Miss Piggy has always been one of my favorite forever icons! She has always been an inspiration to me since I was little and watched my first Muppets shows. So I thought to write some interesting facts about this amazing and fashionable icon:
Miss Piggy made her TV debut in 1976 on the Muppet Show. She was part of the chorus line in the show. Times were hard for her during the first year of the show because she wore the same silver dress with purple gloves everyday:
She stood out of the chorus line due to her personality, her dance number of Temptation and her purple belt in karate. She was referred to Miss Piggy after that.
She is best known for starring in all of the Muppet movies. Her segments in the Muppets shows: “Pigs in Space” and “Veterinarian Hospital” made her a true TV icon:
Her first taste of stardom was when she won the Miss Bogen County beauty contest, and that is also the first time when she made a certain man of her dreams. Kermit the Frog:
Miss Piggy has written many get advice books, and cookbooks. She is also a New York Times best seller:
Miss Piggy’s talents include dancing (tap dancing, and ball room is her speciality), singing, swimming, modeling, being a spy, bending metal bars, and playing multiple instruments such as the the trombone and kazoo.
She was born near a butcher store in a random town. Even at a young age Miss Piggy wanted to live a city life with big city dreams and made a promise to herself to leave her small town life.
She ended up fulfilling that promise when she was a teenager. Especially after the death of her father and her relationship with her mother becoming more and more distant. The day after Miss Piggy graduated from charm school she got a job selling accessories at a department.
When times got tough for her she took some jobs modeling for bacon products ads.
Her birth date is unknown…..because she prefers it that way.
She has a dog named Foo-Foo:
And yes Foo-Foo is also a diva:
In Miss Piggy contract she demands the most wardrobe changes than any other actor in a movie, show, appearance that she is in. A lot of the best designers her made clothes and shoes for her. Such as Christian Louboutin:
Kate Spade:
And Jason Wu (just to name a few!)
In an interview with Today.com Miss Piggy shared some of her morning routine such as getting up in the middle of the afternoon, and eating chocolate for breakfast.
I will definitely do a separate blog post in the future about her relationship with Kermit the frog. But did any of the facts about Miss Piggy surprised you? What was your favorite one?
Today’s movie of the day is Dolly Dearest (1991). Directed by Maria Lease. And starring Rip Torn, Denise Crosby and Sam Bottoms. It is about a family who moves to Mexico after the head of the household. Elliot Wade (played by Sam Bottoms) buys the Dolly Dearest rights and factory in Mexico.
However the factory is near a hidden Mayan tomb of a descendant of Satan. The archeologist who opened the tomb gets killed and unearths a demon spirit named Sanzia. The spirits inhabits the closest non human object it can find a Dolly Dearest. However the doll belongs to the daughter of Elliot Wade: Candace Wade.
And what turns from a girl and a her best friend instead becomes a little girl and a doll from HELL!
I grabbed this copy when Vinegar Syndrome had their half yearly sale. I didn’t know much about the movie but I am was impressed by the cover art so I took a chance.
I made sure to watch it in the same room as my haunted doll: Anita. Anita was a Christmas gift I got from a former co worker. Although the movie had it’s cheesy aspects I thought it was an overall good movie.
Some interesting facts about the movie:
This movie had a short run in Midwestern theaters before it went into video release.
A lot of people consider this movie to be in close relation to Child’s Play (1988).
Hello I just wanted to write a quick blog about some of the shows I have been watching:
Melrose’s Place (1992-1999):
I remember also seeing commercials of this show growing up. But I was too young to watch it to a point where I understood all of the drama in it. So it’s good that I am able to watch all of the seasons now and a better comprehension of all the over the top drama! I was able to watch the seasons on Hulu.
Red Oaks (2014-2017):
I watched this show a couple of years ago but did not finish it. It was because I started watching it during the busy holiday season and did not have the time to finish. So I decided to give it another chance. If you like anything set in the 80’s then this is a must watch! It is available to watch on Amazon Prime.
The new season of Unsolved Mysteries (2020): So if you been reading my blog for a while then you know how much of an Unsolved Mysteries fan I am! So when the new season premiered this month I was totally into and so far had various discussions of theories of what could of happened in the unsolved cases. Look out for a future blog post on past unsolved mysteries cases that really left a memory on my mind. The next season is on Netflix.
What shows have you been watching? What shows are on your to watch list?
