Ho Ho Hunsperger: Muppet Drum Set

All about that bass (drum) 

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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In the late 70's and early 80's I was obsessed with the Muppet Show and the subsequent series of movies that followed.  I had the toys, wore the clothes and drank from the Muppet line of glasses.  So it was only natural that Santa Claus would bring Muppet gifts for several years.

I was about seven years old the year I woke up and was stunned to find a Muppet drum set sitting next to our Christmas tree.  The silence of the morning quickly came to an end as I grabbed the sticks and started banging away.  The bass featured Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem and the kit was already out of the box and ready to go.

I had no musical talent then or now.  But I loved crashing away on that set, using the foot peddle on the bass as it made a booming sound.  For good measure I'd smash the cymbals, likely giving everyone in the house a headache.  I never became a rock star, but I had a lot of fun creating my own kind of music. 

Way Back WhensDay: The Muppets

The Muppets

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I'm old enough to remember when the Muppet Show came on TV once a week in prime time.  My family would gather around the television and sing the opening theme song along with the colorful cast of characters created by the genius, Jim Henson.  There was something magical about that 30 minutes of television each week and I was always sad when the show would come to an end.  

From the corny skits to the guest stars (human form) to the Muppets themselves, I was captivated each week.  The show spawned several great movies, that I remember watching in the theaters at the time each was released.  The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan came out in the span of five years.  With them, a collection of drinking glasses, t-shirts, and other sundries.

Me & Rolf

As the films grew in popularity with me, I began collecting plush versions of my favorites characters.  The first and probably my favorite piece of the collection is Rolf.  He's an actual puppet too.  Through the years, I added Miss Piggy and Fozzie (also puppets) as well as stuffed versions of Kermit, Gonzo, and Scooter.  I could not get enough of them, and truth be told, my Muppets are still in a box in my attic, sometimes I break them out for blogging and vlogging purposes.

Muppets Most Wanted
Photo courtesy: Disney 

When Disney bought the company from the Henson family, I think many people feared the worst.  I think it was a great move and the legacy of Kermit, Miss Piggy, The Swedish Chef, and the gang will continue to live on.  In fact, there are new movies being released and a renewed interest in the 40 year old institution.  That doesn't include the undying love for Sesame Street and all the characters America has come to love through the decades.

So whether it's Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Kermit, or one of the Fraggles, the work that Jim Henson created so long ago has left a huge mark on pop culture.  I'm glad to say that I watched those movies with my parents, and now as the updated versions are coming out, I'm starting that tradition with my kids.  

For the worst impression of Fozzie Bear watch the video below...

Way Back WhensDay: Sears Wish Book

Memories...

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

Long before the Internet, tablets, and smart phones, kids and parents turned to the Sears Wish Book to do their Christmas gift browsing.  It would always arrive at our house before Halloween, and my brother and I would flip through the 600 plus pages, with pen and paper jotting down the things we hoped Santa would leave under our tree.  Of course the catalog was filled with things like clothes and electronics, furniture and linens, but we bypassed all that and went straight to the last portion of the catalog.

That of course is where all the toys were featured.  I can still remember the excitement of seeing what new releases would be on store shelves.  Not only was this prior to the Internet, this was long before all the cable kids' channels and their gluttony of commercials.  The Sears Wish Book was usually the first and sometimes only time we saw some of these toys.

LJN Delight!

The catalog featured things like Muppets, which I happened to love and got several for Christmas 1982. My brother eyed a Howdy Doody puppet in the book and Santa came through and delivered it that year.  As I got older, it was the WWF LJN figures that had all my attention.  Of course there was a plethora of GI Joe, Star Wars, and HeMan figures that made it to the Hunsperger boys' toy box too.

I don't know what year we stopped receiving the big book at our house, but I remember missing it.  There were wimpy wannabe's, but nothing ever stood up to the Sears Wish Book.  I've found that there's now an app for that.  It's a high tech way to find the things you need, but I think kids today are missing out on turning the pages of the actual catalog, anticipating what they'll find next.

Way Back WhensDay: Colorforms

Smurf Colorforms
Photo from mentalfloss.com

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Now days, kids have hand held video games, tablets, and iPods to keep them occupied.  The art of play and use of imagination is skipping a generation.  But this blog isn't about that, it's about one of my personal favorites from my childhood: Colorforms.

