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Welcome to the newest ToughPigs podcast: FRAGGLE TALK: CLASSIC! Hosts Beth, Julia, and Adam will be reviewing every episode of the classic Jim Henson series Fraggle Rock, starting here with "Beginnings". If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to the FRAGGLE TALK podcast on your favorite podcatcher service!

In this bonus episode of The Great Muppet Fandom Panel, it's the Muppet Friend Awards! J.D. is joined by the hosts of the Muppeturgy podcast - Christie, Adam, David, and Michal - for a discussion of the stars who've been the best friends to The Muppets - as their guests, hosts, collaborators, champions, and sometimes lovers.

It's the third installment of The Great Muppet Fandom Panel – ToughPigs’ recurring podcast featuring Muppet fans chatting about the Muppet news in the silliest ways they can. This time, "Muppet Fans Talking" hosts Mary, Maria, and Sprout join J.D. in trying to assess the state of Sesame Workshop and what we can expect from Muppets Mayhem. Also discussed: tall Count von Count, unwearable T-shirts, and which Muppets should play which Fraggles.

Joe and Jarrod get together for one last episode to discuss Season 2! Which episode had audio recorded 12 months after the interview? Which guest forgot to show up? Which guest had the worst audio imaginable? Listen as we answer all those questions and tell you which talk show hosts were contacted, which legendary director could have appeared (kinda), and find out just how close Jarrod came to getting a certified Dame on the show! We also have an important announcement about the future of To Introduce Our Guest Star. Thanks for listening to Season 2!

In our final interview for Season 2, Joe pulls out the big guns and surprises Jarrod with none other than the legendary Frank Oz! Frank needs no introduction, but let's give him one anyway. Frank was the original performer of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam on The Muppet Show, as well as Bert, Grover and Cookie Monster on Sesame Street.  He directed The Muppets Take Manhattan, before going on to direct films like Bowfinger and Death At A Funeral.  A few years ago he released the incredible documentary Muppet Guys Talking, where he teamed up with Jerry Nelson and previous To Introduce Our Guest Star guests Fran Brill, Bill Barretta and Dave Goelz! Listen as we discuss Frank's ideas for The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made, teaming up with Dave Goelz for voice overs and drinking with Joan Rivers.  Plus Muppets From Space wasn't great, Jarrod's getting surgery, and Frank thinks we're terrible at our jobs.

Today Jarrod surprises Joe with comedian, actor and massive Muppet fan Bobby Moynihan! Bobby has had an incredible career with nine seasons on Saturday Night Live and has worked on shows like DuckTales and 30 Rock, as well as films like Monsters University and Sisters. But us Muppet fans love him for his guest appearance on Sesame Street as the Quacker Duck Oates Man and for being the guest star for both The Muppets Take The Hollywood Bowl and The Muppets Take The O2 live shows! Listen as we discuss performing Happy Feet with Kermit, the props Bobby wishes he could have stolen, and the various times SNL parodied the Muppets.  Plus Bobby doesn't want to sing, Paul Williams asks everyone to play golf, and Mel Brooks is at an airport.

This week Joe makes Jarrod go :O as he brings on actor and all round delight Yvette Nicole Brown! Yvette has appeared on shows like A Black Lady Sketch Show, Drake & Josh and The Odd Couple, as well as films like (500) Days of Summer, Tropic Thunder and Avengers: Endgame, but we love her best for her role as Shirley Bennett on the cult favorite sitcom Community. Yvette is an outspoken Muppet fan in her own right, and in 2021 played the role of the Hearse Driver in Disney Plus' Muppets Haunted Mansion. Listen as we discuss being proud of your fandom, being kind to strangers and all the times Community intersected the Muppets.  Plus we want to call the Russo Brothers, we all love Paul Williams, and Yvette should be on Sesame Street!

This week Jarrod surprises Joe with director Ken Kwapis! Ken has had a remarkable career directing shows like 'Malcolm In The Middle', 'The Bernie Mac Show' and 'Parks and Recreation', as well as movies like 'He's Just Not That Into You', 'The Beautician and the Beast' and 'License to Wed'.  He also helped create the US adaption of 'The Office'. But before any of that, his feature directorial debut was the 1985 Sesame Street film 'Follow That Bird'! Listen as we discuss felt on tables, complicated shots with planes, and who could have worked at the Grouch Cafe! Plus the Count drives by himself, blue Big Bird is devestating, and chaotic preview screenings!

