We sat down the day after Muppets Haunted Mansion premiered to chat with our pal, writer and director Kirk Thatcher, about the 30 year journey it took to get this special made.

We also discuss the spookier elements, Gonzo and Pepe as a duo, the return of Johnny and Sal, and even the nipple gag from Muppets Wizard of Oz gets a mention!

FINAL EPISODE!  We're joined by ToughPigs' latest recruit, and also ToughPigs' latest co-owner!  Jarrod Fairclough tells us all about running our competitor The Muppet Mindset, merging the Muppet Mindset with ToughPigs, and then joining the ToughPigs crew 

Select articles mentioned in this episode:

- The Worst of The Muppet Show: Rich Little

- Muppet Cupcakes: A Fill-in-the-Blank Response

- 40 Favorite Muppet Show Moments

- Cookie Monster and Abby Interview

- Arrested Develmuppet

Click here to find all of Jarrod's ToughPigs articles.  You can follow Jarrod on Twitter @jazzfairclough and on Instagram @jarrodfairclough.

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes 

Guest Jarrod Fairclough 

Theme Music by Staci Rosen 

Logo Art by Chris Smigliano

Ever wonder how ToughPigs stays on top of all the latest Muppet news?  It's all thanks to Shane Keating, our resident news guru! Shane tells us all about some of the unique Muppet videos he's created for ToughPigs and how often he has to refresh Twitter to keep us all properly informed.

Select articles mentioned in this episode:

- The Scooter Fist

- One Second from Every Muppet Show Episode

- One Muppetational Shot

Click here to find all of Shane's ToughPigs articles.  You can follow Shane on Twitter @sokdrawer.

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes

Meet Louie Pearlman!  He's a comedy writer, a podcast writer, a musical theater writer, and even a Sesame Street writer! We're chatting with him about the exciting work he's created as ToughPigs' resident music expert and the punk rock aesthetic of the Muppets.

Select articles mentioned in this episode:

- Make America HATE Again: Ronald Grump on Sesame Street

- The Manhattan Music of the Muppets

- Emmet Otter Songs Ranked by Christmassyness

- The Musical Legacy of Muppet Babies

Click here to find all of Louie's ToughPigs articles.  You can follow Shane on Twitter @Louie4711 and on Instagram @Louie4711.

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes

It's been a week since our last episode of ToughPigs at 20, which can only mean one thing: It's time for another episode of ToughPigs at 20!  Today we're chatting with longtime ToughPigs contributor Evan G., who shares with us stories about creating Muppet artwork, caring about obscure Muppet characters, and doing WAY too much research.

Select articles mentioned in this episode:

- Weird Science: A Guide to the Romance of Bunsen and Beaker

- ToughPigs Art: Muppets Wearing Ugly Christmas Sweaters

- Muppet Christmas Carol: The Fraggle Rock Connection

- 12 Muppets Reimagined as Office Supplies (April Fools Day)

- Drawing a Blank: Remember the Muppets? (April Fools Day)

- We Need to Talk About Jen

- The History of Joe the Legal Weasel

- Finally, the TRUE Sesame Street Zodiac

- Understanding Pepe the King Prawn

Click here to find all of Evan's ToughPigs articles.  You can follow Evan on Twitter @UnclePetunio.

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes

It's time for another episode of the podcast where we talk about ourselves! And also Muppets! Longtime ToughPigs writer Matthew Soberman regales us with stories of how he joined the team, our annual April Fools Day gags, and our epic Sesame Street: 50 in 50 review series!

Select articles mentioned in this episode:

- Fred vs. Buster: The 2012 Muppet Stakes

- Sesame Street: 50 in 50

- Doctor Who Week: The Muppet Companions

- Muppet News From the Future: October 21st, 2015

Click here to find all of Matthew's ToughPigs articles.  You can follow Matthew on Twitter @matthewsoberman.

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes

ToughPigs' 20th anniversary celebration continues as we chat with the great Julia Gaskill!  Julia is renowned amidst the ToughPigs office as our resident Gonzo expert, for her spot-on feminist commentaries, and for her brilliant slam poetry.

Select articles mentioned in this episode:

- An Open Letter to Jim Henson from Kermit the Frog (slam poem)

- Steve's Hair: The Journey of a Muppeteer's Head of Hair

- The Need to Do Better

- Fixing the Muppets' Female Representation Problems in 3 Easy Steps

- Frog Kissin' (podcast)

Click here to find all of Julia's ToughPigs articles.  You can follow Julia on Twitter @geekgirlgrownup and on Instagram @geekgirlgrownup.

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes

Today we're talking with another classic ToughPigs writer - Matt Wilkie!  Matt tells us about all the cool stuff he's gotten to see and do as ToughPigs' LA correspondent, including Comic Cons, promotional events, and red carpets.  Also that time we secretly touched an original Jim Henson puppet.

Select articles mentioned in this episode:

Click here to find all of Matt's ToughPigs articles. You can follow Matt on Twitter @WritingWilkie and at WritingWilkie.com.

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes

Guest Matt Wilkie

Theme Music by Staci Rosen

Logo Art by Chris Smigliano

In a surprising turn of events, we're chatting with a talented writer who was NOT a member of the ToughPigs team! Ryan Dosier created The Muppet Mindset in 2009, focusing on Muppet commentaries, interviews, and more.  We're sharing stories about what it's like to run a Muppet fan site, attending the Muppets Most Wanted red carpet premiere, and Ryan's current job running the social media accounts for the Muppets.

You can follow Ryan on Twitter @RyanDosier.

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes

Anthony Strand has been one of the best friends of ToughPigs.com since its earliest days.  Today, he's one of our longest-running writers, having authored over 100 articles and co-host of the Movin' Right Along podcast.  We're chatting with him about his love of the Muppets, his history with ToughPigs, and his impressive memory of all things vintage pop culture!

You can read all of Anthony's articles here, and you can follow him on Letterboxd at ZeppoMarxist.

Select articles mentioned in this episode:

Find us at “Muppet Fan Podcasts with ToughPigs.com” on your favorite podcast catchers, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify!

Hosted and Edited by Joe Hennes