Josh Hankemeier - For many years now it has has been a tradition for Muppet fans from all over the world to ring bells on December 21st at a certain time to celebrate friendship, our fandom, and our admiration of Jim Henson. It was inspired by "The Bells of Fraggle Rock" where all of the Fraggles had to ring their bells in sequence with the Great Bell in order to keep the rock from freezing over at winter time.
The beauty of this tradition is that, no matter what your religion or customs, we are all drawn together because we are Muppet fans. We exclude no one from coming to celebrate and showing their Muppet love. For at least one minute all over the world, this tradition gives the fan community a sense of connection... Muppet fans all over ringing bells, as Cantus said, "All together, all at the same time."We here at The Muppet Mindset have fully jumped behind the bells in 2009 and 2010 and have continued ever since. We haven't posted about it since then, so we thought it was time to spread the word again. Out of tradition, the bells have always been rung on December 21st at 9:00pm. Sometimes coinciding with watching "The Bells of Fraggle Rock" with the bell ringing, naturally, done the same time as the Fraggles at the end of the special.
Muppet fans can ring bells all together, for just one minute, to celebrate Muppety goodness, friendship, and a sense of togetherness. If nothing else, ring the bell for Jim Henson and all of the good things he brought our lives and stood for and influenced you. We may not be able to hear each others bells, but that's okay. As a wise composer once put it "don't worry if it's not good enough for anyone else to hear." You'll hear your bell, and you can believe that Jim will hear it too.So come on, Muppet fans, let us all ring our bells and let them chime throughout the world so that we can show our sense of pride and togetherness once again.
The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com