2011--- The Year of the Muppets

[figmntal95]

Since I'm taking a break from my other project, I thought I'd do a somewhat quick one.

To coincide with the release of The Greatest Muppet Movie Ever Made (hopefully the working title), I've decided to create a basic plan to make 2011 the official "Year of the Muppets." Merchandising, theme park tie-ins, you name it. The purpose of this is to reinvent the popularity of the characters. Aspects of this year would include

1. Merchandising
-A New Line of T-Shirts and clothing featuring classic characters
-The Ultimate Muppet Audio Collection: A CD Box Set featuring tons of Muppet audio.
-Action Figure Line: Similar to the awesome line of Palisades Muppet Figures, only featuring characters from the Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, Muppets Take Manhattan, and the Great Muppet Caper.
-Plush Line: Featuring the most famous characters in plush form.
-Continuation of the Movie Replica Muppets, which excludes Kermit, Animal, and Gonzo (they've already been made).
-Re-release of all the movies and specials on DVD and Blu-Ray.
-Muppet Show Season 5 Set.
-Muppets Tonight Season One and Two
-Jim Henson Hour DVD Set
-The option to create a Muppet replica (like Kermit or Gonzo) from the Whatnot Workshop.

2. Theme Park Tie-Ins
-Muppet Studios area in Disney's California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios featuring:
1. The Great Muppet Movie Ride
2. Pigs in Space Simulator
3. Cooking with the Swedish Chef Interactive Show in WDW and Muppet Labs in DCA
4. Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor
5. Hard Ruck Cafe' in WDW
6. Expanded Muppet Studio Store to sell above merchandise and more...
7. AA LCI Muppet Meet and Greets- Kermit and Fozzie, Piggy, Rowlf and Scooter, Sam Eagle, Gonzo and Camilla, Pepe and Rizzo, Statler and Waldorf, Bean Bunny and Penguins. Also costumed Sweetums.
8. Roaming LCIs-- Muppet Mobile Labs in WDW, Electric Mayhem Bus in DCA
9. New environment pieces.

I'll go into greater depth for each piece soon.

 

[figmntal95]

Muppets Clothing Line

T-Shirts:
-Kermit- "It's Not Easy Bein' Green"
-Fozzie- "Wocka Wocka"
-Ms. Piggy- "Hi-Ya!"
-Gonzo- "You don't know cultural entertainment!"
-Muppet Show Logo Retro Shirt
-Electric Mayhem retro shirt

Hats:
-Kermit, Fozzie, Animal, Gonzo flat hats
-Retro Kermit baseball cap

Shoes:
-Kermit High-Tops
-Miss Piggy High-Tops

 

[figmntal95]

Muppet Audio Collection

Disc One: The Muppet Show, Part 1

1. Muppet Show Theme- Cast
2. Mississippi Mud- Gogolala Jubilee Jug Band
3. Mahna Mahna/Lullaby of Birdland- Mahna Mahna and the Snowths
4. The Flight of the Bumblebee- Gonzo
5. Mr. Bassman- Floyd and Scooter
6. Cottleston Pie- Rowlf
7. Lady of Spain- Marvin Suggs and the Muppaphones
8. Lydia the Tatooed Lady- Kermit
9. Halfway Down the Stairs- Robin
10. Tenderly- Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
11. I'm in Love with a Big Blue Frog- Mary Louise
12. Tit Willow- Rowlf and Sam the Eagle
13. Veterinarian's Hospital- Rowlf, Miss Piggy, and Janice
14. Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear- Scooter and Fozzie
15. What Now my Love- Miss Piggy
16. Fozzie's Monologue- Fozzie
17. Trees- Wayne and Wanda
18. Sax and Violence- Nigel, Zoot, and Mahna Mahna
19. Bein' Green- Kermit

Disc Two: The Muppet Show, Part 2
1. Baby Face- The Chickens
2. There's a New Sound- Scooter
3. Cuanto Le Gusta- Miss Piggy and the Pigs
4. Who?- Zelda and her Singing Owl
5. Time in a Bottle
6. An Editorial by Sam the Eagle
7. Borneo
8. At the Dance Background Music
9. Upidee- Cast
10. Just One Person- Bernadette Peters and the cast
11. Happy Feet- Kermit
12. Pigs in Space- Miss Piggy, Link Hogthrob, Julius Strangepork
13. I'm Five- Robin
14. Sea Chantey- Scooter, Link, Fozzie, Gonzo, Robin
15. New York State of Mind- Floyd
16. Pig Calypso- The Pigs
17. When- Rowlf
18. A Gypsy's Violin- Peter Sellers and Cast
19. Wishing Song- Gonzo
20. Animal Sings Gershwin
21. For What It's Worth- Woodland Creatures
22. We Got Us- Cast
23. Closing Theme

