Sesame Street Augmented Reality Toys

Qualcomm and Sesame Workshop have developed some amazing Augmented Reality technology. The video embedded below shows a demo of the AR mat, dolls and other objects. The Ernie and Burt dolls are recognized and they recognize each other and can interact. They can also interact with other objects placed on the mat. The two objects in the demo are a TV and a jukebox.

The Qualcomm website has the following description on their website:

"Qualcomm Inc. and Sesame Workshop, the producer behind Sesame Street, have joined forces to explore augmented reality experiences for children that encourage learning and imagination. A longtime advocate of embracing cutting-edge technologies to enrich children’s early learning experiences, Sesame Workshop teamed with Qualcomm to create a prototype playset that brings physical toys to life." Read more at Qualcomm.com article Vuforia by Qualcomm and Sesame Workshop Prototype Playset.

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Muppets at the 84th Oscars

The Muppets had a great night at the 84th Annual Academy Awards. Bret McKen­zie, the song writer for recent "The Muppets," won the Oscar for best original song for "Man or Muppet."

Kermit and Piggy also introduce Cirque du Soleil. You can view the video at the Oscars website.

Before the Oscars, Kermit sang a rendition of "Rainbow Connection" with Darren Criss from Glee. The performance was broadcast during E!s Oscar Countdown and can be view on E!'s website.

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Kermit the Frog & Darren Criss Will Perform on E!'s Oscar Countdown



Darren Criss & Kermit the Frog

Kermit the Frog will be performing Oscar weekend.  He will be performing Rainbow Connection with Darren Criss from Glee on E!'s Oscar Countdown today.  Criss is a Muppet fan was and was excited at the chance to meet and sing with one of his heros, Kermit.

Read more at eonline.com's article Glee's Darren Criss and Kermit: Sneak Peek Pics From Video Duet.

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Perez Hilton Petition 29,000 Away From Goal

As we have reported previously, Perez Hilton has lead a campaign to try to get the Academy to allow the Muppets to perform on the Oscars. As of the afternoon of February 24, 2012, the petition is 29,513 signatures away from the goal of 100,000 by the 25th.

The petition, Perez Hilton's "Get The Muppets On The Oscars!" Petition, can stilled be signed if you are interested.

The petition asks "The Academy to allow The Muppets to perform their nominated "Man or Muppet" during The Oscars. We are outraged they are not performing and demand they have their moment on that Kodak Theatre stage to perform what will most likely become the most entertaining act of the night!"

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The Making of the Muppets

This evening at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood, CA three of the special effects artists that created the digital effects for The Muppets shared what is took to make the new movie. The over 350 visual effects allowed the muppeteers more freedom and Muppets were able to do things that they had never done before.

The Gnomon website says that, "VFX Supervisor and Producer Janet Muswell will talk about the pre-production planning, working with puppeteers and puppets on-set, walking the line between campy and realistic and juggling the rolls of supervisor and producer. LOOK Effects’ in-house supervisor Max Ivins will discuss what they did and how (and why) they did. LOOK’s in-house producer Jenny Foster will be on-hand to explain the roll of a facility vfx producer in moving shots through the post-production pipeline."

For more information visit the Gnomon School of Visual Effects website. The Gnomon School of Visual Effects is a training facility that stresses creativity in computer graphics.

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Elmo's World Tour Begins Next Month in Australia

Elmo's World Tour will begin next month in Australia and will make nine stops through June of 2012.

Life Like Touring was given permission by Sesame Workshop to write and produce the show.  Life Like Touring is known for quality children’s entertainment and they have exclusive live licenses to more than 20 international children’s brands.

According to the press release, "In Sesame Street Presents Elmo's World Tour, the Sesame Street gang - Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird, Grover, Zoe and Cookie Monster - use the letters of the alphabet to navigate a voyage through imagination that sees them visiting China, Zambia, France, India and Australia! Elmo and his friends have fun learning how people sing and dance and say hello in different places around the world, but things don’t go to plan when Cookie Monster eats a letter of the alphabet. Hopefully Abby Cadabby can find the right spell to help. Along the way, audiences will also delight in hearing a sensational tale from The Count and will get to help back-packing rubber-duckies find a place to stay with Bert and Ernie."

Visit http://www.sesamestreetpresents.com.au/ for more information.

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Unproduced Jim Henson Screenplay Released as Graphic Novel

The graphic novel adaptation of an unproduced,
feature-length screenplay written by Jim Henson
 and his frequent writing partner, Jerry Juhl.

An unproduced feature film length screenplay, "A Tale of Sand" written by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl in 1967 was discovered in the Jim Henson Company archives.  The screenplay has recently been released as a graphic novel from Ramon Perez and the publisher Archaia Entertainment with the blessing of the Jim Henson Company.

The graphic novel's description says that is "follows scruffy everyman, Mac, who wakes up in an unfamiliar town, and is chased across the desert of the American Southwest by all manners of man and beast of unimaginable proportions."

According to a recent article from thestar.com, Perez tried to make the graphic novel accessible to both comic readers and non-comic readers.  Perez is quoted as saying, “What I tried to keep in mind all the time was that not everyone who picks this up is going to be a comic book reader. I had to make it accessible to both — entertaining to the ones who are familiar with comics and accessible for those who are unfamiliar."

Jim Henson's Tale of Sand graphic novel was released earlier this year, almost 45 years since it was written and almost 22 years since the passing of the legendary Jim Henson.

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