is what is different. That is why we shouldn’t be so negative this time out. What the frog is there to complain about?

Yes, we’ve been burned in the past, but we are actually witnessing real change now – not just lip service. Forget about empty past promises - we are getting a new Christmas special with the characters we love with four original songs from the most classic of Muppet music writers. We are seeing web updates from Disney’s Muppets.com and on YouTube. We are finally getting unedited season sets of the Muppet Show that have been handled with more care than anyone could have expected. We are getting promotional interviews from radio and television to the main page at Amazon.com. The Disney Channel is introducing the characters to an all-new generation in a way that doesn’t rob their core identity. Disney is insistent that they are going forward with the Muppet film and at least one more television special before that time. We are seeing new product ideas that are not simple clip art thrown onto caps and shirts. This FAO Schwartz build a Muppet is right out of the spirit of creator Jim Henson.

There are reported meetings about theme park stuff and other things, but look at all the things that the Muppets and Disney are doing right now. That has never happened. Not like this and not in well over a decade!

EXACTLY! Which is why the negativity and so-called "realism" just doesn't need to be. Things really ARE happening gang! If not, I'll eat my hat.

Thank you Brooks Barnes! You are my new journalistic hero...you've typed up into a logical blow-by-blow account the history that we here at MC have been following for a year. It's like seeing an article about a local hero where everyone knows the story, but reads anyway because *finally* said hero is imortalised on paper. (Pepper? Wait...no...)

I think it's great that the Disney Execs can be totally honest about it and say, "Yes...we thought that the Muppets were dead." and "Yeah, we thought they'd make £300 million...and they ain't." But they arn't just sitting on their bespoke business suited butts, they are getting up and doing something about it!

It's so great to have their plan set out for us, because we've speculated about it and no one believed! That Studio DC is for the kids, that the NBC Christmas Special is for the grown-ups, and that the Movie will pull those two groups together into one.

Thank you Mr Brooks Barnes...and thank you NY Times!

Bea{GO MUPPETS ! ! !}regard

I know I've been relatively quiet on my own personal beliefs of how valid these projects are, but it is now I am fully convinced that the Muppets are striking back with a vengeance! THIS has made my day! THIS is the positivity we need again! No need for gloom, friends, because we can be happy once again! VIVA LA RENAISSANCE!

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. They've gotten up, they've started turning the wheels. THINGS ARE HAPPENING! The Fuzzy Renaissance is coming! Do you think THE NEW YORK TIMES would publish a HUGE article about it if it wasn't?

Oui, oui! Viva la Renaissance indeed! BRING IT ON!

GO MUPPETS! ! ! !

You're right and marketing is important. I just think it's a mistake for the companies to have ignored the past. I don't buy the idea that today's kids aren't interested, and to ignore time honored material is rarely a successful idea.

You are right! I couldn't agree more. Henson (post-Jim) did little when they had ownership. They did build the brand a little bit, but they were not equipped to maintain such mainstream prominence and they're still struggling. I hope the Fraggle film takes off. They deserve the success.

I remember when Muppets Tonight was on the air - none of my college age friends knew about it! Isn't that a key demographic? Urkel fans knew, because the show held an adjacent timeslot. Other than the Sandra Bullock episode bomb-in-the-theater episode controversy there was no exposure. Half the shows were pulled from ABC's Friday night purgatory and burned off on the Disney Channel. There were some big stars too! Muppet Treasure Island wasn't promoted much on television (at least in San Francisco) either.

This is a real genuine push from a company with the means to do so. It sounds as if they're willing to be more vigilant that the Muppets catch on and take hold. This is a layered structured plan, not just a one-shot promotional opportunity destined to get left behind. It aint just the Frog tapdancing his heart out alone this time. The Mouse is really trying here.

Well if you ask anyone who works with the Muppets this is a vrey exiting time.

*stands up and cheers!* Brilliantly said, Jamie! You've illustrated my thoughts exactly. I just went out and bought the actual paper and the pictures are beautiful and the article is just wonderful. The Muppets are back, baby! And we get to say we liked 'em before they were cool again.

WOW! I've havnt been on MC all weekend cause our Town had it yearly Fall Fest (got over with tonight)... SUCH GRRRREAT NEWS! My eyes did get a lil watery haha.... Oh yeah! I bought 2 Mickey & Pooh mascot knock offs a few year ago on eBay (yeahhhh... Im well aware I could get in trouble by the "Disney police"... but.. i WASN'T gettin paid or charged people to take pics with us!) But I was meaning to by new costumes (a Muppet if they had one on ebay and NOT a Sesame Street Muppet) But I have one of thos Naco Muppet plush from a few years ago a 15inch Kermit and u can pose him from a yead sale..well I was holding (while I was in the Mickey costume) him with his arm up makin it look like he was waving...and Everyone was yelling to us... "Hey Mickey" "I love u kermit" "hi pooh" and whatnot...then this woman with her lil 3 year old wanted a pic with JUST kermit! and the lil girl called him "kermie" the mother then goes we just seem him this morning.... I take it Disney channel ran a clip of Studio DC?

but cool I CAN'T wait for the NEW Macy's Muppet float!

Sure is i can't spell worth a cat on toothpick

*blink* ...Darn tootin'.