I used to watch a lot of PBS growing up. My parents both work and ever since I could remember I would spend the majority of my time with a babysitter. The majority of spending time with her involved watch TV in her apartment. With the mandatory hour time frame (weather depending) of going to the nearby park to go play or walk around to get some fresh air. But I mostly enjoyed just watching TV and was amused by anything that was on TV.
I had a deep infatuation with PBS:
I watched a ton of British Comedy, cooking shows (even though I do not cook), travel shows, and of course Sesame Street:
Sesame Street and PBS were my best friends when friends at school didn’t want to be. So I felt like these shows were my second family. One segment from Sesame Street has been sticking in my mind the past couple of weeks.
Teeny Little Super Guy premiere in season 15 (around 1982). This character was created by Paul Fierlinger in production with Larry Gold, and Tom Sloan. Paul Fierlinger had also made countless other cartoon segments for Sesame Street (below are just a few examples of his work):
However for me he will forever be remember for one of my favorite characters on the show:
About 13 segments of the Teeny Little Super Guy were made in total. The first one titled “Swing of Cooperation” took about two months to create and finish.
Most of these segments had a common thread of learning a lesson and a sense of understanding. All of the segments were made in Paul’s home and in his studio:
Paul Fierlinger and Tom Sloan setting up the School segment in Paul’s house. Source: Wikipedia
My young self did not realize all the hard work it took to create something that was only about five to ten minutes long! Instead I was thinking how cool it was that there were tiny people who live in drinking glasses!
I remember my young self was convince that the Teeny Little Super Guy lived in my kitchen cupboard so I would often used the same set of cups. I was convinced that the Tiny Little Super Guy would randomly show up in my glass while I was drinking atlas that never happen! But at least I have my memories and YouTube to watch the amazing segments! Sesame street stop showing these segments on their show around the early 2000’s. However the Teeny Weeny Super Guy has a forever home as a display in the Brooklyn Public Library. So if you are ever in New York and if the library is open. Stop by and you might see the Teeny Little Super Guy:
I remember that I used to collect these neon green stickers and place them on every book and surface outside of my house that I could reach. But I always wondered how did Mr. Yuk come about?
A doctor from who worked at the Children’s Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh, PA actually came up with Mr. Yuk.
Dr. Richard Moriarty thought of the symbol back in 1972 when he working as a pediatrician in the emergency room section in Pittsburgh. There was an other symbol before Mr. Yuk of a picture of a skull and crossbones that more resemble a pirate flag:
However the doctor noticed that the symbol didn’t really alert children of the potential hazard of poison so he teamed up with a graphic artist in coming up with a new design. The new team conducted research with preschoolers and presented the kids with three different design concepts for the sticker. All of them being different kind of faces. The first one was a dead face, the other look gravely ill and the last was a face that looked like it was screaming in a green color. Two out of the three faces continuously stood out to the preschoolers: the screaming green color face and the ill face. One kid referred both of those faces as “yucky.” So the team decided that that as a perfect name and the rest is Mr. Yuck History. I think you can still order Mr. Yuk items through the University of Pittsburgh.
I just got an email today from the Criterion Collection that Barnes and Noble started their 50% off Criterion Collection Blu Rays and DVDs. I made a quick list of the titles to buy if you want to try something new or are undecided what to buy:
Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits (spine #1036)- Ever since I was little I have always been a huge fan of Bruce Lee. His style was effortless and his films marked a new chapter of movies for me to watch.
An Unmarried Woman directed by Paul Mazursky (Spine # 1032): So this movie is one of my favorites by Paul Mazursky. It stars Jill Clayburgh as a women who was married for 16 years and one day her husband (played by Michael Murphy) leaves her for a younger women. As put together as Jill Clayburgh’s character was up until the point she basically had to refined who she was as a person and come stronger than her marriage.
Husbands- Directed by John Cassavetes (spine #1029): I am a huge fan of John Cassavetes because he truly did everything he could to bring his movies on to screens. Every time I see his films I feel like I am actually part of his movies because they seem more documentary like then an over budget movie.
Being There directed by Hal Ashby (spine # 864). What I admired most about Hal Ashby is that he always made movies that feature the most out of the ordinary characters. The characters that normally do not have a voice on the screen in other movies. Takes the front seat in his movies. This movie has so much heart in it that I need a box of tissues when I am done watching it.
Scorsese Shorts- directed by Martin Scorsese (spine #1030)- I do enjoy Martin Scorsese earlier movies so it will be interesting to his shorts. This is a blind buy for me but I think it was a must buy for myself. Also @hydesister made the cover for it which is awesome!!