Disc Three: The Muppet Movie/ Great Muppet Caper/ Muppets Take Manhattan
1. Rainbow Connection- Kermit
2. Movin' Right Along- Fozzie and Kermit
3. Never Before, Never Again- Miss Piggy
4. I Hope that Somethin' Better Comes Along- Rowlf and Kermit
5. Can You Picture That?- Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
6. I'm Going to Go Back There Someday- Gonzo
7. The Magic Store (Finale)
8. Hey! A Movie- Cast
9. Happiness Hotel- Cast
10. Steppin' Out With a Star- Kermit
11. Night Life- Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
12. The First Time it Happens- Kermit and Piggy
13. Together Again- Cast
14. You Can't Take No for An Answer- Dr. Teeth
15. Sayin' Goodbye- Cast
16. Rat Scat- The Rats
17. I'm Gonna Always Love You- Muppet Babies
18. Right Where I Belong- Cast
19. Somebody's Getting Married- Cast
20. He'll Make Me Happy- Kermit and Piggy

 

[Chrononymous]

Love these ideas Figmntal!

(especially love the merchandise offerings!)
Just wish they would actually implement this sort of thing! The Muppets need an expansion in a big bad way.

 

[figmntal95]

New Muppet Plush: 8 Inch
Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Beaker, Bunsen, Rizzo, Swedish Chef, Pepe

Photo Puppet Replicas (in addition to Kermit, Animal, and Gonzo)
Fozzie, Rizzo, Miss Piggy, Pepe

And then the rest of the merchandise is self-explanitory.

 

[figmntal95]

Environment Pieces for Muppet Studios

Environment Pieces in the Muppet Studios area range from very basic to pretty detailed and awesome. Such things include:

-A variety of Muppet Movie Parody posters, not just in the Muppet Vision Building, but everywhere.
-Tons of Muppet Signs, vandalism on walls, Muppet architecture... kinda like whats around the Muppets building now expanded to the whole area.
-In WDW, there will be a "Muppet Hall of Fame" area, a parody of the ATAS Hall of Fame with all the head statues. This one will have the same thing but with: Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, etc. Each will have a humorous plaque beneath it, with fake awards such as "Least Funny" beneath Fozzie's head.
-Both parks will get a Jim Henson Plaza mini area, which is basically a circular plaza with Muppet topiary and benches surrounding a "Partners" parody statue featuring Jim Henson and Kermit.
-Instead of having generic snack carts in the area, they will be heavily themed to the Muppets. There will be: Lew Zealand's Fish Cart: A small cart selling fish shaped candy items; Rizzo's Snack Shack: Selling all kinds of theme park food, but with an LCI AA Rizzo on it providing commentary.

 

[figmntal95]

Traveling environment pieces:

WDW: Muppet Mobile Labs

Similar to the Muppet Mobile Labs that once roamed EPCOT, but obviously updated with all new material and special effects. And, the Muppet Mobile Labs could be able to interact with environment pieces. For instance, Bunsen would hit a button and a water blast would shoot out of the Muppet Fountain. There would also be an autograph stamp attached to the Mobile Labs, for guests' autograph books.


DCA: Electric Mayhem Bus

This bus, previously explained in a round of the Imagineer game, gives guests guided tour of the park. On the bus would be LCI versions of the band: Animal, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Floyd, Zoot, and Lips. They would all interact with guests during the tour. There would be certain precautions and CM "Roadies" that would prevent guests from tampering with the AAs.



The reason these interactive experiences are placed in such park is for 2 reasons: WDW gets an Electric Mayhem Restaurant with the LCI band members... so the EM is covered there. DCA gets a Muppet Labs Interactive Show (as opposed to the Swedish Chef show in WDW) so Bunsen and Beakie are covered in California.

 

[figmntal95]

And, if you haven't noticed, I'd say there's 5 common elements to all the theme park related aspects.

1. The Muppets
2. Interactivity
3. The Living Character Initiative
4. Theming and Accuracy
5. Immersiveness/ Innovation

To me, all of those go perfectly with the Muppets. They're such a versatile group. Think about Kermit. On the Muppet Show, he played the show's host and "the boss." On Sesame Street, he played a news reporter. In the Muppet Movie, he played a swamp-dwelling frog who went onto stardom. And so on. These characters jump from place to place, yet thats what keeps people coming back. That's why I did this project. The Muppets are such a great aspect... I think Disney is crazy to not use them to their full extent. There's so much that could be done. Just look at my list. And that's basic. I know a while back I conjured up a whole Muppet fifth gate.

So yeah, I love the Muppets (and a lot of people do too) and I just think that they should be used a lot more often. Jim Henson, Frank Oz and other pioneering members of the Muppets worked hard to create the most likeable, charismatic, and funny characters to boot. That's why so much can be done with them.

