Ever since "Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street" came out on DVD a few weeks ago, I've been on nostalgia trip. Mainly 70's-80's stuff (I'm a 90's kid but I like Mr. Hooper what can I say?)
I havent watch it yet, I do own it. But I feel this.
kermit the frog was so fucked up for writing the rainbow connection
like??? why ARE there so many songs about rainbows and why do we still wish upon stars and fallen eyelashes and wishbones and birthday candles and dandelion seeds?? we know that rainbows are only illusions, that there isnāt golden treasure waiting for us, so what DO we think we might see?
i guess in its essence this song is about returning to childhood innocence, to faith, to hope and learning to allow ourselves to hope. that hope isnāt childish or naĆÆve, that in a time of instant answers and impending doom, itās maybe the bravest thing we can do.
Not only all of this, but Iāve also read it as āfinding other people to have foolish hopes withā. Thatās a core tenet of the Muppets, that there are strange misfits who donāt really belong anywhere- but they belong with one another. In the original Muppet Movie the first version is sung alone by Kermit, in his home swamp. He then spends the film discovering that other people share his dream, and that together they can achieve it.
āAll of us under its spell/we know that itās probably magicā
The part that always made me cry as a kid was when all the Muppets sang together at the end, especially the line āHave you been half asleep? / And have you heard voices?/ Iāve heard them calling my nameā. Sung alone, itās melancholy and pleading. 'Does anyone feel like I do?ā
Sung in chorus, itās answering a call with friends by your side, ready to take on the world. Knowing that you found the lovers, the dreamers, and yourself, so the rainbow connection is sure to follow.
You asked why David and Maria never became an official couple? It's a rather sad story. David's actor Northern Calloway's suffered from mental health problems that caused him to act erratically on set and even get arrested once (which prevented him from being able to travel to Canada to film "Follow that Bird"). Although he sought help the writers knew he wouldn't be on the show for much longer, Maria hooked up with Luis. Indeed Mr. Calloway would pass away in 1990 at New York mental health hospital less than year after his final appearance on the show.
Yep.
Thanks for the info and I appreciate your deep dive into the blog/tags!
It was another great Galaxycon panel, and one that Jenna was able to join! Jenna Coleman, Arthur Darvill, and Alex Kingston got to answer some fun and interesting questions today, including one about how they would decorate the Tardis. They all agree that a Portaloo would be a great idea. Arthur loved the idea so much that he actually took some notes!
Jenna said iguana, Arthur said parrot, Alex can see David Tennantās doctor with a persian cat
Jenna was jealous that Arthur and Alex (I think?) got to film in New York. Then talk turned to shooting locations that make great vacation spots
When the question was first asked- Arthur: Jenna you took all the good ones!! Their answers were Cleopatra for Jenna, Jim Henson for Arthur, Eleanor Roosevelt for Alex
You know his American accent isnāt horrific.
I would be down with my lovely Arthur Darvill as Jim Henson.
Hello; large group have, by chance someone has information on how Rizzo the rat or Pepe the King Prawn is manipulated or encouraged, I am interested to know about the mechanism of animation of these puppets, I found only video information of how the Dozzers were encouraged in fragle rock, if anyone has information in particular graphics would greatly help the elaboration to my university thesis Best regards
Absolutely! Rizzo is one of my favorite characters so you def came to the right girl ;)
Here are some photos of Rizzo, and essentially Pepe, because youāre right they do operate the same way being such little bodies being held/worked.
Pepe and Rizzoās mouths operate in a similar way that Gonzoās eyelids do. Inside the puppet thereās a trigger mechanism that pulls their jaws down, (or Gonzoās lids back.)
Unfortunately I couldnāt find any design art, but Iām positive thereās some out there somewhere. Muppets and behind the scenes thing just havenāt been in the forefront of my brain for a while so off the top of my head I donāt know where that art might be in some of my books.Ā
However, Iām sure some followers might be able to help you!
Thanks for your awesome question! Good luck with your paper!
It took me 12 years to pluck up courage and finally write directly to the person who designed the Muppet characters for the Russian āSesameā, as well as many more international versions of the show. But it turned out to be worth it. The wonderful Ed Christie reveals some facts about Zeliboba - unknown to even longtime āSesameā fans like me! - this time.
Julia K., yours truly: Hello Mr. Christie! First off, Iād love to thank you (and Ms. Moyes, post mortem) for bringing Kubik, Businka and especially Zeliboba to life. To be brief: I love this Dvorovoi, and now am going around social media thanking everyone who worked on him. I was lucky enough to interview Zeliās senior performer Stanislav Klimushkin back in 2018 and would like to ask you a couple questions on how Zeliās overall look and character were created.
Ed Christie: Hello Julia! I would be happy to speak to you about Zeli.
In August 2018 Iāve managed to both add to friends (mutually, yay!) and contact on Facebook none other but a puppeteer, a voice actor and an advertiser Stanislav āStasā Klimushkin himself. As well as got to know his point of view and the story of how āUlitsa Sezamāās most known character, Zeliboba the Dvorovoi (spirit of the playground), had been brought to life. Although Stas works only as a voice actor and an advertiser at the moment, he shared a lot of warm memories from his days in the Russian āSesameā.
Julia K., yours truly: In your CV on the voice actors portal you mentioned that you got a part in Russian āSesame Street" thanks to an accidental casting. How many more people were on the casting besides you? What exactly got you interested in the opportunity to cooperate with āSesameā?
Stanislav Klimushkin: In 1993, having graduated from the Gnessinka (Gnessin State Musical College - J. K.), I, along with other students, was taken to MOGTYZ ā Moscow regional theatre of the young spectator. Three years later, having played their whole repertoire, I started to feel that I was reaching my professional āceilingāā¦ Until one day, when one of the actors rushed in our dressing room, shouting, āGuys, there are Americans casting actors for a new TV project!ā So I thought, that could be it.
Besides me, the casting was attended by more than three hundred people, more than half of them being professional puppeteers. So at first I thought Iād have no chancesā¦ But then an interesting thing happened ā not a single puppeteer had passed. The practical Americans chose the short way, having decided that itād be much harder to retrain people (which would require, respectively, more time and bigger costs). There were 8 of us chosen (four people for the main cast, and the duplicating four) ā like a space-ship crew. As for the interest in working in āSesameā ā I wonāt lie to you: the first thing that prompted us to get involved in this adventure was the promised paycheck and a trip to study in New York. (Iād like to remind that back then, it was 1996, everyone partly had to live on casual earnings and in theaters they paid mere kopeks. Well, to create a legend about myself itād be much more interesting to tell something about a childhood dream, affirmations, or destinyās signsā¦) But that was only the beginning! Having gotten in the puppet story, I found myself in a completely different life, which changed both me and my worldview. The chain of events drove me on a rollercoaster for several years (itās interesting that this park ride is, for some reason, called āRussianā in the USā¦) ā but this, as they say, is another story.