As many of you may or may not know. My favorite ride is The Haunted Manson in Disneyworld:
It has been my favorite ride ever since I remember going to the park. This is the first ride that I vividly remember going on when I was six years old and have been infatuated ever since! I even enjoy waiting in line for this ride that is how much I love this ride! One of my forever icons from the ride is Madame Leota.
Here are some interesting facts that you may or may not know about this icon from the Haunted Mansion:
Madame Leota head design was based on a Imagineer named Leota Tombs:
She had a hand in creating a lot of the rides in the Disneyworld and Disneyland parks. For example she created the people in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland:
And also the Haunted Mansion. While creating the ride another Imgineer named Yale Gracey who was also working on the ride. Asked Leota Tombs if she would sit in to post for the head of the lady in the crystal ball.
They decided to keep it and then decided to use another voice actor (Eleanor Audley who also did the voice of Lady Tremaine in the animated version of Cinderella and was the voice of Maleficent in the animated version of Sleeping Beauty) and to do the voice of the head of the hovering head in the crystal ball.
So you hear this voice while circling the seance room:
There is a gift shop outside of the Haunted Mansion called Memento Mori:
Which was Madame Leota’s former home when she was alive. During her lifespan before she became part of the Haunted Mansion. It was believe that she was a witch that was ran out of Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600’s. If you happen to go inside the store you can see some of her items that she had while was alive. There is also a portrait of her when she was alive:
This is Madame Leota’s tombstone outside of the Haunted Mansion and the description on her tombstone is a prediction of what you are about to witness inside.
This week’s interview is with IG account @vintagebeeper who is run by Nick !
Tell me a little about yourself:
“First, thanks for inviting me to an interview for @lady.cult!
Behind the page, I’m a guy who was born and raised in Brooklyn [NY] and my earliest memory is listening to The Beatles at 4 years old on a Crayola Box-shaped cassette player (you can still find it on eBay).
From age 4, I had a GameBoy Color glued to my left hand and used to draw my own superheroes and cartoon characters in school notebooks. I asked too many questions in school growing up and was promptly handed a huge “Kids Fun-Filled Question and Answer Book”. I still find myself very interested in finding the answers to life’s questions and knowing just why things are the way they are.
As I took notice of life around me, I was always fascinated by the design and aesthetics of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, especially in media. I was born in the mid-90s and was on the tail-end of getting to experience these decades, but I always look back fondly on it. I can remember enjoying the little things like going to other people’s houses and looking at the art on their walls, observing the aisles and carpet-lined floor of a video store, or being amazed by the old furniture at my grandparent’s houses. I often find myself gravitating towards movies from the 80s and usually have a classic rock station on in the background.
Outside of the page, I currently work on an upcoming NYC-based reality series while also putting in hours at a local radio station. I wasn’t able to imagine myself as a person not working in an office for 40 hours a week, but I find that the older I get, the more I’m moving towards having ideas and wanting to see those ideas take off.”
(Guy Billout, 1984)
2. How did you come up with your IG handle name?
“I first started vintagebeeper in March just as I was learning that we would be self-quarantining. I was originally spending the time decluttering and went through the photos on my phone. As I was going through what was close to a thousand pictures, I noticed that many were just art I had quickly “Added to Photos”.
I considered putting them in Dropbox or saving them to my computer, but I knew by doing so I was creating a new type of clutter and most likely wouldn’t check on them again. I thought Instagram could be an interesting home for them. I had used Instagram in the past for a personal account but, to be honest, I never really enjoyed using social media as a whole.
(Walter Ernsting, 1976)
When I had the idea for a page, I was messaging with a friend and running through a list of possible names. I wanted others to know off the bat that it was a vintage page. With the first half of the name conquered, we wanted to include something from the past that everyone still remembers. One that comes to mind was “vintagewalkman”, but it just didn’t have the right ring to it.
Once we came up with “vintagebeeper”, it just felt right and, luckily, it was available. “
3. How did you come up with your concept of your Instagram?
“In the first few days, I just started uploading the pictures I had saved and didn’t give it much thought. At that point, I hadn’t used Instagram since 2014 so it felt like I was using a completely new app. Once I got a hang of it, I was posting one picture a day with a few hashtags and added daily stories as a way to keep myself accountable and disciplined with the posting.
I didn’t have any plans or expectations in the beginning. I wasn’t making the page into anything other than a place to store my photos and thought maybe someone seeing them would enjoy them the same way that I originally did. To my surprise, more people than I imagined started to become interested in the posts.
