As a follow-up to the previous entry, I thought I’d direct you to some of the Muppet-related stuff I’ve run across on the Internets.

First up is some more on Jerry Juhl, although still nothing from the professional press. Guess the passing of a mere scribe who contributed to some of the most beloved pop-cultural creations of the last 50 years doesn’t merit anyone’s attention; no, it’s far more important to detail the latest efforts of loopy trailer-trash diva and professional gold-digger Anna Nicole Smith to get her mitts on her dead hubby’s money. Luckily, however, we’ve got fans and bloggers with the wherewithal to do what must be done and pay tribute where it’s due.

We begin with the official statement of The Jim Henson Company itself, which include these lovely thoughts from Jim Henson’s daughter Lisa:

“So much of the humor, irreverence, caring and heart that has been central to our work for 50 years began with Jerry Juhl. He was – in many ways – the real voice of The Muppets and of every project from The Jim Henson Company.”

Over at Jim Hill Media, you’ll find not just one but two articles on Jerry. The first, by Mr. Hill himself, is the most detailed account I’ve seen of how Juhl got involved with Jim Henson’s inspired lunacy and how his role in the organization grew and evolved over the years. The second one is a bit more your standard appreciation:

I’ve always admired Jerry’s talents and thought of him as the godfather of Muppets. He took good care of the Muppets after Jim Henson passed away. He was the man that carried the secret recipe to that special Muppet humor that we all know. I just felt that — without Jerry — the Muppets would be lost.

 

Then, the corners of my mouth began to turn up as a wry smile bgan to cross my face. A small voice in the back of my head said to me: “Lost? Have you tried Hari Krishna?” It was then that I began to relax a bit and realize that the Muppets would live on thanks to the tremendous care and love Jerry had put into their personalities.

(I don’t agree with that writer’s sentiment about the Muppets living on; as I said yesterday, I think the true Muppets, the mildly subversive ones who hadn’t yet become “properties,” have been marketed into extinction. But the quote was worth repeating for that Hare Krishna joke, which is classic Muppetism.)

Author Neil Gaiman took time from a busy book tour to mention Jerry, and reflect that he once “got to eat ice-cream with [him], and talk Muppet history and everything. He was an incredibly nice, funny, wise man, and we corresponded by email afterwards, a little, and I sent him books.” And I located an interview with Juhl himself. Done a few years back, it includes a lot of interesting tidbits about The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock (which I don’t think I’ve ever seen), and an unproduced Muppet movie that could’ve been really, really funny.

Finally, just so this thing doesn’t end on too melancholy a note, and because it’s a Friday and we need some diversions, here are a few fun links:

• The Kermitage, a Web site that’s all about classic Muppet Show, complete with trivia and episode guides;
• Bert is Evil, an Internet oldie-but-goodie;
• Bert: The Rolling Stone Interview, wherein we learn of the simmering professional jealousy between Bert and Kermit;
• And my personal favorite of these, Grover is Bitter, a hilarious VH1-style retelling of the rise and tragic fall of a cute, furry monster from Queens. The usual antics involving booze and hookers are here, but pay particular attention to the little red protege — it’s just like All About Eve!

Oh, and finally finally, here’s a classic Jerry Juhl-penned Muppet joke:

Q. What do you do with a wombat?

A. You play wom with it.