| abstract | - Eighteen issues of the Muppet Show Fan Club Newsletter were printed -- three volumes of six Newsletters each. The conceit of the Newsletters was that the Club was being run by the Muppets themselves; the first issue featured "A Letter from the Editor" written by "Kermit the Frog, Editor-in Chief", with replies from Sam the Eagle and Miss Piggy. The issues combined Muppet-style comedy -- an "Ask Dr. Bob" column, a Swedish Chef recipe -- with actual behind-the-scenes information, including profiles of the performers and writers, and information about the puppetry techniques used on the show. In 1980, as The Muppet Show was ending, the club was renamed "The Muppet Fan Club," and this change was reflected in Volume 3, number 1 of the Newsletter. The final Newsletters included coverage of a variety of Henson Associates projects, including Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal and Big Bird in China. While the original membership fee was $5.00, after the name was changed, the fee was reduced to $3.50. The last issue of the Newsletter was distributed in Autumn 1982, after which no further Fan Club items were offered. Shortly thereafter, in January 1983, Henson Associates launched the first issue of Muppet Magazine, a full-color quarterly featuring celebrity interviews by the Muppet characters.
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