So, on a whim, I decided to re-read Muppet Snow White, and afterward, went to the Muppet Wiki to see what the different covers for the comic book issues looked like, when I came upon this note:
“Jesse Blaze Snyder [one of the writers for the comic] originally wanted to cast Beard [from Jim Henson Hour] as the replacement Dopey, in addition to including cameos by many other Jim Henson Hour characters, but was later told he couldn’t use them (though Beard does pop up at the night club in issue #3)”
In the actual comic book, Rowlf the Dog was made the replacement Dopey of the Seven Dwarfs and the only reference to Jim Henson Hour was someone suggesting the Seven Dwarfs be renamed Solid Foam, the name of the band in JHH.
The very fact that Snyder wanted to include such an obscure bunch of characters into the Muppet Snow White comic excited me a lot, and the fact that his idea was shot down irritates me a lot, too.
I mean, just what characters would’ve had cameos in MSW? Leon the Lizard? Vicki? Zondra? Ubu? DIGIT?! (I know a lot of Muppet fans who are familiar with JHH would’ve LOVED to see him, at least) Clifford does have a cameo in the comic, but only as his shade-less Muppets Tonight self (which I’m not a very big fan of, to be honest)
Though, personally, I don’t know if Beard would’ve been the best choice to add to the Seven Dwarfs. I mean, he played guitar, which was what Janice, or Happy as she was called in MSW, did. What would’ve been their instrumental roles in the band had Beard actually been the new recruit? Would Janice keep her instrument or be moved to something else, allowing Beard to take the role? It’s pretty hard to say.
I think if Snyder was going to choose anyone from Solid Foam to be in the Seven Dwarfs, it probably should've been Digit. I mean, Digit played keyboard, so he could’ve taken Dr. Teeth’s role in the instrumental part of the band, allowing the good doctor to take the role of lead vocals, like he did in the actual comic when Rowlf joined.
But that’s just my thoughts on this information, and I just wanted to share this fact in here for anyone who would care.
To the Jim Henson Hour fans: I think we were robbed.