I’ve watched a lot of Muppets in my life, so I can “see” what is happening very clearly in my mind. The extra motions of the puppet stroking Ed’s face, wiggling around, and what have you. It’s been really sad since Jim Henson’s death in that the core essence of what made Muppets what they are has been lost on some level. No one has quite managed to bring them back at the same level of funny, although a few things have come very close. Dark Crystal Age Of Resistance is the closest thing recently. It has a very specific vibe that’s no exactly Muppet though. Thye most recent shows and movies have been watchable, but they don’t quite have IT. I can’t exactly describe what IT is I just know it’s not there. Some things have been great in spite of it, like Muppet Treasure Island, but I think the fact of the matter is that the original performers had a certain connection that made them special and unique, and the people who have cycled in over time never found that spark exactly. I hold out hope that someday someone will be able to bring back that flame, even if it is under the thumb of Disney.

Anyway, if you want to keep my flame going please consider supporting my efforts via Patreon or subscribestar. I would appreciate it very much in these tough times.

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First off, the puppets are great coffee entertainment and I’m itching for more!

Second, I can understand where the Muppets left off after the death of Jim Henson. Jim did keep his Muppets whimsical but also kept a nice touch of sadism and satire with them and wasn’t afraid to express it where it mattered. All I saw was pure whimsy on the part of Brian Henson after Jim’s death and even with successes like The Muppet Christmas Carol, I couldn’t help but feel that Brian was too afraid to bring out the Muppets’ darker side that Jim had no reservations in doing himself. Explosive decapitations? Jim. Muppets freaking out at each other? Jim. Self-deprecation? Jim.

Honestly, if you want to see Jim Henson at his absolute sadistic best, look up the old Wilkins coffee commercials on YouTube. They are some of the BEST advertising you will EVER see for any product, EVER!

I’m already familiar, but you aren’t wrong.

I watched Sesame Street the other day (no comments plz)… And I agree. The Muppets just aren’t themselves anymore.

First off, I didn’t expect the puppet part to be this entertaining so good job there!

Second, between setting up the website, the puppets and the documentary it’d be cool to see the main cast setting up their own side businesses in case something happens to the store!

Maybe the puppet doesn’t have legs, but this arc surely does!

Yeah I feel like this could go on for a while. And that’s a very good thing. I just want to see how Reggie will fit into all this.

I’m really impressed with how much ‘animation’ is in the puppets. They’re really expressive!

This puppet business is getting more and more entertaining every page :D

Word.

The puppets do continue to amuse.

Dude, I can totally see the Muppet behavior, too! You nailed the dialogue, he “sounds” like just another Muppet in my head when I read it, but I’m also picturing those distinctive physical mannerisms.

Love the comic, hope you are doing okay, and your stuff is great ignore the haters!

I hear Michael Keatons Beetlegeuse from the puppet for his voice.

Pretty soon we’ll all forget it’s a puppet, like the boom operator who kept losing Charlie McCarthy’s audio because he moved the mic away from Edgar Bergen.

(Apocryphal? Maybe.)

I don’t know much about specifically the Muppets (I’ve watched a couple of their movies a long time ago, but that’s about it), but I understand the sentiment completely. No franchise, when taken away from the original creator(s), will ever be able to maintain the same character as the original. The best you can hope for is something just as good (or better), but different (and when the original is a masterpiece, that’s hard to achieve).

Watch the original series; The Muppet Show, that aired back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It’s hilarious. Best moments I spent as a kid.

I lived in residence when going to university in early 80s. The entire floor, and I think most of the other floors in the building, would come out to watch the Muppets when it came on at 430 every weekday. We would sing the opening song and everything. So the upcoming generation of educated adults, the next generation of leaders were faithfully watching a puppet show. It had some very good humour, and some of the reoccurring bits were priceless.

Best parody lyrics I ever saw for their theme song:

“It’s time to light the candles!
It’s time to say the rites!
It’s time to summon Satan
On the Muppet Show tonight!”

Now, to really blow your mind… try imagining an alternate-universe Earth where that actually WAS the opening verse of the Muppet Show theme song!

If you want to you can make the rest of this as ‘puppets are what happen between failures’. Actually being the one who Made them popular again Through a webcomic no less Would be a pretty darn cool thing. Hell the merchandising alone…

Ever seen Suction Cup Man?

I imagine Puppet Ed speaking in Suction Cup Man’s voice.

That last line was reminiscent of Thomas, especially when he gave Gimli his codename.

The Times Between 53.

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