(Naoyuki Sato, 1987)
As of now, they are mainly a mix of old book cover illustrations, airbrush design, and 80s/90s Japanese artists and I always credit the artist in the caption, unless it’s unlisted online. My tried-and-true method is to “reverse image search” the picture to find the artist behind the artwork. In the end, it became a lot bigger than I expected it to. With the push from my friends and the followers have given me, I plan to continue posting every day.
I’m not an artist by trade, but I like to think of this page as an “e-museum”. Every time you visit, you might find a new exhibit that sticks out to you. Building this page has allowed me to see there is something for everyone when it comes to sharing these posts. It inspired me to continue looking for ways to bring people together through the power that nostalgia has over us.”
4. Who are your top four favorite artists and why?
by Tim Jacobus
“Illustrator Tim Jacobus is the illustrator of the famous Goosebumps series. His cover illustrations were most likely my first experience with art and allowed me to dive into reading the original 62 books when I was younger. He uses a wide array of colors and has an amazing attention to detail that helps to imagine the characters in the book. I always thought he deserved more credit and I’ll plug him in here for those that aren’t familiar with him.
set by Wayne White
Wayne White – Set Designer, Puppeteer, Animator, Cartoonist, Illustrator
Wayne White is definitely another big part of my childhood and I appreciate his work on the set of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. I don’t actually remember how a box set of Season 1 on VHS ended up in my house, but I’m glad it did. He designed the sets and puppets for the show and his mind is one I would love to pick. I’ll plug him here too, why not?
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid and Marty Krofft – Television Creators and Puppeteers
I became interested in the Krofft brothers as recently as last year when I found out that they were behind The Banana Splits, H.R. Pufnstuf, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. What drew me to them was their absurdity and vivid color schemes which were one of the earliest of their time for television (1960s). A lot of other children’s shows followed suit and it amazes me how surreal they can get (google “The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth”). I became obsessed and started reading articles on them and even listened to a podcast where they sat down with Gilbert Gottfried. They set the tone for others to be abstract and bizarre in a time where it wasn’t often seen before.”
5. Do you have any exciting news that you would like to share?
“The page actually just got a shout out from Tim Jacobus (listed above) in the beginning of June and I shared it on the Instagram page. I’d like to plan for other great artists to collaborate and find ways to connect them with the followers, using the page as the platform.
Otherwise, I’m always looking for feedback on the daily stories and highlights. All of those, other than the Goosebumps and Garbage Pail Kids Collections, were suggestions from followers that DM’ed me. I’m always happy to take a look and explore something new that I can share with others and ultimately bring us closer together. Feel free to always reach out.”
If you like to know more information on Nick this is his following contact information:
So when I was between the ages of 7-11 I would be enchanted with movies that involved death, aliens or senior citizens. I don’t know why those subjects stood out to me as some of my favorite movie themes. But as soon as I saw that those one or all themes were in a movie. I would stay glued to my screen and watch it many, many…..many times in a row.
One movie totally fit those themes mentioned above. I first saw “Defending your Life coming home from school and was no mood to start doing my homework. So my logical step was to turn on the TV instead and flip to a movie channel. That is when I first saw “Defending Your Life” (1991) directed by Albert Brooks. Starring Albert Brooks, Lee Grant, Rip Torn and Meryl Streep.
It centers around a man named Daniel Miller who buys a new BMW on his birthday. And while driving it while listening to Barbara Streisand. He gets distracted and drives right into a bus which instantly kills him and that is when the movie really begins!
In the course of the next couple of days Daniel stays in this like in between place.
While he is in a court like ordeal whether he can move forward on to the next stage or has to go back to earth as a new person. Conquering the fear he could not accomplish in his past life. While he is waiting for the decision he meets another person named Julia (played by Meryl Streep) and falls in love with her.
But is Daniel able to conquer his repetitive fear and join Julie. Or is his destined to go back to earth and have to relearn the same lesson over and over again?
I just re watched this movie over a decade long hiatus of not seeing it and it is just as endearing as the first 50 times I saw it. Although I didn’t realize this movie was directed and written by Albert Brooks and that he made a lot of funny and personal films. He is such an underrated writer! He is not laugh out funny in his writing but it is more like a funny in a smart way. Which I kind of appreciate more in watching a movie.
Fun fact about the movie: The vehicles that were used in transporting the people in the movie were older trams from Universal Studios.
You can watch this movie on HBO now app or you can rent it from Amazon.
ladycultblog 