Portrait robots

[captslappy]

I was thinking and I have some new theories on the portrait guests. Jenn believes Helen is the first guest and probably appeared with Crusty. !977 was the year the Muppet show appeared so it was probably a year later when their rip-off of Ms. Piggy, Madame Oink, first appeared. She was probably used shortly and retired. In the early days a guest seemed to last a year or so and then they changed it to keep things fresh. In 1979 the balcony stage was introduced. I'm sure the handful of existing stores that had wall portraits kept them or didn't change immediately. Some never actually got a balcony show at all and would have the portraits til they closed. So I assume those stores that had the portraits got Foxy Colleen when the debuted balcony shows opened with her. From there the order went Sally Sashay, Harmony Howlette, Madame Oink and Helen forever after that.

[MMBBfan327]

Didn't the Muppet Show start in 1975-1976?

Anyway, I personally think Foxy was the first, then Helen, then the others.

[captslappy]

I did too, but if Foxy was at the end of the portraits it makes sense because the balcony show started with her. The earlier stores would have had Foxy at the same time as the newer ones that had the balcony.

[dheineCECfan]

The Muppet Show premiered in September 1976.

I think for the 1977-1979 CECPTT Portrait shows the female guest - Foxy Colleen, first Helen Henny, Madame Oink, and maybe Sally Sashay - were on a rotating basis. This would be the same for rotating for the 1979/1980's CECPTT shelf/balcony shows Foxy Colleen, Sally Sashay, Madame Oink, and Harmony Howlette (before Helen Henny became permament in 1983-present).

And, when the shelf/balcony shows were introduced circa 1979/1980, did some CECPTT locations use the portrait style robots on their own style shelf/balcony. Two CECPTT locations come to mind that did this: A Simi Valley, California location and the legendary Odgen, Utah (pics on Trey's pics page in the Pizzacam Photo Gallery) location which even had that format until about 1991/1992 before a failing remodeling attempt prior to its 1992/1993 Odgen, Utah location closing.

[captslappy]

I believe a few surviving early stores had the portraits well into the 80s. In fact I have seen a pic of an older store soemtime in the late 80s on the site that had a Helen portrait robot done in the same style as the 80s balcony robot with the red dress and black and white feather wig. I remember someone saying that corporate closed an original PTT store at some point because it was so old an out dated. That leads me to believe that at least one or two stores may have had the portrait show up until the very end of their existance. How long these original stores lasted is unknown but I'm guessing at least up until the late to mid-80s. Surely none of them survived up to the converstion of all stores becoming CECs with the MMBB although that would have been intersting to see a portrait show as the MMBB.

[dheineCECfan]

captslappy: I think you are referring to the portrait robot shelf/balcony from the Odgen, Utah CECPTT location where the photos were taken by Trey in 1991.

[captslappy]

Darryl, I believe you are correct. Did it go all the way to 1991? Wow! I got to thinking about it some more and I changed my theory on the guest thing. I believe the first year or so there were only a handful of PTTs. I don't know an exact number. I suspect that like the first year or so at Showbiz they did only a single show tape. Actually they had special show tapes for certain times if you look at original menus. These were likely all on the same tape and they just ran certain skits at certain times. At any rate, I believe the first year they used Helen and Crusty then year 2 they kept Helen and switched Crusty for Munch. The mopsies probably came in that second year briefly replacing the warblettes. Then the balcony came and all portrait shows got a Foxy Colleen charater to match the balcony shows. From there the handful of stores that had and kept the wall portraits had guests made each time the balcony got a new one. So I am sure all 5 guests were used as portrait bots. We have only seen pics of Helen, Oink and Foxy Colleen. When Helen came back after Oink, they made a new portrait of her to reflect the Broadway Helen look of all the balcony shows. This is all speculation but I think this is probably most likely.

[dheineCECfan]

captslappy: Yes, the CECPTT Odgen, Utah portrait robot shelf show went all the way to 1991/1992 (Trey took the photos in 1991 of that Odgen, Utah CECPTT location) prior to the 1992 remodeling to instal the C stage and the 1993 CECPTT location closing.

I hope Trey can straighen out more details on the CECPTT 1979-1991 portrait/portrait robots on shelf show from the Odgen, Utah location (1979-1991) on a later date.

[MMBBfan327]

Uh, he already did. Remember? He explained how he bought the store, and installed the "C"-Stage in less than a week, and people did not like watching CEC on TV when previously they could watch actual Television Shows.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Getting back to the Portrait Bots'.....

( theme music plays...)


From what i have gathered over the years, Helen was the first, true, "Guest" character. After her the pre-Oink version appeared and then finally a framed early Foxy. I am pretty certain that this was the order. It would have to be considering the year Foxy was introduced was right before the first version of the Balcony was launched ( 1979/80).

I have yet to have seen any evidence of a Sally portrait figure at this time. The only photo that apparently exsists is of her Cyberamic version which would be correct when we take into account that she was introduced in 79' to begin with. We do know that she DID indeed perform as a Cyber Bot' in a few locations. There IS proof of this ( both photos and reels produced) Both Sally and Foxy were used sparsingly as by the time PTT exploded into a major attraction garnering multiple locations, the Classic Balcony stage was created and so was Harmony and Oink introduced.

It makes perfect sense to me. As the Captain said, Crusty was used for the first couple of years and then Munch was introduced. It's interesting to note that Munch was introduced around the same time as McDonald's resturants introduced there purple monster Grimace ( who was also originally a villian character!). I have always felt that Munch was a Grimace rip-off in a way....the simularities are too close and the timing as well. Think about it...

[MMBBfan327]

*Kinda off task again*

Grimace was actually introduced in the late 60s/early 70s and yes, he was a villian for a little bit and had 6 arms.

*back on task again*

This could be possible: Foxy could have been first for a little while, and then returned when the balcony was introduced. However I do like Jenn's theory.

[captslappy]

I think Jenn's theory is probably accurate with one detail: I think Crusty was used 1 year only. I don't think he existed in any store past late 78. This was the year Munch came (probably towards the end of the year).

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

You are correct Captain! :D