In this bonus episode of The Great Muppet Fandom Panel, it's the Muppet Friend Awards!

J.D. is joined by the hosts of the Muppeturgy podcast - Christie, Adam, David, and Michal - for a discussion of the stars who've been the best friends to The Muppets - as their guests, hosts, collaborators, champions, and sometimes lovers.

It's the third installment of The Great Muppet Fandom Panel – ToughPigs’ recurring podcast featuring Muppet fans chatting about the Muppet news in the silliest ways they can.

This time, "Muppet Fans Talking" hosts Mary, Maria, and Sprout join J.D. in trying to assess the state of Sesame Workshop and what we can expect from Muppets Mayhem.

Also discussed: tall Count von Count, unwearable T-shirts, and which Muppets should play which Fraggles.

Joe and Jarrod get together for one last episode to discuss Season 2!

Which episode had audio recorded 12 months after the interview? Which guest forgot to show up? Which guest had the worst audio imaginable?

Listen as we answer all those questions and tell you which talk show hosts were contacted, which legendary director could have appeared (kinda), and find out just how close Jarrod came to getting a certified Dame on the show!

We also have an important announcement about the future of To Introduce Our Guest Star.

Thanks for listening to Season 2!

In our final interview for Season 2, Joe pulls out the big guns and surprises Jarrod with none other than the legendary Frank Oz!

Frank needs no introduction, but let's give him one anyway. Frank was the original performer of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam on The Muppet Show, as well as Bert, Grover and Cookie Monster on Sesame Street.  He directed The Muppets Take Manhattan, before going on to direct films like Bowfinger and Death At A Funeral.  A few years ago he released the incredible documentary Muppet Guys Talking, where he teamed up with Jerry Nelson and previous To Introduce Our Guest Star guests Fran Brill, Bill Barretta and Dave Goelz!

Listen as we discuss Frank's ideas for The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made, teaming up with Dave Goelz for voice overs and drinking with Joan Rivers.  Plus Muppets From Space wasn't great, Jarrod's getting surgery, and Frank thinks we're terrible at our jobs.

Today Jarrod surprises Joe with comedian, actor and massive Muppet fan Bobby Moynihan!

Bobby has had an incredible career with nine seasons on Saturday Night Live and has worked on shows like DuckTales and 30 Rock, as well as films like Monsters University and Sisters.

But us Muppet fans love him for his guest appearance on Sesame Street as the Quacker Duck Oates Man and for being the guest star for both The Muppets Take The Hollywood Bowl and The Muppets Take The O2 live shows!

Listen as we discuss performing Happy Feet with Kermit, the props Bobby wishes he could have stolen, and the various times SNL parodied the Muppets.  Plus Bobby doesn't want to sing, Paul Williams asks everyone to play golf, and Mel Brooks is at an airport.

This week Joe makes Jarrod go :O as he brings on actor and all round delight Yvette Nicole Brown!

Yvette has appeared on shows like A Black Lady Sketch Show, Drake & Josh and The Odd Couple, as well as films like (500) Days of Summer, Tropic Thunder and Avengers: Endgame, but we love her best for her role as Shirley Bennett on the cult favorite sitcom Community.

Yvette is an outspoken Muppet fan in her own right, and in 2021 played the role of the Hearse Driver in Disney Plus' Muppets Haunted Mansion.

Listen as we discuss being proud of your fandom, being kind to strangers and all the times Community intersected the Muppets.  Plus we want to call the Russo Brothers, we all love Paul Williams, and Yvette should be on Sesame Street!

This week Jarrod surprises Joe with director Ken Kwapis!

Ken has had a remarkable career directing shows like 'Malcolm In The Middle', 'The Bernie Mac Show' and 'Parks and Recreation', as well as movies like 'He's Just Not That Into You', 'The Beautician and the Beast' and 'License to Wed'.  He also helped create the US adaption of 'The Office'.

But before any of that, his feature directorial debut was the 1985 Sesame Street film 'Follow That Bird'!

Listen as we discuss felt on tables, complicated shots with planes, and who could have worked at the Grouch Cafe! Plus the Count drives by himself, blue Big Bird is devestating, and chaotic preview screenings!

We're extremely honored to present this new episode recorded with the late Bob McGrath, just a few months before he passed.

Bob was a fixture on Sesame Street since Episode 0001 back in 1969, and spent over 40 years singing and teaching and entertaining generations of kids.

Listen as Bob discusses some of his favorite lesser known songs, skydiving and why the characters of Bob and Linda never got married.  Plus being recognised at the urinal, Bob's wife pops in, and Bob muses on the meaning of life.

Stick around after the interview as Joe and Jarrod take a few moments to remember Bob and their time with him.  And thanks for joining us, Bob.

This week Jarrod surprises Joe with legendary Muppet performer Fran Brill. Fran was the first female puppeteer hired by Jim Henson back in 1970 and spent over 40 years on Sesame Street playing beloved characters like Prairie Dawn, Little Bird and Zoe.

 Listen as we chat Saturday Night Live, the Jim Henson Hour Zondra stans, little tiny Season 40 Zoe and a heck of a lot more!

This week Joe surprises Jarrod with long time Sesame Street Muppet performer Martin Robinson!  Marty is the man under and inside some of your favorite characters like Telly Monster, Slimey and Snuffy, plus a whole tonne more.

Join us as we discuss the busted up microphone that helps voice Snuffy, Marty's work on Helpsters, and why it's important for kids to see anxious characters like Telly.  Plus Muppet Babies, weddings on the set of Sesame Street and the world's creepiest clown puppet.