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Video: Mayor Bloomberg Makes The Muppets NYC's Family Ambassador
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 13, 2012
Modified Apr 13, 2012
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Tien Mao/Gothamist
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 13, 2012
Modified Apr 13, 2012
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Mayor Bloomberg reflected on his reflection and announced that the Muppets are the official NYC Family Ambassadors, to encourage family travel to the Big Apple (Miss Piggy gives shopping tips! The Swedish Chef has dining advice!). The Mayor, who was there in person (and not his Bluppet!), bragged about starring in Letters to Santa with Miss Piggy in 2008 and said, as he was introducing a certain amphibian, "Having Kermit as a Family Ambassador for New York is pretty exciting and I know it will make other cities—listen carefully—just green with envy." WOCKA WOCKA! Yes, the audience groaned—listen in at around 10:50 in the video below.
Here are some of the prepared remarks from Bloomberg, NYC & Co. CEO George Fertitta, Deputy Mayor Robert Steel and, yes, numerous Muppets:
“We are proud to enlist the help of key family experts, the Muppets, to promote the five boroughs domestically and abroad,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The Muppets believe in dreaming big - just like New Yorkers. Extending the NYC Family Ambassador program beyond the summer and for the entire year will aid us in attracting more family visitors year round and therefore help us reach our goal of attracting 55 million visitors to New York City annually by 2015.”
“In 1984, the Muppets took Manhattan, and now they’re poised to take visitors to all five boroughs,” Deputy Mayor Steel said. “We’re proud to partner with the Muppets to make people realize that New York is a great destination for family vacations.”
“We could not imagine better NYC Family Ambassadors than the lovable and enchanting Muppets. For more than 40 years, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and their friends have been enormously popular and engaging icons of the big screen and small screen,” said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company. “Appealing to fans of all ages across the globe, the Muppets will highlight what they love about the five boroughs and illustrate why New York City is the perfect place for families to visit this year.”
“I’ve loved New York ever since I arrived in its harbor and saw that the Statue of Liberty is green. What a welcome!” said Kermit the Frog. “New York is a great place for families, frogs, pigs, bears and … uh, anyone else to visit. There’s shopping for Miss Piggy, spectacle for Gonzo, laughs for Fozzie, plus great parks in every borough for tadpoles. We can’t wait to show the world the best ways to hop around the city!”
“New York is the most fabulous city in the world. In fact, it’s almost as fabulous as moi. And trust me, that’s high praise indeed!,” said Miss Piggy.” So don’t just sit there! Get ready world! You’re about to take the ultimate diva’s tour of moi’s favorite city! Lucky vous!”
We'll have more from today's press conference later, but in the mean time, enjoy the Muppet Show opening:
Tagged
family ambassador
mayor bloomberg
muppets
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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