muley

Master Replicas'
Kermit’s Trip To Memphis, August 31 - September 3
By Kevin L. Williams

Kermit arrived in Memphis later on Friday afternoon, so Muley and I took him to Overton Park to see some of his cousins at the Memphis Zoo and Aquarium’s amphibian exhibit. Outside of the zoo are these giant granite cut-outs of animals that you’re not supposed to climb on, although Muley talked Kermit into it. We also wandered around the park with some of the nicer exhibits, one that a buddy of mine, Lin, and I worked on for a Korean War Memorial. We finished Friday visiting some friends of mine and dinner with relatives. Just a note: You’ll notice that Muley, who is supposed to co-host the visit, isn’t in a lot of images. He tends to wander off -- attention deficit and all that.

Saturday, members of the Mid-South Cartoonists Association (Martheus and Janet Wade, Lin, and myself ) spent the day traveling down into Mississippi with Kermit. As Lin pointed out, “You can take Kermit anywhere in the world, but we’re taking him home!” Without telling Kermit where we were going, he was surprised as we passed the sign for Leland, MS, to visit the Jim Henson Boyhood Museum right on the banks of Deer Creek, famous to us Henson fans as the place Jim would swim and fish as a boy. Of course, Kermit had to go for a swim as well.

Albeit a small place, the Jim Henson Museum is chock full of fantastic memorabilia, from collectibles to family portraits of his childhood, from school records to actual Muppets. After we signed in, Kermit recognized a copy of himself playing a banjo from The Muppet Movie and Muppets from “The Song of the Cloud Forest,” which Jim directed on The Jim Henson Hour. There was a touching moment spent with Kermit as you’ll see in the photos below.

Afterwards, we found the historical marker discussing Leland as Kermit’s birthplace right next to Deer Creek, and then visited the childhood school of Jim Henson. We had dinner at a local Italian restaurant, then headed home. Halfway there, we hear a thumpa-thumpa sound and discover that we were incorrect thinking Muley was up to no good but that it was a flat!

Saturday night Kermit got to visit world famous Beale Street, home of the Blues. Beale Street was the first stop many Mississippi Delta blues performers would make on their way into Chicago. While a lot of blues in the Delta was acoustic, in Memphis they began to take on a different sound, becoming electrified when they hit Chicago. I’ve always said that if blues was born in the delta, the breath of life came in Memphis. We visited some shops, took photos with different sights, and even had BBQ!

That’s right: BBQ! Or, Barbeque! The good stuff that Memphis is famous for. If you remember in the song “Pig Calypso” on The Muppet Show, Kermit says, “Bib and napkin, knife and fork, is the only way that I’ll touch pork!” I just hope Miss Piggy doesn’t see this. We had dinner with my parents and my 99-year-old grandfather, Papa Roy.

Sunday, we went back to downtown Memphis and did more sight-seeing, stopping off at Miss Polly’s where Kermit met up with a cousin of Camilla’s, then seeing the Mississippi River Bridge and more. We made a trip to STAX Museum, which used to be a recording studio in the 60‘s that created the music that the Blues Brothers covered. We also visited a hot-spot for all my friends and I at Comics and Collectibles here in Memphis where Kermit read Bushi Tales, and Muley read “Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa,” which I edit.

We spent a tremendous amount of time at the Memphis Botanic Gardens thanks to my friend Lisa McGeorge and Vicki French. Kermit enjoyed this place a LOT--something about how green everything was. Kermit also took time to make a PSA about keeping things green while there. Afterwards, we went to visit the Crystal Grotto at Memorial Park. It’s a beautiful garden area where lots of great services like weddings and such happen. It’s also a cemetery, but feels more like a park.

Kermit got a chance to go visit the home of The King, Elvis Presley! We got to Graceland on Monday and I couldn’t tell if folks were there for Elvis or Kermit--he was a hit (of course). Given an opportunity to wear ‘the cape’ and ‘glasses,’ Kermit jumped at the chance (pun intended) and took some poses. That night, we went to hear my friend Di Anne Price perform, and Kermit got to get some great shots with her at the piano.

Sadly, Tuesday morning came and Kermit was off on his way to the next stop--not too far away! Hope he has as much fun in the country music captial, Nashville, TN, as he did in Memphis--home of the Blues and BBQ.

Photography by:
Antone and Janet Wade - www.toshigawa.com
Kevin L. Williams - www.muleythemule.com
Lin Workman - www.BushiTales.com
Special thanks to:
Lisa McGeorge and Vicki French

Master Replicas' report on Kermit in Memphis can be found on their website here:

http://masterreplicas.com/customer/comm ... 181-_-none

KLWP's Video Montage of Images of the Memphis Trip can be found here:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v1111067cT29JAPA

See the trip to Leland, MS, and the Jim Henson Museum here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0j7pygpYM4

By the way, this picture:
http://masterreplicas.com/images/cache/ ... 8b7008.jpg
...was inspired by this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAZihmoE8-s

Hey folks!

Please take time to sign up for this message board and vote for the Memphis part of Kermit's trip. We (Lin, Antone, Janet, and I) spent a LOT of time and effort to create some great photos of Kermit and his trip to Memphis! Plus, of everywhere he went, we were the only group who took him home to Leland, MS! The winner wins Kermit the Frog and all the goodies he got from all the places he went on his trip!

So, please go here and vote for Memphis!
UPDATE: VOTING ENDED

Voting ends February 1st, so please go vote!

kev, it's is frustrating all to heck (see? i can keep it clean on your boards) that i can't ever log into master replica's site to vote. & it's KILLING me to see others are getting votes but i can't vote for yours!!! ggaaarrrrrrrr!!! i don't know what's up. i am def gonna try to log on @ home on my trusty mac.

From one of my friends at the forums of www.muppetcentral.com

http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=35392