How the Internet Was Won

It's official: Lance Cardinal just won at internet. How did he beat all of the competition? He build his own Muppet Show Theater play set and then blogged about it for your pleasure. It's crazy, no doubt... but it's damn impressive. Lance claims that he used real concrete and maple wood, but as far as I can tell from the pictures, it's actually constructed from 100 percent pure awesome. Go to his blog to see all of the amazing pictures. It really is fandom at its finest.

Man, this blows my DIY Muppet merchandise out of the water.

You Wanted Arts And Crafts? How's This For Arts And Crafts?

The folks at 360Kid have come up with the perfect use for your old 3D glasses--turn them into Kermit the From Glasses! Follow the link to get instructions and download a handy template.

The Denim Skeleton in My Closet

Confession: I used to think that it was very cool to have the back panel of your jean jackets painted. My conviction was probably influenced by a friend from high school who had the art from U2's War album on the back of their jacket. Nevertheless, I stuck to decorating my jacket with lots of buttons. (It was the 80s. What do you want from me?)

When I was in college, I finally gave into temptation, got some acrylic paints, and started making myself a fashion statement. This was 20 years ago and the jacket is falling apart, but I never did throw it away. So here it is, straight from my closet, the thing that seemed like a really good idea at the time:

In case you're wondering why I went with Sam instead of one of the more important cast members, he's the easiest one to draw. And, as you can see, I'm not a good artist. Even though I chose him for practical reasons, I like that his supporting player status sent the message that my Muppet appreciation ran deep. Maybe that explains why I already have three other puppet-related posts (here,  here, and here) on this blog...

Muppets vs. Monty Python

Here's the "incomparable" Marvin Suggs (Frank Oz) playing "Witch Doctor" on the Muppaphone.



And, for comparison sake, here's Arthur Ewing (Terry Jones) playing "The Bells of St. Mary's" on his musical mice.



Before you worry about plagiarism, the basic premise for this skit pre-dates both The Muppets and Monty Python. (Fun fact: Terry Jones went on to write the screenplay for Jim Henson's Labyrinth. You probably knew that already, but it's such an amazingly cool collaboration that it deserves to be mentioned again.)

Good Words Year Round

"Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset..."

-Charles Dickens

 

It's A Great Day In America... For Puppets

One of the best parts of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is the cold openings. Usually Craig speaks directly to the camera--but sometimes he likes to let puppets do the talking for him. (And really, who doesn't?) Craig created unique characters for his animals, but the puppets themselves are all store brought. They're made by a company called Folkmanis, and you can find them online or at your favorite independent toy store.

Here are some of the show's more popular puppets:

• Monkey, Long-Legged
• Crocodile Stage Puppet
• T-Rex Stage Puppet
• Rabbit, Standing White
• Pig, Large

If you like puppets at all, check out the entire line-up. Most commercially available puppets are targeted at kids and don't really work well as puppets. They either lack character or they they don't articulate well. Not so with Folkmanis. These guys are built to be used. They're not all great for performances (or for adult hands), but many are. Even better, some of the puppets are stuffed enough that you can just use them as stuffed animals if you want. (Suck it, Gund!) Recommended: The Jack Russel Terrier and the crazy-floppy Sheepdog.