Disney Xtreme Digital
From Muppet Wiki
| URL | muppets.com |
| Active | February 1, 2008 - present |
| Type | official website |
| Creator | Walt Disney Company |
Disney Xtreme Digital (also known as Disney XD, or DxD) is an online network that showcases exclusive Disney content such as videos and music. The Disney website is targeted primarily at tweens and teen and is part of the Web 2.0 movement, allowing users to create their own personalize "channels", collect "D-points", and participate in specialized social-networking features with other users. The Muppets launched their own official channels on DxD, sometime during the first weekend of February 2008. The DxD site replaced the out-dated Muppets.com, which currently redirected visitors to the Muppets' new home on DxD.
The Muppet channels feature newly created web-exclusive video clips, games, polls and other gadgets. Upon launch there were three channels - "The Muppets' Stage", "Kermit's Pad", and "Miss Piggy's Dressing Room". These three remain the only open channels, although it appears that channels for Pepe, Fozzie, Gonzo and Animal may launch in the future.
The main focus of the site is on a collection of newly created video sketches produced exclusively for the DxD site. The site launched on February 1, 2008 with a collection of 10 original videos. The first update came a week later on February 11, 2008 when six new videos were added. A second round of updates followed on February 15, 2008 with the addition of another batch of six videos. A third batch of videos were added on February 25, 2008.
An initial round of videos were filmed for the site in early fall 2007. These videos were written by Jim Lewis and Kirk Thatcher and were directed by Bill Barretta. Jim Lewis comment on the making of the videos in a Muppet Central forum Q&A post stating:
| The goal is to provide maximum entertainment, to give new and old friends a taste of what the Muppets are all about. I personally think this is a fantastic venue for the Muppets. It's a self-contained environment. Like a sketch on a variety show (for those old enough to remember variety shows), it serves no purpose but to entertain! Here the Muppets can truly be themselves. They just do what they do when they think you’re not looking. That's been a boon to my co-writer, Kirk Thatcher, and I, but also to the performers who worked on this first round of spots. They could play and explore the characters’ personas without having to carry a story or make a certain statement.[1]
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Contents |
Site Content
Videos
The Muppets' Stage
- Never Had A Lesson - Part 1 (0:55)
- Kermit, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo dance. Added on 2/1/08.
- Cheap Jokes (0:37)
- Fozzie performs some eCommerce stand-up. Added on 2/1/08.
- Dancing with Danger (0:44)
- Gonzo shows off his skills of tap-dance oningtapioca pudding and thumbtacks! Added on 2/1/08.
- Topo Sticky (3:24)
- Pepe the King Prawn introduces his ventriloquist act Topo Sticky. Added on 2/1/08.
- Pogo-Stick-a-Polooza! (0:44)
- Pepe the King Prawn and Rizzo the Rat bounce around. Added on 2/1/08.
- Keeping Your Internet Green (0:31)
- Gonzo cleans up the web. Added on 2/11/08.
- Timing...is..everything (0:53)
- Pepe attempts stand-up with Animal providing a rimshot. Added on 2/11/08.
- Rizzo's Rat-cam - Part 1 (1:00)
- Rizzo spies on Miss Piggy with a hidden camera. Added on 2/11/08.
- Hoo-Dee-Hoo (0:43)
- The Swedish Chef, Animal and Beaker talk on the elevator. Added on 2/11/08.
- Prawn Lake (0:16)
- Pepe the King Prawn dances in a tutu. Added on 2/15/08.
- Rizzo's Rat-cam - Part 2 (1:03)
- Rizzo continues to spy on Miss Piggy with his hidden camera. Added on 2/15/08.
- Louder! (0:25)
- Animal lets loose. Added on 2/15/08.
- Fozzie's Comedy Cavalcade (1:29)
- Fozzie practices some stand-up in the elevator. Added on 2/15/08.
- Never Had A Lesson - Part 2 (0:48)
- Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo dance. Added on 2/25/08.
- Going Up? (0:36)
- Gonzo and Kermit dive out of the elevator. Added on 2/25/08.
Kermit's Pad
- My First Video Blog... Sort of (0:30)
- Fozzie and Gonzo help Kermit set up his webcam. Added on 2/1/08.