 

[figmntal95]

Meet the Muppets

A large building where you can meet the most popular Muppets in LCI AA form. Similar to the Toontown Tent, there'd be several rooms for each meet and greet. The rooms are as follows:

-Muppet Stage: Kermit and Fozzie
-Dressing Room: Miss Piggy and Bean Bunny
-Backstage: Scooter and Rowlf
-Sam's Podium: Sam Eagle and a Penguin
-Prop Room: Gonzo and Camilla
-Kitchen: Rizzo and Pepe
-Balcony: Statler and Waldorf

 

[mickeyfan5534]

Clever making Statler and Waldorf's area the balcony. Will they insult people

 

[adv.bluedude]

Waah. There's a kitchen yet no swedish chef??

 

[figmntal95]

Waah. There's a kitchen yet no swedish chef??

That's because there'd be an interactive Swedish Chef show right next door. Same reason there's no Bunsen/Beaker... they'd be roaming around outside in the Muppet Mobile Labs. Oh, and the band can be found in their restaurant.

 

[figmntal95]

Clever making Statler and Waldorf's area the balcony. Will they insult people

Of course.

 

[figmntal95]

Restaurants

Hard Ruck Cafe'

I've had this idea for ever..... basically the Hard Rock Cafe' for Muppets. Imagine the same lowly-lit feeling of HRC, with Electric Mayhem rock songs playing. Electric Mayhem parody album covers align the walls... with various framed pictures of the band members and Muppet musicians. The food would be American... burgers, sandwiches... but with Muppet/Rock n' Roll inspired names. It's a sit down restaurant... and the main dining room has two sections. There are tables on the floor and tables in the balcony (the balcony would be similar to ones at the House of Blues) with two special tables on smaller VIP balconies (to get the Statler and Waldorf experience). The main aspect of the dining room would be the large stage, where an AA Electric Mayhem (Animal, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Floyd and Lips) would perform. In between songs, the band would interact with guests closest to the stage. After the show, guests can go "backstage" where they can meet (different) LCI AA Electric Mayhem.




Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor

A previously considered replacement for Pizza Planet, this restaurant would be designed as a pizza parlor a la Gonzo. Various Muppet Props would align the walls, along with monitors playing classic Muppet Show sketches. A Muppets soundtrack would play. Various element pieces such as talking props would be there. At various times, you will here the Swedish Chef yelling, before a blast of smoke and chicken feathers blow open the kitchen door. Your food is ordered from the same place it is ordered at Pizza Planet, but then you sit. A complex toy railroad system (piloted by an AA rat) will deliver your food.

 

[JEANYLASER]

I love it! Awesome!

 

[jt04]

Of course.

I would actually apply for the job!

Restaurants

Hard Ruck Cafe'

I've had this idea for ever..... basically the Hard Rock Cafe' for Muppets. Imagine the same lowly-lit feeling of HRC, with Electric Mayhem rock songs playing. Electric Mayhem parody album covers align the walls... with various framed pictures of the band members and Muppet musicians. The food would be American... burgers, sandwiches... but with Muppet/Rock n' Roll inspired names. It's a sit down restaurant... and the main dining room has two sections. There are tables on the floor and tables in the balcony (the balcony would be similar to ones at the House of Blues) with two special tables on smaller VIP balconies (to get the Statler and Waldorf experience). The main aspect of the dining room would be the large stage, where an AA Electric Mayhem (Animal, Dr. Teeth, Janice, Zoot, Floyd and Lips) would perform. In between songs, the band would interact with guests closest to the stage. After the show, guests can go "backstage" where they can meet (different) LCI AA Electric Mayhem.




Gonzo's Pandemonium Pizza Parlor

A previously considered replacement for Pizza Planet, this restaurant would be designed as a pizza parlor a la Gonzo. Various Muppet Props would align the walls, along with monitors playing classic Muppet Show sketches. A Muppets soundtrack would play. Various element pieces such as talking props would be there. At various times, you will here the Swedish Chef yelling, before a blast of smoke and chicken feathers blow open the kitchen door. Your food is ordered from the same place it is ordered at Pizza Planet, but then you sit. A complex toy railroad system (piloted by an AA rat) will deliver your food.

Nice, except the chicken feathers :lol:

 

[figmntal95]

Nice, except the chicken feathers :lol:

Ehh, why not?

 

[MarioSonic94]

Honestly, 2011 could just be The Great Muppet Movie Ride (and Muppet Studios) coming to fruition.

 

[heartodisney]

I found a neat site to order some Muppet t-dhirts for the trip next year (also some vintage Star Wars too)..check it out and let me know what ya think!

www80stees.com

 

[JEANYLASER]

thanks for the info!