The toy dates back more than 60 years.  It surprised me to learn that Colorforms are actually still being made, and there's even a website for the toy.  Click here to learn more or how to order them.  Long story short, Colorforms were characters, shapes, and other objects made of vinyl.  They came in a box, that included a flat board with some sort of "scene" on it.  You could stick the vinyl pieces all over the board and come up with different scenarios, because the pieces didn't permanently stick.

Dress the Muppets
Photo from muppetwikia.com

I'd spend hours playing with Colorforms.  I remember having several different sets, including Scooby Doo, the Smurfs, and the Muppet Show.  My brother was more into the action hero sets and had things like the Incredible Hulk, the Super Adventure crew, and GI Joe.  It was always entertaining to have Hulk enter the Smurf village, or Scooby go toe to toe with Batman.

I'm glad to see the product is still going strong.  They're revamped and come in 3D form.  I wish now that I'd known these still existed, I think my kids would have loved them when they were younger too.

Miss Weather

You can find them in southern Illinois (or anywhere online) at My Favorite Toys.  Just click here to find their website.  They have sets in the $12 range that include Miss Weather Dress Up and Silly Faces.  There's also a retro version for sale at $29.95

Check out the video below for a complete history told in a fun and entertaining way.

Wakka, Wakka, Wakka, You Know It

A stretch Stu Hart would be proud of.

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter
Photos are from WWE.com

The Halloween episode of Raw did not disappoint in my opinion as far as the Muppets being a part of the show.  I have marked out for the Muppets longer than I have wrestling, so of course this show had my attention.  I thought the segments were nicely done.  Loved it all.  Yeah, I know it was more entertainment than sport, but it was all done in fun.  Sometimes you need that.  And I think the wrestlers had a good time doing it too.  At least it seemed like it from their performances.

Shut this man up...

That being said, the rest of the show had me scratching my head at times.  I've heard that the show was going long and that's why they scrapped the Michael Cole Challenge.  That was the one thing they kept pushing, and it ended up on the sidelines.  So now we'll get at least another week of Cole burying wrestling broadcast legend Jim Ross.  I really hope that JR wins this thing and takes Cole out of the announce booth. I've said it before, I'll say it again.  Cole would make a great antagonistic manager.

I'm really curious to see where they're going with Zack Ryder.  He's pinned Dolph Ziggler several times now, and I really think Dolph is one of the best things going today.  I still don't think these recent jobs will hurt him though.  I expect Ziggler to win any future title match between the two and go on to feud with Mason Ryan.  Then I'd like to see Ziggler win the Royal Rumble.  There, I made an early pick for the Rumble.  I know that will change in the coming weeks.

Costume battle royal

Didn't Eve just have a title shot against Beth Phoenix?  And speaking of the Divas, they need to stop releasing the likes of Maryse, Melina, and Gail Kim.  No offense to the girls in that battle royal last night, but it was clear they were in there more for eye candy than anything else (most of them anyway).  Kharma, please have a healthy baby and get back as soon as you can.

I'm disappointed to hear about Evan Bourne's suspension.  Since I don't know all the details, I'm not going to harp on him.  But whatever the case is with Evan, I hope that he takes care of the issue and returns to the ring healthy.  I'm not sure yet what to think of the pairing of Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes.  Not sure if this is the start of a new thing, or just a one time shot.  Time will tell as they say.

Not a good night for Del Rio

Another Raw, another burial of the champion.  Not only did Alberto Del Rio lose his match against the Big Show, but CM Punk came out and made him look like a chump too.  Way to make your champion look strong.  By the way, why oh why aren't they promoting any 5 on 5 tag team matches at Survivor Series.  It was the whole basis of the pay per view 24 years ago.  *Sigh*

You can't scare me

The question that everyone seems to be asking, why does John Cena need the Rock as a partner at Survivor Series after he took care of the Miz and R-Truth on his own essentially as Raw ended.  Good question.  He doesn't.  But the WWE needs to do something to lead us to Wrestlemania.  The road to Mania always starts at the Survivor Series.  It'll be interesting to see what happens.  There will likely be a  swerve and the heels will get the win, but I'm just guessing.  I'll write more in depth on that after the Rock tribute show (which didn't they do that back in May?)

It's not easy being green...

I think I covered most of the things I wanted to.  Again, loved the interaction between the superstars and the Muppets, especially with Vicki Guerro, Jack Swagger, Miss Piggy, and Kermit.  I also loved the banter between Waldorf and Statler and Cody Rhodes "bagging" Kermit.  Classic.

As always, thank you for reading.  Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to the YouTube channel.