- Take One! (0:25)
- Kermit does his impression of Jaws. Added on 2/1/08.
- Hi Ho! Kermit the Frog Here (0:28)
- Kermit says hello for all over. Added on 2/11/08.
- Take Two! (0:14)
- Kermit does another impression. This time, he imitates a pickled frog. Added on 2/11/08.
- It's a Frog Thing (0:30)
- Kermit attempts some web humor, but Gonzo doesn't get it. Added on 2/15/08.
- Take Three! (0:10)
- Kermit does another impression. This time, he imitates being in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Added on 2/15/08.
- Take Four! (0:08)
- Kermit does yet another impression - Pac-Man. Added on 2/25/08.
- Take Five! (0:13)
- Kermit's impression of "dinner time in the swamp."
- Take Six! (0:16)
- Kermit impersonates his screensaver.
- Take Seven! (0:07)
- Kermit impersonates Alfred Hitchcock.
Miss Piggy's Dressing Room
- When Piggy Met Kermie (0:24)
- Miss Piggy and Kermit give an Internet welcome. Added on 2/1/08.
- Moi's Workout! (1:40)
- Miss Piggy's Aerobic workout video. Added on 2/1/08.
- We Need to Talk (1:02)
- Miss Piggy and Kermit talk about their relationship. Added on 2/1/08.
Breaking News
- Kermit and Pepe at the Grammy Awards (1:00)
- Pepe reacts to the news of the Muppets winning a Grammy on the red carpet with Kermit.
- Kermit and Pepe at the Grammy Awards (4:41)
- Kermit and Pepe interview people on the red carpet of the 2008 Grammy Awards. Celebrities include: Ringo Starr, Fergie, Natasha Bedingfield, Mark Ronson, Harry Shearer, The Shins, Paul Wall, Feist, Dave Koz, Phil Ramone, Nelly Furtado, Paris Bennette, Colbie Caillate, Tina Carrere, Amy Lee, Wolfgang Puck, Miley Cyrus, Paramore and Wilco. The segment also includes Kermit and Pepe singing Somewhere Beyond the Sea with the Shins and "The Rainbow Connection" with Wilco.
Other
- Preview clips promoting the second season of The Muppet Show on DVD.
Games
- Memory Match: Backstage Mayhem!
- A Muppet version of memory. Added on 2/1/08.
- Gonzo's Stunt Game
- Shoot Gonzo out of the cannon into a pool water by adjusting speed and angle of trajectory. Added on 2/1/08.
- Smackee-de-Snackee
- A Swedish Chef version of whack-a-mole. Added on 2/1/08.
- Muppet Bubble Jumble
- Unscramble the letters in different Muppet-related words. Added on 2/1/08.
- Muppets Trivia Challenge
- A Muppet trivia game. Added on 2/1/08.
Music
- Listen to clips from the 2006 album.
- Listen to clips from the 2005 album.
Gadgets
- Muppets Photo Printer
- A slideshow of Muppet photos
- Piggy Says...
- A Miss Piggy quote slideshow.
- Fozzie's Funnies!...
- A Fozzie Bear joke slideshow.
- News Flash Ticker
- News and trivia ticker featuring some new Muppet News Flash videos.
- A Frog Eye's View on Romance
- Flip through an excerpt from Before You Leap.
- Kermit's Guide to Health
- Flip through an excerpt from Before You Leap.
Other Features
- Site Intro
- There are four randomly selected video introductions featuring Rizzo and the rats as they help load the main page. Added 1/8/08.
- A new intro features Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, and Pepe having their picture taking in a picture frame. As soon as they get in the right pose, Animal jumps in to be included, but knocks everyone to the ground before the camera goes off.
- "Do Not Touch" Button
- Clicking this button on the main page will play one of 5 random videos. There is Kermit rapping, Miss Piggy critiquing the viewer's attire, Fozzie (and Fozzie) carrying a ladder, Gonzo rowing a bucket, and Animal running wild. Added 1/1/08.
- Polls
- There are several interactive polls around the site. The questions change each week.
Past Features
- New Year's Eve Gone Wild
- Video clips filmed for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2008; including some outtakes. These videos were part of the site from February 1, 2008 until February 25, 2008.
Sources
- ↑ Muppet Central Forum (2/14/08)
