Jim Henson’s Muppets have been an iconic piece of pop culture history since their creation in 1955 and have never quite left the public consciousness. Although Disney’s Muppets haven’t had a regular media slot for some time, they’re coming back in a big way with a brand-new special, featuring pop star Sabrina Carpenter. The writers of the Life section have come together to share their takes.
Maleena Muzio, she/her/hers, Associate Life Editor, maleena.muzio@uconn.edu
The Muppets were personally always a staple of my childhood. I still remember going to see “Muppet*Vision 3D” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios when I was a little girl, purchasing a Miss Piggy plushie in the gift shop shortly after. That being said, Miss Piggy has always been and will always be my favorite Muppet. Although my grandma always found her obnoxious, Miss Piggy was an early idol for me — embodying a strong personality while still being hyper feminine, presenting herself as a powerful diva. Her yearning lover, Kermit, is also a Muppet that I hold near and dear to my heart.
As for the films, “The Muppets” (2011) is the best in my book; maybe because it came out when I was a kid, or maybe because it features the incredible original song “Man or Muppet” performed by Jason Segal. An honorable mention is “Kermit’s Swamp Years” (2002), which I think no one other than my sister and I have seen, but is a cute flashback into Kermit’s early life, which played on repeat during road trips of my younger years.
Patrick Boots, he/him/his, Campus Correspondent, patrick.boots@uconn.edu
The Muppets remain a small miracle of joy: absurd, sincere and endlessly humane, reminding us that silliness and wisdom often arrive hand in hand.
When it comes to my favorite work of the furry troupe, hands-down it’s “The Muppet Movie” from 1979: The original story of how the group banded together while trying to escape the greedy Doc Hopper. Highlights also include masterful celebrity cameos and the soundtrack, primarily written by Paul Williams — The “Movin’ Right Along” and “Can You Picture That?” sequences especially.
With so many zany characters, it is even hard to pick a favorite — yet, I’ll say Guy Smiley from “Sesame Street,” the self-proclaimed “America’s Favorite Game Show Host” played by Jim Henson. Inspiration is a heavy word, but Smiley’s can-do spirit (in the funniest of contexts) speaks to me.
If you haven’t seen it, check out the prime-time “Secrets of the Muppets” special. It’s a peek behind, or below, the curtain with backstage film from “The Muppet Show” and a number of latter-day projects like “The Storyteller.” It really is cool!
Logan De la Rosa, he/him/his, Campus Correspondent, logan.de_la_rosa@uconn.edu
For my favorite Muppet, I’d have to go with the main man: Kermit. Yeah, I know, basic answer, but who doesn’t love the guy? There’s something very endearing about how he deeply loves both his job and coworkers but is also experiencing extreme stress from it and their constant shenanigans.
His design is also incredibly charming, hardly changing from his first appearance in the ‘50s — even going so far as to still retain the original handmade ping-pong eyes and somewhat derpy face.
As far as my favorite Muppet projects, I’ve got a huge soft spot for the 2015 “The Muppets” parody of “The Office.” Shoutout to the five other people that know it exists.
Also, please watch the Muppet-adjacent “The Dark Crystal” if you haven’t. It’s peak ‘80s dark fantasy and has consistently traumatized kids for over forty years.
Alex Klancko, he/him/his, Campus Correspondent, ivb24001@uconn.edu
My favorite Muppet has to be Beaker. The lovable meeper who has every experiment under the sun tried on him. Some of my favorite Beaker moments are the hair tonic experiment, his performance of “Feelings” by Morris Albert and the photocopy machine fiasco where he gets copied over and over again and hunts Dr. Benson Honeydew.
Another one of my favorite characters is the Chef. He just throws food all over the place and it’s really funny. His theme song is also iconic for all the right reasons. My favorite moment of his is when he chases the chicken around the kitchen.
Two other characters I enjoy a lot are Animal and Gonzo. Animal is a really good drummer who is overall erratic and insane and Gonzo is a stunt maniac. Gonzo’s stunts are the best with my favorite being when he caught the cannonball in episode 223.
Jaylyn Davis, she/her/hers, Contributor, iue25001@uconn.edu
If I had to choose a Muppet to be my favorite, I’d choose Kermit the Frog. It may be an obvious answer, but Kermit’s bright green color reminds me of the environment, which is currently getting polluted by greenhouse gases and global warming. Besides his color, Kermit’s frog species reminds me of all the poor amphibians and aquatic animals that are currently suffering from plastic and other toxic chemicals getting dumped into the oceans. In my opinion, Kermit is a very important symbol of climate advocacy. If we all like Kermit, then we should save the animals that are just like him.
In addition to Kermit, I love “Sesame Street” as my favorite Muppet project because it’s the only Muppet project I’ve ever watched. But nonetheless, the show has very iconic characters like Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and many more that’ll make your day.