Jimmy Fallon & the Muppets Sing "The 12 Days of Christmas"

Muppets Make Dreams Come True on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"

It has been announced that the Muppets will be making a special guest appearance in an upcoming episode of the hit ABC series "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"! The Muppet-filled episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" will air on Sunday, January 3, 2010 (8:00-9:00pm ET) on ABC.

On October 2, 2009 the "Extreme Makeover" team went to St. Paul, Minnesota to help fulfill the dreams of Sandy Morris and her family. Sixteen years ago, Sandy left a promising career in the public school to open a daycare to serve the needs of her community. Sandy runs the daycare out of her 100-year-old home, which is now falling apart. The numerous repairs needed to make the home safe threaten to shut down the daycare. Sandy's dedication to her daycare and her community has produced one of the best daycares in the city; even the Mayor of St. Paul sent his son there. Now it's up to Ty and the designers to build the Morris family a safe home that is a sanctuary for their family and will enable the daycare to remain a center of community life and education.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" team leader Ty Pennington, designers Ed Sanders, Tracy Hutson and Paul DiMeo, call upon the help of Sam Champion ("Good Morning America"), the Muppets, community volunteers and others to get the job done. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Gonzo, Rizzo the Rat and the entire Muppet gang volunteer for "Get on the Bus" campaign and pitch in to help rebuild the Morris family's home.

This is not the first time the Muppets have been on hand to help the design team. Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and Animal helped the team build the home of the Harris family in 2005, and Kermit filled in for Ty as host during the building the Craft family's house durring a special two-hour episode in 2006. You won't want to miss this very special episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." So mark your calendars, set your DVR, or program those VCRs; you won't want to miss this epsidoe of Muppet construction and mayhem on January 3rd on ABC.

The Muppets Make Some More Holiday Appearances

The Muppets are planning to deliver some special holiday cheer with a batch of special guest appearances in the coming week.

• Miss Piggy will appear on "The Bonnie Hunt Show" on Friday, December 18th.
• Miss Piggy will also appear on "The Wendy Williams Show" on Friday, December 18th.
• Lastly, there will be a must-see appearance by the Muppets on the Wednesday, December 23rd episode of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" as well.

Additionally the 2008 holiday special "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa" will re-air on NBC this Saturday - December 19th (8/7c). Check your local listings for details on all these appearances and be sure to tune for some all these Muppet appearances on your TV.

Beat the Drums with Animal's iPhone App

Disney Interactive Studios has just released the latest (and loudest) addition in their catalog of iPhone Apps, The Muppets Animal Drummer. Now available on the App Store for just $1.99, the new app puts iPhone and iPod touch users in the drummer's seat for a game that will test their rythm, speed, timing, and memory. Plays must watch and listen to Animal play, then match Animal's beat and timing to score points and unlock new songs.

The Muppets Animal Drummer app also features a "Free Play Mode" where users can rock out with Animal to original music or songs imported from their iTunes music library. Users can also score points and create combos to charge their "Rock Meter" and power their stage presence. You can even use the App to create original music, then hit the record feature and watch Animal replay your jam session.

"We're excited to bring Animal and The Muppets to a broad mobile audience, and what better way to do that than an innovative, music-based App that taps into Animal's wild personality and the unique functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch," stated Stephen Saiz, director of marketing, Disney Interactive Studios.

So be sure to download this great new app for your iPhone or iPod Touch today! The Muppets also plan to release other iPhone apps in 2010 - including "Pepe's Love Meter", "Gonzo Grams", and "Statler & Waldorf's Theater". I will keep you updated on the release of new apps as things develop.

Ringing of the Bells

Muppets Take the Web with 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Since debuting two weeks ago, the Muppet parody of the classic music video of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been viewed more than 10-million times on YouTube. It's an exceptional hit for the first video posted on a new YouTube channel by the Muppets Studio.

A promotional Twitter feed has also been launched, and an official Facebook page has been started.

Muppets Studio general manager Lylle Breier said the online push for the Muppets was designed to help reboot the franchise and quickly get new content to fans. The purpose of the sudden Muppet expansion is mainly promotional. The studio is hoping to showcase the characters while rebuilding a more widespread interest in the brand.

"When the Muppets came into real popularity was the '70s. What was popular in the '70s? Variety shows — that's what 'The Muppet Show'=' was," said Breier. "What's the Web? It's a giant variety show. That's why the Muppets fit so perfectly. Parody has always been at the heart of what the Muppets do."

Breier said the Muppets singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" had long been an idea on the back burner, but the project only recently came together. In it, many famous Muppet character makes a cameo: Gonzo and his chickens appear in silhouette; Rowlf plays piano; Beaker supplies his normal "meep-meep-meep-meep"; Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem rock out.

It's not the Muppets first foray into online video. Several videos were released last year, most notably Beaker's award-winning rendition of "Ode to Joy." More than 7-million have since watched Beaker's video.

