The Great (meaning big) Muppet Inquisitorial

So, I'm watching some of the Muppet Movie in anticipation of the movie thats going to come out next thanksgiving, and I'm saying all the lines and singing along, and then I wonder suddenly: I wonder what the largest muppet ever built was.

I want to warn you that, short of writing to Brian Henson myself, this is not an easy question. I think of all the big giant muppets and the list is fairly substantial and I'm only naming a few, without proper specs, I am, in fact, only speculating. But here some of the larger ones stand: Sweetums, Big Bird, Jabba the Hutt, The Skeksis from the Dark Chrystal, The Vogons from H2G2, Bear in the Big Blue House, ... and easily the most impressive and what has been declared as the biggest muppet, multiple times, The Ghost of Christmas Present in A Muppet Christmas Carol. All of these however, are completely lost to the one I have declared unofficially and personally to be the winner of this little research contest with myself. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you:

"Humongous"

Built in 1986 for the production of Labyrinth, Humongous remains, in my eyes, the most impressive Muppet to date. he's 15 feet tall, he's got a big ax, and he will be preventing you and Ludo from entering the Goblin City. It doesn't even matter if he's operated by a teeny tiny little man, He can stand alone. It doesn't look like a muppet, It doesn't sound like a muppet, nor does it move like a muppet, but darlings, it is a muppet. I can't say it like the pro's can:


Quotes:

JIM HENSON: "It seemed like right late in the story what we wanted was for our heroes to come up against some huge obstacle, something worse than anything they'd encountered so
far. And we came up with the idea of building the largest puppet we'd ever built."

GEORGE GIBBS (special effects supervisor): "Jim asked us about last January. He said, 'Boys, I¹d like a fifteen-foot high giant.' We said, 'Oh yeah. Very interesting.' Lots of people had tried to make fifteen-foot giants that walk and throw their arms around. They hadn't been very successful. So it was a challenge, really. So, we decided how we were going to make it and we went ahead and made all the mechanics and everything work wonderfully. When the body was produced in fiberglass, it just wouldn't work, because the fiberglass wouldn¹t flex. Fortunately for us, we had our foam expert. And he developed a foam for us with skin, skin that would flex without looking rubbery. We made the foam look like steel armor."


JIM HENSON: "He weighs . . . I don't know how much. Lots. With all the rig and all the hydrolics, the thing has to be several tons. And so this was the largest, most complicated thing we'd ever built. We didn't have very long to build it, probably two to three months."

GEORGE GIBBS: "One man could operate the whole thing. In the old days, we'd have probably had five or six guys all at different levers, working hydrolics. But one man operates the whole of Humongous all by himself, makes him walk forward, makes his body spin 'round, makes him bow down, makes his arms swing the ax. And it's all done with hydrolics. Every move his arm makes, the arms of Humongous make exactly the same move."

JIM HENSON: "When George first showed me Humongous in action, it was really an amazing thing, to just stand there and have this large thing walk toward you. It's one of the most awesome sights in the world."

See it for Yourself



There it is, from the mouths of the maker's themselves and your eyes only. This thing is huge. And for a thing with only one line, its a miraculous feet to have built him in the first place. That is why, today, in honor of the belated anniversary of Jim's death, I celebrate Humongous and his big ol' giant robotic self.

In Which Mithy Blogs About a Book in An Effort To Read It

Readers,

If you know me, which many of you do and many of you do not, you are aware that I am an insatiable bookworm. As I was perusing my Google reader as I am notorious for doing at inopportune moments, and moments of boredom alike, I happened upon the blog Geek with Curves that I have been proudly following for many months now. In that days particular blog, the esteemed Amy Ratcliffe provided us with a review of Catherynne M. Valente’s The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. In fact, I believe Amy, if I may be so bold as to refer to her on a first name basis, reffered to the book as "Gobsmacking" her, which, in my general opinion, means its worth reading.

This book, having been whopping newspapers, magazines and blogs all over the internet for the last week or so, has been causing quite a stir in the geeky circles I run in. I have not read it, but am highly anticipating the experience. The people who brag about it say it smacks of Alice and Oz but in an inspiring and truly original way. The book, which Valente originally provided in full online, is now the number 8 new york times bestseller. On a side note, I did a little cyber- snooping into Valente's background and found that I liked what I saw. Not only is Valente cute as a friggin' button, but she's witty and charming with her blogs and writings, a trait I hope carries over into this book. Oddly enough, I've been meaning to read her book Palimpsest, which has been on hold in my library queue for the last... um... year. I should probably just purchase it if I really want to read it before I'm 50.

But I digress. In the end, while I cannot provide you with a full review as of yet, I want to give you a heads up about this book in an effort to both read it myself and inspire you to do the same. There are very few original stories out there and I am hoping this piece lives up to the expectations I have of it.

