Muppets and Me

I have always loved The Muppets. I think it's a combination of how popular they were in the mid to late eighties, plus the connection I have to them through my last name. I was a devotee of The Muppet Babies on CBS on Saturday mornings and as a small child I was convinced I would marry Big Bird when I grew up.

I still have my VHS tapes with The Great Muppet Caper and A Muppet Family Christmas taped off of television. The Great Muppet Caper, it turns out, is missing scenes, and I've seen them here and there. It's like being introduced to a long lost twin sister - you didn't know you could miss something you didn't know about. A Muppet Family Christmas is on DVD, but is missing certain songs. My video, taped on the initial airing, has all of them. It is currently on loan to a fellow Muppet loving friend.

About six years ago, I was driving home from work at the preschool, past the Improv on Melrose. I saw a sign that said "Puppet Up!: Jim Henson's Muppets" and I knew I had to go, whatever it was. It was, of course, amazing. They didn't have many shows (still don't) but I managed to catch them at The Grove of Anaheim, a couple of times at The Avalon, a couple of times at UC Irvine, and just the other day at The Largo. It's always expensive, but always completely worth it. The name of this Muppet improv show is now called Stuffed and Unstrung. The dark photo is of the 'rack' of puppets that they bring to each show. These are Muppets, as in they came from the Jim Henson workshop, but they are not THE Muppets, the ones that are now owned by Disney, like Kermit and Piggy. Which is fine, because as the show title suggests, things get a little ... weird. Just the way I like it. The puppets, which are on the end of puppeteers arm, whom you can also see, swear and make sexual innuendos and threaten one another. It is awesome.

I plan on introducing my eventual children to the awesomeness that is The Muppets. That ought to give me a good excuse to just watch The Great Muppet Caper over and over.