Breier says more Web videos are on the way. A version of "Carol of the Bells" will be released for Christmas, and a handful of other videos will follow in 2010 (including such titles as "Stand By Me," "Dust in the Wind," and "American Woman").

"It's all part of a plan for new creative content with online, television, a new theatrical movie," said Breier. "We're bringing the Muppets back."

Muppet Whatnot Workshop Adds New Options

Last fall, the Muppets introduced fans to the world of the Whatnots at FAO Schwarz in New York City. Whatnots are the extras of the Muppet world - the background characters, creatures, monsters and other assorted weirdoes who add extra mayhem and madness to every Muppet production. FAO Schwarz's Muppet Whatnot Workshop allows customers to create and customize their very own Whatnot puppet by picking a puppet body and customizing it with a variety of Muppet features and accessories.

This fall, the Muppets have introduced an additional clothing line for the Whatnots plus special facial pieces including mustaches, beards and more! There are several new costumes in the Whatnot line-up, including a football player, a princess and new Muppet Monster Whatnots! Additionally, for the first time ever, a selection of Whatnot outfits and costumes will be sold separately, each in its own Muppet-size garment bag.

For fans who can't make it to New York's FAO Schwarz flagship store, the Muppet Whatnot Workshop is available online at FAO.com. Each custom Whatnot retails for $129.99 and comes in a clear vinyl bag. So check out the all-new options in the Muppet Whatnot Workshop and get your very own custom Whatnot today!

Muppets Make Holiday Appearances on NBC

The Muppets will make some special appearances on NBC this holiday season.

• The Electric Mayhem plus Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Rizzo the Rat, and Pepe the King Prawn will perform on Christmas in Rockefeller Center on Wednesday, December 2nd at 8/7c.
• Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will appear on The Today Show on Thursday, December 3rd.
• Andrea Bocelli and the Muppets will perform together on The Jay Leno Show on Monday, December 7th at 10/9c.

Additionally the 2008 holiday special A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa will re-air on NBC this holiday season - Friday, December 4th (8/7c) and Saturday, December 19th (8/7c). Check your local listings for details and be sure to tune in to NBC for some holiday Muppet cheer.

Muppets Partner with US Postal Service to Deliver Holiday Cheer

What do the U.S. Postal Service, the Muppets and Santa Claus have in common? Neither rain nor snow nor heat nor gloom of night will keep them from delivering dreams this holiday season.

Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear joined Postmaster General John E. Potter today at the historic James A. Farley Post Office lobby in New York City to kick off the holiday mailing season and the Postal Service's Letters to Santa program.

"The holiday season isn't just the busiest time of the year for the Postal Service -- it's our best time of year," said Potter. "For nearly 100 years, the Postal Service's Letters to Santa program has made dreams come true for those in need. This is a time to celebrate how postal employees, charitable organizations and businesses have made a difference in the lives of children coast to coast."

"We're excited to be helping the Postal Service make the holiday special for kids across the country. It's the perfect way to celebrate," said Kermit the Frog. A postmark of Kermit the Frog will appear in the upper right-hand corner of holiday cards and letters mailed throughout the month of December.

"Helping Santa Claus is always a good idea, especially at this time of year," added Fozzie Bear, who saluted the Postal Service for 234 years of delivering holiday cheer -- and saluted Santa just to be on the safe side.

Letters to Santa is a letter-writing campaign that allows members of the public and charitable organizations to respond to children's letters addressed to Santa Claus, the North Pole and other seasonal characters. New York City's program is the largest in the country with tens of thousands of people adopting letters each year.

"We are delighted to partner with The Walt Disney Company and the Muppets to kick off the holiday mailing season," said Postmaster General Potter. "The Postal Service is gearing up for our annual mail delivery to the North Pole to help Santa and his elves get ready for the big day."

For more information on the Postal Service's Letters to Santa program and for a list of participating Post Offices nearby, visit usps.com.

Elmo to Appear on "The Sunny Side Up Show"

Sesame Street's loveable red and furry monster, Elmo, is set to make a set of very special appearances on Sprout's live morning program, "The Sunny Side Up Show" this holiday season. Elmo will appear on the live morning program on Tuesday, December 15, 2009. Elmo will join host Sean and his puppet friend Chica the Chicken to take calls from Sprout viewers, read birthday cards, and send out holiday wishes to families across the country.

Elmo is is not the first "Sesame Street" star to appear on "The Sunny Side Up Show", Big Bird appeared as a co-host on the program in fall 2007, Prairie Dawn made a special Valentine's Day appearance last year, Oscar the Groch stopped by in 2008 for an Earth Day visit, and Grover helped ring in 2009 with special New Year's Eve and New Years Day appearaces. "The Sunny Side Up Show" airs weekdays on the PBS KIDS Sprout television network from 9:00am to 12:00pm ET (check listings for details). So if you get Sprout on your TV, and if you're a Elmo fan, then you'll want to make sure you tune in for a special Muppet appearance.