Cheers and happy potential reading,
Mithy

Extra Goodies...

A book trailer of... this book. I find these odd. They are like commercials for the written word...


Linkies... mmmm....

Catherynne M. Valente
The books page, complete with a free preview. If you get clicky, perhaps you shall learn what I have about the author and her other works...

Amazon!
Who doesn't like Amazon... this link specifically, because if you click it, if transports you to the book!

In Which Mithy Gets Her BA in English and Uses It

Dear Family, Friends and Others

I'm graduating tomorrow after 5 years of college. I've had 5 years of new beginnings. Of happiness and euphoria. Of loneliness, frustration, excitement, love lost and gained.. Of Bikes, and Cabs and Buses and my own two feet. I’ve spent the last five years figuring out how it works, and even though I still don’t know for certain, I can say, in as many words as this covers, that I am closer to knowing. The world is wider than it used to be, and for laying claim to that amount of admission I can verify myself as a peer within it. I've become a woman. When, individually, we look back at school, we seem to forget how hard it was, or dismiss it as something we did and will never have to do again. Here, I have the experiences I have taken on and they have molded me in the only way I would let them: by making mistakes and learning from them.

Tomorrow, I will put on a pretty dress and curl my hair, not because it matters in the long run, but because it matters then. I will stand up and know that, despite my insecurities and doubts, I am who I am, and that is all that I am. Now, though, I want to take a minute to thank everyone in my life for supporting me and standing by me through all of this. My family, all of them, have been by my through my toughest times and I can say, right now, that I never would have done any of this without them. They are my guiding light, my best friends, and the glue that holds me together. You were the ones who gave me a towel after I rode the five miles home from school in rain. You were the ones that held me and gave me the support and advice I didn’t know I needed yet. You were the ones that let me be who I was. Tomorrow, when I get up there, I will be thinking nothing but you and how much you mean to me. I want to thank my peers for showing me a little of how its done, My friends who didn't snide my quirks, My bosses, my collegues and everyone I love, because there are so many of you. Still also, I want to thank everyone who slighted me or broke my heart, who were unfair and mean. You were not many, but you were there. And you deserve the thank, because without those moments, how could I have become who I am? I look back at each place, each moment and environment and do my best not to take them for granted. My failures and my accomplishments are not buried but worn like lapel pins, each showing my gratitude for what they have provided. No matter how little I understand about myself, I know for certain that I understand more than when I began.

So here’s to wondering how it all started, and how I came to be here. Here’s to different jobs, and getting fired and breaking up and getting back together. Here’s to first times and spontaneity. Here’s to learning how to breathe, and how to be, and how to love, for real. Here’s to growing up and being not what people want you to be, but who you are.

Happy Graduation

Love, Mithy

To Make You Remember

Its like forgetting the words to your favorite song...

In Which Mithy Declares it a Happy Valentine's Day!

Dear readers,

I wanted to take a moment to tell you all that I love you. I'm not just saying that. I downright adore you. you are the cheese to my macaroni, the icing on my cake. The very thought of you makes me jump for joy. I want nothing more than to smooch you.

This being said, I hope you enjoy this valentine blog. Its for you readers, just for you.

Tonite, I'm going to get dressed up nice and go with Bubba to get pancakes at the closest Dennys, then a movie in the comfort of his apartment. I deem this Valentines Day a good one.

All wrapped in love,

Mithy

Seasons of Love
a postsecret valentine

Joie de vivre

I'm going to take a moment and show you the amazing place Bubba and I went this weekend....

Pigeon Point Lighthouse is about a 20 minutes drive from Half Moon Bay, California and remains the oldest working lighthouse on the coast. We spent a romantic valentines day weekend in their youth hostel.... an affordable trip I would recommend any time!

On a Luvy Duvy Note...
here are some pictures to get you in the mood



Happy Valentines Day!

The Bee Person Cinematic

Dearest readers,


I'm trying a new thing. For this segment of my blog, I'm going to be bringing you some lovely works of film. Please enjoy this experiment.

Yours,
Mithy

Edison Studio's
Frankenstien

Produced in 1910 by Edison Studios and directed by J. Searle Dawley, this film remains today the first ever motion picture adaptation of Frankenstein. It runs a whopping 13 minutes and was originally run on 35 mm film. The best thing about this particular version of the film is that where it was originally silent, it is accompanied here by Life Toward Twilight, a one man composer of ambient and industrial sounds. Daniel Tuttle, the man behind Life Toward Twilight derived this composition in 2008. His compositions are often categorized under Neoclassical, Dark Industrial, or Steampunk. A link to his background and Discography can be clicked above. The full film is posted below. Enjoy!

In Other News

Punk of the Day

Linkables
Steam Dreams of Iverness
a radio program!






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