Curtain raised on City's own Muppet show
Norwich City's fall from grace since being relegated from the Premiership has been anything but funny - but two City fans have created an online animation which has got even club bosses smiling.
Norwich City's fall from grace since being relegated from the Premiership has been anything but funny - but two City fans have created an online animation which has got even club bosses smiling.
More than two years after being relegated from the top flight - courtesy of a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Fulham - and languishing just one place outside the Championship drop zone with the promise of difficult financial times ahead Canary fans have little to smile about at the moment.
But Norwich fans - and thousands across the country - have been giving themselves a giggle at a tongue-in-cheek animation of life at Carrow Road on the popular networking site YouTube.
The comic clips, which mock some of the club's senior personnel in the style of popular 1980s children's hit The Muppet Show, have only been on the site for a few days, but already almost 5,000 people have logged on to catch a glimpse.
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Creators of the innovative site Mark Thorndyke and Dennis Kemp believed the Muppet Show best summed up the goings-on in the club and they believe the theme tune is always in the back of people's minds when things are not going well on the pitch.
Mr Thorndyke, who at 38 is a lifelong Canaries supporter, said: “We first thought of the idea at the beginning of the year and only just got it on YouTube last week.
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“It seems to have really cheered the fans up because we have had a bit of a bad season really. This has lifted people's spirits and reminded them of the funny side to everything.
“The club is not at its best but it is important to keep fans positive and cheerful and we have had a fantastic response from city fans and also other people who really like the video.”
Mr Thorndyke, who spearheaded the Worthy Out campaign which called for the sacking of former manager Nigel Worthington, said the characters were created, animated and choreographed using a product called SwishMax.
Delia Smith, the club's joint majority shareholder, chairman Roger Munby and chief executive Neil Doncaster have been morphed together to appear as three characters from the show - The Swedish Chef, Sam the Eagle and Scooter.
And Joe Ferrari, Norwich City's head of media, can be seen with the hair of Beaker, whizzing across the screen on a skateboard in the credits.
The creators dreamt up the characters while at home, sometimes in the early hours of the morning, and have plans to make more videos - although they will not necessarily use the Muppet theme next time
Several messages appeared on the Evening News Pink Un website including one from Neil Doncaster which read; “Thanks Robert - yes, I have already seen this on our message board - very amusing! OTBC Neil”
t To see the video log onto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k779dRtC2g
t Are you the brains behind a comic creation which has put a smile on people's faces? Call Evening News reporter Sarah Hall on 01603 7722426 or email sarah.hall2@archant.co.uk