We're extremely honored to present this new episode recorded with the late Bob McGrath, just a few months before he passed. Bob was a fixture on Sesame Street since Episode 0001 back in 1969, and spent over 40 years singing and teaching and entertaining generations of kids. Listen as Bob discusses some of his favorite lesser known songs, skydiving and why the characters of Bob and Linda never got married.  Plus being recognised at the urinal, Bob's wife pops in, and Bob muses on the meaning of life. Stick around after the interview as Joe and Jarrod take a few moments to remember Bob and their time with him.  And thanks for joining us, Bob.

This week Jarrod surprises Joe with legendary Muppet performer Fran Brill. Fran was the first female puppeteer hired by Jim Henson back in 1970 and spent over 40 years on Sesame Street playing beloved characters like Prairie Dawn, Little Bird and Zoe.  Listen as we chat Saturday Night Live, the Jim Henson Hour Zondra stans, little tiny Season 40 Zoe and a heck of a lot more!

This week Joe surprises Jarrod with long time Sesame Street Muppet performer Martin Robinson!  Marty is the man under and inside some of your favorite characters like Telly Monster, Slimey and Snuffy, plus a whole tonne more. Join us as we discuss the busted up microphone that helps voice Snuffy, Marty's work on Helpsters, and why it's important for kids to see anxious characters like Telly.  Plus Muppet Babies, weddings on the set of Sesame Street and the world's creepiest clown puppet.

To Introduce Our Guest Star is back! We're kicking off Season 2 with the brilliant puppeteer Alice Dinnean, who has worked on projects like Sesame Street, Muppets Haunted Mansion and... oh yeah, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance! Plus we talk elephants and Britta Perry, then some guy gate crashes.

Welcome back to the second episode of The Great Muppet Fandom Panel - ToughPigs' recurring podcast featuring Muppet fans chatting about the latest in Muppet news! ToughPigs writers Julia Gaskill, Louie Pearlman, and Joe Hennes join J.D. for a winter wonderland of Muppet news and discussion. Did we like Best in Snow? “Night of the Lights”? Fraggle NFTs? Results may vary. Also discussed: Bob McGrath, imaginary Muppet theme park attractions, and Disco Kermit.

Surprise!  There's a brand new episode of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock available to watch right now on Apple TV+!  Double surprise!  There's also a new episode of Fraggle Talk - the unofficial Fraggle Rock podcast - available to listen to as well! After having completed our entire series of Back to the Rock reviews and recaps with the cast and crew of the show, we couldn't leave the project incomplete.  So with more from the show, we knew we just had to record an extra episode of our podcast.  It's a holiday miracle! A special episode requires some special guests, so we're excited to welcome ToughPigs' Fraggle expert Beth Cook and ToughPigs' Christmas expert Anthony Strand!  We're talking about the Fraggles' newest holiday, sabre-toothed Inkspots, and the possibility that Fraggles don't have the concept of the number 3.

ToughPigs is proud to introduce a brand new series of podcast specials airing between seasons of our various ToughPigs podcasts… it’s The Great Muppet Fandom Panel! This recurring series will feature a look at the latest Muppet news of the season, with ridiculous commentary from Muppet fans on the ToughPigs team. In our debut episode, ToughPigs writers Beth Cook, Shane Keating, and Ryan Roe star as panelists, as moderator J.D. Hansel makes them talk about Sam & Friends, live events, D23, and Sesame Street: The Musical whether they’d like to or not. Also discussed: trash merchandise, Shane’s hot wood takes, criminal latex puppets, and customizable door knockers. Hosted by: J.D. Hansel Panelists: Ryan Roe, Shane Keating, and Beth Cook Artwork by: Kenny Durkin Editing, writing, and opening theme by: J.D. Hansel ToughPigs Muppet Fan Podcast Executive Producer: Joe Hennes

