Et cetera : The Open Book: The Rainbow Connection

My love of the Muppets began at an early age. I remember waiting with anticipation for Kermit to come running out in front of the red velvet curtain, enthusiastically shouting 'It's the Muppet Show with our very special guest...'! We had the 'Muppet Movie' soundtrack on 8-track cassette, as well as the collectible glassware from McDonald's. As I grew older, I continued to be a fan. I saw 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' in the movie theater as a teenager, and my senior quote was by none other than Kermit the Frog. My kids have received a stellar Muppet education, including games of Muppet Yahtzee, our annual viewing of 'Muppet Family Christmas', and frequent quoting of 'Muppets Most Wanted'. (Dominick Badguy; it's French for Good Man').

So, imagine my delight when our library received a copy of Christopher Finch's 'Of Muppets & Men: The Making of the Muppet Show' from the Steve Arnold Estate. This book is a must-read for die-hard Muppet fans like me. It goes behind the scenes of The Muppet Show, with gorgeous photos filling every page. It includes bios of Jim Henson and the talented crew of puppeteers, costume designers and actors that made this show such a welcome mainstay in so many homes. The book covers the unique set designs required of puppeteering and manages to capture the culture and kind, self-deprecating humor that defines the show. To paraphrase a quote from the book, if a joke isn't good enough to make the show, it just might be bad enough to make the show three times. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and it has inspired me to watch some of the classic episodes and reminisce.

This book currently has 4.64 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.com and is available for checkout from the library in regular type.