Exclusive Interview: Mylo the Cat – Creator of Popular Muppet/Hip Hop Mashup Videos

It’s generally an accepted fact that the Muppets can do no wrong. After almost 60 years, a dozen films, several series, and countless TV specials, the comedy and entertainment value of our puppet friends still continues to resonate with today’s kids – as well as the kids of yesteryear, who are now fully grown adults. Heck, even the most recent movie reboots were pretty damn good. And in addition to all the official incarnations, there are countless fan-made spoofs crowding various channels of the interweb. More recently, a fellow named Mylo the Cat has garnered quite a bit of attention for his Muppet/hip hop mashups, which include renditions of Daft Punk featuring Pharrell’s “Get Lucky,” the Beastie Boys’ “So What’cha Want,” and as of last Sunday, Naughty By Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray.” Using painstakingly-edited existing Muppets footage, Mylo has given a fresh & comedic take on classic clips and classic tunes. The result? Over two million views for the three aforementioned clips on YouTube alone. Mylo took time away from his projects to chat with BubbleBlabber about his videos’ (and his own personal) background, as well as what we can expect in the future.

Mylo started making videos over ten years ago, initially in DVD format. He shifted to YouTube in 2006, and later became one of the first users to gain notoriety from an upload.

“I was actually the first Youtuber to ever appear on national news for a video I did called ‘Fence Plowing,’” he told us. As his name would suggest, he has also made an unhealthy amount of cat videos.

Though the final products have changed over the years, the influence is still apparent. “The idea of these originally came from the classic ‘Bert & Ernie Tries Gangsta-Rap’,” he said of his latest effort. “But I also used to do this exact format with actual animals, and I found that puppets were actually easier to work with.” As an example, he referenced “Kitty Criminal,” a creation of his circa 2008. “I always thought it was going to be a big hit… It wasn’t!”

Mylo has more than made up for it with his last two smash-hit Muppet mashups, which he was inspired to make based on his upbringing. “My parents are very quick to remind me how impossible I was as a child, and the only times I actually shut up and stopped fussing were when I would watch Sesame Street or the Muppet Show,” he said. “Mix that in with my love for classic hip-hop, and video editing, and that’ll do it.”

His passion for these interests clearly shows through in his work, and it’s obvious that he puts a lot of time and effort into them. “This latest video took around 12 hours of editing time, but I spent months looking for the right song, and also for the right clips to use. The process of making the Muppets videos is pretty awful actually,” he said, laughing. “I do love doing it, but it’s the most tedious thing in the world, so patience is absolutely key.”

Of course the logical next question for Mylo is what ideas he has planned for his next release. “I’m working on something similar to those Jimmy Fallon/Brian Williams rap bits, but with a different star doing the rapping,” he informed us. “I don’t want to reveal who just yet, mainly because I don’t even know if I’ll be able to find all the footage. I don’t have a team just yet, so for me to go through hours of footage isn’t exactly the easiest thing.”

In addition to gathering an army of creative video nerds, Mylo is also hoping his clips help take his company viral. “I work as the head of the video department for Driven Local,” he said of the Long Island-based business.

If his recent results are any indication, Mylo the Cat should have no problem finding even more success in the future. People love YouTube, people love hip hop, and people love the Muppets. If he can keep cranking out viral video hits, people will soon realize that they love Mylo as well.