Well, all good things must come to an end, and also Season 2 of Hubba-Wha?! has to come to an end. But don’t be too sad, because Becca’s wrapping the season with a challenge of Brobdinagian proportions. ToughPigs co-owners Jarrod Fairclough and Ryan Roe are in the hotseats for the hardest Hubba-Wha?! episode ever recorded, full of Muppet and Henson trivia even Becca isn’t always sure how to pronounce. Which ToughPigs titan will be this week’s toughest pig? Our contestants will have to survive the mysterious theater of Vincent Twice, face the monsters in the mirror, and find a mischievous duck named Hugo if they want to win fabulous prizes and prove they’re the champions of champions. Can you keep up? Plus: who’s out there rhyming “wubba” with “umbra” anyway? Hosted by: Becca Petunia Guests: Jarrod Fairclough and Ryan Roe Questions, Logo, Production, and Editing by: Becca Petunia Theme Music by: Staci Rosen Additional Host Artwork by: Richard Gomez ToughPigs Muppet Fan Podcast Executive Producer: Joe Hennes ALSO: Please comment on social media or message Becca to tell us what you thought of this season!

Grab your duckies and your pigeons, because it’s time for a very special episode of Hubba-Wha?! This week, Becca’s thinking about the Muppets’ most dynamic duo in an episode all about Bert and Ernie! Or is it Ernie and Bert? Joining her are her good buddies Muppet fan artist Iffy and ToughPigs’ own Joe Hennes! Who will be this week’s Toughest Pig? Our guests will have to place their orders, feed Bert’s fish, and think of lovely, lilting words if they want to win our fabulous prizes. Plus: We’re still talking about which Muppet likes cinnamon toast! Do you remember? Hosted by: Becca Petunia Guests: Iffy and Joe Hennes Questions, Logo, Production, and Editing by: Becca Petunia Theme Music by: Staci Rosen Additional Host Artwork by: Richard Gomez ToughPigs Muppet Fan Podcast Executive Producer: Joe Hennes ALSO: Barenaked Ladies cover “La La La” ALSO ALSO: Guster covers “I’ve Got to Be Clean”

Subway is proud to present this week’s Hubba-Wha?! episode about Muppets Most Wanted. Just kidding: Becca didn’t get any sponsors for this. But she’s not kidding about a full episode of trivia questions about the Muppets’ most recent motion picture. Joining her on this world tour are David Levy from the Muppeturgy podcast and ToughPigs’ own Julia Gaskill. Who will be this week’s evilest pig? Our contestants will have to answer questions about celebrity lullabies, the longest jam sessions, and The Muppet Vault. Play along at home and see if you can outsmart the world’s greatest criminal frog himself! Plus: what rhymes with “unicorn” anyway? Hosted by: Becca Petunia Guests: David Levy and Julia Gaskill Questions, Logo, Production, and Editing by: Becca Petunia Theme Music by: Staci Rosen Additional Host Artwork by: Richard Gomez ToughPigs Muppet Fan Podcast Executive Producer: Joe Hennes

If you know Becca Petunia, you know she owns a lot of Sesame merchandise. This week on Hubba-Wha?!, she’s decided to make that into everyone else’s problem with a grab bag of Sesame questions inspired by things she found lying around her apartment. Join ToughPigs’ Louie Pearlman and Sesame Street Musical performer Joe Newman-Getzler as they rise to the occasion, answering questions about the letter of the day, Steve Martin’s influence on Sesame music, and how to teach an old dog new tricks. Plus: which Muppet is Luis’s best friend? You’ll never guess… Hosted by: Becca Petunia Guests: Joe Newman-Getzler and Louie Pearlman Questions, Logo, Production, and Editing by: Becca Petunia Theme Music by: Staci Rosen Additional Host Artwork by: Richard Gomez ToughPigs Muppet Fan Podcast Executive Producer: Joe Hennes ALSO: Here’s that “Sesamerot” TikTok user that Becca and Louie were talking about

It’s only forever…or maybe closer to 57 minutes and 31 seconds! Becca leads the artist Shannguin and ToughPigs’ own JD Hansel through the wild maze that is the Labyrinth episode of Hubba-Wha?! What dangers untold and hardships unnumbered will they face on their quest to rescue fabulous prizes from the Goblin King? It wouldn’t be fair to tell you the specifics, but expect some questions about 80s pop stars, ghost writers, and what you need to cross the Bog of Eternal Stench. Plus: who reminds me of being reminded of the babe? Hosted by: Becca Petunia Guests: Shannguin and JD Hansel Questions, Logo, Production, and Editing by: Becca Petunia Theme Music by: Staci Rosen Additional Host Artwork by: Richard Gomez ToughPigs Muppet Fan Podcast Executive Producer: Joe Hennes SPOILERS: Special thanks to Montevideo for that one clip at the end!