Jim and Jane Henson launched the first Muppets in 1955, and the next 65 years have given the franchise time to expand in virtually every medium, from film and television to music and theater, and even internet memes, Vinesand an AR application. There is a lot of Muppet history to sort through, but inevitably, we all have our favorite Muppet moments. Like the new Muppet TV series, Muppets NowHeading to Disney Plus on July 31, Polygon entertainment writers spend the week looking at the Muppet creations that have meant the most to us over the years.
For me, Muppets have always been a kind of warm, steady alternate family. The franchise has its roots in slapstick, vaudeville, and visual surrealism, but there was real and constant sweetness and a sense of emotional support and connection under Kermit’s exasperation, Fozzie’s sweaty sweat, Miss Piggy’s vanity, and Kermit’s desperate infatuation, and all the many bit players crave fame and recognition. Jim Henson’s warmth and sincerity as creator made it easy for him to go from silly comedy to the authentic thrill of classic sequences like Kermit singing “Rainbow Connection” or “I’m Going Back There Someday” by Gonzo. The Muppet Movie, or pretty much anything involving Kermit’s nephew, Robin.
As much as I love that the Muppets harass John Cleese or criticize him with Jason Segel, I’ve always gotten more out of the Muppets’ candid side, especially when it comes to just a comedy wink rather than outright madness.
Official Muppet Favorite Launch
“When the river meets the sea” by John Denver
The 1979 special John Denver and the Muppets: a Christmas together It’s awkward in many ways, with an elaborate staged dance number involving singer-songwriter John Denver as a toy soldier (Denver wasn’t primarily a dancer), and an account of the birth of Jesus, complete with baby Muppet Jesus. But the album associated with the special was a staple in my house at Christmas, and includes some additional songs that didn’t make it to the special, notably “When the River Meets the Sea,” a song written by Paul Williams for the 1977 special vacation. of the Muppets Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. No offense to that special, but I always liked the Kermit-Robin-John Denver version better musically and vocally. It’s a sweet and sad song that essentially promises us that we will all find a purpose in death: a pretty intoxicating concept for a child at Christmas, but still a warm and heartening one, especially coming from some very comforting Muppets, and John Denver, who he was practically a Muppet himself.
Favorite unofficial release
Kermit and Fozzie improvise in a tree
One of the best things about the Muppet’s long career in general was the creative relationship between Jim Henson and his former crime partner Frank Oz. This early chamber test to see how the Muppets would play outside, before The Muppet MovieIt could have been the puppeteers waving their Muppets for five minutes to see how well they registered on the screen.
But, being Henson and Oz who they were, the experiment turned into an impromptu conversation about the philosophy of being puppets. First, Fozzie and Kermit force each other to face some painful truths about their own nature, and then they agree. The Kermit-Piggy sequence isn’t all that meta and ridiculous, but the interactions between Kermit, Fozzie, and some real cows (with Henson accidentally slipping on screen at one point, and both men occasionally giggle at both his character and character) a lovely little live personality on screen.
Favorite bonus
“A Morrow” by The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show He was always pretty straightforward about his creators’ sense of humor: their love for puns, visual comedy, and the expression of both through elaborate puppets. That is why I have always laughed at “To Morrow”, a the Muppet show number with “The Country Trio,” a trio of puppets modeled directly from Henson, Frank Oz, and Jerry Nelson, the voice and puppeteer behind the Earl, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and many other Muppet and Sesame Street stalwarts.
The song itself is a bop bouncy, with its ‘Who’s On First’ comedy misunderstandings, but what really drives me here is the feeling of seeing Henson, Oz, and Nelson preserved together as they were, as joyful creators and bouncy, just hitting a ridiculous song that made them happy.
