The Muppets: Stars & Stripes FOREVER!
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Synopsis
Sam the Eagle assembles a handful of Muppets to pay musical tribute to America through John Philip Sousa's march 'The Stars and Stripes Forever'. Beaker, the Swedish Chef, Bobo the Bear, Crazy Harry, and a chicken with strong opinions each contribute their own brand of disorder to the proceedings. The result is a festive short where patriotic pageantry and Muppet absurdism coexist without anyone blinking.
Context & Trivia
Released on June 27, 2008, natively distributed on YouTube, MySpace, and Vimeo, this short was one of the earliest entries in the digital strategy that the Muppets —under Disney ownership since 2004— were beginning to build online. The internet-first, short-form format pointed toward the viral campaign that would eventually lead up to the 2011 feature.
From a puppet performance standpoint, 2008 was the year Matt Vogel became a lead performer at The Muppets Studio, taking over characters previously handled by Jerry Nelson, Crazy Harry among them. It is highly likely that Vogel performs Crazy Harry here, as well as the chicken. The broader performing ensemble of the period included Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, and Peter Linz.
Puppeteers
Eric Jacobson, Bill Barretta, Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz
Puppet design
Jim Henson, Don Sahlin, Michael K. Frith, Caroly Wilcox, Bonnie Erickson, Ed Christie, Rollie Krewson, Kirk Thatcher
Puppet companies
The Muppets Studio · The Jim Henson Company
Puppet building
Jim Henson · Don Sahlin · Kermit Love · Puppet Heap · The Jim Henson Company's Creature Shop
Direction
Matthew W. Davis
Cast
Eric Jacobson, Bill Barretta, Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz
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