For those of you on Facebook you’re probably familiar with all the quizzes you can take. I’m not one for sending tropical fish or garden plants to friends but the quizzes tempt me. I do like sending 80′s memorabilia and 70′s Disco fashion but we’ll save that for another post.

It seems like ever since the recent Facebook changes the amount of quiz taking has increased. This could be the way the news feed is being updated but whatever the case I gave in last night and started taking those silly less than 10 question quizzes that can supposedly tell me who I was in a past life, and which Grease character or Muppet I would be.

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The problem with these quizzes is they always burst my imagination bubble. I was picturing myself a bit like Kermit. You know the star of the show, the ring leader in the midst of Muppet chaos, the kind fellow that means well and perseveres with only a few mini breakdowns once and awhile. Come to find out the almighty Facebook quiz says I would be Rowlf the Dog if I was a Muppet character.

Don’t get me wrong I love Rowlf. Some of my favorite scenes from The Muppet Show include Rowlf. 1, 2, 3 DIP wouldn’t be possible without Rowlf. Well I don’t think so anyway. Case being if I had a Muppet friend, Rowlf would most likely be it. He’s musical, relaxed, and he accompanies a lot of talented guest stars.

I didn’t know that Rowlf the Dog had been around for so long. Looking around YouTube I found some great footage from The Jimmy Dean Show  way back when. I knew Rowlf played Honkey Tonk on his piano a few times but I didn’t think he was that Country.

The Muppet Wiki states, “Rowlf the Dog was the first Muppet to reach national stardom as a cast member of The Jimmy Dean Show from 1963 to 1966. He later went on to serve as the resident piano player on The Muppet Show, also playing the silly surgeon Dr. Bob on the recurring sketch “Veterinarian’s Hospital”.

Because he was the first Muppet to reach national stardom he was also one of the first to do advertising. Click here for vintage Rowlf  as an IBM salesman.

Seems that Rowlf is a determined individual that can put his all into anything he does. He’s a little bit Country, a little bit Rock n Roll, he can be classy & lots of fun. He has a flair for good conversation and he’s a great actor too.

Maybe these quizzes aren’t so silly after all. If you were part of The Muppet Show which character would you be?

While wandering around Target last night looking for a new shower curtain liner, I found a little gem of a book called Jim Henson’s Doodle Dreams. The front cover says, Inspiration for Living Life Outside the Lines. Being the Jim Henson admirer that I am, I just had to pick one up for myself.

The featured art is by Jim Henson while the text comes from writer/producer Jim Lewis. Lewis was a former Jim Henson Company staff writer.

According to Muppet Wiki:

“Lewis was the Muppets’ primary in-house writer, contributing to countless interviews, promotional material and Muppet appearances. He was responsible for a large amount of web content and a great many of the press quotes attributed to the Muppets, and he also wrote much of the Gonzo/Rizzo/Kermit material on the Muppets from Space DVD commentary. In this capacity, Jim Lewis contributed a great deal to maintaining the tone and consistency of the Muppet characters in the years since Jim Henson’s death.”

Jim Lewis has written for Kermit, Miss Piggy, and various other Muppets for more than 20 years. He helped Kermit the Frog with his recent, top selling autobiography, Before You Leap: A Frog’s Eye View of Life’s Greatest Lessons.

Doodle Dreams is a great stocking stuffer for any Jim Henson fan, and anyone who is inspired to live life outside the lines. Click me for more inspiration from two pop culture icons, Kermit & Debbie Harry.

“Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.”-Jim Henson