New Muppet Videos on YouTube (Disney Interactive News Release)

THE MUPPETS AND TOP YOUTUBE STARS

MAKE INSPIRATIONAL, CELEBRATIONAL, MUPPETATIONAL VIDEOS

AT YOUTUBE SPACE LA

Lindsey Stirling, VSauce, Barely Political, Mental Floss, Crash Course, Mike Tompkins & More to Launch All-New Videos with the Muppets

Los Angeles, CA – April 29, 2015 – It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet the Muppets at YouTube Space LA tonight! The Muppets Studio and YouTube Space LA have teamed up to bring the Muppets to a new generation of fans by pairing them with some of YouTube’s biggest stars.

YouTube talent including Lindsey Stirling, Crash Course, VSauce3, Mike Tompkins, Barely Political and Mental Floss had the rare opportunity to collaborate and shoot with their childhood icons for “inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational” videos at YouTube Space LA that will appear on the Muppets official YouTube channel, as well as on their own channels, and promoted on the Muppets’ social media pages.

“The Muppets have been entertaining and inspiring YouTube audiences for several years and we are thrilled to re-engage current fans while capturing new ones through these exciting collaborations,” said Debbie McClellan, Vice President of The Muppets Studio. “We really enjoyed our residency at YouTube Space LA and look forward to future projects.”

“YouTube Space LA is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of storytellers through innovative programming and partnerships that push the creative envelope,” said Liam Collins, Head of YouTube Space LA. “It’s not every day that our YouTube creators get to work with the world’s most famous frog, the world’s most beautiful pig, a stand-up comedy bear and the drummer of the almost-legendary band The Electric Mayhem.

From music videos to a mystery special, the Muppets at YouTube Space LA videos are scheduled to go live from April-June 2015. In addition to the collaborations with YouTube stars, the Muppets will be releasing a slate of original music and comedic videos created exclusively for the Muppets’ YouTube channel throughout the rest of the year.

The first video from VSauce3 (with over 2.3 million subscribers & 192 million views on YouTube) stars Gonzo and Rizzo, along with VSauce’s Jake Roper and Matthew Santoro, in a detective-themed story that asks What if Quicksilver Ran Past You. Launched in early April, the video has already generated over one million views.

Well-known hecklers, Statler and Waldorf gave advice to the Barley Political guys in a new video that launched April 24. Barely Political is a YouTube channel with over 4.3 million subscribers and over 2.3 billion views that focuses on comedy, song parodies, sketches and the Key of Awesome!

Muppet madness from YouTube Space LA continues through June with more collaborations and video launches including, but not limited to:

• May 4, 2015 – Mike Tompkins  and the Muppets give Echosmith’s “The Cool Kids” an A cappella lesson.
• May 4, 2015 – Mental Floss enlists Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker to help answerscience-related questions submitted by their viewers for “Big Questions” that airs every Monday.
• May 6, 2015 – Mental Floss sits down with Miss Piggy, Rowlf, Swedish Chef,  The Electric Mayhem and more fora special Muppet edition of The List Show, which is posted every Wednesday. 
• May 7, 2015 – Electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling performs “Pure Imagination” with the whole Muppet gang and a special star!
• June 3, 2015 – John and Hank Green from Crash Course encounter a classroom full of rowdy Muppets. 

For the latest Muppet videos, visit their official YouTube Channel at:

https://www.youtube.com/MuppetsStudio

About The Muppets Studio

For 60 years, the Muppets have captured audiences with their unique blend of heart and humor. The Muppets, created by the late visionary Jim Henson, are among the world’s most iconic and beloved characters. Led by the world’s most famous amphibian, Kermit the Frog, the Muppets have starred in eight feature films, Emmy Award-winning television series and specials, Webby Award-winning online videos as well as hundreds of press appearances worldwide. For more information, go to: muppets.disney.com.

About YouTube Spaces

YouTube Spaces are state-of-the-art production facilities designed specifically for YouTube creators to produce great video content, from production and editing through uploading to YouTube. Run by YouTube’s in-house experts, the Spaces serve as a creative production facility for both established and emerging YouTube creators who are part of the YouTube Partner Program. Located in Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, New York and São Paulo, YouTube Spaces enable creators to learn from industry experts, collaborate with other creators, and have access to the latest production and post-production digital video equipment — all made at no charge by YouTube provided you qualify and your application to use the Space is accepted. For more information, please visit www.youtube.com/space.